Page 106 of A Trial of War
Then, a screeching call tore through the sky, piercing the building tension in the line of soldiers sitting atop their steeds, ready for battle. Horses neighed and bucked at the sound. Their riders strived to remain calm and to steady their beasts.
Beside me, Wyndfall snapped his head up and pointed to the sky. “There!”
I followed his gaze as a streak of flames arced over the nearby treetops, spiraling like a falling star before exploding into a burst of radiant light.
My heart thundered in my chest at the sight of my cousin in all her glory. “Skylar.”
And then, following the flames sprang a magnificent roc with golden feathers. Gilen soared high into the sky before diving back down toward the earth with a powerful gust of wind, deflecting an array of arrows aimed to take him down.
“Ready yourselves!” Wyndfall roared.
The ground trembled as our soldiers gathered their weapons while our cavalry tightened their reins to keep their horses in check.
I lowered myself over Fidela’s neck. “Ready, girl?”
She nickered in reply as I leaned up and turned my attention to the sky.
“For Valdor!” I yelled, squeezing my legs and releasing the pull of my reins. My mare launched like an arrow toward the fray, with my people riding alongside me.
Once we cleared the trees, with the White Fang Mountains at our backs, the battlefield unfolded before us. The pass between the mountain ranges, once a peaceful valley of lush greenery, was now a wound carved into the scorched earth. Shattered boulders lay in ruin from the mountain’s base, where magical assaults from mages had struck moments before. A cacophony of dust and smoke from Skylar’s fires hung in the air, turning the sunlight into fractured shards of color. My lungs burned with the thick scent of scorched pine, grass, and burning flesh, yet we rode on to the battlefield.
“My gods.” I gasped, eyes wide with fear.
A shriek erupted from the sky as Gilen, in his roc form, swooped down beside me. I pulled on my mare’s reins as he shifted in midair, rolling in the grass before springing back onto his feet. “Our northern flank is exposed!” he shouted over the chaos. “We need reinforcement!”
“Then you shall have it,” I said. “Wyndfall, to the north!”
Gilen gave me a blunt nod in thanks.
“Here,” I said as I withdrew a sword from my side. “I have a feeling you’ll need this.”
Gilen looked at the blade and chuckled. “Thank you, Princess, but I’ll manage just fine with my own talons.”
“Very well,” I said, shaking slightly as I sheathed the weapon.
Gilen arched his brow and asked, “Do you know how to use that?”
I swallowed heavily. “I… um—”
“Look out!” a soldier shouted as what looked to be a beast from hell appeared near our line.
A massive misshapen dog with eyes the color of blood, brown fur, and spikes along its spine stared me down, its terrifying jaws gaping open as it leaped for me atop Fidela. I didn’t have time to think, let alone pull the blade free at my side and save myself. I’d never been trained to fight.
Shutting my eyes, I tensed, caging what I believed to be my final breath in this world.
Suddenly, a rush of wind raced over me, followed by a muffled whimper of a dying monster taking its last breath. I pried my eyes open, gasping as the dead beast hung from a massive talon.
“Gilen?”
Gilen shifted back onto his two legs and gave me a pitiful look. “Looks like you’re with me, Princess. Can’t have the future ruler of the human lands dying on my watch. What skills do you have?”
“I—” I shuddered, still shaken by the horrifying beast lying dead at his feet. “I have some basic healing skills. I can help tend to the wounded.”
Gilen nodded. “Good, there’ll be a lot of them.”
Ahead, Captain Wyndfall lifted his horn and blew a single, piercing note that cut through the screams andclashing steel. Our forces answered with a roar that shook the marrow of my bones, turning to charge north.
I forced my hands to stop shaking, putting on my mask and looking the shifter square in the eye. “Lead the way.”
