by Chloe Cole
The next time I’d fallen into a fitful sleep, I was so weak, I idly wondered if it would be my last, only to have the guard outside cut that thought by dousing me with a bucket of icy water. Now, I was soaked through and shivering, but I’d managed to squeeze the liquid from my clothes into my parched mouth. It was a tiny but oh-so welcome victory. One that I clung to as my teeth chattered. One that rejuvenated me.
“Drink up because that’s all you get for a long while. We’re told to feed and water you only a few times a week, just enough to keep you alive. Can’t have you getting too comfy in there, can we?” the guard mocked, holding up his dim lantern and banging the hilt of his sword on the iron bars of my cell.
“Bite me,” I hissed through my chattering teeth. It was only when I bit down to stop them that I realized it wasn’t just my teeth vibrating.
The wall I was leaning against seemed like it was shuddering.
“Oh, sweetheart, don’t tempt me,” the guard muttered. “If I wasn’t under such strict orders not to lay a hand on you, I already would have warmed you up nice and good.”
But as chilling as his words were, I barely heard him over the pounding of my heart.
I laid my palms flat against the wall behind me and tried to focus. A moment later, there it was again. A very distinct tremble.
A tiny nugget of hope burned like an ember in my chest as I swallowed hard.
“Strict orders, hey?” I replied to the guard, managing a harsh laugh as I pushed myself to my feet. “Another little lap dog to a false King…a ruler of nothing but a bunch of dim-wits,” I shot back, amping up the volume of my voice as much as I could.
If the motion of that wall meant what I thought it meant, the more distracted my captor was, the better.
“Yeah, he’s the one who’s gonna make me rich when we take your sister’s throne. I hear the palace boasts treasures of the like we’ve never seen. Jewels the size of a man’s fist.”
“He’d have to be clever enough to find those and I’m one hundred percent certain you’re all too dim-witted to ever puzzle it out.” The stones behind me trembled again, this time enough to make a crackling noise. Luckily, the guard picked that very moment to bang his sword against the bars again.
“The tongue on you,” he spat, “should be cut out of your pretty little mouth.”
“Empty threats,” I replied as another vicious bout of shivers shook me, making me sway weakly on my feet. No way I was giving up now. If Anaya had sent soldiers to save me, I needed to do whatever I could to aid them in their attempt. Breaking in while the guard was on the other side of the iron bars stood little chance of success. He’d run and get more guards before me and my would-be saviors could get out.
I needed to get him to open the door somehow and I needed to do it now.
The vibration of the wall behind me shook my fingertips and I broke into a fit of coughing, which only barely drowned out the sound of crackling rock raining to the floor.
“Christ almighty, don’t choke to death, bitch, or His Highness will have my head on a pike.”
I ratcheted up the coughing, each wracking sound ripping through my chest and throat like fire. With a silent prayer that I wasn’t pulling the trigger too early, I stepped away from the wall and doubled over.
“Ah, for fuck’s sake, woman. Stop it. I’ll give you some water if you’ll stop,” he muttered.
Dimly, I heard another spray of pebbles hit the ground and I pitched forward, landing hard on my knees as I ceased coughing and began to choke and gag.
I felt like I was truly going to pass out from my efforts when I heard his low snarl.
“Son of a bitch.”
The jangle of heavy keys sliding into a lock rang in my ears and my whole body tensed. This was it. My one shot, whether the wall came down or not, and I had to take it.
Better to go down fighting than to give up.
When the warm light of the lantern fell over me, I rolled onto my back, clutching my neck as I resumed coughing.
The guard bent low and reached for a bladder at his hip. “Stop it, now, take a drink.”
He dragged me up to sitting, uncorked the bladder, and pressed it against my cracked lips.
I took a greedy sip and then another, straining to hear more sounds from the outside even as I tried to get a bead on the guard’s sword. If I could just get my hand close to it--
“Ah, you smell better than you should after three days locked in here, woman,” he growled, leaning in and inhaling a deep breath of my hair and neck.
I was just about to make my move when another spray of pebbles rained down. The guard stilled and then jerked upright.
I gathered the last of my flagging strength and lurched upward with him, driving my knee into his crotch with all my might.
He bent at the waist with a high-pitched wail and clutched at his groin. Not wasting an instant, I rammed my elbow into the back of his neck.
He toppled to the ground in a heap at my feet, just as the wall behind me gave way. Debris flew everywhere and I turned away to shield my eyes from the blast.
Dust swirled in the air, backlit by the early morning sun. I blinked furiously, trying to adjust to the light, but a moment later, the sun was eclipsed. I craned my head backward, gasping at the sight of a massive bear. His thick, auburn coat gleamed as he bared his teeth in a roar so fierce, it made the tiny room tremble. His familiar brown eyes caught my gaze and he lowered himself to all fours as he stepped over the rubble.
The guard let out a whimper as he rolled onto his back. His last words were a prayer as Titus’s talons rent him in two, like a knife through butter.
The bear’s great chest heaved as he turned to face me once again. With a sob of relief, I fell into him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his massive chest. His scent enveloped me like a blanket.
