Rayad grunted, but said, “I’m all right.”
Jace didn’t have time to make sure. More soldiers were on them in a moment, and they both had to redirect their attention to the fight. Still, a part of Jace’s mind couldn’t release the sight of Rayad falling. Some, if not all of them, would die here. They couldn’t escape that reality. Next time one of them went down, they probably wouldn’t get back up. Everything inside Jace cried out against it, driving him to fight harder, faster, fiercer—anything to keep them alive.
A flash of gold snapped his attention to his left. Soldiers worked their way around the group.
“They’re flanking us!”
Marcus gave another command to fall back. Once they were able to disengage, he shouted, “Just run!”
Jace agreed. They couldn’t stand up to this. They needed time to strategize—to catch their breaths. To keep fighting would lead to slaughter. If it took that to save the villages, so be it, but it hadn’t come to that yet.
So they ran. Jace came alongside Rayad, who limped slightly, but enough adrenaline coursed through each of them to keep them going in spite of any wounds. His gaze darted over the group, and he thanked Elôm they were all present. His mind then hurried to work on a plan. Perhaps, if they lost the soldiers, they could circle around to the ambush site and gather more arrows. He’d had to drop his, but a few of them still had their bows. It was a long shot, but maybe they could pick off more soldiers that way. Whatever it took to slow them down without having to engage them again.
All thoughts vanished when men burst out of the trees just ahead of them. The group skidded to a halt. Geric, Ruis, and the other ryriks spread out in front of them, cutting off their escape. Jace looked back. The soldiers closed in. He scanned the forest frantically for an opening, but they advanced too quickly in a ring of black and gold.
Like a noose, the deadly ring drew tighter around them. The group stood, their backs together, waiting. Would the soldiers offer them a chance to surrender? A chance to live long enough for rescue to arrive? However, Ruis’s cruel voice stomped out the hope.
“Kill them all.”
The ryriks rushed toward them. Jace squeezed the hilt of his sword, setting his gaze on Ruis, whose expression promised death. His pulse thundered in his ears, and an ache spread through his chest. This was it. They’d failed. They’d barely had a chance to defend Dorland and already it was all over. He reached for Elôm’s presence, already devastated by what was coming.
He raised his sword just before the ryriks reached them, ready to fight to the very last breath as a loud shout rang out.
The ryriks slowed, and everyone turned. From off to Jace’s right, more dark figures rushed from the trees, straight up behind the soldiers. Jace’s heart gave a jubilant leap. At least thirty ryrik men charged into the fray led by Saul. For the first time in the last two days, Jace found a tangible hope for survival.
Kaden dove Exsis sharply, almost lifting out of the saddle, and soared under an outstretched tree limb. A smaller branch slapped him with a sting across the shoulder, but all he cared was that the firedrake right behind him barreled right into the tree. A tremendous crash and crackling of wood echoed out, followed by the beast’s roar. He looked back. The firedrake floundered, coming dangerously close to being lost among the trees before shaking off its daze and righting itself. Even its rider managed to stay in the saddle by some twisted miracle. Kaden almost swore.
They had managed to thin the firedrake ranks to fourteen with minimal difficulty, but now they’d lost their momentum. He went through every tactical maneuver he’d ever practiced with no success. Not even Captain Darq seemed to know how to handle so many foes without being killed in the process.
Kaden looked around for Talas but didn’t spot him in the immediate vicinity. He probably had his own firedrake right on his tail. Kaden could practically feel the one behind him breathing down his neck. That’s it. He’d had enough. At a high-reaching pine, he swung Exsis around in a tight curve so fast he managed to come up behind the firedrake. Streaking right over the top, he scorched the rider and turned in the opposite direction.
Once again, he scanned the area for Talas. This time, he found him flying nearby in pursuit of a riderless firedrake. Kaden turned to help finish the beast off when he spotted a second firedrake barreling straight for Talas and Storm at an angle.
“Talas!”
