The Woven Crown (Completed)

Chapter 28

More bodies fell around them, hiver and soldier alike. They couldn't afford to lose even a fraction of the people the soldiers lost.

Ryla saw three soldiers pressing a hiver to the edge of his stone pillar. The hiver's heels were over the edge and one more thrust from a soldier sent him over. They were a good distance away, but Ryla threw with all her strength. He fell a few feet and landed in a net of her invisible threads. But for every Hiver she saved, she could see another three in dire trouble. Without the fog, the soldiers were able to fight back with much more ferocity than they had started.

Screaming pierced the sounds of battle with an eerie familiarity. The color drained from Harlow's face. She'd recognized the voice too. Piper. Harlow ran for the bridge and then skidded to a halt, releasing the rope currently tied to her harness. "Stay here!" she shouted to Ryla. Harlow turned and dashed over the bridge, her feet barely touching the wood. Ryla watched her sprint over a wide stone pillar and leap without a moment's hesitation towards a rope hanging in the space between. Her back arched with the force of her leap as she seized the rope and swung to the other side, out of Ryla's view.

Ryla looked around. It was just her now.

Her heart pounded in her ears, momentarily blocking out the sounds of the battle raging on all sides. The pulsing started again, running along the length of her life thread, threatening to make her lose control. She began breathing the way she'd practiced at the refuge. Ten counts in, ten counts out. But at the count of seven, she was interrupted. It was just a whisper of wind, a soft whoosh of a rope cutting through air, but it was enough to cause Ryla to turn just in time. A soldier came soaring over on a hiver rope and landed on the moss. Ryla rolled out of his way, scraping her knee in the process.

She threw threads at the soldier's legs, but he severed them with a simple swipe of his sword. "I've been watching you," came the soldier's hoarse voice. He wore a black armband that she'd seen somewhere before. He sneered at her. "Not an ordinary hiver, are you?" He didn't wait for her to answer his question, but instead reached out and threw his own threads.

A Raveller.

Ryla was quick. She ducked and threw a defense in front of her. The smoky black threads hit her shield and evaporated. Power vibrated along her life thread as if it had been suddenly plucked. Breathe. She threw another thread, but aimed too far to the left. The soldier didn't even make an attempt to dodge it.

She heard the crunch of rock behind her and turned. Another soldier had made it across the rope bridge. While her attention was elsewhere, the Raveller shot threads around her ankle. Ryla felt her feet jerk out from beneath her and her face slammed into the dirt. She felt grit between her teeth and tasted copper.

The Raveller stood over her, hand outstretched. Smoky threads wound their way down, spiraling towards her legs. Ryla shook her head, trying to get rid of the ringing in her ears. She couldn't think straight. The soldier from the bridge grabbed her hair and yanked her head up.

"Wait, you idiot!" shouted the Raveller. "This one's a Woven." Ryla saw the glint of a knife pull away from her neck.

"You don't think— is she the one he's looking for?" asked the soldier.

"Well I'm not about to slice her neck and find out later. Go get the others!"

"Yes, sir!"

Ryla heard his footsteps as he took off back over the bridge. She tried to move, but her legs were bound and the Raveller had moved to work on her arms. The pounding in her head came from more than her fall as she struggled to keep her breathing regular. Once she knew she was in control, Ryla released a small burst of the built up energy, ripping through the black threads that restrained her. Unbound, she twisted her hips and kicked the surprised Raveller in the back of his head.