“Titus,” I sobbed, tightening my fingers in his fur. “You have no idea how good it is to see you. I’m so sorry I left.”
I felt his cool nose against my cheek. He used his snout to push me away. His gaze regarded the iron collar on my neck.
“Mathias,” I said, tapping it once.
The fury reflected back at me was almost chilling and I was grateful to have this fierce beast in my corner.
“I look forward to driving my sword into his gut,” a low voice growled. “The lying bastard.”
Pulse leaping, I looked up as Eryk and Dimitri stepped through, their expressions fierce. They were both armed to the teeth, their belts heavy with swords and knives, full quivers and more bows than needed strapped to their backs.
They looked positively formidable, with their cloaks billowing around their legs, as they found their footing on the rubble and sought me out in the lingering shadows of the cell.
I threw myself in their direction and they caught me, holding me for a moment before pushing me back so they could look me over. Eryk took my hands and inspected my arms. Dimitri grabbed my chin and turned my head from side to side.
“Did he hurt you?” Dimitri breathed, eyebrows drawn together.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I said, but I knew by his expression that my face and body bore witness to my suffering.
When he discovered the bruising around my neck, his lips curled in a snarl. “This comes off,” he said to Titus, who was still in his bear form, “now.”
Titus approached and, without fear, I tipped my head back. Dimitri held the collar as far away from my throat as he could manage as Titus pinched it between his teeth. His jaws snapped closed and the iron broke, falling with a clang to the floor.
I rubbed my neck and groaned with relief.
“I know you’re weak, love, but we’ve got to get you out of here,” Eryk urged. “A ship full of your sister’s soldiers caught up with us at sea. Apparently, your message was received right about the same time her frantic search for you turned up a spy in the palace; a stable boy who had been collecting information for the Du Mondes. Once pressed, he confessed tha
t it was Preston and his brother Mathias behind the kidnapping and that they had planned to bring you to their stronghold. They are awaiting the rest of her forces, which are but hours away. This place will be under heavy siege before noon and we need to get you gone before that happens.”
A low voice chimed in from behind Titus, making my blood run cold. “You’ll be gone, all right. Have no fear of that.”
Chapter 19
Preston Du Monde.
I brushed by Eryk and Dimitri to stand in the opening blown in the wall. Du Monde and one hundred men, many dressed in armor, just ten yards away. In the thick of it stood Mathias, broadsword in hand.
I cocked my head at him and then, I smiled.
A flicker of fear skittered across his face before it disappeared, but it was enough to fill me with confidence and give me a jolt of much-needed energy.
I might die here today, but I would do as I vowed and take him down with me if I did.
“Front twenty, stay with me. The rest of you get to the shores and prepare to ambush our ersatz Queen’s men,” Preston Du Monde called over his shoulder, his expression almost apathetic. “Kill the three useless males, but keep her alive for now. Should our men run into trouble at the beach, her sister’s soldiers will bow in supplication to see her life spared.”
A sizzle of excitement rocketed through me. Still a feat to be sure, but our odds had just increased five-fold. In his arrogance, Du Monde believed that we four were no match for his twenty. Now, to do our best to make him regret that hubris.
The back four rows of men broke off and made their way out of the courtyard as the rest began a methodical march toward us in a line.
Dimitri called my name, and I looked over my shoulder at him as he handed me a bow.
“Watch your back,” he said softly. “I didn’t come this far only to lose you in the end.” He shrugged out of one of his quivers and strapped it onto my back. Then, he tucked a knife in my belt.
Eryk pulled a long sword from a sheath on his back. “Nor did we,” he said, stepping up beside me. “Use the weapons for as long as you can so you save your strength, and then shift if you need to. Kill anything that moves. No mercy.”
Titus flanked my other side, his massive form a sorely needed source of strength and comfort. I rested a hand on his back and tightened my fingers in the fur of his scruff.
Dimitri drew his sword from the scabbard on his hip. My stomach roiled at the thought of any of them being hurt, especially now, when we were so close to getting away, but I had to push that aside.
This fight was bigger than the four of us. Lives were at stake. The future of Ironhaven was at stake. This was our chance to make it right. My chance to protect my sister and her kingdom, I refused to squander it.
Du Monde and his men were just slightly below us in the open courtyard. Up the pile of rubble from the broken wall was where we stood.
The men moved toward us, inexorably closer, armor creaking and groaning as they walked.
I could do this. This was what I had been preparing for. A chance to fight. The opportunity to use what I’d learned, and despite my tattered state, I had never felt so prepared to fight. My whole body was tingling; every nerve waiting for a command.
Eryk thrust his sword arm in the air and gave a mighty battle cry. The lioness rose up my throat and her roar mingled with my own cry as the others added their voices.
Dimitri and I stayed back as the others sprinted forward, taking the opportunity to use our bow skills before they got too close.
I managed to fire off five shots in rapid succession, landing three direct hits before Titus and Eryk were enmeshed in the mix and it became too dangerous to continue firing.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Dimitri shouldering his bow as well.
“Two for me. That’s five down, fifteen to go,” he called.
I tried not to follow the movement of the others, but caught sight of Eryk as he clashed swords with one of the enemy. I nearly cried out in relief as he made short work of him, his swift and elegant blade slicing through the air and into his opponent’s gut before the man had even taken a swing.
