Sara Larson - Defy

This went on for more than a week, and every day I grew more tired, more worn down, and more worried. We pressed on through rain, heat, mud, and humidity. We were definitely heading toward Blevon. We’d been traveling for so long, I couldn’t imagine it would be more than another day or two before we crossed down into the lowlands, then reached the border and left our nation behind.

On the eighth day of traveling since I’d woken up, the sky above us grew cloudy once again, threatening rain. I’d actually come to enjoy the rainstorms. The deluge of water was at least a relief from the constant, cloying heat of the sunny days, and it washed away the sweat and grime of the long trek through the rain forest.

Rylan and Jax were both next to me as we trudged down a hill toward a small stream, talking about different types of monkeys. From our vantage point at the top of the incline, I could see Prince Damian a little ways ahead of us, almost to the stream. As I watched, he adjusted his bedroll on his back so that he could stretch his arms high overhead. For some reason, my heart beat a bit faster as I watched him. It was difficult to believe that only two weeks ago, I’d practically hated him. And now … I didn’t know what I felt. I thought something had started to happen between us, but now I was afraid I was wrong. I remembered the way he’d smiled at Jax, how they’d laughed together when Damian carried him on his shoulders, and my stomach tightened. Would he ever smile like that at me?

“Are you going to stand there all day?”

I shook myself from my thoughts to realize Rylan and Jax both stood a little way below me, waiting. I fought to keep myself from blushing and moved forward to follow them when something grabbed my attention. I froze and squinted, trying to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. And then I broke into a dead run.

“ Damian! ” I screamed as I rocketed down the hill toward the prince.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He turned to look at me, his eyes widening. I screamed his name again, pointing behind him, at the trees on the other side of the stream. The archers hidden in the shadows loaded their bows as I frantically shouted at everyone to take cover. But I wasn’t fast enough. I had almost reached the bottom when a volley of arrows flew out of the trees.

I screamed Damian’s name once more and jumped toward him with every ounce of strength in me. I collided with him a split second before the arrow would have hit him, crashing so hard, we both tumbled to the ground. He landed flat on his back, and I was on top of him, our faces only inches apart. Almost every part of our bodies touched as he stared up at me in shock. And then Damian pushed me off him and, rolling with unbelievable grace, rose to a crouch, grabbing the sword out of the scabbard of a man who wasn’t as lucky as he was. An arrow protruded from the man’s throat, leaving a pool of blood beneath his head.

There wasn’t time to be surprised at his agility or the comfort with which he held the sword. The men who’d shot at us were now rushing toward us through the stream, swords lifted. They wore the tattered uniforms of the Antionese army, attacking their own prince unknowingly. We were at the far reaches of the kingdom, too far for them to have received word of Damian’s abduction. And few outside the palace knew what he looked like. There was no hope they’d recognize him and retreat. We would have to fight our own people if we wanted to live.

“Aim to injure, not kill!” Damian shouted as I leaped to my feet, desperately searching for a weapon to use. Bodies littered the ground, but I didn’t have time to make it to another one to grab a weapon. I was defenseless.

Where was Eljin? Where was his power when we needed it?

Those with weapons raced forward to meet the soldiers, and the sounds of blades crashing together rang through the forest.

A man rushed directly at me, sword raised. I turned to run for my life, only to collide with someone — a tall, handsome prince who shouldn’t have been in the middle of this battle.

“Alex, get behind me. Now! ” Damian barked when my eyes widened in panic. Why hadn’t he run for cover?

“Give me your sword!” I shouted back over the sounds of fighting.

Instead of listening, he shoved me behind him, blocking the soldier’s attack just as his blade would have cut me through.

I stumbled back, and watched first in horror, then in growing amazement as Damian not only held off the man’s attack, but fought back with surprising skill.

“Alex!”

I turned at the sound of my name just in time to lift my hand and catch the sword Rylan had tossed to me. Armed at last, my fear dissolved. As I gripped the hilt of the sword, my mind calmed and my body filled with purpose. This was who I was — this was what I knew how to do. I was a fighter.

Damian had disarmed the soldier who’d rushed at me, swiped his sword arm so that he couldn’t pick up his weapon again, then moved on into the thick of the fight. I plunged in after him, my sword arcing through the air, carving a path through the army that obviously had no idea it was attacking its own prince. I did as Damian had asked, and struck only to injure. These were our own people. It made me sick to have to fight them, but our lives depended on it. They obviously believed we were rebels or part of the Blevonese army, and they were striking to kill.

I stayed as close to Damian as I could, in case he needed help. But as the fighting continued, it became very apparent that my help was not needed. He was an incredible swordsman.

He twisted and lunged, spun and parried as though he’d been born with a sword in his hand. It was all I could do to keep fighting and not stop to watch him.

And then Eljin finally showed up.

“Enough!” he shouted and swung his fist through the air, as though he was trying to smash something in front of him. A huge boom reverberated through the forest and the ground began to shake. “If you wish to live, you will retreat this instant!” His voice carried over the horrible sound of the earth threatening to tear apart beneath our feet.

We all froze, Antion’s army and Eljin’s own men alike.

“Sorcerer!” someone from the army shouted in fear.

“Retreat!”

The cry was repeated, and all the soldiers who remained uninjured rushed back across the stream and melted into the forest they’d emerged from only minutes before.

Eljin released his fist and the shaking stopped.

Breathing hard, my heart still beating rapidly, I gazed at the bodies on the ground in dismay. There were casualties from Eljin’s group and the Antionese army. Most of the men from the army were only injured, not dead, just as Damian had ordered. I marveled that Eljin’s men had followed his command, even though he was their prisoner.

Damian stood a few feet away from me, holding his sword loosely in his hand. I stared at him, half in astonishment and half in anger.

“You can fight,” I finally said.

He remained silent, watching me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. Why had he kept this from his guard — from me ? I remembered seeing him in his room, how I’d wondered at the sheen of sweat on his well-muscled body. I clenched my jaw to hold back everything I wanted to say to him in that moment. I was mad at him. Mad and confused and amazed. He’d saved my life.

“Alex! You’d better come here!”

I spun around to find Rylan crouching next to a body on the ground. I could only see the person’s legs, those of a smaller body, definitely not one of Eljin’s men. My heart stopped as I rushed to his side, praying it wasn’t Jax.

When I reached Rylan, he moved aside to show me my prayer was answered. It wasn’t Jax.