But there was the small, tiny, minuscule matter of her being stuck in unicorn form. That made entanglements… difficult. She sighed inwardly.
Noc took another step and stumbled, nearly tripping into the marshy water.
This is ridiculous, she said to him. I’m going to ask the prince why we can’t take the tunnels.
Queen Zara wouldn’t have sent us on this route if there weren’t a good reason, Noc replied, struggling out of the dip.
At least then we’ll know why we’re stumbling all over the marshes. She didn’t wait for a reply as she moved up through the cavalcade, nosing her way between horses and dark-elves.
Excuse me, she thought to Prince Dhuro, but he didn’t react, so she trotted to catch up to him. Excuse me!
A dark look over his shoulder. Gleaming golden eyes raked her over, narrowing. For a moment, the scent of fresh water and mountain stone cut the marsh’s odor.
“What?” he said, more of a grunt than a question.
She jerked in her head. His lovely tone really shouldn’t have surprised her. Why aren’t we taking the tunnels?
“If you needed to know, you would’ve been told,” he replied, his voice low. He held her gaze, as if challenging her to talk back.
This terrain is very difficult for Noc and me.
He scoffed. “Don’t hide behind Noc. He’s been through rougher terrain than this. If you hate getting your little hooves wet, Princess, then just admit it.”
Princess? Her eye twitched. Had he just called her “Princess”? Listen here—
Bella, Noc interrupted, don’t mind him. He’s not—
“No, how about you listen?” Prince Dhuro leaned in, his voice cold. “You got yourself turned into a unicorn and stuck in your form. We’re taking you directly to your sire, whom we should reach in a few days. No one wants to be here, and your complaining won’t improve circumstances for anybody.”
Complaining? All I asked for was an answer, she replied. But I can see now that verbal communication isn’t one of your precious few skills, Your Highness.
His handsome face contorting, he opened his mouth to argue, but she turned away. He could argue all he wanted, but he could say it to the back of her head.
An arrow darted between them.
Prince Dhuro shoved her aside.
One of the guards drew her sword and batted the arrow away. She shouted something in their language. The dark-elves sprang into action, fanning out and taking cover while Noc sidled up to Bella. Her entire body chilled to ice cold, trembling. Gods above, not again, not like with Cosimo—
“Stay with Noc!” Prince Dhuro gritted out to her before he joined his allies.
Remain in contact with me, Noc said to her. I’m casting a glamour.
Doing as bidden, she let him urge her into the shadows, onto dry ground. When he froze, so did she.
More shouts, and metal clanged ahead. Gods above, not again. Cosimo—
Deathly screams, the reek of blood.
No. No, no, no—
What is it? Noc asked. Are you all right?
She most certainly was not. Cosimo had died to violence. Witam had died to help her. So many had died to help her during the war with the Brotherhood, and...
I can’t let a single person more be killed for my sake. Not again. Not ever again.
Before Noc could stop her, she ran toward the sounds.
Chapter 3
With both swords drawn, Dhuro crept through the shadows cast by the scant trees. Steel flashed in the moonlight, and he chased the skirmish. Whoever it was, even Dakkar himself, he wouldn’t allow them to endanger this mission.
Blades danced beneath the night sky as Gavri and her squad fought five women—light-elves in familiar brown leathers. What were they doing here? Were they from Lumia?
A fifth lunged at him—a man. Dhuro parried and counterattacked with his second sword, cutting the light-elf’s thigh. Blood spattered the mud.
The light-elf hissed with retreating footwork before advancing once more with renewed vigor. As they fought, massive shadows blotted out the moon.
Cries rent the air.
Powerful gusts pushed against him from flaps of enormous feathered wings. Griffins descended, ear-splitting screeches ringing from their eagle-like heads.
“Gavri!” he shouted, blocking a strike from the light-elf.
“I know!” With a sharp vykrikovat, she slashed down the arm of her opponent, who rolled away with a yelp.
A huge beak snapped shut next to him.
He lunged aside, facing off against the griffin and the light-elf, who smirked.
Although their talons were dangerous, griffins had weak spots at the wing joints and neck. He could handle this.
The light-elf’s gaze flickered to his abdomen. With his vjernost blade, Dhuro blocked the strike and then evaded the swipe of talons.
The ground thundered with galloping hooves from behind him. Now what?
He pivoted and leaped away as the stark-white unicorn raced toward them. Arabella Belmonte.
Darkness, what was she thinking? These griffins would tear her apart—
Stop! her shrill cry commanded.
And everything on the battlefield froze.
The light-elves, the griffins, his forces. Him.
Shit.
Leave! she ordered.
The light-elves backed up a few steps, their faces contorted, eyes wild. They mounted the griffins. With a few beats of their massive wings, the griffins took flight, soaring into the dark sky.
The light-elves were gone.
Blinking up at them, he stood, unable to move, to speak—Darkness, barely able to think. His people only eyed him, no doubt feeling the same.
He and his forces were frozen in place.
What had this fool of a unicorn just done? If any more enemies emerged, he and his people could be killed.
You can move now, she said, slowly approaching them, her hooves clopping in the shallow water. Can’t you…?
If he could move, he wouldn’t be standing here doing his best impression of a rock.
Her head bowed low, she inched closer, blinking over large, shining eyes.
Gods above, you can’t move, can you? She looked over her shoulder at his people, and then back at him. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to undo it.
She’d charmed him and his team, leaving them exposed and unable to defend themselves, and she didn’t know how to undo it.
Deep, Darkness, and Holy Ulsinael. She had the Darkness’s own good fortune that he couldn’t move right now.
Noc, he thought, if you can hear me, for the love of all things dark, talk some sense into this unicorn. He’d tried to speak the words, but all that had emerged sounded like a snarl.
Arabella’s ears turned back, and her gaze darted about uneasily, but she quickly raised her head and inhaled a steadfast breath.
Noc trotted in behind her, eyeing him with an amused glimmer before facing Arabella. She squeezed her eyes shut, shook her head, and toed the mud.
Noc, Darkness help me, she can undo this, can’t she?
Craning his head around, Noc stared at him pointedly. I can either guide her through this, or commiserate with you. Do you have a preference?
Dhuro rolled his eyes. At least he could still do that much.
Thought so, Noc replied, before turning back to Arabella, who fretted, huffed, and made a great show of trying.
Darkness, was she this insufferable as a woman, too? A woman after Vadiha’s own heart, involving herself in others’ affairs, thinking she knew better. She made him want to just—