A Time of Blood (Of Blood and Bone #2) - John Gwynne Page 0,173
narrowing the gap between her and the Cheren, but they were so near to the gates now. Riv saw Jin at their head, bent low over her horse, a bow clutched in one hand.
Ben-Elim were close now, Riv saw one was dark-haired Hadran, and she flew to him. He saw her and smiled, beating his wings to hover in the sky.
“I’m glad you still live,” he called out to her. “We have had no word since Kol returned. Scouts have been sent out but none have returned.”
“IT’S A TRICK,” Riv screamed, pointing at the Cheren.
“What?” Hadran said, frowning. “They are our allies, pursued by the enemy. We must help them.”
“The Cheren are allied to the Kadoshim,” she yelled, closer, flying in a tight circle about him. “Look,” and she pointed back, to the forest, where Kadoshim and their half-breeds were beginning to burst from the tree canopy. Below them, on the ground, a black mist flowed from the trees onto the open plain, spreading rapidly across the ground like spilt ink on parchment.
“Jin and the Cheren are fooling you, seeking to open Drassil’s gates for the Kadoshim.”
“No,” Hadran whispered.
They both turned and flew for the gates, yelling a warning, other Ben-Elim in the air now seeing the Kadoshim and the black mist.
Horns blared, voices shouting, sounds echoing out of Drassil. Riv saw Ben-Elim launching from a thousand windows into the sky, the battlements of the fortress thick with warriors.
“CLOSE THE GATES,” Riv and Hadran screamed to-gether, but it was too late; in a thunder of hooves Jin led her warband through the open gates and into the gate tunnel, clattering into the courtyard beyond. Riv reached the gate tower and heard the first screams as Cheren warriors loosed arrows at the warriors hurrying to meet them, a widening arc of the Cheren pouring through the gates, keeping them open, slaying the gate guards.
Riv looked back over her shoulder and saw the air filled with the black silhouettes of Kadoshim and their half-breeds, speeding towards her and Drassil’s walls. On the ground below, the warband of acolytes were at the gates, and close behind them the black mist spread across the plain, seething and bulging with the creatures within it.
Archers on Drassil’s walls loosed volleys down into the oncoming acolytes, screams echoing on the field of cairns, but the gates were open and already many were riding through them. Kadoshim were close to Riv and Hadran now, the air filled with battle-cries and the beating of many wings. More volleys were loosed into the sky, some Kadoshim screeching and spiralling to the ground. With a snarl, Hadran hurled his spear, skewered a half-breed, then drew his sword and launched himself at a Kadoshim. They crashed together, spinning, snarling, spitting.
Riv hovered, hesitating, unsure what to do. Then, to the south, she saw another black cloud roll out from the forest, surging towards Drassil’s gates. And from the west, the trees shook and yet another mist boiled out from the treeline.
They have used the depths of the forest to travel unseen.
A dread settled in her belly, seeing the gates of Drassil already taken and these overwhelming numbers surging towards them.
I must find Aphra.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
FRITHA
Fritha shivered and clenched her jaws to stop her teeth chattering.
She was sitting upon Wrath’s back, or more accurately, laying prone upon his back, her arms and legs wrapped tight around him, clinging on for dear life.
Morn flew beside her, in sweeping loops, laughing at the draig’s slow speed and lack of manoeuvrability.
“He is like a stone with wings,” Morn called down to her from above.
Any faster or higher and I would die.
Fritha’s muscles ached from hanging on so hard, almost three solid days of constant flying from the battleground in the Desolation. Just the thought of that soured Fritha’s blood.
We were so close. Victory in the palm of my hand. I told Ulf he had to stay safe. She spent a while cursing and swearing to the clouds above her. There were no birds in the sky, she guessed it was because Wrath’s presence scared them away.
And then she saw Drassil in the distance.
She felt a rush of terror at what Gulla would say to her when he heard of her defeat.
I will not tell him yet, not until I have done the deed, and then it will be too late.
She felt a tremor of fear at the risk she was taking, but what else could she do? Flee and live her life in hiding?