Capture (9 page)

Two hours into the journey the following day and everyone was on edge, constantly looking around for the slightest hint of danger. Even the horses could feel it. Ryneq had calmed his stallion at least twice already, and he heard several of his men doing the same behind him.

“Nysad.” Ryneq pulled up alongside his second-in-command. “We’re about half an hour’s ride from the edge of the tree line. Make sure your men are in position.”

“Yes, Sire.”

They’d decided it would be safest for the princess to travel in the middle of the line of soldiers, so at the first sign of attack they could protect her on three sides while she escaped. Nysad and ten of his men moved into position, surrounding Cerylea and dropping back into the middle of the line.

The dragons swooped low overhead, circling wide around the convoy, and Ryneq was confident that out here at least they wouldn’t get taken by surprise. Far sooner than he’d like, though, they reached the edge of the forest and then began to pick their way through the trees. The huge trunks rose up around them, reaching toward the sky and blocking out more and more light the deeper they went. Soon enough Ryneq could no longer see anything but branches and leaves, and he felt the first shivers of apprehension as he realized they were now on their own. The dragon riders would be of no help now and would already be heading toward the bridge.

The path they were following was only wide enough to ride three abreast, so the soldiers were spread out a lot more than Ryneq was comfortable with. He looked back over his shoulder down the line of men and horses, pleased to note that Cerylea was sandwiched between Nysad and one of his men.

Apart from the rustle of horses’ hooves through the leaves scattered over the forest floor, the group was mostly silent. Every ear strained to detect movement in the trees. Ryneq rode at the head of the line, his gaze sweeping back and forth through the trees with every step they took. He had an uneasy feeling, not helped by the fact the trees were cutting out a lot of the sun’s light. It made him want to urge his horse to go faster and run all the way to the bridge. But he kept his feet still in the stirrups, and his hands steady on the reins, refusing to show even the slightest hint of nerves.

They were almost there. If Ryneq listened hard enough, he could hear the rushing waters of the Neest River. He signaled behind for his men to be extra vigilant. If an attack was going to happen, it would be here, and Ryneq’s blood coursed through his veins in anticipation.

Gradually the trees thinned out a little, allowing more light to seep in through the branches, and Ryneq could just about make out the start of the bridge. He couldn’t see the other side from here, but another fifteen yards and he’d be able to see up into the sky and hopefully catch sight of his dragon riders.

Finally he broke through the tree line and was met with the glorious sight of the river, swirling past and underneath the bridge. They’d made it, with no trouble from the Rodethians or Athisians, but Ryneq couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not quite right.

The riverbank didn’t have enough space for all his guards, so at least half of them, including Cerylea and Nysad, were still in the forest. Ryneq signaled for Nysad and his men to bring Cerylea forward; he wanted to get her across the bridge quickly and into elven territory.

As soon as Nysad reached him, Ryneq drew him close. “That was too easy.”

“Yes, Sire.” Nysad looked along the river in the direction of Rodeth and narrowed his eyes. This was the perfect place for an ambush. They should have attacked by now if they were going to. “Maybe we weren’t the target after all.”

Ryneq nodded. Those were his exacts thoughts too. If the lowland armies weren’t here trying to kill Cerylea, then both armies could already be marching on Torsere. “The sooner we get Princess Cerylea safely to Alel, and married, the sooner we can get back to Torsere.”

Ryneq walked his horse to the edge of the bridge. He couldn’t see anyone waiting at the other end, but the elves were more than likely hiding just inside the tree line, waiting for Ryneq to get across before showing themselves. He had no doubt they were already being watched.

He turned to Nysad again. “Wait here until I signal to come across.”

“Yes, Sire.” Nysad returned to Cerylea’s side.

Ryneq took four of his guard and nudged his horse to walk onto the bridge. The clatter of hooves was loud, even against the rushing water beneath them, and it set Ryneq’s teeth on edge. He heard the soft beat of wings above and immediately looked up to see the red scales of Fimor as he swooped low over the water with Nykin on his back. The other dragons flew in sweeping passes up and down the river, and Ryneq relaxed ever so slightly now that he had his riders back.

