She jumped into the air, watching as others followed. As she cleared the fire, soldiers on the outside began firing arrows. One went through her wing, but it didn’t bother her as much as the gryphon riders now flying around. Dozens filled the air.
Why are there so many?
She flew higher, twisting and spinning as she dodged their attempted attacks. Rain roared louder, his fire brightening the light further as she fought in the air against the smaller but faster opponents.
Andinna were getting back into the air, but she saw one drop to a spear throw and two others take arrows.
Where is he? Where is Lothen?
She had to find him. They needed to call the retreat, but she refused to let this mission go down as a failure.
Fury rushed through her blood as she realized this could fail.
No.
Then she caught a glimpse of white, flying in the burning light of Rain’s fire.
He had been on the back of his gryphon the entire time. These had to be the patrols that saw them launching their attack. They had been taken into account while planning the mission, but there had only been a slim chance Lothen would be out since he had been injured the last time he went on a patrol.
She flew to meet him, realizing he was trying to help his men take Rain down. Rain continued to fight them off, but she knew what would happen if it was allowed to go on for too long.
“Mave! Do you see him?” Nevyn roared over the commotion as he flew up beside her.
“Call our warriors. He’s attacking Rain. We can grab him and go!”
Nevyn nodded and peeled off, yelling for the Andinna to fly and rally around Rain.
She was nearly on Lothen when he turned to dodge a swipe of Rain’s massive claws. His eyes went wide as she raced for him. There was no time to stop the collision. Slamming into the side of him, she plunged her sword, killing his gryphon, something slicing over her side at the same time.
They began to drop. She grabbed Lothen’s arms and tried to slow the fall, hoping neither of them died when they hit the ground, but lost her grip as her wing bashed against several branches.
She hit the ground hard, losing both of her swords. Near her, Lothen groaned, but the sound of metal clanking together told her he was trying to get to his feet.
Mave fought to get to her feet first, keeping her eyes locked on Lothen struggling to get up as well. She needed to find her swords and needed to find some way to subdue Lothen without killing him.
She staggered as she stood, groaning as she tested her wings, glad to feel neither of them was broken. They hurt, but they seemed to work just fine.
She took several limping steps to the prince and kicked him back down. He rolled onto his back, revealing he had a dagger and stabbed upward, slicing open her calf. She kicked it out of his hand and reached out to grab the front of his armor, using it to yank him up and onto his feet. A fist met her jaw, and rage blossomed in her chest as her nose started bleeding. It paralyzed her for a moment…but only a moment.
Roaring, she turned and threw a punch of her own, sending him back to the ground. Before he could get up, she roared again, screaming out into the night with all her fury and stomped on his chest, bending the metal he used to protect himself.
“Mave!” someone called out. “Where are you?”
She lifted her foot again, ready to stomp Lothen to death when arms grabbed her and pulled her back.
“We need to get out of here,” Kian snapped. “I’ll carry him. You fly. Go!”
She snarled, but he shoved her away. She took several steps back as he glared at her.
“Find your damn swords and defend as I get this fucking heavy armor off! I can’t carry him with it.”
She nodded sharply, realizing he was speaking reason. She limped through the trees, looking for the swords. The camp was close. She could smell the burning flesh and fabric, but they were in the trees around the edge of the valley, which provided her cover to find both her blades and make it back to Kian, who was nearly done stripping Lothen down to only his padded under armor.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I am,” she promised. “I’ll protect you.”
He nodded and threw Lothen over his shoulder before jumping into the air. Mave followed him and quickly got ahead of him, making sure there was no one in the sky who realized he was carrying their quarry. Rain was the most impressive thing in the sky, still battling against gryphon riders, swatting them out of the air.
“Here!” Mave roared.
“To the Champion!” someone else roared. Soon, everyone was screaming it, word traveling through the Andinna in the air.
