Elaris Ashwyn's Arc

Chapter 7 of 12

The horn sounded again, closer now. Elaris kicked dirt over the coals. Ren stood beside her, one hand on the mark under his armor. She trusted Ren with her life. But she had never trusted his power. She had watched him bend under the contract, watched it drag at him like a hook. She did not know what he could do when he chose to fight it. Without that, she could not make a plan that leaned on him. "How far can you push it?" she asked. "The mark. When you resist. What does it let you do?" Ren's jaw tightened. "I don't know. I've never fought it long enough to find out." "Then we run," she said. "And hope the crossing comes first." They ran through wet trees. Branches tore at her arms. Behind them, hooves crashed through brush. Then a rider broke from the dark and cut them off. He swung down before his horse had stopped. Colt Blackwood. The king's hunter. His orange eyes found Ren first, then her. A thin scar cut across his cheek. He smiled like a man who had already won. "The blade runs off," Colt said. He drew a long knife. "And someone spoke a name they shouldn't. I can smell it on you both." Ren moved between Elaris and the hunter. His body went rigid. The mark flared white under his armor, bright enough to shine through the black plate. He gasped. His knees buckled. The contract was pulling him back toward its master. "Ren," Elaris said. She grabbed his arm. It was cold as stone, just like her dream. "Fight it. I broke his hold once. You can break it now." His hands shook. He forced one dagger free. Then the other. His breath came ragged. He looked at Elaris, and his icy eyes were still his own. "I choose this," he said. "I choose her." The white light snapped out. Ren surged forward. He moved faster than she had ever seen anything move, a blur across the dark ground. Colt slashed. Ren was already gone, already behind him. His dagger struck the hunter's knife hand. Colt roared and dropped the blade. Ren's boot took his knee. The hunter went down hard. Elaris stared. She had never seen the power freed. It was frightening. It was more than she had guessed. And it was on her side. Colt clutched his wrist, panting. "He'll send others," he spat. "You can't outrun a name." Ren pressed a dagger to the hunter's throat. He looked to Elaris, waiting. Asking. The choice was hers, and she gave it to him. "Leave him," she said. "We ride. Now." They took the hunter's horse. As they rode for the crossing, Elaris held tight to Ren's waist. She knew now what he could do. She could build a plan around it. But Colt's words rode with her. The king knew her name. He would not stop.