He nudged his horse a little faster, eager to get across now. They were almost halfway when the first explosion hit, tearing through the wooden planks of the bridge just ahead of them. Three of the horses reared up, including Ryneq’s, as pieces of debris rained down all around them.

“Get back to the bank!” Ryneq roared at his men, turning his stallion and urging him into a gallop as the bridge started to collapse behind them. “Go!”

They made it another four strides before a second explosion split the bridge away from the bank and the rest of it began to give way underneath them. Ryneq looked up in time to see Cerylea staring at him in horror. Nysad frantically tugged on the reins of her horse to get her to move, and then she was gone, swallowed up by the trees again.

After that, everything seemed to happen at once.

Sounds of fighting erupted through the trees, swords clashing over and over, as soldiers from Rodeth and Athisi suddenly appeared from the forest. Ryneq heard the roar of dragons overhead as they swooped down to join in the fray, but the soldiers were too tightly packed together. The dragons couldn’t attack without hurting the Torserian Guard as well as their enemies.

“Fuck!” Ryneq yelled, his horse thrashing wildly as the bridge finally broke apart and all five riders and their mounts plunged into the water below. Ryneq broke the surface, gasping for breath, and grabbed for the reins of his panicked horse. “Follow me!” he yelled, relieved to see all four of his men in the water. He swam toward the bank, struggling against the current and pulling his horse with him. As soon as Ryneq felt the ground beneath his feet, he hauled himself back into the saddle and turned his horse upstream to join in the fighting. The enemy soldiers were still spilling out of the forest, obviously coming over the Rodethian border, and were already growing in numbers around the edge of the destroyed bridge.

Ryneq watched as the men urged their horses to go against the current. The river wasn’t as deep so close to the bank, but it still came up to the horses’ withers. The water swirled around them, pushing against them and making Ryneq’s horse stumble against the pressure. He clung tightly to his saddle as they fought the pull, coaxing his horse forward, bit by bit, until they hit the edge of the sloping bank and scrambled up and out of the river.

Ryneq immediately drew his sword, kicking his heels and driving forward. He roared loudly, swinging his blade high in the air and bringing it down hard onto the Rodethian soldier in front of him. He felt the tremor travel through his hand and all the way up his arm as it connected with flesh first and then bone. The soldier screamed as his shoulder split open, blood splattering his armor, and he slumped forward over the neck of his horse.

Ryneq pushed past, searching for his next target. He hacked and slashed his way through the mass of bodies, ordering his soldiers to retreat. They couldn’t fight here. The trees were too close and left no room to maneuver. It would end in a bloodbath with neither side coming away victorious. The leaders of Rodeth and Athisi might not give a fuck about their own men, but Ryneq was not about to sacrifice his guard for nothing. The princess had already escaped. He needed to get his men out of there and regroup on the other side of the trees.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Ryneq spun his horse and galloped down the bank, shouting at his remaining men.

The dragons were now picking off Rodethian and Athisian soldiers whenever they strayed too far away from the fight, and Ryneq grinned as he saw a flurry of arrows soar over the water. The elves had decided to join the fight after all. Nearly all Ryneq’s men were now either gone or fighting as they tried to retreat into the trees. He joined the last pocket of Torserian Guard, sliced across the back of one Rodethian and then cut the head off another. The remaining two took one look at him, with his bloody sword held aloft, and took off into the trees heading for Rodeth.

“Come on,” he yelled to the four Torserians in front of him. “Ride!”

They spun their horses around and thundered through the trees, with Ryneq bringing up the rear. He heard the triumphant roar of the dragons, as they no doubt finished off any enemies who were left. It may all have gone to shit but at least Cerylea was unharmed and the majority of his men had survived. He would mourn those who had given their lives when everyone else was safely out of the woods.

Ryneq heard the soft whoosh of the dagger as it flew through the air, but he had no time to evade it before it sank deep into his left shoulder. His horse continued to weave between the trees, jumping over roots and fallen branches. Ryneq cried out, dropping his sword, and felt the reins slip through his bloody fingers as he lost his grip and tumbled to the forest floor.

