The umbra had melted out of the shadows and had jumped from a tree, nearly crushing us all. Seeing a dead one was scary enough, but having a living one standing in front of you was something else entirely. It was much bigger than a grizzly—not that I'd seen a grizzly before in my life, but I could guess it was—and by the time I could process the monster's appearance, it had taken out Ewald and several of the other men. Its bone-shattering growl travelled through the ground and rustled the surrounding trees, throwing me off balance.
It had come after me next and swiped my sword from my grasp, so fast I hadn't had time to think about the fact I no longer had a blade to protect me. I stumbled in the dirt, staring up at the black mist exuding from the umbra's fur like smoke from a fire. How I'd gotten from standing with a boldness just minutes ago to laying in the grass, disarmed, I did not know.
I saw Poe pick up my sword while the umbra prowled my way. He had drawn it back and thrusted it into the beast, giving me time to scramble away and rush for the shadows. I watched him from a bush, parting the leaves to see how he pulled the blade back out and effortlessly stabbed again, knowing exactly where to step and where to crouch when the umbra retaliated. When had he learned to use a sword? And why hadn't he told me about it?
Chest heaving, I struggled to catch my breath, feeling a pang of jealousy and guilt. Here I was, cowering in the woods while my friends and the other brave Volthonians fought with a vengeance. And then there was a spark of anger, heating up my skin when I thought of Poe wielding my sword. I wouldn't be in this situation, hiding from the umbra, if Poe had taught me what he knew. He had certainly lied to me about never picking up a weapon before.
I muttered a curse and shook my head.
That was when I heard the horse. I looked back, thinking it would be Trick and he was loyally returning to me after he and his buddies scattered. Instead, I was met with the sight of a horse that blended perfectly with the night. Valiant. It was the same horse we suspected the Aldaian girl had taken. It wasn't calling to me though. Its head lowered behind a bush and I could hear its nose snuffling around. What's this?
Rising to my feet, I crept curiously towards the horse, abandoning my lookout. "What did you find, boy?" I said, my heart beating with excitement rather than panic now. Could it be her? Would I be the one to capture her and take her to Noch?
The horse's head popped back up and he stared me right in the eyes, snorting.
"Show me what you found, Valiant," I encouraged, reaching the shrub he had given his attention to.
I was just about to lean over it, to find out what was so interesting on the other side, but I never made it all the way. A flash of a figure shot up and leapt onto Valiant's back with a click of the tongue, sending the horse dashing into the woods. I sprinted after them about fifteen feet before I gave up, knowing I would not catch up. "Hey!" I yelled. "Come back!"
Left standing in the mud, I remembered Ewald telling me earlier, when we were all preparing in the stables for this trip, about the whistle Trick always responded to. I cupped my hands over my mouth and blew out a high-pitched tune, letting the sound carry in the wind.
He must've been lingering close by because Trick came stomping through the forest soon after the call was out, his pale body unmistakable in the black. He raced over to me and I grabbed the horn of the saddle, lifting up and throwing a leg over him.
We took off after Valiant and his rider, skidding over loose rocks and dodging trees while twigs smacked at my face. Trick was not one to seek out paths. He made his own by running right into thickets and streams, splashing freezing water onto us both. He wasn't very graceful, but he could sure fly, and that was all I really needed.
