Noble Falling by Sara Gaines Page B

to make me feel even worse about his fatigue.
    “My legs are just sore. I assure you, I am fine. Thank you for asking.”
    The guard offered a tired smile before speaking again. “It’s my job to worry, Your Grace.”
    “Please, Ori, do call me Aleana.”
    Ori’s smile flashed even brighter before all traces of it disappeared, and his eyes sharply focused on the tree line. He suddenly stopped, throwing his arm in front of me.
    “Listen.” His voice was a harsh whisper that I had not heard from him before.
    I heard nothing, but I could not deny that an uneasy feeling had washed over me. Ori’s sword rasped as he freed it from its sheath. The shrill sound was echoed all around us, and the trees gave way to several soldiers dressed in my own family’s colors. The seven men stood in front of us, leaving the path behind us open, but there was no way Ori and I would be able to outrun them.
    “Give her to us and you live.” A guard I recognized spoke to Ori.
    Ori’s voice was gruff. “You know I won’t do that.”
    I tried to remain calm as Ori maneuvered me behind him.
    “Ori, think about this.” The man sounded as if he were on the edge of laughter. “You have no chance.”
    Ori shifted his weight, ready to attack. “Unlike you, comrade , I am not a traitor, and will fulfill the oath I gave when I became a guard.”
    The soldier responded by lunging forward, sword arching toward Ori. Before I even realized what was happening, Ori’s sword sliced through the air, and the man who first spoke was lying on the ground, desperately trying to stop the flow of blood from his stomach. Ori kicked the man’s sword away before turning to face the two men who were now attacking him. I retreated, trying to distance myself from the fighting but too afraid to turn my back.
    I watched Ori, flashes of Surea’s death running through my mind. He was blocking the blades seeking to pierce his flesh, and a quick strike ended the life of another attacker. He was fighting well, but it was obvious his lack of sleep was dulling his abilities. Sudden movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. While metal crashed against metal, the traitorous soldiers had maneuvered Ori away from me, leaving me open. Two men were coming toward me, realizing my protection was gone. I desperately tried to run, but a man managed to grab my arm. His grip sent me spinning back toward him, and then he threw me to the ground. I tried to cry out to Ori, but my voice seemed as if it were lodged in my throat, refusing to emit even the slightest sound.
    I heard the men laughing, but my eyes were locked on Ori. He was only fighting two men now, but they seemed to be playing with him, letting him exhaust his strength until they decided to kill him. I wanted to look away, I wanted to shut my eyes, I wanted to do something that would keep me from witnessing yet another life being taken, but I couldn’t. Not until a heavy boot connected with my stomach. At that moment, I began to accept my death.
    I was curled into a ball, still trying to protect myself as much as I could, though I knew it was pointless. I thought I heard Ori’s voice cry out, but I had no idea what he had said, or if it had been a sign death was taking him. I tried to force my eyes open, but my body was no longer responding to my commands. However, as I heard the unmistakable sound of something falling into the mud beside me, my eyelids fluttered open ever so slightly. The first thing I saw was the man who had thrown me to the ground dropping to his knees, life fleeing him as he tried to pull a dagger from his chest. A blur passed between me and the soldier, a hand flying out to retrieve the blade, letting the man fall to his face next to the body of my other attacker.
    I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to sit up, gasping at the pain that spread through my abdomen. My eyes focused in time to see a massive cream-colored hound latch onto the sword arm of one of the men attacking