Page 32 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Chapter twenty-three

Ranger

I t’s been a long two days since we left Elderwood and started heading towards Shadowcross. We still have another two days to go, but Elora is pressing on my last nerve.

It’s not like she’s done anything wrong, but after hearing those asshole lords speak about her like that, I’ve been finding it harder and harder to keep her at arms length.

The truth is, she doesn’t deserve any of these so-called noblemen.

She’s not wrong when she says it’s not fair she’s being forced to choose between these limited options.

She wasn’t born here, nor is she really a princess.

But it doesn’t matter. She might not have been the actual princess of the north, but she was playing that part, and that meant marrying men her parents approved of. It’s not like I could be with her, I don’t deserve someone so sweet and kind, even if I wanted to.

But it seems that Arrow and Blaze have forgotten that fact.

I seem to be warning them to keep their distance from her constantly.

I’m only letting her ride with Draven right now because I’m afraid the other two are getting too close.

And I’d rather not put that temptation in front of myself.

Draven seems to be the only one thinking straight.

He doesn’t say much to her and doesn’t seem to cross any lines.

Nighttime is the worst. I know she’s afraid to sleep without someone beside her, but seeing Arrow’s arm around her fills me with anger and regret.

Anger that he’s getting that close to her, and regret that it’s my fault he’s ended up here, a knight who’s unable to have a wife.

If I had done something to save our mother when she gave birth to him, we could have had more brothers and become a family worthy of having a wife.

He would’ve made an amazing husband, too. He’s kind and gentle. He always seems to know how to lift Elora’s spirits when she’s upset. He’s nothing like me, he deserves that life.

“You seem to be thinking pretty hard,” Blaze says from my side where we’re sitting at the front of the carriage.

“Hmm?” I glance at him, almost forgetting he was sitting beside me, before my eyes return to the road, where Elora is riding with Draven. “Oh, yeah, just thinking about where we can stop for the night.”

“Sure. ”

I frown at him. “Sure? What does that mean?”

He shrugs a shoulder but keeps his gaze forward as he answers. “It means I don’t believe you, but I’m not gonna push you for your real answer.”

“What do you think is on my mind, then?” I ask, unsure if I want to know. Am I being transparent in my thoughts of Elora?

“Her.”

Damn. I guess I’m not as discreet as I think.

“Your silence tells me I’m right.”

I grind my jaw, refusing to answer in case I say something that gives me away even more.

“You know that none of them deserve her.” It’s not a question, and as I look at Blaze out of the corner of my eye, I see his jaw is tight, like he’s holding back his anger.

I sigh, realizing that we’re on the same page.

“I know.” We’re both silent for a minute as my thoughts spin in circles. “But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Are you sure about that?” We look at each other for a moment and as I open my mouth to answer her, a high-pitched scream silences me and a bolt of fear goes through me.

Our heads snap toward the road, where several bandits have rushed in, surrounding both Arrow and Draven’s horses, swords drawn.

A loud wooden crack echoes and I jolt as something large slams into the side of the carriage, knocking it sideways .

Blaze and I jump down on opposite sides of the carriage, and the clanging of swords fills the air. There are at least three men nearby, and I don’t stop to ask questions; I just move, determined to protect the princess and not get hurt.

“Draven!” I shout, drawing my sword and blocking a blow from the nearest bandit. “Get her out of here!”

These men are decent fighters, but one-on-one, they’re no match for our knight training.

Their only hope is fighting as a group. Fortunately, they’re not coordinated, only one attacks at a time, and the next steps in only after I’ve taken down the previous one.

It gives me hope that, even though we’re vastly outnumbered, we can get through this without casualties.

I’ve already taken down five by the time I can finally turn to assess the rest of the group. Arrow and Blaze are both on the road, fighting the last two bandits. Elora and Draven are gone, which hopefully means that he followed orders and got her to safety.

Two grunts echo as the final bandits collapse. Arrow meets my gaze and I nod in approval. Then I glance at Blaze as I approach. “Are you two okay?”

He nods. “I’m good. Arrow?”

“I’m fine,” Arrow replies. “Draven took off down the road with Elora. I didn’t see any horses, so I don’t think they were followed. ”

I place my fingers in my mouth and let out a sharp whistle, hoping Draven is close enough to hear. While I wait, I turn to assess the damage.

