by S. D. Grimm
He rubbed the mare’s neck. “It’s up to your ears now.”
She stopped and he scanned the woods. There. Behind a tree, Ethan thought he saw movement. He drew his sword. “Who are you?”
A young woman stepped around the tree, hands up in surrender, but she held a bow and carried a full quiver at her hip. Her Feravolk cloak rippled in the wind, hiding her, but she seemed to want to be seen. “Are you him? Stone Wolf?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes. How did she know him? And how many others surrounded him?
She drew in a deep breath and bent, slowly, to place her bow on the ground. Then she stepped toward him. Javelin shifted her weight.
Ethan stroked her neck. “Easy, girl. What is it?”
The young woman lowered her hood, brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes, green like jewels, studied him. “I need your help.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Morgan. And if you help me, Stone Wolf, I will take you to Jayden.”
Ethan’s heartbeat spiked. She had Jayden? He dismounted and placed his sword against Morgan’s neck, backing her against the nearest tree and pinning her there with his blade. “Where is she?”
“Ethan.” Morgan’s breathing turned ragged, and tears glimmered in her eyes as she looked down at the weapon mere inches from her throat. Her gaze flicked to meet his, but no threat pulsed there. Only pleading. “Please. Help me. I need to save my friends.”
A familiar tug pulled at his insides and he sucked in a breath. Danger. Not for him. For someone he knew. He had to move now. Chest heaving, he released her and stepped back. “I—I can’t. I have to—”
“Help the redhead?”
Chloe. Yes. The threat was for Chloe. He lunged at this Morgan again, this time pinning her to the tree with the threat of his blade against her stomach. “Tell me what I have to do to get Jayden and Chloe back.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “Ethan, I want to help you. And in turn, I need your help.” Slowly she lifted her arm and he watched as she pushed up her sleeve. A Blood Moon birthmark. She was a Child. “I can see things. Future things. I don’t have your friends. But I know how to help them.”
He stepped back, sword tip faltering. Honestly, he didn’t know what to believe.
“Is—is that your blood?” She neared him and shook her head. “In my vision, I see you helping me. I—the things you did—I don’t know what changed.” Her eyes met his now, hope draining. “In my vision, you fought like ten men, but you’re clearly injured. There’s no way you can—”
If she saw him fighting like that, she was telling the truth. There was no way she could know how his talent worked. “Am I to do this thing you ask of me in order to save . . . the redhead?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. Maybe I should have tried to find you sooner. Before . . . what happened to you?”
“Never mind that.” He sheathed his sword. “Tell me what you saw. Tell me how to save my friends, and I will become the man you saw in your vision.”
Ethan huddled near Morgan at the base of a fallen tree. The exposed roots proved a good hiding spot. The hike had drained him of much of his energy, so he rested his head back against the wall of dirt and roots.
Morgan looked at him askance, but the worry in her eyes was clear. How would he explain that his talent would take over when the time was right and turn him into . . . well, a monster?
“You’re bleeding still. Let me—” She lifted his shirt and winced. “Oh.” Her gaze snapped up. “When did this happen?”
She pulled a clean bandage out of her quiver and offered a soft smile. “I thought I’d need this to bind your wounds after you helped me rescue my friends.”
“You might.”
He closed his eyes and tried not to groan as she packed the wound, too exhausted to argue. Then she wordlessly took care of the gash in his arm and hole in his chest.
“I hope you hold together.”
He chuckled and opened his eyes. “You and me both.”
But the burn crossed his chest in a faint flicker, and he knew he’d be numb to the pain soon.
Morgan’s wide-eyed gaze met his. “They’re headed out to find your friends now. Help me rescue mine, and we’ll have the numbers and knowledge to beat them.”
He nodded.
The sound of hoofbeats touched his ear. He couldn’t tell which direction they came from. Leather creaked. No chainmail in the wood—not when they were tracking quarry.
She pressed her finger to her lips and peered between the roots. He watched with her. Soldiers of the Royal Army came into view. Then more. Two units meeting less than a bowshot from where he hid. He held his breath as he saw—tied to a leash like an animal—a giant.