But it was too late. The beast smashed into them as if it were a flying battering ram, and sent Storm spinning limply through the air. Kaden’s eyes latched on her falling rider. His gut lurched. Talas! He dove Exsis toward him, but he was too far away. He’d never reach him before he hit the canopy. Storm recovered and dove straight down after him. A moment later, both of them disappeared into the trees. Kaden held his breath, his heart thudding off the seconds. First two, then five, then ten. Cold seeped through his veins. They did not reappear. No!
Tears scalded Kaden’s eyes, and for a brief moment, he couldn’t move. Anger and grief struck him in the same brutal blow. He choked on the cry of agony rising in his throat, and he locked his gaze on the firedrake and rider who had knocked his friend out of the sky. Exsis reacted as if he knew what had just happened. Before the rider even realized what was coming, Kaden and Exsis were on top of him. Exsis reached out with his sharp claws and swiped the man right off the beast’s back. Apparently, firedrakes weren’t trained to rescue their riders because the beast didn’t even react as his rider plummeted toward the trees.
Instead, it focused on Kaden as he flew past and pursued him. Straight ahead, another riderless firedrake trailed after one of the dragons. Gem. Clenching his jaw, Kaden pointed Exsis toward them. He urged his dragon for more speed, aiming directly for the other firedrake’s side. He cast a glance back. His trailing firedrake flew only a few yards behind. He dug his feet in the stirrups and held on tightly, not pulling up until the very last second. They skimmed just over the top of the firedrake in pursuit of Gem, narrowly avoiding its wings. Less than a second later came a solid impact and two enraged roars.
Kaden looked back again in grim satisfaction. The two firedrakes had turned on each other. They clawed and bit at one another, their wings entangled as they fell toward the trees. He prayed for them both to fall to their deaths, but they detached just before they reached the canopy. One, however, disappeared into the forest, too injured to right itself in time.
Heat scorched the back of Kaden’s neck and across his left shoulder with a roar of flames. Ducking, he swung Exsis to the right, and slapped at his smoldering shirtsleeve. The drake’s flames seared through the material even wet. So much for avoiding burns. He caught sight of the firedrake that had flamed him. The rider glared, apparently not pleased with him setting their drakes against each other.
Kaden groaned in both pain and frustration. How would he defeat his latest foe? He wasn’t sure how long they’d been fighting, but he was already exhausted. After executing a few unsuccessful evasive maneuvers, his anger and frustration rose. He was about to try something more daring when a dragon came screeching overhead, blasting the firedrake with a perfectly aimed fountain of fire. The beast veered away, and Kaden swooped around to get behind it.
He gasped the moment he spotted the dragon that had come to his rescue. Storm! And she wasn’t alone. Talas sat in the saddle. Kaden nearly sagged as relief flooded in. How in Ilyon had he survived? The way Talas clutched his arm to his middle told Kaden he was hurt, but hurt was significantly better than dead.
Jace batted away an attack aimed for his neck and pressed forward, careful to keep from tripping on the littered forest ground. These weren’t young, inexperienced soldiers. Whoever had put together this force had chosen men of skill and experience—men who fought with confidence and wouldn’t have hesitated when faced with destroying Dorland villages.
Thoughts of why they fought kept Jace energized. This was what his ryrik blood was meant for: protecting and fighting for others. Though he had already put away the gui
lt he’d struggled with for years, now he embraced the advantages of his blood completely.
After a hard fought battle, his current opponent fell. Before he had a chance for a breather, two soldiers charged him. They weren’t the first group to try to take him out together. He would always despise Jasper, but if the man hadn’t trained Jace to face multiple opponents, he wouldn’t still be alive today.
They came at him from different angles, but he dodged one attack and parried another. Constantly in motion, he didn’t give them a chance to find him open. He blocked their attacks and waited for an opening for his own until they grew frustrated. When it came, he clipped one of the men across the ribs. Though it didn’t put him out of the fight, it did slow him down. This left Jace the opportunity to put more pressure on the second soldier.
