Page 98 of Tarnished Crown

We were surrounded on all sides, by hills or by the Unclanned.

Another group had found us, and this time, they were well-armed.

Evander’s words about everyone having been trained in the military came back. Each of them was a skilled soldier. Had we only won before because they hadn’t had the right weapons?

Even as I thought it, I caught sight of Henrick and Dmitriy off of their horses, fighting back-to-back, trying to shield Igor’s unmoving body by their feet.

Several of the Unclanned hurled themselves at the two men. Each of their attackers had a sword and shield, making the battle much better matched than before.

If not turning the tides completely.

Evander cursed behind me, thrusting his rapier into my hand while he leapt from the horse with his broadsword. He looked back, capturing my gaze for a frenzied moment.

There were no admonishments to stay safe or be careful. Just a look that said far too much before he turned and charged into the fray. I was still atop the horse, sandwiched between the hillside and the protection provided by him, Dmitriy, and Henrick.

All around me were the cries of battle and blood-stained snow. I was frozen, watching Evander fly around Dmitriy and Henrick, taking down man after man that came after them.

Always, even with his back to me, he seemed to sense exactly where I was, keeping any of the Unclanned from reaching me.

The piercing sound of a painful cry echoed through the valley, and I spun around to find its source.

Kirill had fallen, a lance protruding from his calf. The man he had been fighting only moments ago was unmoving on the ground, but two others were running toward him at a breakneck speed.

I didn’t even think before spurring the horse toward him. Panic surged through my chest as I raised my rapier high in the air. Kirill stood, a sword in each hand, as they reached him. He shouted through the pain but somehow held them off.

He was flagging though, and blood was pouring from his wound. He wasn’t going to last.

Evander’s horse seemed to understand exactly what was at stake, not letting up until we reached Kirill. I tightened the grip on my pommel and sliced the blade through the air, coming down cleanly through the neck of one of the men.

The muscles in my back cried out at the movement, but I wasn’t about to give up. Circling back, I was ready to charge at the next man, but the distraction had been enough for Kirill to finish him off.

I leapt down from the horse and helped Kirill remove the lance from his leg. Tearing the bottom of my dress, I used it to act as a makeshift bandage to stop the bleeding.

Kirill removed the belt that held his dagger. Without needing him to explain, I tied it off above the injury. Gallagher’s voice was in my head the entire time, as if he were here explaining exactly what to do in a situation like this.

I checked our surroundings every few seconds, just to make sure we weren’t sitting ducks. Once we stopped most of the blood flow to Kirill’s injury, he was back up, climbing onto Evander’s horse.

He reached down for me, but shook my head. It would be impossible for him to fight off an attacker with me impeding his movements. And there was no way he could keep weight on his leg and last for much longer in this fight.

I was looking around for another horse when I caught a glimpse of flashing steel reflecting the sunlight like a lightning storm. Evander’s blade moved quickly and relentlessly, coming down on man after man.

There were now two bodies on the ground by his feet, but he and Henrick were outnumbered.

I didn’t allow my mind to register that Dmitriy was no longer fighting with them. There wasn’t time for that.

Instead, my feet moved of their own accord, flying through the snow toward Evander. He was fighting off two men with one sword, while his other hand grasped his ribcage. Red coated his fingers, and my heart stuttered within my chest.

I hurled myself at the man to his left. Holding the sword in both hands, I used all of my strength to slice it across the middle of his back.

He fell to his knees, a surprised look on his face before I plunged it into his stomach.

My arms shook, and my back twitched, but I fought through it, relying on adrenaline to keep moving. I hadn’t so much as sparred since the whipping, and I felt the lack of it now.

When the other attacker caught sight of me, he bounded away from Evander to charge at me instead.

Evander darted a glance between us. Then, he took the hilt of his sword and slammed it into the man’s temple, knocking him out cold.

I tried not to look at the bodies on the ground or the wounds that told me they weren’t merely unconscious like the man Evander had knocked out.