Soren’s grip lingered under my arm, keeping me steady while my eyes remained peeled open, staring at the distance as forces began coming into view, heading towards the heart of the castle.
“Where is the rest of your Dune’s clan?” I asked when I could not spot a single one of them anywhere.
He did not reply. Instead, observing the forces heading our way.
“Tell me, when your nephew or someone else in your clan is injured in this war, will you expect me to save them?” My heart tried to race, yet unnaturally remained slow. Sickeningmoisture coated my skin, almost as though I were ill. It was even an effort to speak.
Soren’s jaw clenched, yet he still did not respond.
Movement off to the side of where we stood caught my eye. A few balconies over, one without a railing, stood Malavika. She looked fierce, blond hair whipping all around her. A sword lay in her open palms, held before her. Her lips moved with no sound that I could hear, and her eyes were closed. It was as if she was saying a prayer.
“Why are you still on his side?” I turned to Soren, whose attention remained on the distant forces. “Answer me!” I tried to push him. The attempt was pathetic, barely more than a tap to his chest.
My head spun. I lost my footing.
Soren’s hand under my arm kept me from falling. Brown eyes finally met with mine, acknowledging me, lips set into a firm line. “I am on the side of survival. I must think of my people.”
“And you would serve a monster rather than try to stand against him?” Breath became harder to find. “I never realized you were such a coward.”
Off to the side, Malavika began moving. Her icy blue gaze focused on the world below, on the people rushing in our direction from down the roads. She primed her blade. A shimmering disfigurement stirred in the air before her, and she plunged her blade into it. The sword briefly disappeared. When she pulled back, buckets of blood came with the blade, nearly drenching her feet.
My heart sank.
In the distance, I saw people drop.
“No.” The word was a whisper lost in the wind.
I felt weak and helpless. Unable to do anything that mattered. I could only watch as the nightmare unfolded.
Malavika poised to strike again.
I tried to move, to get out of Soren’s hold, but could do little more than sway. Clause’s influence limited me physically too much to fight. Malavika plunged her blade into oblivion again. Pulling it back with more blood, dousing her and the balcony before it began dripping off from the side in red streams.
A strip of fabric clung to her blade. With a face of annoyed disgust, she angled the sword down, the fabric slipping off before she primed herself to go again.
Below, I did not see a single Dunes Clan warrior. Their conjuring primed them to fight in the front lines. So where were they?
“Soren, please, help me.” His withdrawn gaze turned to me once more. “You are a Bavadrin, so stand with us. If you are afraid to make the wrong choice for your people, then free them to decide for themselves.”
Behind him, Malavika plunged her weapon and pulled back again. That time, more than just blood covered her blade.
Yellow ribbons encased the blade, long streaks blowing violently in the wind. Surprise painted Malavika’s face, and she looked thrown at the sight. After a moment of observing the fabric, she grabbed the textile and began working on cutting her sword free.
Scanning the world below, I saw nothing that gave away what was going on, what the ribbon meant, or even where it came from.
Malavika finished ridding her blade of it and readied herself to strike again. Yet, the distortion before her grew, and when she went to plunge her blade into it, a hand came out of it first, grabbing her wrist. An arm followed that of the hand,accompanied by an entire body as Iver stepped through. He gripped Malavika’s sword arm, forcing it to the side. In his other hand, he held a blade of his own, one that he sent cleanly through her.
Her eyes widened in shock, a gasp leaving her as she met Iver’s gaze. The sword slipped from her hand and Iver leaned in, whispering something in her ear before stepping back through the shimmering distortion, forcing her to go with him, and the two of them disappeared.
A pulse of hope ran through me. Erik was right. They had a plan; they prepared for everything. With taking Malavika out of the picture so quickly, a new confidence spread through me. Though my heart rate remained restrained, my mind ran wild.
Below, smoke rose in various areas and it drew my eye, searching for Erik. Controlled flames burned through the city. Unnatural wind storms blew through the area. Birds behaved unnaturally, flying towards the chaos instead of away. Some of Clause’s guards ran through the streets, meeting with the fight of those heading in our direction. Sounds of grunts and blades rang through the air.
A movement to the side caught my attention as Iver reappeared. And he was not alone.
Kiora’s fierce hazel eyes met with mine, before they slid to Soren and she pulled her bow tight, aiming for him.
Iver winked in my direction and vanished once more.