To avenge his injured friend, the man drove into Jace hard, bordering on reckless. Jace met three successive attacks, angling sideways so he could still keep an eye on the wounded soldier. The moment he let up, Jace pushed forward. The man backpedaled. His foot snagged on a root, and he fought for balance, leaving himself undefended. Jace took him down. He then turned his gaze on the second soldier, who held his hand to his injured side.
Jace looked him in the eyes. “Surrender.” He prayed he would.
Yet, the man raised his sword and advanced. Jace winced. This wouldn’t be a long fight. Though the man fought well, his injury hindered him, and he fell after a poorly-timed defense.
He raised his eyes to find his next opponent. The rushing of water caught his attention. They must be near the river. Glancing that direction, his gaze snagged on two mismatched combatants, and his hot blood turned to ice. Michael stumbled, driven back by one shattering attack after another delivered by Ruis. Blood stained Michael’s jerkin, and though he blocked the ryrik’s blade, the only reason he wasn’t dead yet was that Ruis wasn’t done toying with him. Jace read the cruel amusement on the man’s face.
Michael tripped, landing hard on his back. Heat flushed through Jace’s system again and galvanized him to action. He sprinted forward. Ruis raised his sword to finish Michael off but then spun to face Jace. Their swords collided, sending a jolt through Jace’s hands. Ruis growled in his face, his eyes flashing, before shoving him away to take another swing. Jace blocked and thrust his blade toward Ruis’s middle. The ryrik reacted lightning fast and avoided the attack.
His sword arced toward Jace’s head. Jace barely ducked in time, and it whirred right over him. Before Ruis could regain his defense, Jace lashed out with his blade and caught flesh just above the man’s hip. Ruis bellowed and stumbled but was on Jace in a moment. Each progressively vicious strike forced Jace back a step. The wound had only added fuel to the heat driving the man on. He probably didn’t even feel the pain. Not in such a blind rage.
Jace blocked, waiting for the man to slow. When he did, he swore as if cursing Jace for not dying already. Jace recalled the man’s advances toward Kyrin, and his energy redoubled. Blood surging, he mounted his own attack. Though Ruis was bigger, Jace drove him back one step at a time.
He backed the ryrik toward a tree, hoping the man wouldn’t notice the obstacle behind him. However, at the last second, Ruis sidestepped. Releasing an enraged yell, he swung hard and batted Jace’s sword against the tree. Before Jace could pull it free, Ruis’s hand closed around his wrist. Using all his weight, he shoved Jace into the tree.
Jace’s forearm took the impact. With a crack, gut-wrenching pain lanced up his arm like a streak of lightning and numbed his hand. A cry tore from his throat. He tried to maintain his grip on his sword, but Ruis knocked it away. The man’s own blade rose and then descended toward Jace’s chest.
Jace twisted away. The blade caught his injured arm instead, sending another white-hot streak of pain to punch the air from his lungs. He stumbled, only then seeing how close he’d come to the riverbank. His foot slipped, and he tumbled over the edge. He reached out to catch himself with his good arm, but the impact with the rocky slope jarred another yell out of him right as he splashed into the cold river. Water flooded his nose and mouth. Floundering, he got his feet under him and pushed up, coughing.
He barely blinked water out of his eyes in time to catch Ruis looming over him. The man’s knee smashed into his face. Jace fell, plunging back under water, the river rushing in his ears. He scrambled to get upright, but hands gripped his shoulders, pressing him down against the rocky riverbed. Panic ignited a burst of adrenaline.
He clawed at Ruis’s arm with his right hand and fought to shove the man off him. His pulse thundered in his head, matching the roar of the river. He kicked at Ruis, but the water absorbed his power. His lungs burned. He needed air.
His knife! He reached for his right leg, but Ruis was kneeling on it. Pulling as hard as he could, he worked his leg free. He couldn’t hold his breath any longer. Water seeped into his nose, and the panic almost overtook him. He reached down and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his knife. Yanking it out of his boot, he stabbed upward, too panicked to aim.
