—⁂—
My breaths were shallow, my heart pounding, my gaze fixed on the forest in the distance as my bloodied fingers clutched the reins of my horse. Only the sound of hooves striking the hard soil beneath us tethered me to reality while images from the attack seized my mind.
Amelia's face as the elf plunged a blade into her stomach.
Diana's screams as they tore her apart piece by piece.
Fear tightened around my chest as I watched the elves take everything from me.
And all I could do in that moment was run for my life.
My snow-white hair whipped in the wind as my steed raced through the barley fields outside the capital walls, the strands faintly stained red. Tall grasses brushed against my thighs. Blood dripped from the hem of my skirt, ran down my leg, and soaked into my bare feet clinging to the horse's belly.
Tears burned down my cheeks.
"Stop where you are!" an elf soldier bellowed behind me, his voice echoing across the land.
My heart lurched.
I looked back.
Five of them pursued me, closing the distance, their red armor glinting beneath the moon as they shouted.
Smoke rolled into the night sky from the city behind us. The grey wall had been destroyed, glowing embers rising with black coils of smoke. Bodies of Tetaran soldiers and civilians who had tried to flee the invasion littered the field before the gates. The barley stalks were stained red with their blood.
One of the elves raised a bow and aimed an arrow at my head.
I faced forward and lurched low over the horse's neck, holding my breath.
The arrow whistled inches above my skull.
I exhaled.
The forest was close.
I snapped the reins once in desperation, then again for good measure, hoping my horse would somehow run faster.
A soldier screamed behind me.
I didn't even know why they were chasing me. I was just one lost Tetaran who had slipped past their soldiers at the gates and escaped the city.
The barley field opened into a clearing just before the forest.
I glanced back again.
The elves were closer now. One of them lifted a long metal spear, its blade gleaming in the moonlight like a promise of death.
My horse burst into the forest, fast as the wind.
It wove between the trees. I ducked beneath branches as it leaped over stumps and roots. Grass and twigs lashed my legs and face while my breathing grew ragged.
Birds burst from the trees at the sound of the soldiers' voices.
My horse slammed against tree trunks and stumbled through undergrowth, dry leaves raining down around us. I struggled to stay mounted, thighs clamped tightly to its sides.
Through the trees ahead, I saw another clearing.
I whipped the reins again and looked back.
The elves were preparing to throw the spear.
I leaned forward and buried my face in the horse's mane.
The blade whistled through the air.
We were just about to reach the clearing when my horse screamed.
I lifted my head.
The spear jutted from its hindquarters, blood pouring from the wound.
My horse thrashed violently and threw me from its back. It collapsed in the clearing as wet sand sprayed into the air.
I hit the ground hard and rolled across the grass, mud staining my dress.
The elves entered the clearing.
They dismounted and marched toward me.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself upright.
"Please…" I whimpered. "Don't hurt me. I beg of you."
The soldiers laughed.
"We're not going to hurt you, little flower," one of them said, his lips curling into a vile smile. "We just want to have a little fun."
My stomach dropped.
"No…" Diana's fate flashed through my mind. "Please, no."
I dragged myself backward across the ground as they closed in.
I tried to stand. My feet slipped in the mud and I fell again.
One of them grabbed my dress.
I screamed, clawing at the ground as I kicked wildly.
He drew a dagger and slashed at my back and arms. My dress tore, but the blade couldn't pierce my skin. I clutched the torn fabric to my chest, sobbing as I thrashed in desperation.
The soldier laughed again and reached for my chest.
My left foot drove into his stomach.
I felt his armor cave as his insides crushed. The force sent him flying backward toward the forest. He slammed sideways into a tree, his spine snapping instantly.
He collapsed to the ground.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Dead.
The remaining four soldiers and I stared at the body in stunned silence.
Then their eyes turned back to me, brows furrowing as anger flared across their faces.
"What are you?" one growled as they advanced.
I shut my eyes and folded in on myself, waiting for the end.
They reached me.
"Attack!" a voice roared from the trees.
Before the elves could touch me, people poured from the forest. Their battle cries echoed through the clearing, sending hundreds of birds screaming into the sky.
I looked around in confusion.
They were Tetaran. Young and old. Angry. Desperate for elven blood.
They carried whatever weapons they could find. Sticks, farm tools, rocks.
The elves stepped back and drew their swords.
The battle began.
I hurried to my feet, still clutching my torn dress.
Blood sprayed into the air as the elves cut the humans down one by one like swatting flies. The wounds the humans inflicted healed almost instantly, but the same mercy did not apply to them. Limbs were severed. Heads rolled. Stomachs were split open.
The elves were faster. Stronger.
Their numbers meant nothing.
"No…" I whispered, shaking my head as blood spread across the clearing. "No."
"NO!"
The ground trembled beneath my feet.
The battle halted as everyone looked around in confusion.
The rumbling grew stronger. Trees shook violently. The humans were knocked from their feet, but the elves remained standing.
The earth at the center of the clearing began to swell.
Everyone looked down.
The ground exploded.
The thunderous blast split the night as a thin wall of light shot upward into the sky, slicing one of the elves clean in half and reducing his body to specks of white light.
The wall widened as it tore through the earth. The humans scrambled back, dragging the wounded with them. The elves were trapped on the other side, separated from us by the radiant barrier.
I stared at the glowing wall as people rushed past me.
Different colors of light flickered within it like living flames.
I'd heard explosions like this one before, but only from afar. Never did the people of the capital bother to check what it was. Or what it caused.
It was beautiful.
My pulse slowed as I stood there, lost in the shifting glow.
Then a hand grabbed my shoulder.
My heart jolted.
Before I could turn, a black bag fell over my head.