If Eryk’s speed and grace were a gift, Titus’s size and strength served him equally well. Standing on his hind legs, he was a sight to behold as he bellowed with rage, moments before taking down two soldiers with one swipe of his mighty, taloned paw. Those wouldn’t be killing blows. Not for these shifters, but if we worked fast, we could get away before they recovered and healed.
“Pay attention!”
Dimitri’s voice was sharp as a whip and I wheeled around just in time to see a thin blade pass my field of vision, far too close for comfort.
I dropped back into fighting stance and parried a second strike as I locked gazes with my attacker. He slowed in surprise at my deftness, and I took advantage of the moment, sweeping in low, swiping my blade across the opening in his armor at his knees. He dropped like a bag of bricks and my blade slid through the fabric beneath his helmet.
I was already nocking an arrow and aiming for the other men racing towards us before the dead man hit the rocks. I let my arrow fly and it slammed into the chest of the man I had marked. He toppled over into his companion, who was struck in the eye with my second arrow.
Titus let out a rumbling roar and suddenly the others disengaged, backing up until they surrounded me in a circle.
“Get ‘em, Princess,” Dimitri muttered as the next wave of soldiers came rushing forward.
Instinctively, I slowed my breath, my focus going razor sharp. I could do this.
I reached for Dimitri’s quiver, still fat with arrows, and I plucked the first up with my fingertips. As if in slow motion, I slid the arrow into its notch and set up for my shot, before letting loose.
A muffled scream was my only confirmation that it had hit its mark, as I was already lining up my next victim. One by one they fell as my three protectors rallied around me, fighting off the stray soldiers that got too close.
Titus was rushed by two men with daggers. He plowed through them, their armor of no help as he snapped one of their necks like a twig. Eryk locked blades with another, ducking a second attack as he took the legs from beneath his opponent with a swift kick. Dimitri let his dagger fly, burying it deep into the forehead of a man sprinting out to meet him.
But all of that was background noise, now, as I focused on the handful of men in the distance.
There was no sign of Mathias, he must’ve gone down in the fight, but no matter. My sights were set on the elder Du Monde. If he walked away from this fight, all would be lost. Dimitri, Titus and Eryk would lose people they loved, and Ironhaven would be lost to the Du Mondes forever.
He hadn’t moved an inch since the fight started, standing twenty yards from the battle with a pair of reluctant men standing in front of him like human shields.
A coward, just like his father.
As his gaze locked with mine, he laid a hand on his sword, drawing it and then resting it point first on the cobbles of the courtyard. His fingers were clasped over the hilt, as if he were using it as a staff, eyes trained on me. I saw it there, plain on his face. He had no intention of fighting. The second he had the chance, he was going to run for it.
I nocked another arrow and stepped out from behind my protectors and moved slowly across the stones.
“Iris,” Dimitri called. “Stay back.”
“They’re under orders not to kill me. He’s going to try to es--”
The breath left my lungs in a whoosh as I hit the ground like a ton of bricks.
Bone-jarring pain shot up my right arm and a wave of nausea rolled through me.
Knowing I was vulnerable, I rolled onto my back to find a massive, golden lion skidding to a stop and turning to face me.
Mathias.
Eryk called my name, but through my ringing ears, he sounded terribly far away. The echo of his cry was still on the air when I let my fingers unclench from around my bow and allowed myself to shift.
I rolled up onto all fours, ignoring the shaft of agony that shot up my front leg.
The others were in hand-to-hand combat as Mathias padded closer, nearly upon me.
I didn’t wait to defend. Instead, I went on the attack, launching myself forward until the two of us collided in mid-air.
I buried my teeth in his neck as his claws slashed across my face. Hot blood seeped into my fur and my vision blurred, going crimson as it spread. And still, I held tight, growling low in my chest, teeth still buried in Mathias’s muscled neck. I thrashed back and forth, tearing his flesh and muscle, until we both landed in a heap of dust on the cobblestone.
I was on my feet instantly and padding around him as he rose.
He was huge, his mane darker than the rest of his golden fur by just a single shade. Muscles rippled beneath his skin as he paced around me.
When he stopped and roared, I braced myself for another hard impact. We threw our bodies into each other. My vision was still bad in my right eye. I used my shoulders and bore my back to him rather than expose my throat or belly. He tried to grab hold of my scruff, but I twisted out of the way. His teeth cut through my skin, but I ignored the pain and took a good chunk out of his side.
Then his back paw slammed into my jaw in a powerful kick, and I went sprawling across the cobblestone.
My ears were ringing as that coppery taste of blood coated my tongue. I shook my head to clear it and stood shakily. Luckily, Mathias looked equally unsteady as he tried to get his feet under him.
A low sound over my shoulder caught my ear, and I turned to find Eryk beside me in his panther form. He snapped at the air and let out a warning rumble as Mathias faced me again.
I chuffed and dipped my head, urging Eryk to look behind Mathias. There, Preston Du Monde, in the distance in lion form, flanked by his two guards, heading for the trees.
We couldn’t let him get away.