Chapter 23.
Alyssa's POV.
My heart thumping in my chest, I could hardly keep my eyes open as I stumbled over the jungle. Elias had been right at my side, guiding, shielding, but now he was gone. Everything had happened really quickly. We were exercising one minute, and the next the king's warriors were upon us, like cold, relentless shadows in the night.
Though Elias had battled valiantly, his power pulsed in the air like a storm, too many of them were present. I stared in horror as they overpowered him, then I started sprinting so hard my lungs burned. I persisted in calling his name, praying—that he would respond. All I heard, though, was the sound of heavy boots—the fighters after me. I could not stop, even when my legs shouted in opposition. I could not let them capture me.
