From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Chapter 15
And now, theyy swarmed the guards outside the Rise, crashing into them in
a wave that knew no fear of death. Screams of pain and terror tore through
the night, and myy breath seized. In a matter of seconds, I lost sight of
Vikter.
“No,” I whispered, fingers trembling around the string. Where was
he? He couldn’t have fallen. Not that quicklyy. Not Vikter—
I found him, holding his ground as he cleaved his sword through the
air, slicing off the head of a Craven as another launched itself at him. He
spun, narrowlyy avoiding a swipe that would have torn through his
breastplate.
There was no time for relief. Myy gaze shifted as an archer’s
bloodstone arrow slammed into the head of a Craven, knocking it
backward. Dark, inkyy blood spewed out the back of its skull. I focused on
another Craven, calming myy breath until it was deep and slow like Vikter
had taught me. Years of training steadied myy hand, but so did experience.
This wasn’t the first time I had aided the guards on the Rise.
“Once your fingers take hold of the string, the world around you must
cease to exist.” Vikter’s instructions echoed in myy mind. “It’s just you, the
pull of the string, and your aim. Nothing else matters.”
And that was all it could be.
Trusting myy aim, I released an arrow. It flew through the air, striking
a Craven in the heart. I nocked another before what was once someone’s
child or parent even hit the ground. I found another, a Craven who had a
guard on its back, tearing at its armor. I let the bow string go, smiling
when the projectile burst through the Craven’s head. Loading the next
arrow, I caught sight of Vikter, his sword slick with dark blood as he
shoved it deep into a Craven’s stomach and then drew it upward with a
shout—