11. Sage

CHAPTER 11

Sage

I glanced back at the ring, a looming shadow in the darkness with no hint of the brilliant white magic that had filled it moments ago. I only knew the patterns for Olinon near Herstind castle and Addur, the capital, and Edred was sure to look for me at both of those places.

That, and I had no idea if the ring would let me awaken it now that I was in the Gray.

The screeching grew louder and I jerked my attention back to the road — or rather the mouth of the road because that was all I could see.

If this was the Black Tower's ring then the road had to lead to the tower. It wouldn't make sense to step out of the ring and then have to go around it to head to the Tower.

Another screech, this one high-pitched and long, making my heart— No, my whole body freeze. At least one of the monsters was close.

I gritted my teeth and heaved against the fear freezing me in place. I wasn't going to go down trembling in front of the ring. I could at least try to get to safety. I had to run. Now.

I bolted down the road, praying it led toward the Black Tower and that the tower wasn't too far away. Most rings were near towns, some even inside them — although that was considered a risk since if an enemy managed to control another ring, they could march into the center of town past any defenses.

I hadn't expected the ring in the Gray to be within the Black Tower's defensive wall, but now I was afraid it was more than a couple hundred yards away. And with the barely-there moonlight and heavy mist, I'd have no way of knowing how close or far it was.

The frozen wind gusted, swirling the mist around me, revealing more of the road along with a shadow monster the size of a large, misshapen dog.

The monster was all black and stood on four legs. It had spikes sticking up from it in all directions, and a mouth full of teeth. Too many pointy teeth.

It threw its head back and screeched, the sound clawing down my spine.

A chorus of screeches answered from all around me and another monster, this one mottled white and gray like the mist, joined the first one on the road, blocking my way.

I jerked around to run back to the ring, but three more monsters stepped out of the mist, blocking my path. These were a mix of black and gray, just as big as the first one, and with far too many teeth as well.

My pulse roared in my ears, my heart pounding so hard I was afraid it would tear out of my chest. I had to fight. Even if I wanted to run — and I still had no idea which direction was the best choice — I was going to have to fight my way past them. Except I had a horrible feeling I wasn't going to be able to out-run them.

Which left me fighting all five of them to the death. Most likely my own.

I drew Sawyer's sword and widened my stance.

This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. But then I hadn't had a vision of what would happen to me when I stepped into the Gray, only what would happen to Sawyer.

I hadn't wanted to trade my life for his, but if that was what it came down to, then I would. Between us, he was the one who could protect the people of Herstind March from Edred. I was just a girl, who, once I was married off, would likely never step foot in Herstind again.

The first monster who'd blocked my way screeched again, and I spun around to face it.

It lunged at me and I heaved to the side.

Its wickedly long claws snagged in my rucksack, ripping it open. My clothes, ruined dress, and shoes tumbled out, and two of the monsters leaped on them. They screeched and snarled and tore into them with teeth and claws with a ferocity that filled me with terror.

That was going to be me.

I stumbled back, but the first monster swiped again, snagging its claws in my rucksack and yanking me toward it. I bent forward and twisted, slipping the rucksack's strap over my head and sacrificing it to the monster.

But the sudden loss of force that had been pulling me toward the monster made me stumble back and another creature screeched and leaped at me.

I sliced at it with my sword, cutting off one of its spikes and drawing a very dog-like snarl, then swung again, remembering to press my attack and not be shocked that I'd actually hit it.

But it swiped at me, forcing me to wrench out of the way, and I missed it completely.

Behind me, the other monsters screeched and snarled, the sound sharper than the sounds they'd been making while tearing apart my clothes.

They were going to attack again.

I spun to face them, wildly swinging my sword, hoping to hold them back. Somehow, I clipped the snout of one of them, but another one barreled into me and knocked me to the ground.

It slammed a heavy paw onto my already-bruised chest, sending agony shooting through my body and stealing my breath, and leaned close, snarling.

Black saliva dripped from its jaws onto my cheek so cold it felt like ice water, and my body shook with fear while my mind screamed at me to fight, get up, do something.

I heaved against its enormous weight but wasn't strong enough to move it.

Come on. Get up. Get up!

The other monsters drew close, screeching and snarling.

My breath grew shallow and ragged with terror.

Fight back! I screamed at myself and swung my sword.

But my arm was at the wrong angle to get in a good strike, certainly not anything that would get the monster off me, let alone kill it.

Shit!

Shit shit shit.

I bashed at it with the sword, barely doing any damage.

I was not going to die in the Gray.

I. Would. Not.

My free hand bumped the hilt of my dagger, and my thoughts lurched to something the armsmaster before Pylos had said while teaching me and Sawyer. Shorter blades were better in close combat. And this was as close as combat could get.

I yanked the dagger free and jammed it up into the monster's neck. Black blood, just as cold as the saliva, spurted over my face and chest.

The monster howled, staggered off me, and collapsed.

I didn't know if it was dead and I didn't have time to check.

I heaved to my knees, holding out both the sword and the dagger. I had almost no training fighting with a weapon in each hand, but I didn't want to drop — and likely lose — either weapon and didn't have time to sheath one of them. I barely had time to get to my knees before two other monsters lunged at me.

Time stuttered, slowing into a horrific frieze. I wasn't going to be able to fight off two monsters. I'd barely been able to fight off one. But I wasn't going to be able to get to my feet before they struck, and even if by a miracle I did, I still wasn't going to be able to run away.

I dove toward the one on my right, aiming my sword for its throat. If I was going to go down, I was going to take at least one of them with me or die trying.

The monster twisted and my blade skimmed its side, slicing off a few spikes, and I heaved out of its way. But I was surrounded and any direction I went took me closer to another monster.

I tumbled toward a slightly smaller, mostly gray, monster.

It snarled and the muscles in its back legs bunched, readying to leap at me, just as an enormous black horse galloped out of the mist.

The rider leaned in his saddle and swung a sword longer and wider than mine and decapitated the monster in one powerful stroke.

I tried to rise and run to him, but the monster I'd missed, swiped at me, its claws catching in my jerkin, and wrenched me back to the ground. My head hit the bricked road and for a moment darkness overwhelmed the mist and screeching monsters.

Then another rider broke out of the mist, killing another monster with one swing, and the first rider grabbed the front of my sword belt, hauled me up, and slung me across the neck of his horse as if I were a sac of grain, sending more pain shooting through my chest.

"Fucking moron," the rider snarled, as the second rider turned and galloped back the way they'd come.

The first rider followed, one hand on my back pinning me to his horse, stomach-down, the other still holding his sword.

The two remaining monsters screeched and at least a dozen more cried back in response. More were coming. Their screeches drew closer, and I caught glimpses of them through the mist, racing along side the horses. Large ones and smaller ones, some all black, some mottled, and some ghostly white.

"Open the gate," the rider in front yelled.

My bruised chest hurt, my body screamed in pain from being bounced against the horse while it galloped, and I couldn't catch my breath. The rider holding me didn't seem to care, and once we'd raced through a partially open gate into a wide bailey lit with torches, he shoved me off his horse.

I landed on my butt, the impact rattling up my spine and making my teeth snap together.

"Fucking moron," he snarled again. "Everyone knows you don't enter the Gray after sundown."

He glared at me, and his gaze locked with mine, his silver eyes freezing me in place and making my heart skip a beat.

He was fae. My second fae today, and while logically I knew I'd meet more fae since half of the Black Guard was fae, I was still stunned to be face to face with another one so soon.