Page 42 of Tethered Thrones

Clem took a sharp breath, following my gaze.

“It's Tsuki's doing,” he whispered. “She is using the last of her energy to help us.”

“Tohelpus?” Hadi repeated, sounding incredulous. I agreed with his doubtful tone.

There was something uneasy in the air, something sinister and my instincts were proved correct when a sudden war cry sounded.

At the very least, it was the human one, but that didn't change the fact that another battle was starting right now.

An arrow suddenly whipped past me, nicking my cheek.

Without having to be told, Bracken dropped from the sky.

Perhaps driven by the distraction, they decided to attack now. Perhaps that was always their plan and not even the ground opening was enough to stop them.

Either way, the four of us, up so high, were such easy targets when we should still be hiding.

“There!” Kiar shouted and leaped down as a wave of human soldiers came upon us again just as our own side caught up, joining the fray and taking the fighting up another notch.

I joined easily, moving on instinct, using my dagger to slice through flesh as it came close enough to touch, wiping frommy mind the fact that these weren't nocs. These were my own people, yes, and right now, they were my enemies. Life wasn't black and white or good and evil. It wasn't as simple as that and I leaned into that new way of thinking, striking them down to protect me and my own.

Nothing could distract me during battle normally, but this was no ordinary night and a sound unlike anything I'd heard nearly stopped me in my tracks. It was like thunder but not coming from above. The sound rose from below.

It seemed that Tsuki was not done yet after all.

I tried to keep focused, to get through the wave of people attacking, to keep any other bit of my attention on my comrades. But the rumble beneath us grew and grew until everyone stopped, simply trying to remain on their feet as the ground shook.

That was when the first shocking wave of beings suddenly emerged from the earth.

In a thundering stampede, hundreds of horses burst from below.

Shocked, I watched as they ran between us, each seeming to be on a mission as they barreled through the field in different directions and only then did I realize that the horses weren't right.

They were decayed and deformed. Bits of bones, fur and flesh hung and a green tinged them.

They seemed unbothered but the sight was horrific, hardly the gift that Clem seemed to think it was supposed to be.

I held my breath in disgust and confusion, turning to take them in until one drew my gaze like a magnet.

I didn't know how I knew so quickly, but it was Haru. She wove through the horses and people, heading straight to me before stopping in front of me.

“Haru?” I whispered and suddenly the fact that she was an undead abomination of what she had been didn't bother me. My beloved horse was back, right in front of me. Tsukihaddone this for us. She had raised our most loyal allies from the dead.

The pain of losing her was nothing compared to the sharp feeling that lanced me as I set eyes on her again and saw the affection in her round eyes as she gave me a look as though to say,I'm back. What next, master?

I took a breath, trying to breathe through the sharp pain of her resurrection but the pain didn't go and suddenly, I realized that Clem was screaming bloody murder and Kiar was shouting something to Hadi and Bracken and then, just behind me, there was the sound of someone choking and the sharpness I had felt in my ribs slipped free.

I fell back, caught by familiar arms. Hadi had crouched down to catch me. And he had killed the soldier who had stabbed me. Of course, that must have been it. The shock of seeing Haru had completely derailed me. I had let my guard down and now...now...

“Sun!” Hadi said urgently. “Don't close your eyes!”

My lids were heavy, but I forced them open.

It was all I could do. My entire body felt limp.

“Haru,” I managed to choke.

He shook his head helplessly.