The blade pierced flesh up to the hilt. The pressure against his shoulders released, and he pushed himself upward. Breaking the surface, he gasped in a huge gulp of air and choked water out of his burning lungs. Deep throbbing encased his skull, and his limbs lacked strength. He looked around for Ruis, still gripping his knife. The man stood a few feet away, his hand pressed to his side. A lethal amount of blood already stained his shirt.
Ruis turned on Jace as if about to lunge but stumbled against the current. He took one more step before he fell. He struggled in the water, staining it red, but eventually it carried him away.
Shaking, Jace stumbled out of the river and collapsed on the mud-slicked bank before the water could sweep him away too. Every movement weighed on him, and air filled his head. He examined his injured arm, but the unnatural angle of the broken bone wasn’t what sent waves of fear through him. Blood flowed free and fast from a gash along the underside of his arm, turning his soaked sleeve scarlet. He covered the wound with his hand, but hot blood seeped through his fingers. His heart rate climbed even as he begged it to stop pumping so much blood. He squeezed the wound more tightly but couldn’t stop the flow.
No. He shook his head. Please, Elôm. He didn’t want to die here. He didn’t want to leave Kyrin. Gray fog swirled around him, and he swayed. He breathed out heavily. All right. If it’s my time.
“Jace!”
He blinked enough to see Rayad slide down the bank near him, followed by Michael. Before he could speak, he tipped sideways into the mud unable to keep his eyes open.
Only three left.
Kaden didn’t know how he was still breathing right now, let alone on the brink of achieving victory over the firedrakes. He glanced to his left. Talas still flew with him. He’d just spotted Captain Darq as well. He didn’t know about anyone else. Right now, he just had to focus on the remaining threat.
With Talas right behind him, he pursued the only firedrake that still bore a rider. The beast’s wings were already tattered and singed, so it didn’t take long for the two of them to debilitate the beast. Working together on the next, they quickly overpowered the drake, and everything grew incredibly quiet. Kaden looked around. The gray sky was clear of everything but their few dragons.
A breath gusted from Kaden’s lungs. They’d done it.
Just ahead, Captain Darq motioned to them. Not far from the river, they landed in the meadow at the forest’s edge, and Kaden finally took stock of who was left. Talas landed beside him. A moment later, Aaron and Naeth followed, sporting both blood and burns. Talas had a long cut across his disturbingly pale face and still clutched his arm to his stomach. In a flurry of wings, two more dragons landed near them—Gem and Timothy’s dragon. Both were burned and looked a little rough but alive.
Kaden looked up at the sky. The gray clouds offered no signs of the other five dragons. He winced but then a ringing echo of metal drifted from the river.
“We need to get to
the others.” A knot tied in Kaden’s stomach. Who would be left when they arrived? He looked over at Talas. “Can you make it?”
His friend looked ready to keel over. He wasn’t going to have Talas survive the attack only to pass out and fall from Storm.
Talas straightened a little but grimaced at the motion. “Yeah. Just a broken collarbone. I’ll be fine.”
Kaden nodded. They didn’t have time for discussion. Without another word, he prompted Exsis back into the sky. Now his concern shifted to his brothers. How would he face their mother if they were dead? He grew ill just thinking of it. Please Elôm, let them be safe. All of them.
The minute it took them to reach the ford was torture. When they arrived, he found the sight both stomach-turning and encouraging. Several ryriks fought against Daican’s soldiers just within the trees. Kaden signaled Exsis, who let out a blasting roar. Captain Darq’s and Aaron’s dragons echoed him. Even before they set down on the edge of the forest, the soldiers had already turned to run. Within seconds, their flashy uniforms disappeared into the undergrowth. Just as in the sky, everything grew quiet.
Kaden jumped off Exsis and scanned the faces of those who turned to meet them. He spotted Saul along with Jorvik and his brothers but not a single person from Landale. Had they all been killed before Saul and the others joined them?