He would never be able to fight a giant and all these soldiers. Not in this condition. What did Morgan expect of him?
One of the soldiers brought his horse forward and Ethan’s blood boiled. Scarface. “Take the giant to the river. He will find their scent. We will have King Franco’s prize. As for the redhead, bring her to me.”
Ethan’s talents rushed into him.
He waited, quivering like a coiled spring, as half of the soldiers left with the giant.
“Not yet,” Morgan whispered as one man muscled a bound and gagged prisoner toward Scarface. Chloe.
What had she gotten herself into? And where were the others? Were they okay? They were still this close to the palace, which meant at least one of them had to be injured pretty badly. That thought tightened his stomach. According to Kara, Jayden was okay. If Ryan—he couldn’t even finish the thought. Ryan had better be okay.
Morgan placed a hand on his uninjured arm. “Be still. My friends will be here soon. They will have a few weapons. The one with golden eyes will have supplied what he could.”
“Golden eyes?” Connor.
She nodded. “He rescues as many kidnapped Children as he can. Then I come here to meet them and take them to my camp.” She smiled. “They will be here soon. My owl delivered my message this morning.”
He regarded her. Must be a nice talent to possess.
She shrugged as if she’d heard his thoughts. “I came to get you this morning. If I didn’t bring you . . . well, it wouldn’t have been a rescue. None of these men can know of our exit point.” She chewed her lip. “I’ll need you to draw them away from here. So they think we’ve come out of the woods.”
He nodded. A solider held Chloe tight while Scarface rolled out a map. He had twelve men with him. There was no way he’d take down all of them, but Morgan would know that. He’d trust her reinforcements. He could make a diversion, no problem there.
Morgan looked at him and nodded once. “Go now.”
A flare of warmth spread across Ethan’s chest, and he shot forward. His talent dulled the pain from his wounds, but not like before. Apparently there was a limit to how much he could handle. It would be really nice if he still had his bow. Looked like he’d have to do this in close quarters. He rushed in, sword ready. One of the soldiers let go of Chloe and pulled out his sword. That gave Chloe time to kick him.
Unfortunately, that just made the guard slam her into the tree. The threat for her heated, and she fell. Now the other soldiers were alerted. Ethan focused on his talent. He had to take care of the man in front of him first.
The twang of a bowstring and scream of a man told him Morgan had his back. Speed was his ally. He called it and dodged his attacker’s swing. Then he buried his blade into the man’s stomach. Pulling his weapon free, he whirled around. A second attacker reached him. Ethan swung his sword, ripping that man’s stomach open.
Two men raced toward him.
He stood in front of Chloe and faced the oncoming threat with his reddened blade.
The clash of steel on steel rang through the air as his sword met the first attacker. Ethan pivoted. Leaf-cluttered soil made his feet slip. Gaining purchase here wasn’t easy. Speed fueled him in a burst and he slashed the man’s neck open. As soon as that man fell, the other attack
er had made it within fighting range. Ethan faced him. He blocked a blow. Another. This guy moved faster than the last.
Ethan sliced low through the air and his blade sunk into the attacker’s thigh. The enemy stumbled back enough for Ethan to dodge the blade aimed for him.
He felt as though he moved in slow motion, his speed slipping away. His talent had reached its limit. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer. He blocked one blow, pushing the soldier’s sword aside. The man stumbled back. Ethan called one last flare of speed and pierced the man through. Red coated his blade and the man fell, lifeless.
A shudder of pain ratcheted through him. His talents draining.
Come on, Ethan. You’re stronger than this.
Reinforcements headed his way; so did more of the enemy. He just had to hold out long enough.
Morgan had reached Chloe and started to cut her bindings.
Ethan yanked his sword out from another soldier, but the forest started to spin. Arrows thwacked the ground. Ethan’s talents didn’t die away slowly this time. They were just gone. Pain and weakness washed over him and he clutched his arm. Fell to his knees.
Chloe hunched over him. Tears wet her eyes, but she scowled at him. “You’re more cut up than the log Father stores his axe in.”
