Magic shot toward Lord Andres, who jerked back the moment it slithered over him. His hand moved forward, slashing through the air with his blade as Kristal snarled. Blood splattered my face as she howled, shooting dark magic toward me. I rolled before it could slam into my body, groaning as pain burned in my bound wrists, secured behind my back.
The tent became smothered in magic as Kristal returned her focus on Andres, and he swung his blade wide, cutting deep into her throat. I shivered, gagging on the taste of copper that filled the air, mingling with dark, oily magic. Kristal’s hands lifted, and she sent a powerful wave of magic rushing through the tent, sending us flying in separate directions.
I peered at the sky, whimpering as I slid onto my side, staring through the bedlam ensuing through the camp. The power in the air was stifling as witches’ battled warriors. Slowly, I lifted onto my knees, searching the area for a direction in which to escape. Men were slaughtering witches while magic rushed through the air, creating plumes of pink mist that had once been warriors.
Once I’d got to my feet, magic shot toward me, sending my body careening down an embankment. I cried out, forcing myself to get back on my feet once more. I glanced around, listening to the fighting ongoing above me. Exhaling, I closed my eyes to hear what was near me, discovering rushing water.
Without waiting to see if they’d give chase, I moved toward the sound with my arms screaming in pain. Shouting sounded from the top of the ridge, and I spun in a tight circle, fighting past nausea that burned my throat. My eyes watered from the magic used, causing my mind to lose focus. I gasped as yet another wave of power rushed through the forest, forcing me to choose a path.
“Find her!” Lord Andres shouted, and I bolted, heading into the thickening forest toward the water to cover my scent.
My heart pounded, and fear spiked through me, causing the blood to move through my veins like thunder, echoing in my ears deafeningly. Sweat covered my brow, giving them a scent trail on which to follow me. I skated to a halt by the raging river, staring at the other side with despair.
Turning, I listened as boots crunched over debris, and my adrenaline spiked. Chewing my lip to ignore the morning’s crisp breeze, I moved into the water with my hands still bound behind my back. They had secured them far enough up that I couldn’t reach to sever the rope binding them. My foot slid over slick rock, and I gasped as I went down, shooting back to the surface, coughing icy water from my lungs.
I pushed through the current and finally made it to the other side of the river. I landed on the bank, gasping at the frosty chill that settled into my bones. My wet dress felt like lead as I struggled back onto my feet. Shouts sounded from the other side of the fast-moving water, and I hurried into the foliage.
“She’s here! Find the little bitch!” Lord Andres yelled.
I trembled, fighting the chattering of my teeth as everything inside of me scrambled to control my body temperature. Hiding in the undergrowth, I watched the men follow my trail to the river’s edge, turning to call out before they pushed into the water. I struggled to my feet as they shouted out my location. I dashed deeper into the woods on burning, aching legs that screamed in pain.
Chapter Four
I’d been running for what felt like hours with men shouting behind me. My entire body shook violently from the need to survive. I grew lethargic from the chill in the morning air and the wet dress that clung to me. The shouts were steadily getting closer as exhaustion filled my mind and my body. Pausing, I listened to the thundering sound of rushing water I could see in the distance, vanishing over the edge of what appeared to be a cliff.
Moving to the ledge, I looked over its side, unable to judge the distance to the falls’ bottom. Shouting sounded behind me, and I turned, shuddering as men rushed forward. Tears pricked my eyes, burning them as I stepped back while gathering strength to leap into the rapids.
“You’ve nowhere to go,” Lord Andres scoffed as he moved near me, his mouth curling into a cruel smile.
I sent a silent prayer to the Goddess of Mercy, swallowing bile as his yellowing teeth appeared from his victorious smirk. Going over a cliff with Knox was one thing. Going over one with my hands bound behind my back was suicide. I wished for Knox to appear and end this nightmare. Even if he took my life, it would be better than what Andres had planned for me.
My foot neared the edge, and Andres dove toward me as I spun, leaping blindly into the air. A scream escaped my throat moments before I hit the water jarringly. Pain shot through my legs, and I slowly sank, pushing off the bottom and gasping for air when my head breached the surface.
Men shouted, and I watched as they ran to a trail that led to the river from the cliffside. Turning in the water, I screamed as the current slammed me into a giant boulder, smashing against my head, causing light to burst behind my eyes. I sank once more beneath the surface, fighting to reach the bottom of the quickly moving river that was turning into raging rapids.
Something brushed my leg as I shot back toward the surface, and I glanced down as blonde hair became visible through the frothing white water. Nails dug into my legs, pulling me under as I sucked in air, yanked beneath the surface by a nymph.
My heart echoed through my ears as she smiled coldly, revealing serrated teeth. Once she had me beneath the water, she lunged to tear into my throat, but I was faster. My teeth found her cheek, slicing through it before she pulled back. The rattle that exploded from my lungs sent bubbles moving to the surface, and a burst of energy shot through me as I pierced the nymph’s throat with my fangs, ripping her vein open. Blood pooled around us, and I turned, sucking in water as yet another nymph attacked, using her claws to slice into my stomach.
I pushed from the bottom, kicking my legs to breach the surface. I gulped in air, noticing the nymph had followed me. I lunged, and we both gasped, crashing into a huge jagged rock that impaled the nymph, leaving her behind as the current slammed me against rock after rock until consciousness faded.
The sound of more rapids drew my attention, and I shuddered through the fear and chill that rushed through me. I saw movement beside me, and I groaned as I prepared for an attack, only to have something land close beside me in the water.
My eyes slid to the bank, finding a woman in the water with me. In her hand was a rope, but I couldn’t get enough air through my chattering teeth to tell her my hands were bound. I went below the surface as a rapid caught me, sucking me in without warning. My feet slid over the slippery rocks as I tried to get enough energy to shoot back toward the surface.
Failing, I blinked past the dark dots that swam in my vision as my lungs released the last of my air. The river tossed my body around its bottom, crashing into rocks and other things before someone grabbed me and pulled me toward the surface.
The woman stared down at me, slapping my face as I sputtered, expelling water from my flooded lungs. She turned me over onto my side and then lifted her head toward the direction in which I’d come.
“Get up,” she demanded. “They’re coming.”
She didn’t wait to see if I did as she’d instructed, leaving me to run from the men chasing me. I rolled onto my stomach, sucking in more air past the pain in my chest as I stood on shaking legs. I started forward, following her into the woods to find a place to hide from Lord Andres and his men.