The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) by Charity Santiago Page A
Authors: Charity Santiago
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a
while, at least.
She skidded down an incline and hopped over a giant
boulder, making a hasty leap sideways as an ice spell nipped at her left leg.
Whoever this was wasn't intent on taking prisoners; they were seriously trying
to injure her. It couldn't be anyone from FLD…could it?
The airship came into view as they turned around a
craggy bluff, its running lights providing a perfect circle of illumination in
the darkness, and Ashlyn ran for it, mind racing. If they boarded the ship to
get Suki, they would be trapped. As far as she knew, Kou didn't have any
stanes, and fighting a stane-armed enemy with a sword alone was next to
impossible.
She slid to a stop at where the exit ramp was supposed
to open, and groaned. It was shut, of course, because it wasn't like
Aaron wanted any old fiend to wander in uninvited. She stared up at the deck
for a split second longer than she could afford, contemplating the distance,
noting the jutting cliff next to the airship and its approximate height in
relation to the deck.
"I can hear their footsteps," Kou hissed
from behind her.
So could Ashlyn. She spun on her heel, yanking the
hammered steel shuriken from her back as she did so. With careful precision and
hair-splitting accuracy, she hurled the weapon in an even arc, the flashing
shuriken curving off to her right before disappearing into the darkness.
There was a muffled cry, the clear ting of
something metal hitting the ground, and then the shuriken came flying back to
Ashlyn, from the left side this time. She leapt up to catch it expertly,
hitting the ground and striking battle stance in one fluid motion.
"That should buy us some time," she said,
hardly noting Kou's expression of admiration as she re-secured the shuriken
onto her back. "You stay out here and hold them off. I'm going to get my
horse."
She turned to face the airship again, stepping back a
few feet. Drawing a deep breath, she started running straight towards the hull-
and sprang up, hooking her hands over a jutting panel and executing a neat flip
up onto the deck.
There was no time to catch her breath. Ashlyn stood,
feeling a little light-headed from the aerial somersault, and ran to the hatch.
She didn't waste time with the stairs inside, instead vaulting off the balcony
to the deck below and making a mad dash for the stable.
"Hey Suki," she said, unlatching the stall
door. She didn't dare take the extra minutes to put on a saddle, but she
grabbed the bridle off a hook and slipped it over the sleepy mare's head,
hoping desperately that Kou could ride bareback decently enough not to drag her
off during their escape.
Suki nickered tiredly as she followed Ashlyn up the
ramp to the hatch. When they stepped out into the cold night air, however, the
chestnut mare perked up immediately, her hooves clicking rhythmically on the
deck as she pranced in place. Ashlyn hooked her saddlebags over her arm,
already regretting the absence of an actual saddle, and grabbed onto a handful
of mane. After the leap she'd just made onto the airship's deck, hopping onto
Suki's back was a piece of cake.
She offered a brief prayer to the heavens for their safety,
fisting her hands in the flaxen mane as she urged Suki towards the edge of the
deck.
True to form, the little mare did not hesitate,
muscles bunching as she leaped over the railing. It wasn't a difficult fall for
a horse of her caliber, but when her hooves touched the rocky surface of the
cliff beside the airship, they slid, and the horse skidded to one side and then
the other as they descended the cliff‘s steep face, fighting to keep her
balance as Ashlyn clung for dear life.
Finally, at the bottom of the cliff, Suki managed to
gain her footing and halted unsteadily, chest heaving. Ashlyn glanced at Kou,
who was standing just beyond the edge of the circle of light, sword at the
ready. "Kou! Come on!" she yelled, motioning him over with her hand-
as if her words weren't obvious enough.
He stared wide-eyed at her-
while, at least.
She skidded down an incline and hopped over a giant
boulder, making a hasty leap sideways as an ice spell nipped at her left leg.
Whoever this was wasn't intent on taking prisoners; they were seriously trying
to injure her. It couldn't be anyone from FLD…could it?
The airship came into view as they turned around a
craggy bluff, its running lights providing a perfect circle of illumination in
the darkness, and Ashlyn ran for it, mind racing. If they boarded the ship to
get Suki, they would be trapped. As far as she knew, Kou didn't have any
stanes, and fighting a stane-armed enemy with a sword alone was next to
impossible.
She slid to a stop at where the exit ramp was supposed
to open, and groaned. It was shut, of course, because it wasn't like
Aaron wanted any old fiend to wander in uninvited. She stared up at the deck
for a split second longer than she could afford, contemplating the distance,
noting the jutting cliff next to the airship and its approximate height in
relation to the deck.
"I can hear their footsteps," Kou hissed
from behind her.
So could Ashlyn. She spun on her heel, yanking the
hammered steel shuriken from her back as she did so. With careful precision and
hair-splitting accuracy, she hurled the weapon in an even arc, the flashing
shuriken curving off to her right before disappearing into the darkness.
There was a muffled cry, the clear ting of
something metal hitting the ground, and then the shuriken came flying back to
Ashlyn, from the left side this time. She leapt up to catch it expertly,
hitting the ground and striking battle stance in one fluid motion.
"That should buy us some time," she said,
hardly noting Kou's expression of admiration as she re-secured the shuriken
onto her back. "You stay out here and hold them off. I'm going to get my
horse."
She turned to face the airship again, stepping back a
few feet. Drawing a deep breath, she started running straight towards the hull-
and sprang up, hooking her hands over a jutting panel and executing a neat flip
up onto the deck.
There was no time to catch her breath. Ashlyn stood,
feeling a little light-headed from the aerial somersault, and ran to the hatch.
She didn't waste time with the stairs inside, instead vaulting off the balcony
to the deck below and making a mad dash for the stable.
"Hey Suki," she said, unlatching the stall
door. She didn't dare take the extra minutes to put on a saddle, but she
grabbed the bridle off a hook and slipped it over the sleepy mare's head,
hoping desperately that Kou could ride bareback decently enough not to drag her
off during their escape.
Suki nickered tiredly as she followed Ashlyn up the
ramp to the hatch. When they stepped out into the cold night air, however, the
chestnut mare perked up immediately, her hooves clicking rhythmically on the
deck as she pranced in place. Ashlyn hooked her saddlebags over her arm,
already regretting the absence of an actual saddle, and grabbed onto a handful
of mane. After the leap she'd just made onto the airship's deck, hopping onto
Suki's back was a piece of cake.
She offered a brief prayer to the heavens for their safety,
fisting her hands in the flaxen mane as she urged Suki towards the edge of the
deck.
True to form, the little mare did not hesitate,
muscles bunching as she leaped over the railing. It wasn't a difficult fall for
a horse of her caliber, but when her hooves touched the rocky surface of the
cliff beside the airship, they slid, and the horse skidded to one side and then
the other as they descended the cliff‘s steep face, fighting to keep her
balance as Ashlyn clung for dear life.
Finally, at the bottom of the cliff, Suki managed to
gain her footing and halted unsteadily, chest heaving. Ashlyn glanced at Kou,
who was standing just beyond the edge of the circle of light, sword at the
ready. "Kou! Come on!" she yelled, motioning him over with her hand-
as if her words weren't obvious enough.
He stared wide-eyed at her-
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