He whirls as the creature lifts his discarded sword above its head. The trajectory threatens to slice Jace clean down the middle. There is no time for him to move.
The blade swings downward.
And the scream that erupts from me is earth-shattering.
The ground rumbles beneath my feet as a massive gust of wind bursts from a place lodged deep in my chest. It flattens the nearby hedges and blasts apart the fountain. It explodes,raining heavy chunks of marble down on us. Water sprays everywhere, coating the pebbled ground. I stand like a goddess of chaos and destruction as I unleash my anguish on the world.
Only after the calm has settled and my vocal cords have given out from roaring Jace’s name, do I open my eyes.
I blink a few times, adjusting to the vibrant colors that skate across my vision. My sight is sharper, picking up on beautiful hues I didn’t even know existed.
My friends are huddled together on the ground, Kai and Dover using their bodies to shield the ladies beneath them. Peaceful silence surrounds us as they slowly rise.
I cansmellthem—their scents. Each and every one distinct.
I scan for the creatures, but they have vanished without a trace. There are no bodies.
Iobliteratedthem. And I don’t even know how.
Jace sinks to his knees, his eyes level with mine. I grasp his shoulders as blood trickles from my nose.
Black blood.
“She’s a banshee,” Cece breathes from across the way, dumbfounded.
“She’s a witch.” Kai stares at me reverently.
“The glamour,” Jace whispers, clutching my arms tightly. “You shattered the glamour.”
I don’t have time to worry about it before I spot Kylian standing at the opening of one of the tunnels, staring directly at me, his expression intrigued. I quickly turn my face away as King Derek’s command rings out.
“Guards! This way!” His voice booms as he stalks past a wide-eyed Kylian into the dilapidated mess. He spots Sorscha trembling violently in Marideth and Cece’s arms and rushes toward her, nearly crushing her in his embrace.
“Are you hurt?” he asks hurriedly, looking the princess over. She shakes her head, speech evading her.
Kylian stands stone-faced, taking in the blown-out hedges and the shattered fountain. Behind him, a handful of Kingsguard rushes in. Zadyn shifts back into fae form and bounds toward us. Kylian clocks his every move.
“Take them back to the castle. Do not leave them,” King Derek orders a few of the guards. “I want the watches doubled until further notice.”
They quickly hustle the princess and the rest of her ladies toward the exit. I mark their shocked faces, staring at me over their shoulders as they are escorted back toward the castle. Dover and Mar clasp each other’s hands tightly as they disappear.
Before Kai can follow, Kylian grabs him roughly around the arm and bites out, “What happened here?”
Kai wrenches his arm away, but it’s Jace who answers, breath coming hard.
“We were attacked. They came out of nowhere. It was an ambush.” Jace slowly gets to his feet and reaches down to help me up. I notice the gaping wound on his arm. I brace my hands over the gash.
“You’re not healing,” I breathe. He nods, swallowing.
“Our bodies are depleted. I’ll have Gnorr look at it later,” he assures me, eyes drifting suspiciously toward Kylian.
“We heard the screams.” King Derek walks toward us tensely. “Are you alright?”
We nod, still numb. Derek does a double take when he looks at me, his eyes widening at my appearance. I have no idea how different I look with the shattered glamour. I detect a hint of sharp caution in his expression as Kylian approaches. Picking up on it, Jace pulls me against him quickly, pressing my head into his shoulder.
“Cry,” he whispers into my ear as Kylian stops before us.
He’s trying to hide my face, I realize.