Kian was already flying to leave the valley, and Mave moved to stay close to him, watching as Andinna flew fast to catch up with them and escape the death pit of flames, arrows, and spears. Nets were tossed. Mave, knowing she couldn’t help, watched as three Andinna were hit, trying to get to her and Kian. Rain shook off two gryphons from his back and belched fire down on the camp one more time as he flew to her.
She stuck to Kian as he flew further away from everyone, heading north like their mission orders demanded. She had no idea where Matesh was or Brynec and Zayden. She didn’t know if Nevyn was going to make it out. She had lost track of all of them in her single-minded focus to get Lothen.
She was so intent on watching the Andinna trying to follow and Rain trying to shake the gryphon riders, she almost missed a gryphon and its rider coming up on her left. She ducked down and let it soar over her head, then watched as Rain clamped his jaws on it and shook hard before dropping the dead down.
She nearly stabbed someone when a hand wrapped around her ankle. Looking down, she saw Zayden, quickly followed by Matesh and Brynec. Nevyn tore up past them as fast as she had ever seen him fly and caught him raising his sword against the red moon.
“Andinna! Fall back!” he ordered.
Mave turned and started to fly again, ducking as gryphon riders continued to harass them. She spun and cut a rider off his mount, letting the gryphon decide what to do with itself after that.
“Zayden!” she cried out, watching a gryphon come over the top of him, but in a move of brilliance, he rolled and opened its gut, then dodged its falling body.
“Down,” Nevyn ordered, then she watched him drop into the trees. She followed, landing directly next to him, her swords at the ready. Andinna landed all around, and Rain slammed into the forest, knocking down trees. He didn’t seem injured like the night they ran from Ellantia, but she couldn’t be certain.
“Form a perimeter,” Nevyn barked. “Company, to me. Kian, are you still able to carry him?”
“I would like to pass him off,” Kian said. Mat ran forward and took the unconscious prince, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack.
“Walk together! We can’t go back into the air and risk being attacked. Kill them as they come down. Rain, stay in wyvern form, and do your best.”
Rain snorted.
Mave started walking with the rest, moving to stand behind Matesh with Bryn and Zayden right beside her. Nevyn led the way with Kian, and all around them were the remnants of their unit.
“How many casualties so far?” Kian asked, looking around. “Do a headcount, everyone!”
Slowly but surely, the Andinna counted through. When it got to Mave, she called out twenty-two. She was the last, aside from Rain, who made twenty-three. Out of forty-seven, there were only twenty-three left. They had already lost practically half of their entire unit, and they weren’t out of danger yet.
“Keep an eye out,” Nevyn called, looking up as he walked. Rain jumped up and grabbed an Elvasi gryphon rider from the sky with his jaws and tossed it, blowing fire at the body as it flew like a rag doll through the sky. Others were already swarming the sky.
“They’re not going to let us leave with Lothen,” Kian muttered.
Mave grinned, holding her swords tightly. The entire unit stopped and moved closer to Mat carrying their hostage.
&n
bsp; The gryphon riders dove. Rain spun and knocked at least two from the air with his tail. Mave heard screams as some landed on Andinna. She threw her sword up as one came down over her, then rolled as it dropped to its death, her sword buried in its neck. Yanking it out of the gryphon, she cut off the soldier’s head with a single, decisive blow.
Blood sprayed everywhere from different bodies, Andinna and Elvasi alike. Mave was tackled to the ground and shoved her sword up to stop the gryphon from taking a bite out of her. Claws dug into her shoulders and chest as it held her down. A roar was heard, and the rider fell off it, dead. The gryphon, injured already, keeled over and nearly crushed Mave. It landed on her wing, infuriating her as another gryphon tried to take advantage. She cut off a paw that nearly crushed her head while also trying to free herself. The gryphon body was knocked away by Rain after a moment, who didn’t stop to even look at her, turning on another of the gryphon riders.
“Rain, hold still!” she called, jumping on his tail. She ran up his back and jumped off him, meeting a rider and gryphon in the air, sinking both her swords in the gryphon’s side. Before it crashed, she used its body as leverage to yank her blades out and jump off, landing back on the ground, unharmed.
