The Wizard's Heir (29 page)

“Yes, she’s gaining,” Auriella shouted. “Keep your eyes forward!”

An arrow flew by, so close that the fletching slashed his check before thwacking into the tree in front of him.

“Up!” Auriella shouted. “Giselle’s not a strong climber. I’ll slip around and catch the archer.” She made a hard left.

Auriella was right—Giselle was not a strong climber. Despite her denials, Tybolt would bet a full hunt’s earnings that she was afraid of heights. He leapt and grabbed a branch, swinging himself around just as another arrow flew beneath him. He scrambled up, swinging over and under on the quickest path to the top.

The arrows were being thrown off course by the branches of the tree. Tybolt was grateful, but he was also lucky and he knew it. Had it been Asher firing, he’d be dead. If Auriella didn’t find that archer soon, it would only be a matter of time before one found its mark. He scrambled higher, trying to draw Giselle up while using the trunk as a shield.

“Stop running like a scared little girl,” Giselle shouted.

Her voice was shaking, and Tybolt sighed. “Why don’t you come a little higher, Giselle, and show me what that looks like.”

She sputtered. “I’m not scared of heights.”

“Never said you were. We can have a chat up here then, about me being a wizard and all.”

“You admit it’s true!”

“Maybe.” He peered up and pointed. “Look at that, a nice spot to sit just a little higher. How about we settle in and then we can hash out this whole mess?”

The branches grew thinner, and they protested with distinctive pops and cracks that foreshadowed certain doom if he dared continue.

Tybolt was forced to slow his ascent, choosing the path more carefully. Even still, he misjudged and a branch snapped cleanly in half beneath his feet. He dangled for a moment before swinging to the side.

“You’re going to fall out of this tree. Give it up.”

“Don’t sound so worried—that would be less work for you,” Tybolt shouted down. “Nothing better than when your prey takes himself out. Especially when that prey is bigger than you.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

Maybe she wasn’t afraid of him, but she was definitely afraid. Her climbing had slowed dramatically, and she continually looked down.

Tybolt was running out of room to climb—he searched for another escape path. The only one he saw he didn’t like very much. Giselle had stopped and leaned her head against the trunk.

“If you’re feeling dizzy, we can always take a break.”

She shook her head and began climbing again. When she was within a few feet, he could see the sweat beaded on her forehead and the damp hair stuck to the nape of her neck.

He’d practically grown up with the Hunters. The last thing he wanted to do was kill them.

“Giselle, please,” he said. “Don’t make me do this.”

“Do what, Tybolt? Are you going to use some spell to knock me out of the tree?”

“We both know that won’t work.”
Unfortunately
. She kept coming, and he swore every possible combination of curse words he could think of while he pulled his dagger. Giselle stopped where she was and drew her weapon, preparing for a fight.

The clash of swords rang out nearby as Auriella finally caught up to the archer. Giselle glanced in the direction and grinned. “Auriella’s going sword to sword with Jasper—interesting choice.”

Tybolt’s blood ran cold. It wasn’t an interesting choice—it was Auriella’s only choice. They’d given the rest of the weapons to the thieves, so a sword and dagger was all she had. She was very good, but Jasper was the best sword fighter by far and no one, including Auriella, had ever beat him. She had only minutes before her swings would start to lag, and milliseconds would turn into a full second when his blade would slip past her block. Tybolt needed to get to her now, which meant Giselle needed to be avoided.

The next tree was at least twenty-five feet away. That was a stretch on his best day, but he knew if he called the tree over to him, Giselle would make the jump as well. Then they would be in the same situation as they were now, just one tree over.

Tybolt leaned back against the trunk and took two steps, then leapt into open air. The branches of the next oak were wide and spread out with too much room between them—perfect for what he was attempting. He took his dagger in both hands above his head and prepared for impact. For a second he thought he might miss entirely, but he reached out and the blade bit into wood. He had a moment of hope, but as his full weight came down on the blade, it jerked free.