“Chloe?”
Morgan handed Chloe a knife and touched Ethan’s shoulder. “Thank you.” She smiled. “Only one got away. We’ll have to move from here before he comes back.”
“One? The one with the scar?”
Morgan’s mouth opened, but she didn’t speak. Didn’t have to. He knew it. Scarface still lived. Still hunted Jayden. He tried to stand.
“Easy there.” Morgan gently pushed him back. “Let me tend to those wounds so we can get you out of here.”
“Jayden.”
“Yes. Then we’ll find Jayden. I promise.”
“Ethan?” Chloe grabbed his shirtsleeve and pulled him to look at her. “They told me you were dead.” Tears streamed down her face. She wrapped him in a hug.
“Easy, Chloe.” He hugged her gently. She might not admit to being his sister, but she clearly loved him.
“Sorry.” She pulled back.
“You should get out of here with the others. I’ll—”
“No.” She shook her head so that her hair flew in front of her face. “I’m not losing you again.”
“You won’t.” Then he closed his eyes. She was calling his name, and he was trying to answer, but he couldn’t. He didn’t even have the energy to grip his sword.
Chapter 11
A Gigantic Problem
Ryan’s heart stalled at the sound of the scream. Chloe.
Jayden’s hands flew to her mouth. “I let her go alone.”
The quiet certainty of Thea’s voice filled Ryan’s mind as he recalled her statement. I’m sorry. You’re going to lose that one. An ache tightened his chest. Chloe. He’d thought Thea meant Jayden, but it was clear now. How had he not seen her meaning in the first place? He fisted his hands and ran down the hill in the direction his sister had gone. Jayden followed, her apologies lost in the wind.
“How dare she let your sister walk into danger? She wanted to know about Ethan. That’s all she cared about. Now Chloe could—”
“Just stop!”
“Sorry.” Jayden’s soft voice cleared his mind, but he didn’t stop running.
It wasn’t her fault. Chloe probably didn’t want to wait. It was a decision she’d made. The voice. It wanted to tear him from those he loved. No matter what, he wouldn’t let it.
“You think you’re stronger?”
He picked up speed. At the bottom of the hill, Logan, Gavin, and Melanie caught up with him.
“Where is she?” Logan asked.
“At the lake.” Jayden’s voice broke into pieces against the wind.
“We’ll get her. You stay here.” Logan’s gaze held intensity Ryan was certain his matched.
“That’s my sister.”
“So are they.” Melanie motioned behind him.
Kinsey and Wren stood, wide-eyed. That was enough to make him comply. No more stupid decisions. He wasn’t trained yet. With Ethan gone, who would they have if he died?
He faced Jayden, and her wet eyes melted his heart. “It’s not your fault.”
She nodded. “I left her alone. I—I should have—”
“No. You didn’t send her off alone.” He hugged Jayden close.
She gripped his shirt and buried her face in his neck, and a hiss shot through his head. He held tighter to Jayden. If the white lion wanted him to start a war with his loved ones, it didn’t know a thing about him. Jayden had his heart as much as any of his sisters. He would not lose her. Not over something so stupid.
Not over anything.
He smoothed her hair. “Chloe will be fine.”
“I should have known. I should have gone with her.”
He pushed her back and wiped a stray tear. “Chloe’s a mule. You can hitch her to the cart, but it won’t make her pull it.”
A smile lit Jayden’s face and made her eyes sparkle. He wanted to kiss her. Now. In the middle of worry. Surrounded by uncertainty. She grounded him. Chased the voice away. He needed her.
The sound of something breaking through brush caused Jayden to turn. Her fingers curled around the dagger at her waist. Ryan gripped his borrowed sword and hoped what little skill he had would be enough.
“I found more of them.” A voice carried through the trees.
Ryan glanced at Kinsey and Wren and pulled the sword free. “Run.”
Bushes crunched as a foot stomped them flat. Ryan’s eyes trailed up, up, up. Legs like tree trunks. Arms like branches. He had to be twice as tall as Ryan and twice as wide. A giant. He carried a poleaxe in one hand and dragged a heavy-looking chain in the other. Ryan had no desire to find out what the end of that chain attached to.