As she landed, she noticed things were calming down again. She turned, wondering if she would be attacked again, but dead littered the forest floor with no Elvasi left standing.
“Did we do it?” she asked, gingerly walking toward her males. Like her, they were covered in blood. Mat reached down and picked up Lothen again.
“I think so,” Nevyn answered. “Everyone, keep moving. We don’t rest until we’re back at the horses.”
“Yes, sir!”
So, they walked. Mave made sure to check behind them every twenty steps, paranoid more would come. They had lost another six in the last attack. Next to her, Bryn staggered, and she grabbed him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Fine,” he mumbled. “Leg got torn up and makin’ it hard to walk, but…”
He passed out, and Mave cursed.
“Help! Bryn’s down.” She lowered him gently to the forest floor as Zayden turned and rushed to her, Kian behind him. Searching wildly for her rogue’s injuries, she found the ‘torn up’ leg and pulled away the fabric of his breeches. There were several places where bone was exposed, and the muscle was destroyed.
“Shit,” Kian groaned. “Okay. Tie off his upper thigh.”
“Can we save it?” Zayden asked softly, his eyes wide.
“Yes, if he doesn’t bleed to death,” Nevyn answered, kneeling down beside her. “Rain, I want you to carry him once we stabilize him.”
“What do you think…” She held a hand over the wound, noticing how the bleeding was already slow.
“A gryphon got a hold of him and tore him up before he could kill it,” Zayden said. “That’s the only explanation. Bryn is a tough one. He doesn’t quit until he’s dead.”
She understood that feeling.
Someone started to chuckle, and she turned slowly to see Lothen, tied and propped up against a tree.
He didn’t need to say anything. His chuckle set her off. With a roar, she dove for him, ready to pluck his eyes out of their sockets. She wanted to tear out his throat. A thick arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her away.
“He’s for Alchan!” Mat said, grunting as she struggled against him. “Mave, he’s for Alchan. We can’t kill him, not yet!”
She wanted to. She wanted his blood on her hands—for what he did to her and what his people had done to hers, the source of so much cruelty. For weeks, she had plotted his final moments.
She wanted them now.
“Knock her out!” Nevyn snapped. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Nevyn—”
“Fine.”
She was still trying to get to Lothen, who laughed harder when something slammed into the back of her head, and her world went black.
40
Brynec
“I’m fine,” Bryn growled as Nevyn came near him. “I just cleaned and bandaged it.” He was pissed with the warrior, a long-time friend. He didn’t want Nevyn’s shit right then.
“Are all of you going to hate me?” Nevyn demanded, stepping in front of him. “Really?”
“Ya knocked mah wife out like she was the enemy.”
“She was out of control,” Nevyn snapped. “Everyone knew it, and I had to make sure you lived and couldn’t deal with her killing Lothen against orders at the same time.”
“I don’t care,” Bryn said, looking away. “Ya laid a hand on my wife, and I’m goin’ to be pissed off with ya.”
“Fine.” Nevyn sat next to him. “I just received word Alchan and the rest will be here at dawn for the proceedings.”
“Good.” He was tired of waiting and wanted to go home. The mission to capture Lothen had been a bloody one, and he wasn’t the only severely injured member of their team.
Looking down at his leg, he remembered the chain of events. It had started with a lucky slice by a faceless soldier who died after his lucky hit. Later, he had been trying to take off, and an arrow hit it. Once in the air, a gryphon had been able to cut it open deeper, scoring him to the bone. That was the one that had slowed him down. They had been attacked in the woods, he had been too slow to react, and the next gryphon had torn open his lame leg like it was dinner. He should have tried getting it treated sooner, but he knew they had to move, so he walked on it, then walked on it some more, then he fell.
“I did this to myself, didn’t I?” he asked softly, touching the thick bandages on his thigh. “I’m always goin’ to limp now, aren’t I?”
“Probably, but you work at it, and it’ll be as stable as it once was,” Nevyn said softly. “I let Alchan know healers were needed for you and the others. They’ll be able to tend the muscle and make sure it correctly heals as they did with Varon’s arm.”
