Kieran reached over, placing his hand on mine. He squeezed. “Thousands,” he confirmed. “Thousands will be saved.”
Potent relief roared through me as they began shuffling forward, some carrying all they could in their arms and on their backs like the ones who had left earlier. Some only cradled their children. Others bore the burden of the older mortals and the ill. The injured with fresh blood and bruised skin. Their steps were hesitant under the draken’s watchful eyes as they approached us slowly. Fear sickened the air, its bitter taste gathering in the back of my throat. Uncertainty followed, tart and lemony as many trembled, catching their first sight of the draken’s shadowy forms, partially obscured by the rising smoke. There was also…something lighter. Fresher. Awe. Then I heard the whispers.
Maiden.
Chosen.
“It’s okay,” I assured them, my voice hoarse. “Walk toward Massene. You will be safe there.”
I wanted to say more, to do more, but I couldn’t take their fear, even though it was so similar to pain. Not all of them.
“Momma! Look!” a young boy cried out, pointing at the draken. His eyes were filled with wonder not fear as he stretched and tugged on his mother’s hand, trying to see as they rushed past us. “Lookit!”
It took a blessed eternity for the last of the mortals to clear the Rise and begin crossing the meadow to enter the woods. Then, I felt that springy brush against my thoughts. Deep in the woods, a murmur of unease sounded from those who’d fled the city. I looked over my shoulder. A piercing howl penetrated the stillness, followed by another and another, rattling the needled branches. Yips and calls rang out in the air as the wolven ran through the trees and past the frightened mortals, where many had frozen where they stood, cowering close to the ground.
“I believe that is all of them, Your Highness.” Emil shifted his hold on the shield.
The sound of pounding hooves, the armies now nearing the Rise, matched the tempo of my heart. My attention rose to where Castle Redrock beckoned in the distance. Where it sat near the cliffs, glinting like burnt blood in the sunlight.
The wolven broke through the tree line, an army of claws and teeth. Sage cut between Emil and me, her fur gleaming like polished onyx. Arden followed. Vonetta and Delano joined them, leading the wolven into the city.
The breath I took barely filled my lungs as I tightened my grip on Setti’s reins. Beside me, Kieran shifted forward as he withdrew one of his swords. He looked at me. Our gazes met, and he nodded. I unhooked my crossbow.
“It’s time.” I squeezed my knees into Setti’s sides, and his powerful hooves kicked off the ground.
We raced forward, streaking through the cleared gates and into Oak Ambler, into one less city that stood between the Blood Queen and me.
Large shadows fell over us the moment we cleared the Rise. I glanced up to see Reaver gliding above us, flanked by Nithe and Aurelia. They flew at the height of the buildings, their wings nearly grazing the tops of the structures.
And then the sound came.
Horns blared in the distance. Thousands of horses bearing down on the city behind us as the Atlantian armies funneled through the gate, their hooves thundering off the cobblestone streets, and their heavy, short breaths huffing. The wind whipped up by the draken’s wings whistled above us. Distant, faint shouts rang out. I’d never heard anything like it.
My heart pounded sickeningly fast as I held Setti’s reins and the crossbow. The force of the horse’s speed tore at the shorter strands of my hair, blowing them back from my face as we raced through the narrow, winding streets crowded by businesses and ramshackle homes. The buildings were mostly a blur, but I caught a few brief glimpses of people scurrying into narrow alleys—and those who stood in front of their businesses holding wooden swords or clubs and pitiful shields, prepared to die to protect their livelihoods as we rode past them, the wolven leaping over forgotten wagons and carts. We swarmed the lower district of Oak Ambler with one target in mind. Castle Redrock.
The twisting streets widened, becoming less crowded, and the wolven quickly spread out, their claws digging into soil and stone now. Near the inner part of Oak Ambler, the homes were larger and more spaced out, businesses established in newer buildings. Lampposts dotted the streets. Cobblestones gave way to lush lawns and narrow creeks that all sat in the foothills of the glistening, black Temple of Theon and the crimson stone of Castle Redrock.
And the horns—the godsdamn horns—kept blaring.
Ahead, a stone bridge glistened like polished ivory in the sunlight, and on the other side of a wide but shallow creek, the sun glinted off…rows of shields and swords. The mass of guards and soldiers. They’d been waiting. The bulk of the guards and soldiers protected the Ascended’s homes and the wealthiest of Oak Ambler.