Page 49 of Once Upon a Midnight Clear

An overwhelming sense of foreboding came over her. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

As they neared the shore, Nicholas hopped out in ankle deep water. Gustav did the same. They pulled up the boat onto the damp sand. Nicholas held his hand out to her, helping her step over the edge. They all paused there, looking upward at the fortress. Ella’s heart rammed in her chest, her anxiety level high.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Gustav said. “Stay behind me.”

“Why?” Nicholas demanded.

He gave him a cutting glance. “So, I can protect you and Ella if anything happens.”

Nicholas merely nodded. He took her by the hand as they fell in step behind the Captain of the Guard. Their footsteps left deep indentations in the wet sand as they headed down the beach toward the craggy section of the mountains. As the sun dipped closer to the horizon, deep shadows cast along the beach and through the mountain pass.

The suffocating darkness enveloped them as they ventured deeper into the foreboding crevice. Jagged rocks jutted out from the ground, casting eerie silhouettes that seemed to taunt and threaten their existence.

On either side of them, the mountains soared upward, blotting out the sky which was quickly turning from pale blue to deep indigo. Ella clutched Nicholas’s hand tighter and as they followed Gustav, their shoulders brushed. Gustav had his sword at the ready, for whatever good that might do.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Nicholas said, his voice a quiet whisper, as if speaking louder would disturb their surroundings.

“I have a general idea,” Gustav replied, his voice just as quiet. “Malvina is dangerous so we need to be on our guard.”

“But she doesn’t know we’re coming,” Nicholas said.

“I wouldn’t count on that,” he replied.

A shudder went through Ella as the darkness closed in. She had never been one for being outside in the dark and she didn’t like it now. She edged closer to Nicholas.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice low.

She nodded, giving him her best reassuring smile.

Ahead, the path widened, giving them more room to walk. A sense of relief passed through her as she glanced upward to the night sky. Twinkling stars appeared, but these weren’t familiar constellations. At the top of the mountain, she thought she saw movement. Like a dark figure that had moved from the edge. It was hard to tell, though, in the deepening twilight.

She stared at the top of the mountains as they continued. She was certain she saw the figure again. And then another. And another.

“Nicholas—”

But as she tried to shout the warning, arrows landed all around them just missing each of them by inches.

“Run!” Gustav ordered.

The three of them took off at a run down the mountain path, heading for another crevice. More arrows rained down around them. Nicholas’s hand tightened on hers as they sprinted over rocks and uneven ground. Then Gustav went down with a shout. He dropped his sword as he crashed against the ground, holding his leg.

Nicholas released her hand and unsheathed his sword. He held it aloft and murmured something she couldn’t hear. The sword lit up and a blast of bright white light shot out from it toward the top of the mountain.

She halted, shocked and in awe. His sword was…magic? No, that was impossible.

Gustav dragged his body toward one of the craggy rocks. An arrow stuck out of his leg just above his knee. He grimaced with the pain as Nicholas reached him. He wrapped his arm around his friend’s waist and hoisted him to his feet.

“Leave me,” Gustav said with a groan.

“We need to get to the crevice. Ella, grab his sword.”

She hoisted it up, surprised at the weight of it as she hurried after them. Gustav hobbled, favoring his injured leg, while Nicholas shouldered most of his weight. They made it to the crevice and were once again shrouded by the safety of the soaring mountains.

Nicholas halted, lowering Gustav to the outcropping of rock. He rested against it, his face contorted in pain. Ella leaned his sword against the rock next to him. Nicholas sheathed his sword and then inspected his wound.

“Hard to see in the dark,” he said. “It missed your knee.”

“Well, that’s good news,” Gustav said through gritted teeth. “They waited until we were in the open to attack. She knows you’re here, Nick.”

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