Page 104 of A Dance with the Fae Prince (Married to Magic 2)
Chapter 29
For a second,I’m too stunned to do anything. Davien stares at my outstretched hand where the necklace just was, blinking as though our eyes have deceived us. Then, simultaneously, we react.
Davien jumps from the water, spinning toward where the arrow came from. I lunge for where the necklace has sunk beneath the lake’s glassy surface. The song I heard earlier has come to a halt. The water is cooling, frigid once more. Even though I open my eyes underwater, I don’t see any of the ghostly figures. It’s as though not just the magic that was within me was placed in the necklace, but the magic of the lake itself, of this entire place.
My horrible theory is confirmed when I resurface, pendant in hand.
The mist that surrounded and protected the keep is evaporating in the sunlight. Like a shroud being pulled off, it reveals the sparse, skeletal forest we rode through with pristine clarity. Lining those trees are ten Butchers, their cowls radiating angry shadows around their necks and shoulders.
I had intended to gather the power of Aviness…but I hadn’t dreamed or wanted to be this successful.
Davien is in motion toward the nearest Butcher. Two others break away from the line, disappearing in the shadow of one of the nearby trees. Motion at my right distracts me from Davien. The two Butchers have reappeared in the shade of the keep, racing toward me.
I scramble, looking frantically between Davien and the necklace. Three Butchers have descended on him now. Davien is strong and has become more powerful during his time in Midscape. But without the power of kings I know that he’s too outnumbered. I look back to the two that are nearly upon me, stepping hastily away into the deeper water.
“Don’t come any closer,” I say. “I have the power of kings.”
“That’s exactly what we came here for.” The man approaching me smiles thinly.
“Don’t force me to use it.” I’d sound far more threatening if my voice wasn’t quivering.
“As if you could. You already separated the magic from your body. You’re nothing more than a pathetic human now.”
“Katria, run!” Davien booms at the top of his lungs. Without warning, a flash of light radiates out from him. I look away at the last possible second. The Butchers are blinded. I sprint for the horse, kicking up water in my haste. It’s slow going until I hit the shallows. But by then, the Butchers are already recovering. I hear the sounds of struggle coming from Davien.
I glance over, seeing him dodging attack after attack. He rears back and claws—long and deadly—protrude from his fingers. He sinks them into the side of one of the attackers. But I don’t get to see the woman go down because in my periphery the two men are charging for me with the speed of angry boars.
The horse is our best chance. We can’t fight. We have to run. Luckily, they haven’t thought to kill the stallion yet. I thank my past self for thinking of keeping the mount saddled.
Using the steps that lead up into the keep, I grip the vines that grow around the open doorway, and use them to help hoist myself up as I jump. I land awkwardly on the horse’s back, scrambling to get my feet astride and in the stirrups. I manage to just as the Butchers are on me. Between their lunges startling the horse, and my shout, he shoots off faster than the arrow that caught Davien and me by surprise.
I clutch on, staying low and swerving as more arrows whiz past me. “Davien!” I scream. He glances over his shoulder, seeing me coming right for him.
Davien brings his hands together once more, clapping them with a boom of light. Once more, I shield my eyes at the last second. The horse is not so lucky; he startles, rearing back. I hold on for dear life, soothing the beast as best I can while still spurring him onward. Trust me, I plead silently with the stallion.
He’s truly a well-trained mount, fitting for a king, as he presses on even though I’m sure he’s still partially blinded. I hold out my hand for Davien. Three of the Butchers are hot on his heels. His flash of light trick is less effective than last time, and I doubt it’ll work a third.
We clasp each other’s forearms and I let out a grunt as I help swing him up. Davien gives a mighty leap and lands as awkwardly as I did—nearly knocking me off in the process. The horse swerves as I lose control while I readjust my balance.
“Do you have it?” The question is filled with desperation.
“I do.” The pendant is clutched in my right hand. I don’t dare unfurl my fingers from it or the horse’s reins to show him.
“Ride like the wind,” he urges, clutching me tightly. Still in our small clothes, soaking wet, we begin to flee.
Seven of the ten are far behind us, but the three that managed to shield their eyes from Davien’s last burst of light dart between the shadows of the trees we sprint through. They launch projectiles with shouts and cries of maniacal laughter.
I swerve the horse right and left, trying to avoid as many shadows as I can. The last thing I want is for one of them to pop up right in front of us. Our only hope is my skill in riding against their luck in hurling things at us.
“You can do this,” Davien encourages. No sooner does he say it than a Butcher appears in a nearby tree, vaulting themselves from the upper branches. I look up on instinct. “Focus ahead,” he snaps. I don’t see the Butcher’s body as it meets Davien’s claws, but I hear the crunching of bone, the shrill scream, and the thud it makes as she hits the ground behind us.
Is that one down? Or two? Or did he fell even more that I didn’t see back by the lake? I hope that’s the case.
“The horse can’t keep this pace forever.” I glance back at him.
“The ritual on their cowls will run out soon enough. It draws more power to be used in broad daylight like this. We can outpace them,” he reassures me.
Sure enough, two of the remaining Butchers are no longer giving chase. I turn my focus back ahead so I can weave through the trees. Another one lunges for us from a treetop and completely misses.
