Page 58 of Avalon Tower

Raphael yanks the reins, and our horse veers sharply off the dirt road. Across the field is an oak grove, silvered in the moonlight. We race toward it and leap over a fallen tree. I clench hard to the saddle. Another glance back tells me the riders have followed us. The one in the lead is a few yards away from Arzel, and the Fey soldier raises a sword.

Freya pulls her mount sideways to collide with the attacker. The soldier’s horse rears, toppling over. To my relief, Freya manages to keep her balance and catches up with us. With his crossbow in hand, Arzel turns. He shoots a bolt toward the riders.

“Get down!” Raphael shouts.

We hurtle into the trees, the boughs arching above our path. I bend over the saddle, and Raphael leans closer. His body pressed to mine, we ride through the foliage, the earth and the gnarled roots beneath us dappled with moonlight. A shout rings out from behind until we break out of the grove and race into a field of berry bushes.

The breeze whips over me, and we straighten again. Two soldiers follow us now, but Arzel is lagging behind. There is an arrow lodged in his side.

“Arzel has been hit!” I shout.

Raphael slows his horse to turn back.

“I’ve got them!” Arzel shouts. Nocking an arrow, he aims at the Fey soldier with the crossbow. “Keep going. I’ll hold them off!”

He looses the arrow as he rides, and it pierces a soldier’s throat. Raphael curses in Fey and spurs his horse ahead. I turn, eyes wide, as the second rider catches up to Arzel. He’s still trying to reload, and the soldier has closed the distance. Fear screams through my nerve endings.

“Arzel!” Freya shouts, as the Fey soldier swings his sword.

I shut my eyes and cling to the pommel. Behind me, I feel the solid wall of Raphael’s chest. When I open my eyes at last, I see Freya fire at the final rider. Her arrow hits him in the eye, and he screams and falls off the horse.

But Arzel is no longer with us.

I can’t see him where he fell—just the silhouette of his horse, riderless.

Freya rides at our side, her eyes glassy with tears.

Arzel is gone.

CHAPTER 18

The veil glows in the distance, ethereal, silver-violet radiance in the darkness, a pearl beaming from the shadows. It would be gorgeous if I didn’t ache all over, if our horses weren’t stumbling with exhaustion, and if the sadness of losing Arzel didn’t weigh us down with the cold pall of grief.

As we draw closer, the veil’s hum buzzes in my ears. I need to summon the reserves of my energy to get us across, but I feel nauseated and exhausted. I’m pretty sure I’m dehydrated.

I could almost fall asleep against Raphael with his arms wrapped around me. The way he shifts against me as he rides makes me want to close my eyes, and I lean back into the sensual heat and strength of his body. I feel his heartbeat through my back, and my eyes drift shut. After the horrors of the night, it’s strangely comforting.

“Are you falling asleep on me, pixie?” For the first time, the term almost sounds like an endearment. His voice is a quiet murmur, and his breath warms the shell of my ear.

“Of course not. I’m always fully alert.”

“You might as well rest if you can.”

“Riders!” The sharpness in Freya’s voice has my eyes snapping open.

I turn to look, but I can’t see a thing in the dark.

“Where?” asks Raphael.

“Following us on horse,” she says. “I can’t see them well in the dark, but I can hear the hooves getting closer.”

Raphael tugs the reins, slowing his horse to a stop. “We need to dismount. My horse is at the end of her strength. She won’t be able to go any faster.”

“Same here,” Freya says. “And we’re more visible when mounted. Since I can hear their hooves, they might be able to hear ours.”

Raphael slides off the horse, then helps me dismount. My leg muscles feel so cramped from the long ride that I nearly stumble to the ground.

“Silently now,” he whispers, steadying me.