He could hear every insult Auriella would’ve sworn at him as he fell. He should’ve known it wouldn’t work. Had he not been so focused on rescuing her, he would’ve figured it out before he jumped.

No going back now.

He twisted, dropping his dagger and desperately grasping for something, anything, to stop his descent. He was about to call for help when his back slammed into a branch and the wind was knocked out of him.

Before he could recover he was falling again, and his head smashed into the next one. He bounced from branch to branch until he gripped one. His body jerked to a stop, pulling his arms and shoulders so far apart Tybolt worried they’d dislocate. He wanted to moan, but he still couldn’t breathe, so he hung there, gasping for breath instead.

Giselle was still where he’d left her, eyes wide. He saw the fear, but then her stubbornness took the lead and she leapt into action. She aimed lower than he had, learning from his mistake. She stretched out like a flying squirrel and fell in a perfect downward arc, managing to grasp a branch just above him.

The sound of blades smashing and sliding against each other reinforced his sense of urgency. He didn’t have time for this. Tybolt couldn’t spell Giselle, but he’d learned long ago that everything else was fair game.

Tybolt swung himself to the side so he no longer hung below her. He looked at the branch she precariously dangled from. All he needed was one word. One simple word telling nature what he wanted it to do. “Break,” he commanded. It cracked.

Giselle’s eyes went wide. Her mouth formed the word “No,” but it was too late. The branch snapped in half. She dropped. Her hair swirled around her, obscuring her face but doing nothing to dampen the sound of her scream.

Tybolt closed his eyes when she thudded into the ground. The scream abruptly silenced.

He dropped as quickly as he could from branch to branch, and then to the ground.

He landed in a crouch, looking right into Giselle’s eyes. They stared, completely empty but seeming to blame him nonetheless. Stiffly, he got to his feet and retrieved his dagger. There was no time to mourn.

Tybolt ran towards the sound of metal on metal, drawing his sword. They came into view just as Jasper leaned into Auriella and pushed her backwards. She stepped, trying to rebalance herself, but caught the edge of a fallen branch. Her foot rolled to the side and she fell to one knee. Despite that, she kept her sword up and a firm look of determination on her face.

Tybolt yelled and vaulted into the air. The sound caught Jasper’s attention, and he hesitated. Auriella took advantage of the distraction and rolled out of reach. Tybolt landed and swung hard, forcing Jasper to block.

“You all right?” he yelled.

“Fine. I had it under control.”

Even Jasper snorted. “Let’s go.” He spun his sword with a practiced twist of his wrist and lowered his stance. “I’ll put a sword through both of you as easily as one.”

“Rest,” Tybolt shouted to Auriella.

She started to object but was breathing too hard to speak. She was no good fighting exhausted and was smart enough to know it.

Jasper maneuvered with the grace of a man half his size. “I could use someone like you on my side,” Tybolt said.

“Yes, you could.” Jasper slid his blade up Tybolt’s, shoving it to the side.

Tybolt twisted away. “You prefer to stay with Rowan?”

“I’m not siding with a wizard.” Jasper launched into a series of blows that rained down in an arm-numbing attack.

“Rowan’s a wizard too.” Tybolt grunted, trying to hold him back.  He was losing, that much was very clear. Desperate, he called to the trees for help. A branch swung out and caught Jasper in the stomach, launching him across the clearing.

Tybolt looked for Auriella, but she was nowhere to be seen. He ran forward, hoping to get Jasper at sword point. He wasn’t fast enough. Jasper leapt straight into the air before Tybolt registered what was happening.

A handful of dirt flew into Tybolt’s eyes and mouth. It stung and blurred his vision. He cried out and turned his head to the side.

This was it, his fatal mistake. It was all over. He would feel the cut of steel that would end his life. It felt like minutes but was probably less than a second before he heard a grunt and a thud.

Tybolt staggered backwards, rubbing at his eyes. Jasper lay on the ground, an arrow protruding from his neck. Auriella stood behind, a second arrow already nocked.

