I sigh in relief, then I unbar the bedroom and open the door. There are no guards right outside, which explains why nobody came despite all the commotion. I point to the end of thecorridor, and we walk at a steady pace. Azur has pushed his hat and hair down, so that the tips of his ears are hidden.
We pass the two guards at the end of the hallway. One of them glances at us, opens his mouth, then closes it and turns his gaze away, likely having decided to mind his own business.
I feel more confident about our odds of escaping this castle, even if I’m still worried about Astra.
We get to the stables without issue, and the caretaker pays us no mind. Azur ties Astra over a horse, then mounts it, while I mount another. But when we cross the castle gates, I hear a bell, then a yell.
“Thieves, thieves! They stole two horses.”
Well, it’s true thatthe horsesare not wearing capes. Gallops sound behind us, and I fear they might close the distance at any minute. We’re on a minor road leading west, surrounded by woods, and I approach Azur. “We need to stop, dismount, and let the horses go.”
He nods, stops, I help him untie Astra, and we step away from the road, toward the forest, from where we hear guards galloping by.
“How long walking until we reach the River of Tears?” Azur whispers.
“Two, three hours.”
“Let’s get going then.” He then adds, “She’s still breathing.”
Indeed her skin looks healthy and full of color, so there’s no doubt that she’s alive. The question is if she needs more healing, and if we’ll cross the river in time to save her.
MARLAK
Idon’t want to die, don’t want my sister, my brother, Lidiane, Ferer, Tarlia, or even Nelsin to die, and yet I can’t come up with a solution. Can’t think of a way to save us. Perhaps if we resist long enough, if we can stand until sunrise, we’ll make it, but it’s so far away. Almost impossible.
I bang my pan on more ghouls. There’s nothing to plan, nothing to think, just keep fighting.
From the corner of my eye, I see Nelsin falling. We’re being overwhelmed.
A screech sounds behind me, and I decide I’m hearing things. Someone pushes me down—Lidiane. Right as I fall to the ground, a gigantic black bird jumps over us, its beak open, hitting the ghouls. Not its beak, her beak. It’s Mirella.
Thanks to her, Nelsin gets up, and I have time to breathe, but there are still too many foes. Way to many, advancing on my sister, aiming for her fragile legs. I jump beside her and hit as many ghouls as I can, even if I know it isn’t enough. If she had room to fly, she could maneuver and hit them, but as it is, she’s cornered like us.
A horn blasts outside, and I wonder if the ghouls are celebrating their victory already, wonder if it’s the Witch King himself announcing his presence.
My blood chills, even if I still focus on hitting those horrible foes, even if I still try to survive for one minute more, despite whatever horrors might be coming.
I can’t die. Can’t leave Astra. But most important of all, I can’t even let grief overpower me, or I’ll miss my hits. I can’t even close my eyes and catch a breath, can’t even check if my friends or my brother are all right. My heart is shattering, and yet I need to keep fighting with a hollow chest.
A ghoul jumps on me, and when I try to hit it, it shudders and falls. All around me, I see ghouls trembling, and many ofthem falling. So many of them hit the ground that I can see the windows again. Outside, tall fae point tridents at the ghouls.
The Sea Court is here, except that I don’t know if they came to help or hurt us. I notice then that they have some kind of breathing equipment and that their tridents send a bluish energy that hits the ghouls and makes them fall. I’m not sure if I can say that the creatures are killed, but at least they don’t get up.
I take a deep breath and look around. All my friends are standing, even if Renel and Nelsin are bleeding. I turn and face again the Sea Court, still holding onto the pan, even if it looks ridiculous.
Mirella screeches, but she hasn’t yet attacked the sea fae as we wait.
“We’re here in peace,” a man with a deep voice says as he walks in through the door. “You needed help, right?” His chest is covered in silver scales, his skin is dark, and his hair is black and silver. He wears a tube connecting his mouth and nose to something on his waist. “I’m Sonrad, King of the Sea Court.”
The king. I exhale. Azur said he helped him. Not only that, he’s Lidiane and Ferer’s father. He says, “We cleared the ghouls, but he could create more of them, so my guards will stay here until morning. He was flying on a dark unicorn.”
My insides freeze. Is that why Cherry Cake was so sad? Did he know he would be pulled into the Witch King’s thrall? I can’t believe it.
The king walks to Ferer and Lidiane, and kneels. “I’m here to serve you, and to try to make up for… all that happened.”
“Azur told me,” Lidiane says.
“So you know?” the king asks.
