CHAPTER 15:AN AMBUSH

The first arrow didn't make a sound.

It hit the scout ahead of us—straight through the throat. No scream. Just a heavy fall into the dirt.

Then everything exploded.

Shouts. Steel. The horses reared. The wagons halted.

I was already off the cart, blade drawn.

My ankle screamed the moment I landed. I ignored it.

Three cloaked figures broke from the trees—fast, precise, cutting through two guards like paper.

This wasn't random.

They knew exactly where to strike.

I moved to intercept one, blade clashing against theirs. I drove forward, quick and sharp, just like I was taught. Just like I begged to learn all those years ago.

---

They pressed harder.

My balance slipped.

The brace held, barely. But my leg gave out beneath me.

Pain shot up through my thigh as I hit the ground hard.

I rolled, teeth clenched, raising my blade just in time to block another strike.

Too slow.

Too exposed.

---

The enemy raised their sword—sharp, aimed for my throat.

And then—

A blur of black steel cut across my vision.

The attacker dropped without a sound.

Prince Valen stood over me, sword drawn, eyes like frost.

"Get up."

His voice wasn't cruel. Just sharp. Controlled. Like the edge of a knife.

I forced myself to my feet, weight on my good leg.

Valen didn't wait—he was already moving again, carving through the attackers with terrifying calm.

I'd seen trained fighters. I'd been trained.

But Valen moved like someone who'd fought to survive—again and again.

Like it was muscle memory now.

---

When the last of the enemies fell, the wind returned.

Silence settled.

And we realized—

The noble we were guarding… was gone.

---

Lucien found the tracks first. He followed them back—behind the trees, where the enemy had been hiding.

"This wasn't an ambush," he said. "It was an escort."

Valen's face darkened. "Meaning?"

"Meaning one of the nobles we brought with us wasn't the target."

"They were the one giving directions.It seems like he is working with Virellian agents."

My blood ran cold.

I knew Draeven and Virellia were not the best of friends but they had a stable relationship. I never thought a Draeven would betray his empire for Virellia.

---

A betrayal.Right under Valen's watch.And it involves Virellia?

And now the enemy had a full escape route… and a head start.

---

The remaining guards began to regroup. Two were dead. One was badly injured. Everyone looked to Valen.

He gave no orders at first. Just silence.

And then his eyes found mine.

"You fought well."

I blinked.

"But you should've called for help sooner."

I opened my mouth to speak—but stopped.

Because he was right.

And I hated how much it stung to hear it.

---

Later, I sat on the edge of a wagon while my leg was rewrapped. I watched Valen from afar.

He didn't look tired.

He didn't look shaken.

He looked colder than before.

And yet… I remembered the moment his sword came between me and death.

And the way his voice hadn't wavered once.