Chapter 358

The fae came out of the trees with a shriek, blade raised. Elain had only a moment to realise that she vaguely recognised his handsome face before Lucien was in front of her, his own sword coming up to meet the other male's blade as it sliced down toward them. The loud metallic clash of the two blades reverberated through Elain's body and she shook as she stumbled a step back, trying to stifle a gasp. Her eyes swept the trees around them, suddenly wondering if there were any more of them out there about to attack, and she lifted the knife Lucien had given her. If someone came at them from behind, then she would have to defend them both while Lucien was busy with the first. Nobody came out of the trees, and Elain looked back to the fight before her.

If she had been worried before that Lucien might struggle without his abilities, she was worried no longer. Her mate moved as he always had, smooth and elegantly, his sword flashing in the dappled light beneath the trees. He was a thing of beauty, and Elain couldn't help but admire him, despite the situation. It quickly became apparent that Lucien had the superior skills, and after several moments his sword flashed again and the other male gave a pained groan before sinking to his knees and collapsing down into the damp earth. Elain watched, mouth open as he went still, hand going slack on the sword he still held. Lucien knelt down beside him then, removing the sword and tossing it behind a nearby bush.

"Come on." Her mate said, looking at her and putting a hand out for her. "There could be more, we need to move…"

"Alright." Elain gripped his hand and allowed him to move her with him as they continued through the trees, sticking to the shadows and moving as quietly as possible. "Wait…" she paused at the sound of hushed voices and Lucien froze, his eyes meeting hers before they sank down. Lucien pushed some branches aside and they peered through at several members of the Court walking along the path through the garden. Elain gripped the back of Lucien's jacket as they watched, and she could feel her heart pounding viciously behind her ribs. If she and Lucien had have tried walking the path, they would have met this group, and Elain wasn't sure that her mate could have dealt with them all at once, especially without this magic. As if he'd sensed her thoughts, even without the bond, he looked at her over his shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.

"It's a good thing we didn't use the path." She breathed, and he nodded, giving her a wink. Elain looked back to the path, hoping that the group had moved far enough along that they wouldn't be able to hear any movement or anything that was said.

Lucien's metallic eye clicked and whirred as his gaze slipped past Elain to the trees behind her. She went rigid when she heard a sight scuffling sound, like dried leaves being scraped against something and she swallowed thickly. If someone else had found them, she needed to be ready to fight. She gripped the knife in her hand more tightly, and Lucien moved slowly around her, putting himself between her and whatever had made those sounds.

Turning, Elain watched the trees. Dappled light flickered here and there as the breeze moved the branches above and there were too many earthy scents for Elain to try and pinpoint anything in particular.

When Sheera pushed her way through the leaves, her face dirty and a haunted yet somewhat stressed expression in her eyes, Elain felt something in her chest relax.

"Cauldron boil and fry me." Lucien muttered, lowing his sword and sinking back to sit on the ground.

"Sheera!" Elain gasped, taking a step toward her friend. Sheera hurried toward them, relief clear in her face now.

"I … I… am so glad to see the two of you." Sheera breathed, "I saw you take care of that male back there…" She waved a slim hand in the direction from which they had come. "I've been hiding since…" her face darkened, "They brought a group in here earlier, and… killed them."

"We found them." Lucien told her and Sheera sighed.

"I was working in here when it happened…" She broke off, "There were screams and then the fighting started. They just started killing everyone…"

"So you hid in the garden?" Elain asked and Sheera nodded. Moving toward her friend again, Elain wrapped an arm around Sheera's shoulders. "I'm glad you found us." She told her, "You'll be alright now. Come with us."

"Where are you going?" Sheera asked, "Out of the Palace?"

"Eventually." Lucien told her, "First, we have to get to the High Lord."