My heart sank as I realized they were inching closer with every hop. The horses pranced and pawed, snorting with anxiety as they pulled at the bits.
“These are slicers. Their bills are razor sharp and they travel in packs, taking down and devouring their prey in less than a minute. They are incredibly vicious,” he whispered quickly, his eyes never leaving the bird in front of him.
My heart raced and I could feel the nervous sweat breaking out along my forehead. The bird directly ahead in the trail chirped again, bristling its feathers, before hopping once more towards Rogue.
“Run!”
The birds launched themselves into the air in one swift movement, screeching, and swarmed. Talons protruded from their feet, slicing at Fae and horses alike.
The soldier closest to me fell from his horse, landing with a thud, as a bird clawed at his eyes. Dozens of birds attacked him at once, slicing with claws and bills in a starved frenzy, shredding his skin. At his screams, I jerked away, scrunching my eyes in an attempt to stifle the flashbacks.
The screaming.
The blood.
It yanked me back to the war and I bolted, my horse’s own self-preservation carrying us at a gallop.
Even from this distance, Rogue’s voice rang out over the commotion, and my hands yanked on the reins on instinct, halting the horse.
No, he told me to run…
I clicked at my horse to continue forward. He took a few steps before I pulled him to a stop again, debating.
He told me to run, but leaving them there…A sick thought reared its ugly head.I could let the birds devour them. Save me from my kidnapper.
Another shout—distinctly Rogue’s—and something deep tugged me back, insisting I return. Groaning and swallowing the fear as best I could, I turned the horse and raced back.
Nearing the scene, fallen Fae and horses were laid about the forest floor, slicers perched atop them, ravaging their bodies. A few feet away, Rogue, Doran, and several other soldiers were fighting off a dozen birds in a tight circle with their backs pressed to each other.
I hopped off my horse, picked up a sword from a fallen female soldier, and stalked forward, my feet squelching in the muck and blood.
Three slicers noticed me as I moved through the wreckage and launched simultaneously. I swung, slicing the head off one and cutting the other in two straight through the abdomen in one rapid movement. The last bird, however, latched onto my side, slicing through my shirt and sinking its hooked claws into my skin. Feeling the blood trickle down my side, I grabbed the creature by the throat and ripped it off of me. Prickles of blood oozed as the bird angrily pecked at my hand. I snapped its neck, dropping its lifeless body to the ground, eyes locked on the group ahead.
By the time I made it to them, most of the birds were dead at their feet. Rogue glanced up and his face lit with anger as he noticed me, taking a step in my direction.
Over his shoulder, a slicer surged at him, seemingly unnoticed, and I brought the sword back overhead with both hands. Rogue froze, eyeing me. In one swift motion, I hurled it past him, hitting the slicer dead in its heart, flinging it back several feet. Rogue’s head whipped around as it bolted past him, narrowly missing his left wing. When he turned back to me, his lips parted in shock, his eyes wide.
Not long after, the rest of the birds were either dead or fleeing.
Several moments passed in silence as the remaining Fae caught their breath and surveyed the damage. At least a dozen Fae had died, and all of the horses were gone, either lost or killed, save Rogue’s.
Leaving his commanders, Rogue marched over, grabbed my arm, and tugged me away from the group.
“What was that?” he demanded, his face tight with anger.
I recoiled from him, staring incredulously.
“What? Saving your life? Sorry, next time I won’t,” I spat back, tugging my arm as I turned to walk away. His grip tightened, unyielding, as he lowered his face to mine.
“No, I mean coming back here,” he said, glaring. “I told you to run.”
I yanked my arm from his hand, buzzing with anger, and turned to face him completely.
“Yeah? Well, I don’t take orders from you. You may be a king, but you’re not my king.”
His eyes went wide with rage.
“While you’re in my kingdom, I am,” he declared, before his gaze dropped to my side, eyeing the growing red stain of blood on my torn shirt. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Come on, we have to treat that before you bleed out.”