Tethered (The Avenlore Series) by Tasha Van Der Hyde Page A

he did the same. 
    I watched as Nikolas sliced and parried, the swords working as if they were extensions of his hands.  The Black Knight ran head long toward Nikolas and I feared for him as I realized the blow would do detrimental damage. 
    But I had underestimated him. 
    He knelt to one knee and slid in toward the scraggly, bearded man as he jumped toward Nikolas, swinging his ax, intending to connect with flesh and bone.  Spinning beneath the bearded man as he flew through the air above him, Nikolas buried the length of his sword just beneath the sternum…the weak point of their armor.  The body hit the ground with a dull thud and Nikolas withdrew his sword and drug his forearm across his face, wiping away the beads of sweat that dotted his head. 
    He looked back to me and I felt relief when I saw he was unharmed.  I quickly turned to Liam who was swinging his sword through the air and I realized he’d just deprived the body he was fighting of its head.  Another wave of relief washed over me.
    I searched the fighting for my father, but my eyes stalled as I spotted one of the Black Knights with his gaze trained on Liam.  He raised his arm and I saw he held the handle of a long, curved blade.  He was much too far away to swing it at Liam and make contact, but it turned out that was never his intention. 
    To my horror, the Black Knight brought his arm forward and with a flick of his wrist the blade was flying through the air.  I knew where its trajectory would take it.  The path it was on would end in Liam’s skull and he was completely oblivious, back turned and unaware.
    “NOOOOOOOO!”  I screamed, raising my hand and wishing I could stop the blade as it spun.
    And then…the blade halted as if frozen in mid-air as if it had heard my silent plea buried in my screams and had decided to comply.  I stared at it and my raised left hand, with a faintly glowing blue sun outlined against my skin.
    Did I just do that? No, not possible.
    Liam had turned at the sound of my scream and stared at the blade that hung in the air, inches from his face.  The Black Knight who’d thrown the blade stood staring in disbelief as well.
    Nikolas placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice was concerned and kind when he spoke.  “Princess.”  
    I let my arm fall and the blade followed suit as if they were connected, falling to the ground with a heavy thud.  Then, the world jumped into fast forward again. 
    The battle was still in full swing all around us and Liam turned toward Nikolas and me, eyes still wide in shock.  As more Black Knights trickled through the lines, he looked to me with a pained expression on his face .  Then he looked at Nikolas, his face full of resolve.  “Get her away from here!”  He shouted.
    The next thing I knew, Nikolas had haul ed me up onto a saddle and we were cutting through the night as fast as the steed could carry us.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 12
    I couldn’t tell you what direction we rode in, or how much time had passed.  I spent the ride in a nearly catatonic state, not speaking, movements passive.  Nikolas would occasionally take my face and gently turn it so that he could look into my eyes.  I wasn’t clear on what he was searching for there, and I was too numb to ask.  I was vaguely aware of the way my skin felt when he touched me, the tingling returned, feeling like hundreds of pleasant little sparks were dancing upon my skin. 
    I had an inkling he was checking make sure I hadn’t died of shock.  I hadn’t, but whether or not I still might was up in the air.
    The world seemed to swirl around me, an endless blur of faces passing by my eyes…my father’s, faces of the Knights of Castle Lux, the Black Knights, and the anguish on Liam’s face before he demanded that Nikolas get me to safety.
    Guilt clawed through me like a r abid dog trying to exorcise itself from my body.  Possible outcomes of the battle tortured my mind,