Something tugged sharply at the back of Lenko's coat, Olga's hand, yanking him just as a sharp clang rang past his ear.
He stumbled backward, heart lurching to his throat. A lance, long, silver, and runed, had missed him by mere inches, the tip embedding itself into the cracked rail where his throat had been a heartbeat ago. He could still feel the air split from its passing, the faint hum of mana vibrating through the shaft.
He froze. Then he looked up.
The sixth princess stood behind him, her eyes sharp and burning. She didn't move, just glared past him, her gaze fixed on the darkness between the pillars.
Olga hissed through her teeth, as she pulled Lenko further back. "You blind idiot, watch your surroundings!" she snapped under her breath, keeping her aim steady.
Lenko swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his ears. "Did you see---"
"Oh, I saw."
