Alynna made her way, pulling the door of the carriage open.

Lariel and I climbed down from our saddles. She stepped forward, her leg bucking slightly as her feet touched the ground.

I reached out to help her, approaching the carriage and looking over Alynna's shoulder.

The two sorcerers were dead as nails, blood spurting out of their chests, arrows poking out like flags. Two human figures were wrapped in red cloth with ropes around their legs, struggling to move, blood staining the fabric.

I pulled the cloth around their faces. The king looked at me in the darkness. I could see the fear in his eyes, his hair a sweaty mess and a gag around his mouth. I reached for it and pulled it down. He let out a gasp.

“You…” he hissed, panting desperately. I didn’t stop to listen; I immediately reached for the cloth that shielded his sister’s head and pulled it off.

There she was, hair the color of catmint, sweaty and pressed against her face, now pale. Tears still brimmed in her eyes.

I moved to undo the leather around her mouth while Lariel’s knife freed them from the ropes around their wrists and legs.

“We should get out!” Alynna said, jumping inside the carriage. “Really. Out. As soon as possible. They’ve brought the cavalry out and are on our heels.”

I nodded sharply.

“Lord Elf Tactician. What are you doing to us?” Malor asked, his voice compressed, as if he were in a lot of pain. “Let us return to the castle. Our people need us now! Please, before a disaster happens.”

“Hate to break it to you, your Majesty, but your uncle betrayed you,” I said as Lariel tried to get him to sit. He breathed shallowly, pressing his eyes closed and gasping. The wound around his chest became evident.

“Ina’s here, don’t worry,” Alynna said to me, making way for the young healer. She dismounted but almost fell off the horse. Alynna rushed to help her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and helping her huddle into the carriage.

“What do you mean… betrayed?” the king asked. “Larendo, it could be Larendo, perhaps, but never my uncle Vinra. It… it can’t be.”

I gritted my teeth. I knew it would take some time for this kid to break out of his denial.

“They betrayed you, Your Majesty. You’re with us now. And we’re going, or we'll all be dead meat. Ina, you know what to do. Don’t let them get hurt.”

Ina rolled her eyes. She looked exhausted, holding her hand against her head and breathing deeply. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll take care of them.”

Princess Camille remained silent and thoughtful, immediately reaching out and hugging her brother protectively. He seemed to surrender, leaning on her shoulder.

“Alright,” I said, looking out the carriage door. “Alynna… get those mages up, pull their robes down and cover His Majesty and the princess. We’ve gotta get out.”

“Will do,” she replied. I jumped out of the carriage and moved toward the horses. Shit. I’d never ridden a carriage before. I had only seen it in movies. And I had to do it quickly because I could already hear galloping horses behind us.

The reins felt rough in my hands. I had only an idea of how to properly handle them, but there was no time to hesitate. The clip-clop of distant hooves made my stomach churn.

"Alright, hold on tight!" I yelled, clenching the reins and giving them an awkward but firm tug. The horses, sensing the urgency and maybe the hint of my fear, sprang forward in a jerky start. The carriage lurched. All my attention was on the road ahead, barely visible under the moonlight, and the rapidly encroaching shadows from behind.

We barreled down the city road, across mostly empty roads, passing by grimy prostitutes in red dresses and assemblies of drunkards milling around.

As we crossed, a feminine voice sounded from inside the carriage, trying to soothe Malor, whose pained gasps were just audible over the rumbling wheels. The princess was murmuring softly, her words lost in the din but steady, like a lullaby meant to calm her brother.

I tried to look back, but the back of the carriage was so wide that it interfered with my vision.

CONNOR: Alynna, can you see them through the back window?

ALYNNA: There are about twenty riders back there, and closing in. They’re armed to the teeth and ready to murder us. But don’t worry, I won’t let them.

“Shit!” I hissed, the driver’s whip brushing against the back of the animals. The gate was open ahead of us, also surrounded by guards. I guessed it had been told to keep it open for this carriage, or the orders to shut us down had not been relayed yet. It would not take long. Our carriage rode hard across at full speed, dashing past it, then crossing a bridge and a creek leading into the fields. The darkness was overwhelming, and the riders on horseback kept gaining ground, now almost at the gates.

