a short head shake and continued running. A few minutes later, “Centaur!” was screamed out, making Caid smirk, and then came the sound of a war horn. Keeley’s speed somehow increased as she suddenly veered off.
Caid was right behind her, until she reached a large tree and took a position there. Waiting.
Under his hooves, the earth moved and he knew more soldiers were coming.
Gods, had the princes sent an entire battalion to take down the family? That seemed . . . excessive.
Then again, all he’d heard for the last five minutes were the dying screams of men. None of women and children. So perhaps they knew something Caid and his cohorts did not.
The first of the mounted soldiers came over the ridge and that’s when Keeley moved, running out.
Caid went to grab her, but she was already gone. Thankfully, she didn’t jump in front of them. She ran out so that she was lined up with the first horse.
She raised her hammer high, pulling it back over her shoulder. Then, with a mighty swing, she brought the weapon down and into. . . the side of the closest horse. With a horrid scream, the horse’s hooves left the ground and its entire body slammed into the horse next to it. They both went down and the horses behind didn’t have time to stop. Instead they stumbled over the pair and fell, forcing others to do the same.
But none of that stopped the rest of the mounted riders. There were more coming over that ridge and riding straight for the house.
Keeley used her hammer to finish off the men whose horses had gone down, but quickly pulled back before any of the soldiers could come for her. She stood by that tree again, staring down the hill. Watching as the soldiers rode into the valley, over the small white fence, and into the first field.
The first group of mounted soldiers made it as far as the middle of that field . . . and then were gone. The healthy-looking crop they’d been trampling disappeared completely, the mounted riders and their steeds falling into the camouflaged pit.
Again, those coming in behind couldn’t stop in time and half the mounted platoon disappeared into the same hole.
Keeley went up on her toes and yelled out, “Da! Nowwwwwwwww!”
Caid came around the tree so that he could clearly see what Keeley was calling for. He heard it first. The counterweight, then the snap of the casting arm being released, and over the pigpen a large ball of fire flew into the pit of mounted soldiers.
The pit exploded into flames and the terrified screams of dying men and horses.
“You have a trebuchet?” Caid asked . . . because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Mum made it. She gets bored when she’s pregnant.”
“Huh.”
“It’s very handy.” Keeley gave a sad sigh. “But I hate hurting the horses.”
She hefted her hammer onto her shoulder. “All right then. Let’s go kill the rest so we can get the children to safety.”
* * *
Gemma had put away her long sword and pulled out her two short swords. She ran at the mercenaries, hacking and slashing her way through them. Laila used her arrows until a few of the men got close. Then she switched to the steel spear she had strapped to her back.
Gemma was just holding these men off until her mother, Beatrix, and the children could slip away. But every time they tried to run, mercenaries moved in front of them. Blocked them.
Getting frustrated but not sure what to do about it, she simply kept fighting. Until Laila suddenly sent out a whistle call.
Gemma didn’t know why until Cadell and Farlan rode into view. There was a lot of blood on them, but nothing that had her too worried.
Farlan immediately leaped into the fray, using a large axe to chop away the mercenaries attacking her. He used his back legs to strike at any men or horses behind him. The strength of his kicks knocked the horses back and killed the men outright from blows to their chests or heads.
“Go!” he finally yelled when he was right in front of her. “Now!”
Gemma ran toward her mother and siblings.
Mum was busy fighting off three soldiers on foot with her two swords.
Coming up behind the men, Gemma beheaded one and disemboweled another. Her mother buried one of her blades into the third’s belly.
Sheathing her swords, Gemma picked up one of the toddlers who she knew couldn’t keep up. She motioned