Page 52 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Chapter thirty-six

Elora

W hen King Lewis said I get to partake in this challenge, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

I stare around the arena as I try to pull my hands free. I’ve been tied to the pole on top of the mound of dirt in the middle of the arena.

Standing all around are several dozen knights who, in this case, are playing the bad guys the lords must rescue me from. Some are only a few feet in front of me, while others hide among the logs and bushes.

The lords’ challenge? Free me and bring me to safety, which is marked by a yellow line painted in the sand beneath the royal family's viewing box.

It bothers me that my so-called family is okay with all these men possibly manhandling me.

I just pray my knights are actually down there and I’m not just deluding myself.

Sure, I mentioned I liked to sew to some of the lords.

Maybe the arrowhead and dagger were lucky guesses.

But my underwear? That had to have been taken from my belongings, unless it was already in someone's pocket, which is definitely possible after everything we got up to on our way back here.

No. It has to be them. They’re down there somewhere, and they’ll make sure no one else touches me.

I was told all participants are using wooden swords, so there’s no real danger, at least, in theory. But that doesn’t stop my body from tensing when the horn blows to signal the start of the challenge.

I hear footsteps all around as the lords make their way toward me. Some make a mad dash, only to be stopped by well-placed guards. A wooden sword to the gut means they’re out.

Sword fights break out all around, but with the constant movement, I still can’t pick out any of the four men I’m desperately searching for.

After about ten minutes, some of the knights near me begin moving down into the fray. One knight, standing closest to my right, steps even closer. When he catches me watching, he smiles, and it sends chills down my spine.

“I don’t recognize you,” I say, frowning. Not that I know every knight, but after a month in the castle, most are at least familiar .

His smile widens as he stops right in front of me. I fidget nervously, tugging at my restraints. “They made it so easy for me,” he says.

“Who are you?” I demand.

“You might not know me,” he replies, “but I think you’ve met my brother.”

I frown, trying to place his face. “I don’t remember.”

“Do you forget all the men you’ve had killed?”

My head jerks back in shock. “Killed? What are you talking about?”

“Do you recall being in Drysdale a few months ago?”

I scramble for the memory, and when it clicks into place, I gasp. “Your brother is the man who tried to strangle me in my sleep!”

His grin vanishes, replaced by anger. He reaches forward, his hand wrapping around my neck, barely touching, but the threat is clear.

“My brother is no coward,” he growls.

“Any man who attacks a woman in her sleep is a coward,” I seethe.

His grip tightens. I suck in a breath and try to scream, “HEL—” but the sound dies as his hand clamps down harder.

My eyes dart around, but none of the knights are looking this way. I try to glimpse the royal box, but I’d have to turn my head to see it. No one sees what’s happening, that this man is strangling me in the middle of the arena .

What a horrible way to die.

My vision starts to blur. I yank hard against the ropes and feel them snap. My hands fly up, clawing at his, but I can’t even get a grip. I reach to scratch his eyes, but he’s too far. I kick, but my dress prevents me from getting any real momentum.

A scream bubbles in my throat, but even that takes too much air. My head grows foggy. My legs give out, and I sag, suspended only by the grip on my throat.

My eyes begin to close just as a blur barrels in from the side, slamming into my attacker and forcing him to release me.

I crash to the ground as my eyes flutter shut. I gasp for air, but my limbs refuse to move, my body is completely offline.

“Elora!” I think I hear Draven’s voice. I try to say his name, but nothing comes out. My body is lifted, and I’m held against a broad chest. My eyes blink open, catching the glint of a shiny helmet.

“D-Draven,” I rasp. “Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me, kitten. I’ve got you.”

I close my eyes and rest my head against him.

“Draven!” Blaze yells from behind us. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to win this, and put an end to it, once and for all.”

I hear the sounds of wooden swords whacking against each other as I’m carried through the arena .

A few times I manage to open my eyes and see several lords fighting in front of us. But as long as numbers eight, nineteen or twelve are there, I don’t worry.

Suddenly the crowd goes wild cheering like crazy.

“It’s over,” Draven whispers. “We’ve won.”

There’s a lot of noise around us as I try to take some deep breaths and steady my breathing.

“You really played the role of damsel in distress well,” King Ian says with a laugh, and I open my eyes as he and my other so-called parents come down the stairs to join us on the arena floor.

