Page 84 of Shadow Queen
“I forgot this is home for you,” she told the animal, smiling sadly. She knew what she needed to do. She loosened the girth on the saddle and pulled it from the mare’s back. Then she took off the pad underneath. Sephir tossed her head again, feeling her freedom, and bolted into the forest.
Norah stood, holding the saddle pad in surprise. She sheepishly looked back at the men. “That wasn’t exactly how I had imagined it,” she admitted. “I thought I’d at least get some kind of goodbye.”
Alexander gave her a sympathetic smile.
The men dismounted and hobbled their horses. Norah raised a brow as they situated their weapons. Soren wore a crossbow on his back along with his short sword, and a dagger and axe at his waist. He held his massive battle-axe in his hand. It seemed excessive, but had she expected anything else?
They left their horses at the boundary and continued into the trees. Norah wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she found breaching the edge of the Wild to be somewhat anticlimactic. Everything about the forest seemed like a forest should be—filled with natural beauty. Serene. Peaceful.
They walked deeper into the Wild, but nothing was unusual about the needled trees, the wood-spiced air, or the mossy ground. Spring hadn’t fully come to the northern lands, but the rage of winter had passed and given way to a sprouting of small greens.
Her eyes combed the trees. She didn’t even know what she was looking for—a random animal? The fox friend she’d met when she first found herself lost in the Wild? Norah started to feel foolish. What if this was all for nothing? She chided herself for expecting a white fox to show up and lead her to a magical faerie that would restore her memory. What if they found nothing here?
“I’ll scout ahead,” Alexander said, and picked up his pace, splitting away from the small group.
“I’ll go with him,” Caspian added, and followed.
She didn’t like the idea of them breaking off, but she didn’t stop them. They were likely safer away from Mikael and Soren, anyway.
“We’re wasting our time,” Soren muttered as Alexander and Caspian disappeared into the trees.
“We keep going,” Mikael pushed.
Deeper into the forest they went. Norah let her hands skim the trees as she walked by them. The rough bark against her skin was strangely comforting. There was a beauty to this place that felt like home.
“There’s nothing here,” Soren growled, thumping the head of his axe on the ground in agitation.
No sooner than he’d spoken, a strange feeling rippled through her, and the forest became suddenly silent. Too silent. Norah scoured the trees around them. They weren’t alone. “Somethingishere,” she breathed. Prickles rose across her skin.
“Salar,” Soren called out. Norah looked back to see the commander stopped. He bared his teeth in pain.
Mikael paused and looked back. “What is it?”
“Run!” Soren shouted as he dropped his axe and pulled the crossbow from his back.
Mikael glanced around them, looking for the danger. Norah did the same, but she saw nothing.
“Run!” the commander begged.
Then Norah realized what was happening. Terror flooded her, but before she could react, the commander released a bolt from the crossbow at Mikael. The arrow hit him squarely in the shoulder with a force that twisted him back.
“No!” Norah screamed.
“Run!” Soren pleaded.
“He has no control!” Norah cried. “Mikael, run!”
But Mikael couldn’t. He clasped onto a nearby tree for support, gripping his shoulder as blood poured between his fingers. “Soren!” he called back. “You’re stronger than this!”
Soren shook his head, raging through his clenched jaw in the agony of helplessness. A second bolt still sat in the double crossbow, and he wept as he took aim again. “Run!” he pleaded.
“No!” Norah screamed again as she jumped in front of Mikael.
“Salara, get out of the way!” Mikael bellowed.
“Soren, stop!” she called to the possessed commander. “Look at me. You’re not going to hurt me.”
Just then, Alexander burst through the trees with his bow and took aim at the commander. Caspian was ready beside him with his sword drawn. “Drop the bow!” Alexander roared.
