A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(26)

I helped, gathering smaller pieces of furniture to stack them into a climbable tower. Once it was big enough, I started up. The pile of rock, wood, and velvet shifted precariously as I ascended, and I slowed. The ground beneath me was littered with glass and pieces of metal, and I couldn’t afford to fall on them.

At the top, I found that the windows had shattered, leaving jagged edges on all sides. I grimaced as I tried to find a safe way to climb out. At least the air was fresh up here. The wind had carried the dust away, and I searched for any sight of the rest of the train.

Two cars in front of us had been crushed, and the rest of the train was nowhere to be seen.

Meria popped her head up next to mine. “What’s the deal?”

“I think the rest of the train wasn’t hit and it kept moving. It was probably too hard to stop it.”

“It’ll be back.” She searched the area around us. “We should get out and wait for it.”

Something thudded next to us. I jerked, turning to see an arrow protruding out of the wall of the train, just six inches from Meria’s head.

“Shit!” I ducked down. “Ambush.”





10





Sia



* * *



My heart thundered as I scrambled down the pile of furniture, following Meria to the safety of the train car. I could hear the arrows thudding into the side of the train car above us. One flew right by my head and lodged itself in a velvet settee.

When we reached the bottom, I turned to Eve. She gripped the arm of one of the chairs, supporting herself. With a grimace, she said, “So, that’s bad news.”

“They wrecked the train, and now they’re here to clean up.” Meria glowered at the windows above. “Do we have any weapons besides my bow and arrows?”

“I’ve got my sword,” I said.

“I’ve got daggers.” Eve looked around. “But we’re sitting ducks down here.”

“We need to get out and take cover in the woods,” Meria said. “But they’ve got eyes on the top of the train car, and we can’t get through the doors on the ends.”

“I can use my illusion to create some cover for us,” Eve said. “Not a lot, though, so we’ll have to be fast.”

I nodded. “Let’s do it.”

“I’ll go first,” Eve said.

“Hang on.” I grabbed a small wool doormat that lay crumbled amongst the rubbish and handed it to her. “You’ll need this for the broken window.”

“Thanks.” Eve tucked it into her shirt, then climbed onto the pile of furniture, her movements a little shaky. I got below her to make sure she didn’t fall, and we ascended slowly to the windows.

Magic shimmered on the air as we neared them, and I shivered.

“We’re essentially invisible to them, but not for long,” Eve said. She placed the door mat over the broken glass edge of the window and climbed up. I followed her onto the top of the tilted car, searching the area around us for the threat.

Mountains rose tall on my right, thick with trees that provided cover for our attackers. I still couldn’t see them but swore I could sense them lurking amongst the shadows.

Meria joined us on the top of the train, silently inspecting our surroundings. She pointed downhill. “The attackers are coming from up the mountain, so let’s go that way.”

I nodded. Meria and I helped Eve climb down from the train. She insisted she was fine, but she was still a bit slow. We skidded down the rubble that tumbled away from the side of the train car and into the forest on the lower side of the tracks.

The scent of evergreens and rich dirt filled the air, hopefully enough to cover our scent. I drew it into my lungs, loving being in nature despite the danger.

I’d never been meant to live in Seattle, I realized. This was the land for me.

“Let’s find cover.” Meria set off into the woods.

Eve and I followed. I stayed behind her, and her speed improved as we moved deeper into the woods.

Rustling sounded from behind us, and I turned to see a man in the distance. For the briefest second, he was so perfectly lined up between the trees that I could see he wasn’t one of ours.

Then he disappeared.

“They’re following us,” I whispered.

“I’m almost out of magic,” Eve said. “Can’t hide us much longer.”

“Save it.” Meria pointed to a cave in the distance. “So you can conceal that.”

We raced toward the cave, taking cover inside the dark, cool interior. Eve collapsed onto the ground and drew in a shuddery breath, her magic swelling on the air. “This is the last of it for a while.”

A faint glowing light shimmered at the mouth of the cave. It obstructed our view of the forest, making it look like it was underwater. I could barely make out the shadows that were the trees and bushes.

“From the outside, it just looks like more rock,” Eve said.

Panting, we all sat.

“Lore will come for us,” I said.

“Definitely.” Meria nodded. “But will he find us before they do?”

“We’ve got ten minutes left on my magic,” Eve said. “Maybe a little less. I’m barely keeping the illusion going.”