“Well.” Tybolt dropped his sword and leaned over his knees, breathing hard. “You waited long enough to offer some help.”

“I knocked the bow out of his hand before he could pick you out of the tree, it took me a while to find it. And of course then you were busy negotiating. I thought I’d wait until you were finished,” Auriella said dryly. She slid the bow over her shoulder.

“You’re always so thoughtful. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

“Is it?” She crossed her arms. “Where’s Giselle?”

“Dead.” His snarky remarks fled and his demeanor fell. “I used my magic, both times.”

“So?”

“I cheated,” he answered honestly. “I didn’t beat either of them in a fair fight.”

Auriella stepped closer and put her palm against his cheek. “What good does a fair fight do us?”

He leaned in, savoring the warmth of her skin and the casual familiarity of her touch. She was right. “None whatsoever.”

The sun had nearly set as Tybolt, Auriella, and Asher ran towards Eriroc. They cleared the tree line and headed down the steep, rocky incline. Gravel slid beneath Tybolt’s boots, and it felt like he was trying to run on marbles.

Thunder crashed, and Tybolt glanced towards the coast. Earlier he’d thought Rowan had attempted a Fracture yet lacked the power to complete it. But no, that storm had just been a precursor.

Rolling in was, without a doubt, a second Fracture.

Huge banks of purple clouds billowed in towers, stretching upwards. They glowed internally from bursts of snapping lightning. Bolts ran from side to side, encapsulated, while the occasional one escaped and snaked for the ocean. The first roll of thunder rumbled so deep he could feel it in his bones.

The full force of the incoming winds smashed into them, and each had to plant their feet and lean in to keep from being thrown like paper dolls. The ground groaned, and Tybolt felt a slight movement beneath his feet. It was all too familiar. He grabbed Auriella and threw her to the side, leaping right behind. The ground crumbled where they’d been standing.

He smashed into earth and rolled, grateful for the throbbing in his shoulder—it meant he was on solid ground. He sat up, breathing hard. Asher yelled and dropped into oblivion as a seven-foot crevice opened inches from Tybolt’s nose.

“Asher!” Tybolt scrambled towards the edge, looking over. The crevice was a cloud of dust and dirt, obscuring everything. “Asher!” he yelled.

“There!” Auriella pointed to a shape clinging to the side of the wall.

“Help me.” Tybolt wiggled out over the edge, and Auriella grabbed his legs. Asher reached, but their fingers were nearly a foot apart. The ground beneath Tybolt’s waist shifted, and Auriella yanked backwards just as the lip crumbled.

“Tybolt,” Asher cried up. “Help.”

“We can’t reach you,” Auriella called.

A gale force wind slammed into them.

Auriella cupped her hands over her mouth. “Can you climb out?”

“Use the…” Asher’s words were lost in the wind.

“What?” Tybolt called. The winds were so strong he had to adjust his weight to the back of his heels to keep from being blown over the edge.

“LORD OF THE FERN BUSH!” Asher screamed at the top of his lungs in a mix of terror and frustration.

“Lord of the…” Tybolt trailed off. Of course. He pulled with everything he had, imagining the roots on the crevice walls wrapping themselves around Asher. He could feel something working within him, but between the dust and the wind he couldn’t see a thing.

Then, like an eerie apparition, Asher rose over the edge of the canyon like he was flying. Only with careful inspection through the haze could you make out the roots—thick and thin, with clods of dirt hanging from them. They moved Asher to safety under Tybolt’s command, then dropped him unceremoniously.

Auriella ran and knelt next to him. “Asher, are you all right?”

A bolt of lightning smashed down in the forest just above them. A deep rumbling followed, and Tybolt’s heart sank. “Landslide!” he shouted.

Auriella turned, horror written all over her face. “Run!” she shouted. “Run!”

They all leapt over the crevice, sprinting down the hill for the city. Tybolt glanced over his shoulder as the top of the hill slid towards them like a wave on the ocean. “We aren’t going to make it.”