“Ya excited to see him?”
“Yes,” Nevyn whispered. “I don’t like so many missions away from him.”
“Hm.” Bryn was angry with Nevyn, but Nevyn and Varon had been his first friends, and he could never forget the help they gave him when he was trying to adjust to freedom. “I’m sorry we don’t spend time together anymore.”
“You have a wife and duties, and we have duties of our own. One day, we won’t be at war and will have more time for simple friendships.” Nevyn smiled. Bryn raised an eyebrow.
“Simple friendship?” They had been almost lovers once. He’d gone to bed with Nevyn and Varon more times than anyone before he met Mave. They had taught him how to love and laugh; not that he had fallen in love with them as he had Mave, but a different type of love, yes.
Nevyn held up a finger and covered his lips, a human signal for silence, then winked.
Bryn reached out and hit him, glad to hear the warrior laugh when he did.
“Simple now,” Nevyn relented. “You’ve done well for yourself. Mave is a strong female, and you have a large family to lean on. You don’t need Varon and me anymore, not like you used to. That’s okay.”
“A strong female ya laid hands on,” Bryn reminded him.
Nevyn groaned and leaned back, rolling his eyes.
They sat silently for a minute before Bryn sighed.
“Was she really goin’ ta kill him?”
“Yes. She was completely gone. I’ve seen her like that once before, the last time she ran into him. She can’t control herself when Lothen is around. It’s concerning, and I already told Matesh and Zayden they need to keep an eye on her. That’s why they’ve hovered the entire trip here while Kian and I kept Lothen with us. Alchan and Luykas want Lothen, and we’re not to kill him.”
“Of course, because killin’ him on the battlefield is too easy,” Bryn muttered.
“It is,” Nevyn said plainly, then stood. “Let’s go. Dinner is almost ready.”
Bryn grunted and grabbed his walking stick. Zayden had quickly carved it for him on the first day of their jou
rney back. Bryn hoped he didn’t need it for very long, but it was a thoughtful gift from the newest male in the family.
He followed Nevyn back to their small camp. They had picked an abandoned village since there was a chance they would need a few nights of rest. They didn’t use any of the old buildings, but they had wanted the option in case there was a storm, or others needed shelter.
“Alchan will be coming with an entourage,” Nevyn said loudly to everyone seated around the fire.
Bryn made his way to sit with his wife. Mave reached out and pulled him down to sit on the dirt between her legs. He was the only one of her males small enough to fit there comfortably, and it gave him the chance to stretch out his damaged leg.
“Luykas said there would probably be over two hundred warriors to bear witness.”
“How’s Lothen? We’re keeping him fed, right?” Kian was cleaning off everyone’s weapons to keep busy, working on Zayden’s at that moment.
“We are. Custom dictates we give him the best chance he can have, and Alchan was adamant about doing this the proper way.” Nevyn shrugged. “I would have been fine starving him, but it wasn’t my call.”
“Who?” Mave asked softly.
“Don’t think you don’t know.” Nevyn gave her a look of annoyance. “Everyone will bear witness. You will meet him if he demands trial by combat, or Shadra isn’t willing to trade for him.”
“Shouldn’t it be Alchan or Luykas? Royal for royal?” Mat was to Bryn’s right, but he had a spot on the log.
“Alchan outranks him. Luykas forfeited his right. It falls to Mave or Rain as the next highest ranking Andinna.”
Zayden snorted. “My son, do you hear that? Tied for third highest-ranking Andinna. What a world.” There was a lot of humor in the statement, a fatherly teasing. “Overachiever.”
A thump told Bryn someone had smacked the father, maybe Rain. It was a funny concept. Rain was the most submissive Andinna of the Company, and now, he was being considered the king’s consort. The ceremony wasn’t done yet, they wanted to do it after Lothen, but everyone in the Company knew it would happen swiftly.
The Enemy's Triumph Page 44