Jayden ran in front of Ryan and glanced over her shoulder. “Run.”
“Not happening.”
“Ryan, someone has to—”
The giant fixed tiny eyes on Jayden and laughed, deep and booming. He pointed a thick finger at her. “I found you.”
Ryan tugged her arm and tried to shield her, but she remained beside him. “Go with my sisters.” He gripped the old sword Kara had given him in the palace. Worn leather wrapped the hilt. Its previous owner had likely died. Ryan swallowed and tried to calm his shaking nerves as he looked up. “I think it’s your turn to hide.”
The giant’s bushy eyebrows pulled together like a flock of angry crows. “My orders are not to retrieve you, dragonbait. That means you die.”
“Dragonbait? I like that one. It means I’m fast and smart.”
The giant’s beefy arm swung forward and the sound of a chain clinked. A Morningstar. Ryan uttered a curse and pushed Jayden down. Together they fell against the dirt. Air whooshed as the spiked ball sailed over them, just missing Ryan’s back.
He looked at Jayden. “Remember what you said about running?”
“Ryan!” She grabbed his sleeve and scrambled to her feet.
Then she ran, herding Wren and Kinsey farther into the woods.
Ryan skidded to a halt and turned.
The giant lumbered after them. Ryan was no match for that monster, but that wouldn’t have stopped Ethan.
“You’re not Ethan. Don’t throw your life away for this. You’re not strong enough.”
That voice certainly knew how to burn his straw. Not strong enough? No. Not Ethan. Certainly not. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take Ethan’s place as a protector. He could learn to be a hero. And didn’t all the real heroes overcome because they were brave and smart?
Then again, maybe this wasn’t a smart choice.
“Ryan?” Wren’s panicked voice reached him.
He couldn’t look. Instead, he faced the giant. One thing was certain. Ryan Granden wouldn’t die a coward.
The giant roared as he ran, his poleaxe high.
Ryan stood
rooted.
The giant stepped closer. Close enough for Ryan to watch drips of sweat trickle over the beast’s bare, pockmarked arms. Arms that crashed down.
Ryan lifted his sword and the crack of steel meeting wood pierced the air.
A jolt of force shot through his limbs, but he pushed back. The giant pulled his weapon back, and his body angled to the other side. He was going to swing the Morningstar.
Ryan rushed to safety beside a tree, eyes on the spiked ball. His heartbeat raced in his throat. The tree shook and splinters flew into the air. Ryan fell to his knees and scrambled up in time to see Jayden coming to his aide.
No. He’d been trying to avoid her involvement.
Jayden raced up behind the giant and sank her dagger into the giant’s meaty thigh. She pulled her reddened blade free, and the giant spun toward her.
Okay. A little help wasn’t a bad thing.
She darted around like a mouse past a fat cat, and Ryan took the opportunity to get closer. He swung his sword. It bit into skin. Sliced through flesh. Blood gushed out of the giant’s torso, stained fabric, and tainted the blade.
Ryan shook his head. He didn’t want to kill.
This wasn’t a man.
It was a monster.
A monster.
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“Ryan!” Jayden’s voice cut through the fog, and Ryan looked in time to see the Morningstar headed his way. He jumped back, but spikes caught his leg. The force knocked him backward and he slammed into a tree.
The earth seemed to shake and he squeezed his eyes shut. The sound of his breathing drowned out everything. The burn of pain clouded everything else.
He opened his eyes.
Focus.
Blood seeped through the edges of his ripped pants, but the cut wasn’t too deep. He could still put weight on it. He stood, but his hands were empty. Where was the sword?
There, on the ground where he’d been standing.
“Ethan would never have lost his sword.”
The giant’s roar filled his ears. He glanced up in time to see Jayden race between the giant’s legs. Her daggers cut deep into the beast’s inner thigh. But he caught her cloak and pulled. She fell flat on her back. The giant stepped on the material, anchoring her to the ground. She squirmed like a lost worm in a bird’s shadow.