Read Online Regret (Lady of Toryn Trilogy) by Charity Santiago - Free Book Online
Authors: Charity Santiago
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Drake again. This time she met his eyes boldly,
daring him to continue their earlier conversation.
“Be careful,” was all he said.
She followed Skye closely,
keeping low to the ground as she inched forward. The darkness was a convenient
cloak to their movements, but the army was unusually quiet, and Ashlyn had to
take great care to keep silent.
The soldiers had camped as they
marched, strung out in a thin ribbon along the path on which they had marched
rather than grouping together. It would be more to Ashlyn’s advantage than
Kou’s, because the soldiers would have difficulty making their way to the
source of the battle if she, Skye and Drake were using magic to put barriers in
their path.
Ashlyn and Skye had to move
further up the line to find Kou again, but he was easily identified, removing
his horse’s tack as other ninjas worked to erect small tents in the area around
him. His movements were smooth and unhurried. Ashlyn found herself clenching
her fists, angry at his casual attitude. She wanted nothing more than to
inflict the same kind of pain and suffering on this man as he had on her
father.
As she watched, two soldiers
untied Lord Li and eased him down off the horse. His arms and legs were
trembling fiercely, fingers curled like claws as he clutched his hands to his
chest. Ashlyn’s throat tightened as she watched. She’d never seen her dad
helpless like this before. The dread and pity that welled in her heart were
nearly overwhelming.
The soldiers were not ungentle as
they set her father on his knees, but they did nothing to help him as he fell
forward weakly. The Lord of Toryn, face-down in the dirt, and these men were doing
nothing to aid him. Ashlyn blinked furiously, trying her damnedest not to cry,
and tapped Skye on the shoulder. He glanced back at her, and she motioned to
him to follow as she retreated.
“What’s wrong?” Skye asked when
they reached Drake, and Ashlyn shook her head mutely. She couldn’t speak,
couldn’t think, couldn’t see anything except for her father, near death and
being discarded on the ground like a piece of trash.
She took several steps away from
Skye, facing the darkness of the night, and took one deep breath, then another.
Acting on impulse was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
She would not let her dad down this time, not when so much depended on her
ability to stay calm.
Determinedly, she turned and
walked to Skye and Drake. “Okay,” she said. “I’m no tactical genius, but it
shouldn’t be impossible to run in and get them stirred up to the point where
they don’t know who to chase after I’ve rescued my father. I’m not even going
to worry about Kou. Kill him if you can, but the objective here is to get my
dad out. I’m going to run in and use lightning to fry as many of them as I can reach. Drake can stick with me as I go in
and use whatever he has to keep the soldiers at a distance, then help get my
dad up on the horse with me. We’re just not going to have time to tie him to
his own horse so I’ll have to carry him with me. Skye, if there is any way you
could open up- I don’t know, a ditch or something, maybe right behind us as
we’re running, that would slow them down in a big way?”
“I think I can help before that,”
Skye said, “using earth to create a
protected path towards your father.”
She knew what he meant- raising a
wall of soil on either side of her as she ran- but had never seen him use the
magic that precisely before. “That sounds like a good plan,” she said. “If you
think you can do it, I mean. I don’t want to ask you to be a superhuman here.”
“Aren’t I always?” Skye said with
an easy smile, his teeth gleaming in the faint light. “This isn’t much
different from what Drake and I did earlier when we were rescuing you.”
“I don’t like the term
‘rescuing,’” she said lamely, trying to preserve her dignity, but she was
smiling too. “Oh, one more thing- if we get
daring him to continue their earlier conversation.
“Be careful,” was all he said.
She followed Skye closely,
keeping low to the ground as she inched forward. The darkness was a convenient
cloak to their movements, but the army was unusually quiet, and Ashlyn had to
take great care to keep silent.
The soldiers had camped as they
marched, strung out in a thin ribbon along the path on which they had marched
rather than grouping together. It would be more to Ashlyn’s advantage than
Kou’s, because the soldiers would have difficulty making their way to the
source of the battle if she, Skye and Drake were using magic to put barriers in
their path.
Ashlyn and Skye had to move
further up the line to find Kou again, but he was easily identified, removing
his horse’s tack as other ninjas worked to erect small tents in the area around
him. His movements were smooth and unhurried. Ashlyn found herself clenching
her fists, angry at his casual attitude. She wanted nothing more than to
inflict the same kind of pain and suffering on this man as he had on her
father.
As she watched, two soldiers
untied Lord Li and eased him down off the horse. His arms and legs were
trembling fiercely, fingers curled like claws as he clutched his hands to his
chest. Ashlyn’s throat tightened as she watched. She’d never seen her dad
helpless like this before. The dread and pity that welled in her heart were
nearly overwhelming.
The soldiers were not ungentle as
they set her father on his knees, but they did nothing to help him as he fell
forward weakly. The Lord of Toryn, face-down in the dirt, and these men were doing
nothing to aid him. Ashlyn blinked furiously, trying her damnedest not to cry,
and tapped Skye on the shoulder. He glanced back at her, and she motioned to
him to follow as she retreated.
“What’s wrong?” Skye asked when
they reached Drake, and Ashlyn shook her head mutely. She couldn’t speak,
couldn’t think, couldn’t see anything except for her father, near death and
being discarded on the ground like a piece of trash.
She took several steps away from
Skye, facing the darkness of the night, and took one deep breath, then another.
Acting on impulse was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
She would not let her dad down this time, not when so much depended on her
ability to stay calm.
Determinedly, she turned and
walked to Skye and Drake. “Okay,” she said. “I’m no tactical genius, but it
shouldn’t be impossible to run in and get them stirred up to the point where
they don’t know who to chase after I’ve rescued my father. I’m not even going
to worry about Kou. Kill him if you can, but the objective here is to get my
dad out. I’m going to run in and use lightning to fry as many of them as I can reach. Drake can stick with me as I go in
and use whatever he has to keep the soldiers at a distance, then help get my
dad up on the horse with me. We’re just not going to have time to tie him to
his own horse so I’ll have to carry him with me. Skye, if there is any way you
could open up- I don’t know, a ditch or something, maybe right behind us as
we’re running, that would slow them down in a big way?”
“I think I can help before that,”
Skye said, “using earth to create a
protected path towards your father.”
She knew what he meant- raising a
wall of soil on either side of her as she ran- but had never seen him use the
magic that precisely before. “That sounds like a good plan,” she said. “If you
think you can do it, I mean. I don’t want to ask you to be a superhuman here.”
“Aren’t I always?” Skye said with
an easy smile, his teeth gleaming in the faint light. “This isn’t much
different from what Drake and I did earlier when we were rescuing you.”
“I don’t like the term
‘rescuing,’” she said lamely, trying to preserve her dignity, but she was
smiling too. “Oh, one more thing- if we get
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