There are only fifteen of us; we’ll need to move fast. I dart a glance at Lin, who’s aiming his weapon vertically. Then to Torrent, who has a feral smile twitching on his lips and is caressing the hilt of his long sword. Lorna will give us the signal any moment now, and then, it will be left to the gods to decide our fate.

The horses are so close I can hear their snorting. I roll back my shoulders to shake the anxiety that suddenly flushes through me. They’re coming closer. Closer. Closer…

A round object rolls onto the road. The guard walking in front of the blue carriage signals the party to stop. The coachman pulls on the reins. The guard unsheathes his sword and assesses the foreign object. He leans down but doesn’t touch it.

“Come on,” I whisper soundlessly. My palms are clammy, but I take steady inhales, focusing on my aim. Waiting for the signal.

“What is it, Bernard?” Another guard calls from somewhere behind the carriage.

“I don’t know. Looks like some strange animal shell,” he shouts back.

“Well, kick it out of the way, and let’s keep moving. We need to make camp soon. The sun will set in two hours or less.”

The front guard shakes his head and then scans the woods. His eyes slowly survey each tree till they land on the one I’m hiding beside.

He won’t see me. We’re called The Cloaked for a reason. Another long moment passes, and the guard sleeves his blade. He looks more annoyed than suspicious as he rears back his leg to knock the object out of their way.

As his toe lands, Lorna shouts, “Now!”

The ball explodes in smoke, and Lin fires a bolt into the canopy. I release my arrow, and the coachman grunts in agony as it buries itself deep in his chest. A fleet of arrows follows mine, slicing through the air in a fatal unison. Through the smoke, I see bodies tumble to the ground.

A snapping cracks through the screams; Lin has hit his mark. Large sacks of rocks fall onto the road, crushing some of the guards. Though the smoke soon dissipates, the guards run blindly, shouting hysterically.

“Save the princess!” One yells before more rocks descend and break his neck.

Beside me, Torrent laughs wildly, almost unable to restrain himself from charging.

I ready another arrow and wait for the carriage door to open.

“Thirteen, fourteen…” Lin counts the bags as they fall. “Fifteen! That’s it. Go!”

They launch themselves towards the carriage, Torrent leading the group with vast strides. I long to join them, but I know I can’t. This is the way it must be.

From the opposite wall of trees, more of our band flow onto the road. The ill-prepared guards are now wailing.

“It’s an ambush!”

“Lady and Shield, save us!”

“Save the princess!”

Lin stops his sprint and rapidly sends a pair of bolts straight through the armored chests of two guards. Another sneaks behind him and readies his sword to swing.