“Ah, fuck,” I mutter, taking in the wrecked carriage.

“Oh, shit,” Arrow says as he and Blaze come to stand beside me.

The bandits had rigged a swinging log from the trees to ram into the carriage. It tore through the entire side, shattering two wheels and the frame beneath. The thing’s completely unusable.

Blaze moves to start grabbing our bags from the top. “Let’s get everything into a pile, then see what we can take on the horses.”

“I’ll untie the horses,” Arrow says, heading to the front of the carriage.

I help Blaze sort the belongings, but my eyes keep flicking to the road, watching for threats, or a sign of Draven and Elora.

After a few minutes, I let out another whistle, then continued working. Arrow finishes tying off the horses and joins us.

The sound of hooves has us looking up hopefully. Relief washes over me as Draven and Elora come into view, alarmed but unharmed. Elora’s eyes dart over us, then to the wrecked carriage and the bodies scattered around. Her face pales.

Damn it. I shouldn’t have let her see this much violence. I’m supposed to protect her from this .

Draven stops the horse in front of us, and I instinctively move to meet them. Elora immediately reaches for my shoulders, swinging her leg over the horse’s neck and dropping into my arms. The fact that she trusts me so easily makes my chest hum with something deep and primal.

“Good girl,” I murmur.

My body responds to her touch like it’s starving. That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept my distance. If I get used to this... I’ll never be able to let her go.

I take a deep breath, and realize my nose is buried in her hair as I hold her tightly, her arms wrapped around my waist. I don’t remember deciding to hug her, but now that I am, I let myself enjoy it. Her body trembles. She needs this. She needs to feel safe.

“You’re okay. You’re okay,” I whisper, running a hand down her back.

“Are you?” she asks, pulling back to look at me.

“What?”

“Are you hurt? Did any of you get injured?”

She’s worried, genuinely worried. She can see we’re all standing, not seriously hurt, but she still needs to hear it.

I cup her cheek, my thumb brushing across her skin. “We’re all unharmed.”

A throat clears behind us. I glance up to find Draven beside us, narrowing his eyes .

“Right.” I release her, holding her at arm’s length, my hands resting on her shoulders. “You’re okay? You’re not hurt?”

She nods. “I’m fine. Draven protected me.”

“Good.” I drop my hands, already missing her touch, and turn to the pile of supplies. “We have to keep going without the carriage. We can’t take everything, so we need to figure out what’s essential.”

“I’ll go through my belongings,” Elora offers, and the rest of us begin sorting through our own gear and supplies.

When Elora’s finished, I’m completely shocked that she’s just filled two saddlebags with her belongings.

She can’t have more than two dresses in there.

But when I see how many bags we need for the blankets and camping supplies, I don’t suggest we bring any more.

We will barely fit what we have. We can always purchase another carriage and more clothing in the next village, the queen gave us provisions for this trip for things like this, after all.

We spread the saddlebags throughout the four horses, and just as I finish with my last one, the sound of Elora’s giggle catches my attention. I find her and Arrow standing much too close as he attaches the last bag to his horse, grinning down at her.

“Elora!” I call over, and the two of them look in my direction in question. “You’re riding with me. ”

Her eyes widen in surprise. Fuck, why did I say that? I just wanted to separate the two of them, having her ride with me is going to be torture. But I can’t take it back.

Arrow gives me a look that says he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking, but I ignore him for the beautiful woman walking nervously towards me.

“Are you ready to go? You need to relieve yourself before we start riding?” Her wide eyes glance around at all the dead bodies and she shakes her head.

Right. I need to get her away from all this death and violence. I grip her around the waist and easily lift her up onto my horse, Red, and she helps by swinging her leg over and gaining her balance quickly.

“You’re getting good at that,” I tell her as I climb up behind her. “Soon you’ll be able to ride on your own.”

“Really?” she asks as the others climb onto their horses and we get in formation, Draven in front, Arrow to our left and Blaze bringing up the rear.

“Yeah, we could teach you to ride if you like?”

“Does that mean you’ll get me my own horse for the rest of the journey?” she asks, and I contemplate that for a minute.

Do I really want her riding on her own, without any of us riding with her, to protect her?

“No.”