How The Warrior Fell (Falling Warriors series Book 1) by Nicole René Page B

turned his back on her then and returned to where Tristan and Tyronian were waiting for him, barking out orders as he walked by the rest of his men.
    Well. Alright, then.
    Leawyn sighed. Grabbing ahold of Deydrey’s reins, she silently led her horse to the front.

    This was a very, very bad idea, Leawyn thought to herself, staring down at the frozen water in apprehension.
    She had to stop and hold her breath frequently whenever the ice groaned under her weight.
    The men were all scattered about, each one of them doing the exact same thing Leawyn was. This lake was not nearly frozen enough for them to be walking on, and she couldn’t understand why Xavier would order them to attempt to cross it. Though, she knew by now there was no use trying to ask questions or change his mind.
    He was stubborn as a mule and didn’t listen to anyone.
    The ice gave another loud groan. Leawyn immediately stopped.
    “We should go back!”
    She couldn’t help but agree with whoever had called that out.
    “Keep moving and spread out more,” Xavier ordered. No one said anything more, and instead followed their chief’s orders.
    “Nice and steady, Deydrey. Attagirl,” Leawyn murmured soothingly to her restless mare.
    They all went at a slow pace, avoiding the areas that seemed weaker than the others. Some men were already across on stronger ice and waiting for them.
    Leawyn took a step forward slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground at all times. She stopped, her heart going to her throat as the ice groaned disapprovingly and a small break appeared.
    She stared down at the crack in mounting horror as it spread, the sound of the ice splitting loud in her ears.
    Oh, Goddess, no.
    She only had a second to scream out Xavier’s name before the ice under her feet collapsed and she plummeted into the deathly cold ice water.

X AVIER KNEW HIS men, brother, and cousin did not agree with his choice of crossing the ice, but it was the only way.
    He couldn’t risk the chance of the only safe road being ambushed. If it were just his men with him, he might have considered it, having faith in their fighting capabilities. But it wasn’t just him and his men. He had Leawyn to consider, and he refused to take the chance she would be caught in the crossfire and hurt.
    He would not risk her life.
    Though, even he had to admit the bird she shot out of the sky was impressive.
    But he’d never admit that to her face.
    Ever.
    They were almost across the frozen lake, most of his men already standing on the bank, waiting for the rest of them to cross safely. He was just about to exhale a sigh of relief when he heard it.
    A low groan followed by the sound of cracking ice and a sharp, shrill scream.
    Her  scream.
    “Xavier!”
    He whipped around just in time to see the ice collapse under his wife’s feet, plunging her into the icy depths below.
    Xavier didn’t even think as he ran towards her, watching as the ice cracked more. Deydrey fell into the water too; the mare gave a shrill cry of distress as she struggled to swim and jump back on the ice.
    Xavier skidded to a stop a few inches away from the gaping hole and searched frantically for Leawyn, barely noticing Tyronian did the same.
    “Leawyn!” Xavier shouted, plunging his arm into the icy water and searching for her, trying desperately to grab anything. He lifted his arm out of the water; the freezing temperature caused pain to shoot through his arm, which quickly became numb. He ignored it and plunged back into the water again.
    “I don’t see her!” Tyronian shouted, his eyes scanning the murky water, his expression grim. Tristan struggled to pull Deydrey up, but the panicked mare was so frantic on surviving she only dug herself deeper into the icy water.
    “Keep looking!” Xavier ordered, frantically continuing his search. He couldn’t lose her. He had to find her.
    He needed to save her.
    He could feel his heart constrict in horrible pain with the knowledge that Leawyn surviving was next to