I helped Adamantia to her feet.
“I told Sasha to take Percy with her to Petra,” she told me.
“My guard will protect them,” I promised.
I tried to feel Percy—tried to tug at our bond, feel what she felt. Nothing. It made me nauseous. But as much as my enchantments were beginning to fail, they were working now. That’s what I comforted myself with.
“You will protect them,” she said, standing on her own.
“Adamantia, now is not the time to fight. We must retreat. Summon the entirety of Ardens’ forces and take back the estate later. For now we must retreat.”
“We both took our first breaths within Ardens Estate. You were quickly whisked away to Borealis, but I have known only Ardens my entire life. This is my home. It will not be taken from me while I still live,” she insisted, pushing me away.
“We stand our ground and fight to the death. That is the Ardens way,” General Efstratios agreed, the head of Ardens Guard as he arrived standing with Adamantia. “They may take Ardens Estate, but it will be a Cadmean victory.”
“Violence begets violence,” Adamantia agreed. “Only a few will be left alive. They will not hold Ardens Estate for long.”
So she wished to take her last breath where she took her first.
“What of Sasha?” I asked.
She looked away from me.
“Sasha will understand.”
I couldn’t speak for Sasha, but I would never knowingly leave my Percy. I would follow her in death and not a moment before. I would never leave her willingly.
I nodded in acceptance of Adamantia’s decision, as chaos grew around us. If I was to leave and ensure that Percy and Sasha both escaped with their lives, then I had to leave immediately.
“No great Houses will be born of this battle,” I promised my aunt.
“You were always my favourite niece,” she said with a smile.
“I’m your only niece,” I replied.
She nodded and turned from me, running towards one of the many droves of combatants that entered through what was once the entrance to Ardens Estate—but was now a gaping mouth.
26. On the Chopping Board.
Persephone Flores
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I told her definitively.
“Don’t make this difficult. We’ve got to leave now, while we still have a chance,” Katrina whispered angrily.
“No,” I said, yanking hard on my arm to be released. “The only thing I have to do is find Selene.”
I was quickly losing my temper. The sound of gunshots rocketed through me, making me feel uneasy on my feet. My chest felt tighter. I felt like I was running out of time to find Selene—like something terrible was going to happen.
“Let the girl go,” Daniel, the chef, commanded, and Katrina dragged me behind her.
I turned to see him stood there, green eyes glowing in the dim light and a cleaver in his left hand.
“What are you doing here, Daniel? Why aren’t you evacuating with everyone else?” Katrina demanded.
Daniel sneered. “Just hand over the girl, Katrina, and be on your way,” he replied.
“That’s not an answer,” she stated, widening her stance, her grip on my arm tightening.
