He shook his head when he saw me. "You're in a security carriage for a reason, Kestra!"
"I'm not in it now for other reasons. Give me a hand up!"
He chuckled, then shifted the reins into one hand and scooted across the bench toward me. "You have to get higher than the wheels, or you'll be caught in them."
Darrow used to discourage me from such risky behaviors, but as soon as he understood I was going to do them anyway, he'd changed tactics. Now he taught me how to survive the risks I took.
I checked my grip on the rail, then took my first step forward, blinking hard against the brisk evening air. This wasn't a good idea. Which was the very reason to do it. If nothing else, it might be my only chance to study Lord Endrick's newest creation up close: the oropod. These creatures pulling my carriage fascinated me. Oropods were slightly larger than horses but had the muscle structure of a snowy lizard, with leathery, green-patterned skin and two powerful hind legs. Before we left the Fields, the garrison leader had explained how their front claws could be used for fighting or climbing, and showed us their fanged teeth. I'd asked to ride one back in the Fields, just to see if I could, but was told that an oropod had to know its rider's scent, or it'd eat the rider. Hence the reason Lord Endrick was fond of them.
Celia opened the carriage window. "This is reckless, my lady. If your father finds even a scratch on you, he'll kill me."
I glanced back, expecting to laugh off her comment. But Celia sounded upset, and for good reason.
I was thirteen when I'd been sent from my father's home, still young enough to excuse his flaws as my own failures of understanding. I'd been young enough then to love him despite his coldness, and to pretend that he cared for me too. After three years, I wondered if any love remained in his heart at all. It was still beating, so there had to be some humanity left. Yet it would take a special talent for cruelty to become the chief counsel to Lord Endrick. I couldn't imagine the terrible things my father must have done in Endrick's name.
After one more plea from Celia, I called to Darrow that I'd go back inside the carriage after all. It meant delaying our talk, but I couldn't risk her getting into trouble because of me.
Before I took my first step, a whoosh came from the woods on both sides of the road. At first I thought it must be a swarm of bats flying from behind the trees, but then I heard the cries from the garrison. These were disks, dozens of them.
"Get back inside!" Darrow yelled as he pulled up on the reins.
Four Dominion soldiers were leading our carriage. Three of these men were immediately cut down by the disks' sharp edges, and the fourth didn't get far before he was hit too. The two riders behind our carriage shouted for me to duck, but I was too terrified to move. Seconds later, they were struck as well, tumbling off the backs of their oropods.
Fear flooded into me, so forcefully I couldn't hold my thoughts together.
My garrison was dead. All of them. Dead, and in mere seconds. Who could have done this? And why?
"Kestra, get down!" Darrow ordered.
This time, I obeyed, bending my knees low, my hands clinging to the frame of the carriage. Darrow steered sharply around the riderless oropods, so I couldn't open the heavy door, but if another disk attack came, I'd be vulnerable. Two oropods still pulled our carriage. If they fell, we'd be trapped here.
Trapped by whom?
The clan of the Banished, who'd kidnapped me three years ago, were enemies of my family and had been exiled from the Dominion. After four days in their captivity, during which they'd somehow failed to kill me, Darrow had come to my rescue, and remained in my service ever since, in case the Banished returned.
Except this didn't feel like the Banished. They weren't known for precision attacks.
The Coracks were. This thought chilled me to my bones.
The reason why I'd been missing for three years didn't matter. What did matter was that no one was supposed to know where I'd been, or that I was headed home tonight.
But whoever was hiding in the woods knew. And whatever they wanted with me, they were obviously willing to kill to get it.
I was in serious trouble.
Darrow had been hurrying our carriage forward, but now it slowed. Not a good sign. I peeked out from the side of the carriage, as much as I dared. On the road far ahead were several riders on horseback, their faces shadowed against the rising moonlight. Whoever they were, we were heavily outnumbered.
My hands shook, but I tried to steady them. I could do this. I had to do this. Tucked into a garter around my thigh was a knife, which was there for this very reason. Celia was useless with a blade, but Darrow was well armed, and I could do my share of damage. It would have to be enough.
Darrow checked my position again. "I'll steer the carriage sideways and slow it for you to jump."
"What about Celia--"
"It's the Coracks. They're here for you."
I cursed, something that in ordinary circumstances would make Darrow laugh, and would've made my father collapse a lung. But if ever there were a proper time for a curse word, this was it.
The battle for control of Antora raged between two bloodlines: the Dallisor family and the Halderian clan, now generally known as the Banished. Until the most recent war, the Dallisors had become numerous, powerful, and occupied the throne more often than not. Now we were simply powerful. All Dallisors served Lord Endrick, with my father at their head, and together with our armies and all those loyal to Endrick, we were known as the Dominion. What we lacked in love from the citizenry was compensated by our demands for respect and the fact that the Dominion was never going away. At least, not because of the Banished. Since the war, their clan was far too weak and scattered to mount any significant challenge.