And then, an echo resounded behind us.

“Shit, shit, shit!” I hissed, trying to get the horses to go faster.

A thudding sound suddenly echoed behind me.

A crossbow bolt had struck the back of the carriage behind us. I glanced up, noticing a rain of bolts falling near us, one buzzing past my shoulder. The shooters were on the battlements above, their faces partly illuminated by torches, and growing smaller with the distance. We were leaving them behind, but we were far enough to get away.

However, two riders loped after us. Had they come out of the city, or had they been posted to guard the carriage? I noticed no uniform, instead, hooded robes. And they were wielding massive crossbows.

Stolen novel; please report.

We managed to drive away from the castle, veering off the main course into a lavender field, which I guessed because of the smell. The vegetation should serve to at least conceal us, and we were rolling fast enough to keep them at bay for some time.

The field, however, was slowing us down. I noticed another rocky road and pulled the reins sharply, making the horses change direction. It took long enough, but I finally hit the road, fidgeting through Aria’s map to find a place to hide.

“Come on,” I hissed, noticing that one of the riders had kept going when I turned right and now had a clearer view of us, aiming his crossbow from his mount.

Another heavy thud echoed just ahead. One of the horses shrieked as it took a hit, stumbling and veering into the others in a panicked tangle. Suddenly, the remaining two horses veered hard to the side, driven by instinct rather than my command. I gripped the reins, struggling to bring them under control, to pull us back from the edge of chaos.

Then everything tipped. The carriage lurched, the wheels lifting off the ground. I felt my balance slip and my stomach plummet as we careened sideways. Wood splintered, the carriage smashed against the rough, rocky road, and I braced myself as anger surged through me, sharp and cold. I was about to be crushed under the weight of it all.

My shoulder slammed into the ground, scraping against gravel and dirt. I glimpsed the horses flailing as they crashed down beside me, legs kicking, breath choked with fear. The carriage landed hard, one side crumpling as its wheels buckled inward, and the entire frame tilted dangerously, splinters and debris scattering around us.

I crawled to the side. Any thought of pushing the carriage upright would be a waste of time and energy.

And as if things couldn't get worse, the two riders were not the only ones. The mounted guards from the city had begun to catch up to us.

But we had firepower of our own, or arrow-power, if it could be called that. Alynna and Leriel burst out of the carriage. Leriel was as quick as a cat, and I could guess that Ina had healed her completely. Close to us, the crossbow wielders shot at my lovers. Leriel shifted to the side at an unnatural speed, an arrow nocked into her sail; she then leapt out, shooting straight. The arrow struck one of the hitters right in the neck. The horse he was riding didn’t lose its momentum, but he tumbled down to the ground, either lifeless or about to die.

The other rider was approaching us, letting out a war cry and spurring hard, having unsheathed a sword and slung the crossbow around his shoulder.

Alynna somersaulted, her blade in hand, landing on top of him and cutting him in half with a whirl of her sword, a torrent of blood bursting onto the ground.

Those two had been dealt with, but what was coming was much worse.

Their hooves clattered against the ground. I counted more than twenty, some carrying torches in hand, and all of them armed to the teeth.

I unsheathed my sword, crouching just behind the collapsed carriage, listening to my people who were still inside. I could only hope they hadn’t gotten hurt.

They were not bent on parlay or any type of negotiation.

CONNOR: Everybody’s safe? Any injuries Ina hasn’t dealt with?

LARIEL: We’re alright. The kids are alright.

CONNOR: How about Ina? Are you there? Can you shield us?

INA: ... I am... tired...

LARIEL: She's worn out from healing and raising shields. She'd probably pass out soon.

CONNOR: I see. Better take cover. We’re surrounded again. I’ll come in with you guys.

“What’s your plan, tactician?” Alynna asked.

“We need Ina,” I replied. “And I need you. We’ll need shields to compensate for our weakness.”

“I’d splash her with water if we had some, but she’s not responding. The horses don’t look good, and they’re not enough.”

I cursed.

“Then, I need you to do your best. I’ll have Lariel shooting too.”

She nodded, taking her place behind the door and preparing her bow and arrows.

