A mishit.

I released the tension on the bow but none of the tension left my body and I turned to face the tent flaps with the arrow at the ready and it was then I realized my breathing was not steady.

Not even close.

“My princess,” Lavinia whispered, “The Drakkar’s men, they are loyal to their Drakkar and to you. If they could have come to us –”

“They will come,” I hissed, staring at the tent flaps, refusing to believe what I would have to believe if they didn’t and that was that they couldn’t and the only thing that would hold them back was something I would not think about.

No, I refused to believe that even as the vibe pounding against the sides of the tent became more desperate, the noises of war coming so fast, one on top of the other, it was impossible to distinguish them and two arrows tore through the tent walls on the opposite side to us, imbedding themselves in carpet and snow but, if we had been close, they would have imbedded themselves in one of us.

Shit!

“We’re sitting ducks, Seoafin,” Valentine snapped and my eyes shot to her.

Crap. She was right.

So I made my decision.

“Right, so, we fight our way to escape if we have to,” I announced, Valentine nodded instantly, I looked to Lavinia, she did too though hers was not instant and then I ordered, “I’ve had training, not a lot but some so you stick with me, hands on me at all times so I know I’ve got you. You see a threat, you tell me, point it out and I’ll do what I can. You’ve got a shot to stick someone who seems to wish us ill, go for it. We are not on the offense, ladies. I carry the future king of this land and we must all do what we can to keep him safe so our goal is simply to get clear and get away. Got me?” More nods, I nodded back, looked to the tent flaps and whispered, “Okay, girls, let’s go.”

Then we went and the minute we exited the tent we saw chaos, blood, wounded men, dead men, dead horses, arrows in the ground and body pieces. The clashes of steel rung loud enough to deafen, the whispers of arrows whizzing one on top of the other. It was hideous, extreme but I felt Valentine and Lavinia’s hands on me, I thought of the little being in my belly, I blocked it all out and I moved swiftly. Leading my witches, we skirted sparring men, ducked around tents when horses galloped through, picked our way over obstacles but steadily and as quickly as we could we kept moving.

Twice, I had to raise my bow, take aim and let fly as I caught a soldier’s eye and knew he meant harm.

Twice, my aim was true.

More blood on my hands.

I still didn’t care. The only thing I thought was I was pretty f**king pleased I’d practiced so goddamned much.

I kept moving, quickly, always vigilant, glancing left and right, up and down, over my shoulder, around tents, my witches always with me.

We got out of the tent area and into the forest but it was happening there too.

God, there were so many of them. Men all around, beasts, dead, wounded, it was everywhere, blood staining the melting snow in what seemed like a river of red and pink.

But our way was clearer, we only had to look around trees not tents and we moved more swiftly, gaining ground. I was feeling hopeful until I felt the loss of a grip on my gown. I heard Valentine cry out and I whirled, bow up, arrow at the ready and I looked into a man’s eyes. That man was holding Lavinia with a dagger at her throat while her hands were curled around his forearm, her back arched, her head pressed hard in his shoulder to get away from the blade, her eyes filled with terror.

I aimed my arrow at his face. “Drop the blade.”

The battle raged on around us as Valentine pressed close to my back with hers, protecting it.

“Drop the bow, Winter Princess, or she dies then I take you,” he replied, pressing his blade deeper and Lavinia whimpered.

I pulled the bow back tighter. “Drop the blade,” I repeated.

“Your life for hers or I take both,” he returned.

I closed one eye and lined my arrowhead to my target.

“Drop the blade,” I whispered.

“Listen, princess, listen all around you. Your men lose. Die now or die at the noose. Our heads hold no affection for you as the prince had done. You will drop through the gallows,” he whispered back. “Your choice.”

He was wrong.

I had another choice.

And I took it.

I let my fingers loose and hit a bulls-eye, he fell back, dead instantly as my arrow shot through his eye socket and pierced his brain, his arms dropping and Lavinia fell forward to her hands and knees.

“Let’s go,” I commanded but suddenly Lavinia’s head snapped up then twisted like she was listening to something and Valentine whispered, “Oh my goddess,” at my back.

I opened my mouth to tell them to get a move on when it happened.

I heard it.

Flapping.

Loud, leathery flapping that accompanied an enormous shadow that was sweeping quickly over us, so vast, it blotted out the sun.

Lavinia pushed up so she was on her knees, her head tilting back to look at the sky, her lips parting in shock as I felt Valentine tense behind me and the noises of battle faded as men stopped to stare.

I looked up and that was when I saw them.

Dragons.

Dragons.

A delicate, delicious shiver slid over every inch of my skin as I watched the huge beasts fly through the air, webbed wing to webbed wing, hundreds of them, big as houses, their barbed tails snapping, their ferocious, horned heads tilted down, their beady eyes sweeping the landscape then it started.

They spewed fire.

Streams of it shafting out of their mouths, screams of shock silenced in nanoseconds when the flames hit their targets one after another after another.

It was terrifying.

It was awe-inspiring.

“Run!” Lavinia shrieked, gaining her feet, grabbing my hand and Valentine’s, she tugged us and we took off as the dragons flew, raining fire, incinerating men leaving nothing but ashes and melted steel in their wake, trees burnt instantly to a cinder, snow melted straight to the earth, and through it, leaving a charred crater.

We all halted as one when a man combusted ten feet in front of us, we backed up several paces, shifted simultaneously and ran through the random shafts of flames, dodging this way and that, certain to get caught up in it as the fire streamed down all around us.

Then we reached a clearing, halted at the vision before us and instinctively huddled together, all of us staring at a line of standing dragons, wings rolling and curling, long necks arching and writhing, tails snapping and thrashing, claws scoring the snow and then, as one, we turned to run but halted dead in our tracks when the next thing happened.