He lay there, stunned. His shoulder throbbed painfully, and he tried to roll to the side and up onto his knees to relieve some of the pressure.

“Going somewhere, Ryneq?” A dirty, scuffed leather boot pressed onto Ryneq’s shoulder, and he bit back a scream as it roughly pushed him back down. “I don’t think so.”

Ryneq just managed to look up into the face leering down at him before something slammed into the side of his head and everything went black.

“T
HERE
! O
VER
to the right of the bridge.” Nykin yelled loudly, pointing down at the scene below them.

“Yes, I see him.”

Fimor dived low over the water, skimming the edge of the riverbank. They picked off a few Rodethian stragglers who weren’t quick enough to make it back into the safety of the trees. Finally they could be of use. It had been so frustrating to watch the fighting below them and be unable to help. But Ryneq had been in the middle of it all, and they couldn’t risk injuring him or any of the Torserian Guard. But now most of the guard had escaped into the forest, and the remaining Rodethian and Athisian soldiers were fair game.

They watched Ryneq dispatch a couple of Rodethians and disappear after his men into the trees.

“We need to head back to the other side of the forest. That’s where they’ll regroup.”

Eldin’s orders had been very specific this morning. If they were attacked in the forest and couldn’t make it across the bridge, the men would retreat and regroup on the other side. Fimor stretched out his wings to their full length and soared up into the sky to join with the other riders. Nykin took one last look at the bridge, lying broken and half in the water. At least Ryneq and Cerylea had gotten away safely. They’d have to find another way to get the princess to Hervath.

They flew over the thick forest, unable to see anything of the ground below until the trees began to thin. The dragons remained in the air, circling low as they waited for the palace guard to emerge.

“Where are they?” Nykin searched frantically for any sign of the soldiers, craning his neck as Fimor made another pass along the tree line.

“Patience, Nykin. It takes longer for them to negotiate their way through the forest.”

Finally, Nykin saw movement down below and started to relax as members of the guard began to appear. He watched carefully, looking for one horse in particular and not even caring how much he wanted to see it right now. Ryneq was his king—of course he was worried about him.

More and more Torserian soldiers collected in groups as they cleared the tree line. Nykin’s heart rate ratcheted up as time went by with still no sign of Ryneq. “He should have been out by now, surely. It’s been long en—”

“Nykin, look!”

Fimor’s voice sounded pained, and when Nykin spotted the riderless horse below them, he realized why. It was Ryneq’s horse.

“Fuck! We need to land, Fimor. Now.” Nykin needed to get on the ground and search for him. He must have fallen off in the forest. “Fimor!” Nykin shouted when the dragon began to climb higher instead. “What are you doing?”

“I know you want to look for him, but we can’t land, Nykin. It’s not safe for us on the ground. I wouldn’t be able to get airborne quickly enough if we were attacked.”

“You can burn them all!” Nykin shouted back.

“Trust me, Nykin. Please.”

Nykin’s knuckles turned white where he gripped the harness too tightly as he struggled against the urge to shout and curse and insist that Fimor obey his commands. But Nykin also remembered what Fimor had said to him before about trust, and he knew deep down that Fimor was right to disagree. To land now, with no idea if any lowland soldiers had followed them through the forest, would be far too dangerous.

“I’m sorry, Fimor.” He relaxed his hold on the harness a little and slumped down against Fimor’s neck. “You’re right. I was just….”

“I know, Nykin.”

They didn’t say anything more, but as they climbed high enough into the sky to join the others, Fimor stiffened and looked over toward Eldin and his dragon. Nykin noticed all the other dragons doing the same thing. “What’s going on?” he demanded. The dragons were able to communicate with one another the same way they could talk to their riders, and Nykin’s patience was wearing thin. “Well?”

“Eldin’s going to land, to find out who is in charge now and what our orders are. He wants us, and Selene and Kalesh, to circle close to the ground and watch for danger.”