Page 13 of A Fate In Moonstone

“Sapphira!” my mother yelled through the commotion. The sounds of metal smacking something and shattering came from behind me. She was near and trying to reach me. The one person I could always count on to protect me no matter the cost. She’d take out this whole room if she had to.

The ground trembled from the influx of soldiers hitting the floor, causing me to stumble as the hand holding mine yanked me to the right. “This way,” Tor said and I moved despite my mind screaming I should take lead. We were in my palace. I knew it better than he did.

He pushed open the doors to the balcony we’d talked on earlier. This was a bad choice, we were trapped.

“Stand behind me. The doors will bottleneck them. I can handle them one by one until the soldiers get the rest.” Tor stood, feet positioned for an attack. Like the spike I’d created from my sapphire core, a medium turquoise sword shot out of Tor’s hand. A nifty trick crystal core holders could do. Create anything out of gem.

The palace shook again. Screams rang from the ballroom.

“Not possible,” Tor said too quietly and I gripped the railing as another rumbling of the palace nearly dropped me to my knees.

A soldier in black shot past the doors, then another behind him. Tor swiped and as I started to harden my skin for attack, the balcony shook and the soldier lost his footing.

I grunted as his body slammed into mine, knocking me over the edge.

“Sapphira!” Tor yelled.

I grabbed onto the ledge of the balcony with one hand and tried to swing my other up but my fingers couldn’t get a grip between the railing posts. The stone was too smooth and my dress weighed me down.

Tor grappled with a soldier on the ground, and just as he stabbed the soldier in the thigh, his gaze shot to me. My fingers slipped.

“Sapphira!”

I didn’t have any powers to help. No shifting into a bird, or ability to ride the wind, or be a legendary dragon.

The only hope I possessed in my well of absorbed powers would be my mother’s diamond skin.

I closed my eyes, felt the wind whipping my hair and dress around me as I fell.

A body slammed into mine and muscled arms wrapped around my waist. Seconds later, I was pulled even closer than before and collapsed against a broad chest as the sounds of earth and metal grinded against each other. Myself and hopefully my rescuer shook as we slowed to a stop, dust wafting around us like a thick cloud.

“I’ve got you,” a low voice said and my head shot up to look into a pair of icy blue eyes beneath me.

Chapter Seven

“Rune?”

His hands spread against my back, keeping me pressed against him, as the ground shook beneath us then rose behind him.

Was the ground helping us up?

I tried to move away, but he kept me close until we were upright, standing when we should have splattered in the grass. I glanced behind him to a dirt ramp that we slid down. It lowered back into the flat earth it was before. That’s when I noticed a smirk out the corner of my eye.

“You did that?” I asked, still being held by the man I’d thought of more times than I should have since parting.

Doors behind us slammed open followed by footsteps and murmuring. “Rune!”

That sounded like Tor.

Leaning to my right, I peered around Rune’s body to see a crowd of people running for us in the gardens.

My mother called for me. A hand blocked my view to move a thick curl away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

Rune watched me, his lips no longer lifted.

“Great catch. Princess, are you all right?” Tor stopped beside us, wide eyes staring.

Rune released me and took a step back.