"Hold on tight!" Alex screamed and slapped the mare's hindquarters, sending her off at a gallop.

He hoped William would stay in the saddle, then spurred Tempest's flanks and charged out of the clearing. Two more arrows skimmed past his head and lodged in the ground behind him.

"Shit!"

Tempest dug in and swiftly caught up with William's mare. Alex grabbed the reins. "Are you hurt?"

William's face was ashen, his eyes wide and vacant as if he'd just lived through his worst nightmare. By the spirits, was he even breathing?

Alex took hold of his jaw and turned his face toward him; at that contact, a shiver of magic ran across their skin. William jolted and drew a breath.

"You all right?" asked the prince.

The mage brought a hand to his chest and took a few more deep breaths. He looked less pale now. "Yes, I think so."

"Good." Alex turned Tempest. "Ride on to the castle. I'll deal with them."

Once he drew the attackers out of the woods, killing them would be child's play.

"Are you insane? You're alone!"

"Don't think I'm some useless prince. I'm pretty good with a sword."

"They have arrows."

"I can hold them off."

"And how? You don't seem to have a bow with you!"

Alex twisted his lips. For a bookworm, the mage knew far too much about military matters. "I'll improvise."

William's frown deepened. "You really are irresponsible!"

He slid off his mare, stumbled on the stirrup, and nearly fell on his ass. An arrow lodged several arm-lengths from them, and the mage flinched.

Alex frowned. "They don't have enough range to hit us."

"That's good, because I do."

William pulled the grimoire from the packs tied to the saddle, and the air around them shifted. The same tingling Alex felt whenever he touched him crackled in the air, raising the hairs on his arms.

The mage lifted a hand, and a magic circle appeared above his fingers. An unnatural wind rose in a violent surge. Gusts slammed into the grove, whipping the tree branches.

Alex's heart pounded in his chest. Magic. Pure, simple elemental magic. It was the first time he'd seen William at work, and he didn't know whether to be fascinated or frightened.

The wind swelled like a wave, twisting and whirling violently. Shouts cut through the silence, and a chill of fear ran down Alex's spine.

"Your Highness, be ready."

Alex snapped out of it. He dismounted and drew his sword.

William moved his fingers as if playing a harp, and the green of his irises grew more intense. The wind lifted two men into the air and dropped them down before Alex.

They were the ones who had eyed them at the inn. One was dead, an arrow in his chest; the other stared in terror, fingers tight around his bow.

Alex wrenched it from his hand and pressed the blade to his throat. "Who do you work for?"

"N-none."

"So you try to kill people for fun?"

"You looked rich." The man shot a terrified glance at William. "We thought… You were two m-merchants."

Alex frowned. Did he really not know who stood before him?

"I could decapitate you right here for attacking the Crown Prince… and feed your body to the boars. But if you tell me who paid you, I might be content to throw you in prison."

The man paled, a trickle of sweat running down his forehead. "The… C-crown prince…"

Alex pressed the blade to his neck. "Well?"

"I-it was a well-dressed man, he said—"

A dart plunged into his throat. The man gurgled, spat blood, and collapsed to the ground, eyes wide.

That was not supposed to happen. Alex had thought they were out of range. He was wrong.

"Shit!"

Alex sheathed his sword, grabbed William by an arm, and dragged him toward Tempest. "Get on!"

"But that's your horse!"

"We're under fire! Do it, damn you!"

The mage shot him a sharp look, but his protest was swallowed by the whistle of another arrow. Alex shoved William behind himself, and the arrow grazed his forearm. A burning sensation flared where the skin had split.

"William, will you fucking get on?"

The mage's eyes were wide, his face paler than usual. But this time he obeyed silently.

Alex hauled himself up behind him, tied the mare's reins to the saddle, and kicked Tempest's flanks. The horse bolted toward the castle as another arrow buried itself in the ground behind them.