The troll was all over green, from her bright green skin to the ends of her dark green braids. She wore soft tan leather pants and a loose shirt, sturdy boots and had a travel sack thrown over her shoulder.

  And she was furious.

  “Ignore those idiots,” She marched straight up to the rabbit family. “I’ll get you settled and good to go in no time.”

  The crown prince's carriage continued on, but Sir Bay pulled his horses up short and turned on the troll. He wasn't one to take insults, and for the barest moment I thought he was going to attack her for the audacity.

  Before that happened, I nudged my horse into motion, pulling up beside the knight and saying with my best noble voice, “Is rabble more important than your prince’s safety? We are falling behind.”

  Lish followed close behind me, her chin high, and it was enough. Sir Bay shot the troll one final glare and then hurried to overtake me and return to his place guarding the back of the carriage.

  The last thing I saw before we all turned the corner was the troll successfully righting the rabbitfolk's carriage.

  Now I only hoped the troll would stay with the family long enough for us to outdistance her on the road. I was worried enough that I kept glancing behind me to make sure there was no one following us... and didn’t see the arrow until it struck the Crown Prince’s carriage.

  By then it was too late.

  “My lady! Get down!” Lishinia yelled, already moving her horse up beside mine and dismounting between the animals. Instead of listening like I should have, I activated [Observe].

  I barely had time to activate the skill, and didn't bother reading it - the knowledge was already attacking my senses.

  Lish didn't give me long to look around before physically pulling me off my horse, dragging me out of danger from a thrown knife.

  A knife that I'd had every intention of dodging, but that's fine.

  “[Shield]!” Lishinia cast, her arm raised above us so the magical barrier formed overhead and stopped a well aimed arrow into our hiding place. The nine attackers had shifted position.

  We were surrounded.

  “Surrender the Crown Prince and you will be allowed to live!” An older voice cut into the din. Standing on a raised ledge just off the road was an elf wearing all black attire and holding a wizard’s staff. He pointed the staff to the sky and suddenly lightning rained down on our entire caravan.

  That was more than our mounts were willing to tolerate. Arrows and fighting were one thing, lightning was another entirely. The horses panicked. Sir Bay's reared, throwing him to the ground.

  Everything happened all at once.

  One of the royal attendants was simply carried off down the road, clutching to his horses back. The second had jumped down and was in the middle of drawing his decorative blade from its jewel encrusted sheath when a rope of vines lashed out of the foliage and wrapped around him, dragging him to the ground... just in time for another escaping horses to run over him. If asked, I would swear that it was Sir Bay's horse - I would be lying, but that wasn't the point.

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  The third attendant was still in the carriage with his highness... the same carriage that had been struck with multiple bolts of lightning and was presently afire. The flames spread through the ropes and window curtains faster than the fortified wooden frame. The front seat was splintered in half from the lightning, and the horse that had been pulling the carriage had bolted with the other half of the seat in tow. One door hung partially off its hinges.

  "Your Highness!" Sir Bay tried to get to the carriage, but was stopped by two assailants with short swords.

  “Move!” I pushed Lish to the side as fast as I could after [Observe] tracked a blast heading our way. It flew straight at the carriage, sending it rolling over where we'd just been huddled.

  We were obviously not the prime target, and managed to get ten feet away before an arrow landed at my feet, cutting us off.

  Only the one arrow landed; it seemed like they didn't want to unalive us, but they weren't going to let us run off either.

  At that point, I did the only thing I could think of.

  I gasped loudly, and pretended to faint.

  “My Lady!” Lish expertly caught me mid-fall, and lowered me to the ground.

  [Camouflage]

  Using [Silent Cast], I activated an ability that I could've used to escape... if I were alone. Since Lish was here, I decided to use the skill to hide my actions instead.

  I pulled out my grandfather's bow and awkwardly strung it while still lying on the ground. Thank you improved Strength and Dexterity.

  “Crown Prince! You're surrounded. Face your end like a real elf or be forced to perish in the flames!” The lightning mage raised his staff and three archers popped up over the rise, aiming directly at the carriage door.

  "You'll have to get through me first!" Sir Bay, who'd finally managed to defeat his opponents, ran in front of the overturned carriage. He summoned an impressive shield that deflected all three arrows and a lightning strike. It even redirected the magic back towards the ridge, taking out one of the three archers.

  "Get him, Sheila!" The mage yelled, and a short half-elf wielding a broadsword as long as she was tall jumped out of the bushes. Sir Bay scoffed and lashed out with his own blade.

  He wasn't expecting the girl to have a [Knockback] ability that sent him flying into the forest. She chased him into the foliage.

  "Archers!" The mage shouted, and the two remaining archers loosed another volley, and two more from the surrounding trees also attacked. With three defeated, the mage, the half-elf fighter, and the four archers, that made nine.

  The unknown watcher had somehow slipped my senses during the combat, and I couldn't tell where they'd gone.

  "Stop fighting! I surrender--" Surprisingly, the broken carriage door swung open and a head popped out of the upside down vehicle - then promptly pulled back in and slammed the door when a flaming arrow landed where his face had been.

  From inside, I heard a muffled, “Useless. Get out there!”

  Ah, I should have known the prince wouldn't have willingly exited the carriage. The now broken and on fire door opened a second time, and the third royal attendant stumbled out onto the road... Lord Bartle? I couldn't remember his name. Anyway, he was wearing the prince's clothes and crown, and had activated a [Disguise] to make him look like Deryl.

  My Perception far surpassed his level.

  "Lish," I whispered, "Ready to protect the prince..."

  Whatever his name was, the fake prince was crying and had his hands up. “It’s me, Crown Prince Deryl! Y-y-you fiends won’t g-g-get away–”

  “Enough.” A smaller lightning bolt struck at his feet and the fake prince screamed in fear. The mage snarled, "If you wont come out, I'll just destroy your carriage!"

  The on-fire wreckage that was the carriage wasn't going to take another hit, and the crown prince must have seen that. He flung open the door to the other side of the carriage and rolled out onto the road cursing and cussing and angry. Just in time, as a part of the floor collapsed from the flames and lighting the inside also on fire.

  “Found you!”

  “Now!” I ordered.

  Lish brought up her shield as I leapt to my feet, bow in hand.

  Also I edited this chapter for FIVE HOURS... which means it's going to be illegible. Once I've reread the same thing eight times the meaning becomes meaningless and the edits start overlapping and my mind can't see the details anymore. Forgive me!