Free Capture by Annabelle Jacobs Page B

made it, with no trouble from the Rodethians or Athisians, but Ryneq couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not quite right.
    The riverbank didn’t have enough space for all his guards, so at least half of them, including Cerylea and Nysad, were still in the forest. Ryneq signaled for Nysad and his men to bring Cerylea forward; he wanted to get her across the bridge quickly and into elven territory.
    As soon as Nysad reached him, Ryneq drew him close. “That was too easy.”
    “Yes, Sire.” Nysad looked along the river in the direction of Rodeth and narrowed his eyes. This was the perfect place for an ambush. They should have attacked by now if they were going to. “Maybe we weren’t the target after all.”
    Ryneq nodded. Those were his exacts thoughts too. If the lowland armies weren’t here trying to kill Cerylea, then both armies could already be marching on Torsere. “The sooner we get Princess Cerylea safely to Alel, and married, the sooner we can get back to Torsere.”
    Ryneq walked his horse to the edge of the bridge. He couldn’t see anyone waiting at the other end, but the elves were more than likely hiding just inside the tree line, waiting for Ryneq to get across before showing themselves. He had no doubt they were already being watched.
    He turned to Nysad again. “Wait here until I signal to come across.”
    “Yes, Sire.” Nysad returned to Cerylea’s side.
    Ryneq took four of his guard and nudged his horse to walk onto the bridge. The clatter of hooves was loud, even against the rushing water beneath them, and it set Ryneq’s teeth on edge. He heard the soft beat of wings above and immediately looked up to see the red scales of Fimor as he swooped low over the water with Nykin on his back. The other dragons flew in sweeping passes up and down the river, and Ryneq relaxed ever so slightly now that he had his riders back.
    He nudged his horse a little faster, eager to get across now. They were almost halfway when the first explosion hit, tearing through the wooden planks of the bridge just ahead of them. Three of the horses reared up, including Ryneq’s, as pieces of debris rained down all around them.
    “Get back to the bank!” Ryneq roared at his men, turning his stallion and urging him into a gallop as the bridge started to collapse behind them. “Go!”
    They made it another four strides before a second explosion split the bridge away from the bank and the rest of it began to give way underneath them. Ryneq looked up in time to see Cerylea staring at him in horror. Nysad frantically tugged on the reins of her horse to get her to move, and then she was gone, swallowed up by the trees again.
    After that, everything seemed to happen at once.
    Sounds of fighting erupted through the trees, swords clashing over and over, as soldiers from Rodeth and Athisi suddenly appeared from the forest. Ryneq heard the roar of dragons overhead as they swooped down to join in the fray, but the soldiers were too tightly packed together. The dragons couldn’t attack without hurting the Torserian Guard as well as their enemies.
    “Fuck!” Ryneq yelled, his horse thrashing wildly as the bridge finally broke apart and all five riders and their mounts plunged into the water below. Ryneq broke the surface, gasping for breath, and grabbed for the reins of his panicked horse. “Follow me!” he yelled, relieved to see all four of his men in the water. He swam toward the bank, struggling against the current and pulling his horse with him. As soon as Ryneq felt the ground beneath his feet, he hauled himself back into the saddle and turned his horse upstream to join in the fighting. The enemy soldiers were still spilling out of the forest, obviously coming over the Rodethian border, and were already growing in numbers around the edge of the destroyed bridge.
    Ryneq watched as the men urged their horses to go against the current. The river wasn’t as deep so close to the bank, but it still came up to the