I saw another towheaded child run between the houses. A horse nearly ran her down. I caught her, threw her onto Faraway, and beckoned the other child as well. He was smaller, probably around four. It pained me that I couldn’t remember his name, but I placed him in front of the girl and told her to hold him, giving Faraway instructions.

Take them into the woods and guard them.

I should stay with you.

Children come first. I left no room for argument. Faraway bobbed his head at me and carefully trotted into the woods, keeping his gait nice and even for the children. I heard the boy yell out “horsey!” I could tell from the slant of Faraway’s ears that I had hurt his feelings, but I didn’t have time for that. Someone needed to get the children out of harm’s way.

Someone yelled my name, and I turned to see Syrani send a soldier flying through the air as she kept another soldier from entering a house. There must be someone inside. I yelled for my father and ran toward the town center. The soldiers were after something. They were entering each of the houses and pulling out the women.

Me! They were here because me. My mind roared at the thought! Fenri fought ferociously with a sword in each hand, spinning and attacking the cavalrymen.

Pounding hooves alerted me to an attack from behind, and I turned and raised my sword to meet the downward thrust of a blade. I deflected, and the rider turned in his saddle to glare at me. He slowed and turned back, beckoning me with his black-gloved hand.

Fear raced through me, but anger matched its intensity. How dare they attack my home and taunt me! I adjusted the heavy sword in my hand and tilted my head in acknowledgement. I knew that on my own, I was no match for soldier on a horse, but I had a different kind of advantage if I had enough control on my power to wield it.

The horse snorted as the rider kicked his mount spurring it on. He leaned forward in his stirrup and held his sword high.

I rushed forward, my sword low to the ground, trying to keep a small target.

He swung down.

I rolled to the left, sprung back up, gripped my sword and used all my strength, plus whatever power I could still pull from within to launch the sword directly at his torso. It flew straight and true and should have been a kill shot.

What followed was near impossible.

He saw the sword leave my hands. His eyes widened in surprise as a young girl launched an impossibly large sword at him. He twisted his body at the last second and almost unseated himself from the saddle, but the sword passed him by.

I’d missed. My mouth dropped open in utter shock. And to make matters worse, I had just thrown away my only weapon.

The soldier beckoned to another of his comrades and pointed at me. “That one.” Both horses turned toward me and I could see their intent.

Closing my eyes, I reached outward, trying to grab their life forces. I was shocked when I saw that they were surrounded by dark shadows. Their inner light wasn’t bright and white like the Denai but black and shaded like mine. How could we be the same? The discovery momentarily distracted me, and I didn’t act in time.

The ground shook as the horses bore down and I turned to run.

Hands gripped my shirt and I was pulled upward and over the rider’s lap. I gulped as the pommel thrust into my stomach. I could smell, sweat, leather, and something akin to cinnamon. I kicked, screamed, and scratched until the horse started to gallop and the pommel knocked the wind out of me. I gasped loudly. Weak, I looked over the rider’s leg and could see Fenri running after me.

We were moving too fast. I screamed out one last time as the other mounted soldiers surrounded him, drawing their swords. Fenri slipped through the cracks of soldiers and was able to position himself next to Syrani, but the odds were impossible. I imagined I could see his cheek tick with anger at the thought of being cut off. He raised his sword and rushed forward. We crested the hill and galloped down.

And I lost sight of Syrani and Fenri.

My heart exploded with worry and fear. For them certainly, but even more for myself. What would these men do to me? What kind of danger was I truly in? Thinking fast, I played opossum. I went slack across the horse and could feel the rider adjust to try and keep me balanced. I used his instability to try and push backwards off the horse, but he caught me. He grabbed my hair and yanked me up into a sitting position in front of him. Pain raced down my scalp, leaving a burning ache.

“You think you’re smart, trying to get away. No one gets away unless we want them to.” I dared a glance at his face and was stunned by his golden yellow-toned eyes. His deeply tanned skin only enhanced the ghastly color of his white-dyed hair. Something about the combination chilled me to the bone. I studied my captor’s black uniform, cloak, and gloves.

The hair on my neck rose in fear as I pieced together who these men were. I only had to look a little closer at the clasp on his cloak to see the pendant. I already knew what the design would be. Hadn’t I always known? It was the same crest that decorated my own home. A silver wolf, the crest for Sinnendor. We didn’t have to cross into Sinnendor, after all. They came here first—and they hadn’t sent just any soldiers. We’d been attacked by Sinnendor’s strongest warriors.

The Elite.

Suddenly, the soldier pressed something over my eyes and shoved a gag into my mouth. A sickly sweet smell wormed its way through my head, and then everything went black.

Chapter 21

Darkness. The sound of dripping water somewhere nearby made my body crave the refreshing liquid. When had I last eaten? I couldn’t remember. I tried to count the minutes and the passing of time to keep myself from going insane. I was once again in a prison cell. Shackles bit painfully into my wrists.

A door opened several yards away. I did everything I could to keep my nerves in check and not start sniveling like a coward. I stood up, wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt, and tried to appear strong, like my father would want me to. A flame flickered outside the door and keys rattled. The door opened a with a creak and then was abruptly pushed wide. A short balding man stood before me. He hardly looked like he could be a threat, but you never knew.

Appearances could be deceiving.

“Miss?” he called into my cell. “Ah…yer uh supposed to follow me…this way.” He beckoned up the stairs with his candle. “Gideon is waiting upstairs.”

I looked at the stairs and back to him and walked out quickly, trying to not show my eagerness to escape the prison. The chains around my wrists jangled as I held my head high and walked slowly up the steps, being careful to keep an eye on the man behind me. I was hoping I could find chance to run away.

A man—Gideon, I assumed—waited at the top of the stairs. His white hair stood out like a beacon in the shadows. As I approached him, his strong hand wrapped around my elbow, directing me until I silently followed his lead. We walked down a long stone hallway. The air became fresher, sweeter. Then we stepped through a door into a large, mostly empty courtyard in front of a towering castle. The bright moonlight illuminated guards half hidden in the shadows, wary of people like me.

I could see the main gate, a secured pulley system, and the guard tower. Keeping my head lowered, I scanned quickly but didn’t see a way out. My heart dropped a little, but I knew better than to give up so easily.

We came to wide stone steps and I slowed my gait. He lugged me onward. More guards greeted us but they didn’t even blink when we passed them. Either we were invisible, or they just couldn’t bear to look at the intimidating Gideon.