Chapter 78

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

Ellery

I ducked out of the way and scrunched down behind the chest as Tucker and Ryker unleashed another volley of arrows on the guards. The eye of one of the guards riding toward me exploded out of his head; it hung off the tip of an arrow.

The man screamed and clawed at his face as my stomach heaved. I'd known this would be a lot different than any of my robberies, where I'd always gotten in and out without detection. Still, I hadn't anticipated something so gruesome or the awful sounds of a man in so much agony.

Get it together, or you'll die here.

I ignored my nausea as I took a deep breath and craned my head to look around the chest as one of the drivers pulled himself onto the roof. He stayed low while crawling on his belly toward me.

Another guard was coming at me from the back. His hand was stretching toward the rail on the back of the carriage when something darted out of the trees.

It was so fast I barely saw it before it vanished into the woods on the other side of the road. I had only a second to realize the reins of the guard at the back were severed before his horse reeled back and bolted into the forest with the guard clutching its mane.

Mouse , I realized with a sinking heart.

The boy must have been hiding in the woods while waiting for an opportunity to help. I could only hope he'd kept running and was far from here, but he wouldn't.

Damn it!

Having Mouse in jeopardy was a complication I hadn't anticipated, but at least I didn't have to worry about the guard at the back anymore. Pulling my dagger free, I craned to look around the chests at the other guard.

The idea of stabbing someone didn't sit well with me, but I'd do whatever was necessary to survive, and I didn't have enough room to maneuver my bow and arrows here. Thankfully, it stopped being a concern when three arrows pierced the guard's back.

He still moved as he tried to rip them free, but they'd effectively pinned him to the roof. The carriage shifted, and a thud came from beside me.

With my knife in hand, I spun to confront a new threat but froze when I saw Ryker. If he'd joined me, then they'd eradicated most of the danger surrounding this carriage.

I couldn't see his eyes beneath the mesh covering them, but I felt the tension radiating from him as his head remained turned toward me. His fingers went to my back and came away with blood at the tips.

When he lifted his head toward me, I gave him a thumbs-up to let him know I was fine. He didn't seem to believe me as he hesitated, but when the remaining driver threw down his reins and spun toward us, Ryker's attention shifted away from me.

The driver held a crossbow in one hand and a sword in another. He fired the crossbow.

I retreated behind the chests as Ryker ducked out of the way before rising again. My heart leapt into my throat as I grabbed for him, but he was already beyond my reach.

What is he doing?

I rolled over to look out from behind the chest as Ryker pulled his sword free with a hiss of leather against steel. All around us, arrows flew, other guards shouted, and horses fled as the remaining guards tried to stop what was unfolding.

Tucker and the others worked to take them out and keep them at bay, but I barely heard any of it as Ryker stalked across the top of the carriage. As he walked by the guard still pinned to the roof, he brought his sword down across his neck in a powerful blow that severed his head and sent it rolling across the roof before tumbling over the side.

He didn't miss a step. The remaining driver was trying to reload his crossbow when Ryker reached him.

He kicked the man in the face three times. The driver's jaw caved from the blows; he staggered back after each impact before toppling out of the front of the carriage and landing beneath the horses.

Startled by the man's unexpected arrival, the horses surged forward, but they spun when the rope shot up before them again. The jarring movement caused two wheels to lift off the ground, and I slid toward the side.

I scrambled for something to hold as the carriage tilted precariously. If it tipped over, we were done.

Just when I was about to be flung over the side, I snagged one of the ropes securing a trunk. I clung to it as my body flew off the roof, my feet hung precariously over the side, and the carriage tilted further.

Something gave way with a loud crack, and I glimpsed Ryker, clinging to the bar behind the driver's seat, where the carriage hung on a precipice. Trees and road flashed before me as the carriage groaned.

And then, the horses succeeded in turning themselves completely, the wheels hit the ground with a bang, and the panicked animals bolted down the road. As they ran, I saw the source of that loud crack as one of the shafts tying the horses to the carriage bounced through the air.

If the other one gave way too, we'd lose the animals and our ability to get far enough away to open a portal. Right now, if we tried, the guards would follow us through; we required time to gain more distance from them.

Ryker pulled himself back onto the carriage as I used the rope to drag myself away from the edge. I pried my hands off the binding that had saved me and scampered toward the front of the carriage.

The vehicle hit a hole in the road, and the out-of-control bounce and sway almost knocked me off. I scrambled to keep my balance as I slid toward the side again.

Throwing myself down to keep from falling over, I continued sliding but grasped one of the railings running across the top of the carriage before I toppled over the edge. I tried to right myself, but a jarring bounce shot me a foot off the roof as Ryker dropped into the driver's seat.

Unable to get my feet underneath me in time, I crashed onto the top of the vehicle. The impact knocked the breath from me, but while I contemplated lying there and licking my wounds, I couldn't as arrows whistled far too close for my liking.

I was an open target here.