“She was almost killed,” Ranger seethes at him through his helmet.

“The swords were wooden, she wasn’t in any real danger,” King Cole responds.

“Take a look at the marks on her neck and say that again,” Draven says, angling me towards them. I know when they see it because several of them gasp.

“Could you not see that man strangling her?” Blaze asks, sounding enraged.

“I thought it was just part of the act.”

Feeling more level-headed I ask Draven, “Can you put me down please?”

He gently places me on my feet but steadies me with his hands on my waist .

I brush down my dress and take a much-needed breath as I look around at the people pretending to be my parents.

“Is this over now? Are these four the winners?”

They glance at one another before looking over at the man who helped run the gift challenge. “Yes, between the four of them they were always first place, if not second, third and fourth, too. They are the winners of the tournament.”

I try not to let my excitement show as I look back at the queen. “So I must marry them?”

She looks confused as she glances around, her eyes continually moving to my neck.

“I… I’m sorry, Elora. I fear we may have gone about this all wrong. But at least we know these men can protect you.”

I already knew that, but I just nod, needing her to say the words.

“I just want to be perfectly clear here,” I say carefully. “You’re telling me I must marry them?”

She waits a moment, then nods. “Yes, I am.”

“Whew, thank God!” I say, slumping back into Draven.

They all frown at me in confusion, so I turn around and grab Draven’s helmet. He helps by ducking down and letting me remove it for him. Tossing it to the side, I beam up at him, grab his cheeks, and kiss him right on the lips.

“I missed you,” I whisper.

“I missed you so fucking much,” he tells me, making my heart beat happily in my chest .

I turn back to the queen and kings and see their wide eyes staring at Draven in shock.

My other three knights remove their helmets, and I notice Freya behind the kings, practically jumping up and down with excitement, giving me a thumbs-up.

“What is the meaning of this? You aren’t lords, you should be disqualified!” King Chase argues.

“Father,” Arlo says, stepping forward, “I think you need to take a long, hard pause and think about this situation.” He gets their attention as they turn to him in question.

“First of all, look at the crowd. They’re happy to see this, so don’t use the people as an excuse to refuse their union.

You know very well that Queen Carmichael married commoners. ”

My eyebrows raise in surprise, I didn't know that.

“Second of all, Elora would be dead right now if they hadn’t been out there. Not only that, but they are clearly the most worthy, winning every challenge laid before them.”

Talon steps to his brother’s side and adds, “Yeah, would you even want any of those lords to be your sons-in-law?”

They frown as they look out into the arena, clearly giving it real thought.

Freya grabs Arlo’s hand as she speaks up. “I heard some of them keep books on training their wives using corporal punishment.”

The queen’s eyes widen in horror as she looks at me. “Truly? ”

All five of us nod. “Ravenbrook,” Blaze tells her. “We burned it before we left.”

She frowns, taking a moment to look at each of us. Her eyes linger on where Draven is holding me and the way I cling to him.

“I’ll never say the vows to marry anyone else,” I tell her firmly.

Finally, her shoulders relax as she reaches out for my hand. “Alright, fine. I concede. But we’re not doing it like this.”

“Doing what?”

“Just come with me. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Draven pulls me back before I can take her hand. “She’s been injured. We need to make sure she’s okay.”

“I promise that’s my first stop,” the queen says, still holding out her hand for me.

“You’re not going to put them in the dungeon again, are you?” Freya asks in concern.

“The DUNGEON?!” I ask in horror as I spin around, taking in all their faces while gripping Draven’s arms tightly. “Is that where you’ve been for four weeks? Locked in the dungeon?”

Draven nods, and I whimper in dismay. I spin on my heel and stare at the queen and kings angrily. “How could you?”

“It was for the good of the kingdom.”

“No.” I shake my head. “They are what’s good for the kingdom. They’re loyal, honorable, kind, and putting them in the dungeon just because they want to be with their soulmate is downright criminal! ”

“Soulmate?” King Chase says in confusion. “Who said anything about soulmates?”

I turn back around and reach out to Blaze at my side, pulling him closer to me as I ask, “That’s what we are, right? That tether I feel in my chest to each of you. We’re fated mates, aren't we? Do you feel it too?”

He smiles and nods. “Yeah, I feel the soulmate bond too.”

“It’s right here,” Arrow says, pointing at his chest.