Page 47 of The Prince's Sacrifice

“Finally,” he breathed. “Thank you.”

There was a moment where it seemed like no one was breathing, and then there was a sudden burst of light.

Between one blink and the next, the shield was as brilliantly white as when they’d started, and it was no longer pressing down upon them, close enough for the Illustrious to touch. There were cries of astonishment all around.

Tor flashed a blinding smile at Pel, who hadno idea what was going on. Magic didn’t do this. It wasn’t possible. But it had happened right before Pel’s eyes.

“Now I can move the shield,” Tor said confidently. He raised his voice. “This way! Everybody back this way!”

They all stared at Tor in stupefaction, Pel included. He shook himself, rallying. He didn’t know what had just happened, but that wasn’t the priority right now.

“Come on! You heard Prince Torex!” Pel announced loudly. “Time to move, people. I’m going to count to three, and then we’re all going to march in the same direction together. We’re heading away from Filon and further into Tond. The landslide is coming from our left. We will walk with the landslide on our left. Understood?” They all looked at him blankly. “Come on, turn in the right direction and tell the person ahead of you. Not everyone can hear me!”

After another stunned moment, people started turning and doing as he directed. Pel waited until a count of twenty. He wasn’t sure how long it would take to tell the people furthest away, but hopefully they’d figure it out, because the shield would be moving in that direction.

And then, at the top of his voice, Pel yelled, “Three, two, one. March! March! March!”

Chapter Nine

Pel

Shuffling at first and then with increased confidence, the mass of people began to walk, Pel and Tor in their midst. Pel kept yelling out the order to march. It was awkward and more stumbling than anything, but they were moving in the right direction, which was the important part.

“I need to see where we’re going,” Tor told Pel. “I need to know when I can let the shield down.”

Tor, Pel, Beluna, Cavun, and the exile they seemed to have acquired managed to worm their way through the crowd. Grumbling cut off and everyone moved once they saw it was Tor.

As they reached the front of the mass of people and then the edge of the shield, Pel could see that Tor was pushing rocks and debris out of the way as they moved, clearing a safe path for them. A ragged cheer went up as those at the front realized they were finally out of the landslide’s path.

Tor opened the shield at the front, the people continuing to move forward but the shield staying in place now. Pel twisted back to see that it was forming a barrier against the side of the landslide, arching up and back, making sure nothing could slide off the pile and hit them.

It wasn’t raining very hard anymore, and it looked like the landslide wasfinallytapering off. It apparently wasn’t the middle of the night, either. The sky was starting to lighten in what had previously been that sheer drop into nothing beside them, and Pel thought dawn must not be far off.

Pel saw Tor lean in to speak to the exile who had told him where the children were. He didn’t hear what was said, just saw the exile look sharply at Tor and then say something back. Tor nodded.

The last of the people emerged from under the landslide, and Tor sent Beluna and an exile to check and confirm that there was no one left in there.

“As soon as I let go of the shield, the rocks will collapse into that area. I’ll leave shields up on this side to protect us,” Tor told those nearest him. “It’s going to be loud. Let everyone know.”

The word passed again through the crowd, anxious muttering rising in its wake.

Beluna and the exile returned.

“Clear,” Beluna said, inclining her head.

The exile nodded his agreement.

There was silence for a moment, and then with a resounding crash, it looked like the landslide crumpled in on itself. Many people startled, and there was more than one scream. Pel lookedat the huge cloud of dust that was thrown up. Mere moments ago, they’d beenunderall that rock.

His stomach lurched, and he drew a deep breath. He was all right, they were all all right, thanks to Tor.

Well. All right at the moment? Now, here they all were, a huge group of Tondian guards, a massive number of exiles, civilians and children, and two princes. Everyone was looking at one another uncertainly, like they weren’t sure what was going to happen next. A few hands were going to swords, and Pel wanted to yell at everyone.

Tor threw up multiple glowing balls of magic above himself. Not as impressive as the shield, but still extremely eye-catching. Anyone who hadn’t been staring at him previously was now doing so.

“Attention!” His words echoed through the entire group. “Tondians, go stand over there.”

Tor pointed back towards the path that the two of them had climbed up with Cavun and Beluna. “Exiles, gather there.”