I moved past her, needing to check on the others inside. The bodies of the dead sorcerers had been shoved to the side, and Ina was slumped back against the padded seat, her eyes half-open, only partially conscious.

My gaze shifted to where the king and the princess sat, tense and watchful. I was still distracted, watching Alynna and Lariel shoot their arrows into the dark. They’d managed to down two, but the others were already close, a couple of them wielding large crossbows, forcing them to take cover.

“Who are those riders outside? I can hear them,” the king whispered. “Is it my royal guard?”

“Your Majesty,” I replied, knowing what he was about to try. “We’ll handle this.”

Ignoring my caution, Malor leaned his weight on the opposite door, emerging out of the other side of the carriage.

“Hey! Come back in!” I shouted. His movements were steady and quick, a reassuring sign that Ina’s magic had healed him well. Otherwise, he was being an idiot.

He stepped forward, ahead of both Lariel and Alynna, still taking cover. He spread both his arms.

“It’s me, your king!” he declared, his voice loud and commanding. “Stop what you’re doing—I command you!”

I facepalmed, cringing as I watched him, and decided to step forward and get him back in. The riders were already a few feet away from us, three crossbow wielders ahead on their horses.

"Elven magic!" one of the guards shouted from afar. "Don’t trust this illusion. We have orders from our commanders! Shoot to kill."

“Yes,” another rider chimed in. “I saw the king die before my own eyes. This is an impostor—shoot him!”

Undeterred, Malor shouted again, “It’s truly me, and I swear it by the—”

Before he could finish, I had no choice—I sprang out of the carriage, pulling him back down before he got himself killed.

A bolt whizzed past him, embedding itself in the wood just inches from his head.

“Get inside,” I hissed, sword forward, gleaming with the faint light of the stars.

Malor crawled back, another bolt falling close to his shoulder, embedding itself in the wood.

CONNOR: Lariel. Please wake Ina. We need her.

LARIEL: I’ll try.

The elf managed to go back inside, pulling the king with her and shutting the broken door.

A rider trotted closer, a torch blazing in one hand, the same hand that wielded a large shield with an emblazoned tree, a long sword gleaming at his side. His laughter rang out, sharp and chilling, his eyes glinting with malice.

Aria's system classified him as a [Paladin]. A long cape hung behind his back. His voice echoed loud and bold.

“Let’s burn the carriage with these elven devils inside. Shoot them if they try to escape.”

I clenched my teeth as Alynna loosed another arrow, but the paladin deflected it effortlessly with his shield, advancing with surprising agility before hurling the torch straight at the carriage. Flames erupted instantly, licking up the sides of the wood.

CONNOR: Lariel. Get out and wake Ina up! Can you shake her? We can still make it.

LARIEL: She's opening her eyes but doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying!

The fire roared louder, smoke billowing as riders closed in from both sides. Alynna fired again, but the arrow flew wide, missing entirely.

CONNOR: Is she awake? Lariel, come here. We’ll have to fight.

It was clear: there would be no retreat. The smoke thickened, and flames crackled around us. No matter what, I wouldn’t let my people get burned alive. We were going to have to fight for every second; they’d be forced to come out.

I couldn’t give up, especially now.

A rider came up behind me. I jumped up, charging against the crossbow wielder, my blade whirling sharply as I came into range, slicing at the horse. Sorry, horse, but we need to do this.

Lariel came out, pulling Ina to the ground as the two royals emerged, crouching in fear. We’d have to fight to the end.

I lunged at a nearby crossbowman, using the smoke as cover. He didn’t see me until I was upon him. Grabbing his trousers and gambeson, I used his own momentum to yank him off his horse, sending him sprawling. He scrambled to his feet, a dagger flashing in his hand, but I seized his arm and slashed my blade across his unprotected neck, ending him instantly.

And then I saw a man gallop through the smoke. His eyes looked sinister in the darkness, partly illuminated by flame. He unsheathed his blade and spurred hard, charging at me.

I barely had time to turn when an arrow buzzed from behind him, lodging itself in the man’s neck.

I looked back; Alynna and Lariel were both facing the other side. Neither of them had shot the arrow.

Hooves thundered against the ground as I noticed more riders closing in from all sides, carrying halberds and spears.