Read Online Regret (Lady of Toryn Trilogy) by Charity Santiago - Free Book Online Page A

separated somehow, we meet up back
in Toryn. No running around the forest searching for each other. It’s going to
be too dangerous, and Toryn needs us if the army moves against the city.”
    “You got it,” Skye said as he
tightened the cinch on his horse’s saddle. “Are we ready to move?”
    “Yes,” Ashlyn said, accepting the
reins from Drake. She checked the cinch and then put her foot into the stirrup,
taking a deep breath before swinging up into the saddle. She checked her sword
and armlet, reassuring herself that all stanes were accounted for, and glanced
at Drake, who was already astride his horse, waiting.
    “Here we go,” she whispered, more
to herself than the others, and nudged her horse with her heels. Fear was
unfurling in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to tamp it down. Skye and
Drake were with her- they would help her. They would save her dad. No need to be afraid.
    She urged her horse into a
gallop, clutching the reins in one hand and her shuriken in the other.
    The soldiers heard Ashlyn and the
others coming, but for some reason didn’t react immediately, looking up in the
direction of the forest as the hoof beats resounded. The moment Ashlyn left the
protective cover of the trees, she pointed her sword at the closest ninjas and
cast her spell, too breathless to do anything but whisper the words as a
lightning bolt hit the ground in the midst of the group, scattering them. She
followed up with a wave of flame that roared through the frightened soldiers,
singeing everyone in its path.
    On her right, Skye used earth to literally flip the ground up
beneath a large cluster of advancing ninjas, flinging them backwards and sending
wet soil raining down on top of them.
    She urged her horse on, seeing
her father lying in the dirt ahead of her, seeing Kou struggling to calm his
horse so he could climb back on. Ashlyn furiously threw an ice spell in his
direction, but Kou managed to leap out of the way, although his horse reared up
and tore its reins out of his grasp.
    Ashlyn continued to pelt the
soldiers around her with fire and lightning, working hard to keep her terrified
horse under control amidst the chaos. For his part, Skye was making it nearly
impossible for any other soldiers to reach them, raising high walls of dirt
around their immediate area and boxing them in with Kou and a handful of
ninjas.
    As she drew even with Lord Li, he
turned his head ever so slightly in the dirt, eyes widening as he recognized
her. Ashlyn leapt off her horse, keeping hold of the reins as she hastily
shoved her sword into its sheath on her back. She dropped to her knees beside
her father.
    “Hold onto me, Dad!” she yelled,
grabbing one of his arms and hooking it around her neck. She tried to stand,
but he was too heavy. Suddenly there was an explosion next to them and her
horse spooked, shying sideways. Ashlyn held onto the reins and was dragged
across the dirt, losing her grip on her father. She rolled aside, kicking to
get her feet out of a smoldering clump of grass, and scrambled to her feet.
Dirt hailed down on her from one of Skye’s attacks, the blond swordsman
decimating everything around them and scaring her horse even worse.
    A ninja appeared beside her.
Ashlyn ducked under his haphazard punch and landed a solid kick to his knee,
knocking his leg out from under him. She followed up with an uppercut, but was
pulled backwards again by her frightened horse before she could land a third
blow. Ashlyn knew she couldn’t let go of the animal or all chance of escape
would be lost. Frustrated, she pulled the horse’s head around with the reins,
turning the animal in circles in an attempt to contain its movement, and trying
to force it back towards her father. In the middle of one rotation, she
glimpsed Drake kneeling next to her dad, his midnight-colored horse standing
calmly beside them.
    “ Drake!” she screamed, and she didn’t think her voice was loud
enough to carry over the noise of battle, but the