Page 30 of Elven Oath

Chapter 10

Vevina

Aodhan is speakingquietly with Falkor, their voices low as they discuss our route for the day. I keep myself busy tying the last of my things to our horse.

The moments before dawn are always the most tranquil, but they also have a way of making me feel exposed.

That feeling proves to be right when I hear movement. Just a faint sound at first, so subtle that I almost think I imagined it. But then I hear it again. The soft crunch of footsteps moving through the brush.

I spin around just in time to see the first man emerge from the treeline, his sword raised high as he runs toward Aodhan and his men.

My heart thuds in my chest, but there’s no time to shout a warning. Instinct takes over as I yank my dagger from its hidden sheath beneath my dress. My fingers tighten around the hilt as the cold steel presses against my palm.

They attack quickly. There seems to be more of them this time. A lot more than the night before. Their swords gleam in the early morning light. I can hear the clanging of metal as Aodhan and his friends meet them in battle.

But these men are different than before. They’re more skilled, coordinated, and they fight with a brutality I’ve never seen before.

For a moment, I hesitate. A princess wasn’t supposed to fight. But something inside me rebels against that thought. I’m not going to stand by and watch as they cut down the only allies I currently have.

With a deep breath, I rush forward, my dagger gripped tightly in my hand. The man closest to me doesn’t expect me to join the fray. Shock registers on his face when I duck beneath his swinging blade and slash at him with the dagger.

But something strange happens as the dagger cuts through the air, it begins to glow. A sudden flash of light surrounds it, and before I know what is happening, it transforms.

The simple dagger I had been holding moments ago had extended, the hilt shifting in my hand as it becomes a light and perfectly balanced sword.

I don’t have time to question it. The man I’d struck stumbles backward, clutching his side. My muscles move on instinct, my body reacting as if I had always known how to fight.

I step into the battle, my sword slicing through the chaos with a precision I had never known I’d possessed.

I fight alongside Falkor and Drago, but my eyes keep drifting toward Aodhan. He’s at the center of the fight, his movements swift and brutal. Even in the midst of chaos, there was something graceful about the way he moves. Like the battle is an extension of who he is.

But then I see it. A glint of steel, too close to him, aimed at his side.

“Aodhan!” I shout, my voice hoarse as I fight my way toward him, but I’m too late.

The sword slashed through his side, and he staggers back, clutching the wound. The man who had struck him seemed to hesitate, his eyes wide with fear. I realize then that they had known he was a dragon all along. But their swords are coated with something. Something lethal.

Poison. My Elven senses picking up on it automatically.

I grit my teeth, my heart pounding as I rush to his side. I fight off the remaining attackers with renewed fury, my sword a blur of light and steel, but my focus completely on him. He is down on one knee, his hand pressed to his wound.

When the last of the attackers flee into the trees, the clearing falls into a heavy silence. My breath comes in ragged gasps as I drop to my knees next to him.

His breathing is shallow, and his golden eyes, usually so bright and full of fire, seem more dim.

“You’re... hurt,” I say with a shaky voice, though I’m trying to steady it.

He looks at me, his jaw clenched in pain. “It’s... nothing. I’ll heal,” he rasps, but his voice doesn’t carry the usual confidence it usually holds.

I reach for his hand, pulling it away from the wound to inspect it. My stomach twists at the sight of the dark blood oozing from the gash. It’s not going to heal without help. My help.

My mind races as the reality of the situation hits me hard. He is a dragon, yes. His wounds technically should have closed by now. But the poison...they must have known. They had come prepared.

“Your healing isn’t working,” I say, panic creeping into my voice.

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