Page 34 of Cursed Crowns
Just then, the Vault doors swung open, and more men poured out, surrounding them on all sides. They were edging down the procession, toward the golden carriage. Rose looked for a place to hide just as the lead Arrow spotted her.
“Majesty.” The word was a rumble in his throat. “What anhonorthis is.”
Shen spun around, spotting Rose in the same instant. Before he could get a word out, the Arrows lunged and Rose screamed.
The Anadawn guards sprang into action, Rose’s foot soldiers surrounding her in a protective arc as they drew their own swords, pushing back against the advancing rebels. Shen leaped from Storm, moving in a blur of shadow and steel as he fought his way toward her.
The street echoed with the clash of sword fighting as flaming arrows rained down from above.Stars, there were Arrows on the roof, too! Barron had prepared an ambush for Rose, and Captain Davers had been foolish enough to walk right into it. The Anadawn soldiers broke apart, diving for cover, as the rebels rammed the tour carriage, toppling it to one side.
Elske bounded out of it with a furious growl, sending a group of Arrows running. She snapped at their heels, chasing them back into the Vault.
Shen had been set upon by another group. They were no match forhis strength and speed, but flaming arrows accosted him from above, one grazing his left shoulder and setting his sleeve alight. He dropped to the ground, trying to smother the flames. Rose screamed as she tried to battle her way toward him, but the guards shoved her back. Chaos had descended upon Ellendale, the horses rearing up and scattering as hundreds of oil-soaked flaming arrows set the street alight.
A man grabbed Rose by the waist. “I’ve got her!” he yelled, in triumph. “I’ve got the bloody queen!”
Rose kicked out, sending her shoe flying skyward. It plummeted back down, landing with athunk!on the man’s head. He swayed on his feet, but two more men swept in, grabbing her arms and hauling her off the street.
Rose cried out, but Shen was surrounded. The Arrows had clearly marked him as a threat and were keeping him as far from Rose as possible. Captain Davers was just as preoccupied, caught in the midst of the fray. Elske, too. There was no one left to help Rose, just the sound of her own feeble shouts as the Arrows carted her away from her people.
“Edgar Barron sends his regards,” came a wet growl, close to her ear. “He’ll be along soon, witch. Don’t worry.”
Rose bucked violently, slamming her head into the man’s teeth. She winced as he slumped to the ground, freeing her for a half-second. The other man caught her before she ran, swinging her around and shoving her toward an abandoned-looking house at the end of the street. Rose knew with sudden, sickening clarity that once she went through that doorway, she would not come back out.
Somewhere in the distance, Rose swore she heard the determined thrum of hooves. Had Shen fought his way through the crowds? She tried to free herself, but it was no use. The street was on fire, her screamslost to the crackle of the blaze around her. The doorway loomed, like a dark mouth. She closed her eyes, praying for a miracle.
It came in the guise of a shadow, bursting through the flames. There was a loudcrrrrack!as a whip came down, lashing her assailant in the cheek. He leaped back as blood poured from the gaping wound in his cheek. Anothercraaaaack!and he was on the ground, unconscious, leaving Rose alone to face the man cloaked in shadow.
He was riding the fastest horse she had ever seen, its sleek coat the exact shade of the restless sands. To run from him would be futile, but she tried to anyway. The whip came again. Only this time, it didn’t crack. Rather, it twisted around her waist, taut as a noose, and yanked her backward.
She shrieked as she hurtled toward the horse. An arm reached down, plucking her from the ground as though she were as light as a feather. Rose was hoisted up onto the horse, that same arm coming around her waist and stilling her protest as she was whisked through the burning streets of Ellendale.
Rose whipped her head around and caught a glimpse of Shen. He was still trapped in the belly of the baying Arrows, kicking and slashing his way to freedom. He snapped his chin up at the sound of those thundering hooves, his eyes growing wide as she galloped past, cradled in the viselike grip of its cloaked rider.
After the first twenty minutes or so, Rose stopped struggling. It was entirely useless. Her strength was no match for her kidnapper, and she was spending the last of it unwisely. Aside from a few grunts of amusement, the rider had done little to reassure her that he wasn’t about to kill her, but she had resolved that she couldn’t do anything about thatuntil they stopped. She could not believe she was being carried away on horseback by some sort of bandit,again.
Eventually, they stopped, the horse slowing as they came to a river about ten miles south of Ellendale. The rider released Rose. She leaped from the horse and ran to the riverbank, where she grabbed the biggest stick she could find and hoisted it like a sword.
When she spun around, he was standing beside his horse, his leather whip curled around his forearm like a snake waiting to strike. “Is that twig supposed to frighten me?”
“I’ve been kidnapped once in my life already,” huffed Rose. “I refuse to let it happen again.”
He barked a laugh. “That wasn’t a kidnapping, Queenie. That was a rescue.” He rolled his hand expectantly. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
Rose prodded the air with her stick. “Who are you? Throw off your cloak and reveal yourself.”
To her surprise, the rider did as he was asked. He removed his black cloak and tossed it onto the grass.
Rose gaped. The cloaked rider was now a man. Ashirtless,barefoot man.
She quickly covered her eyes. “Goodness! Where is your shirt?”
“I don’t like shirts.”
Rose swallowed. “What about your shoes?”
“I have a hard time finding ones big enough.”
Rose blew out a breath. “Oh dear.”