Sorscha shakes her head, bewildered. "The way you fought, the way you destroyed those creatures?—”
“Jace has been training me since I arrived, teaching me to fight and how to unlock my magic so that I could bond Furi—Prophyria—my dragon.”
I glance around the room at the group of people I have come to care for these last few months. They stare back at me, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion.
“I never meant to deceive you.” I cast a sincere look at Sorscha, who sits stoic and removed across from me. “We needed to keep my identity secret, both for my safety and for all of yours. The king worried that if other kingdoms heard of my arrival, they would come for me. So he had me pose as your cousin and made me one of your ladies.”
“You’rethe last Blackblood witch?” Cece asks skeptically, as if she can’t believe I, of all people, would be chosen.
Bitch.
“I thought that much became clear when she exploded those hideous things into dust at the mere sound of her scream.” Kai stands behind a high-backed chair, leaning on his elbows. “That would explain why my charm never worked on you.”
“That has nothing to do with being a witch. I’m just idiot-proof.” I smile warmly at him, and he huffs a laugh, diffusing some of the tension.
“And you—” Cece assesses Zadyn, her green eyes distrusting. “You’re a shifter.”
“Zadyn arrived here with me. He’s my familiar,” I explain.
“It all makes sense now.” Sorscha's brows knit together.
“I promise I will answer any questions you have, but right now”—I glance between Jace and Zadyn—“I think we need to discuss what just happened.”
Dover exhales loudly. “What in hell were those things?”
“I’ve never seen anything like them,” Zadyn says. “We were walking through the maze when they appeared out of thin air and attacked.”
“I have no idea what they were.” Kai shakes his head, dumbfounded.
“I might,” Jace addresses the room. “A few months ago, there was an attack at the portal in Hyrax that ended in two Guardians killed.”
Kai straightens. “Something crossed over.”
Jace nods. “I’ve had my men scouring Hyrax, searching for whatever it was that came over to prevent it from crossing into Aegar, but we’ve had no luck. On top of that, there have been recent attacks on our own borders. The assaults have left a string of innocent fae dead, their bodies drained of blood. We can’t confirm that the two incidents are related, but it’s certainly a possibility.”
“This attack had to have been planned.” Zadyn leans against the settee near Cece. “Think about it. It was limited only to where we were, inside the maze. The rest of the grounds were untouched. Those creatures, whatever they were, knew where we would be. They were targeting us.”
“The party, the Hunt, it was all the perfect distraction,” I say.
“But to what end?” Marideth asks. “What do you think they wanted?”
“The most obvious guess is the princess, maybe even Kai,” Jace says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“But they didn’t seem focused on getting to me or Kai,” Sorscha points out. “They were just hell-bent on killing anything in their path.”
A knock at the door interrupts us. Jace opens it, taking a folded slip of paper from the steward and reading it silently.
“The king has requested my presence. I’m sure he’ll want a detailed account of tonight’s events.” He pauses, one hand on the doorknob, his face a mask of concern. “You should all try to get some rest. None of this will be solved tonight.”
He exits without another word. My eyes catch on Zadyn as he stands.
“He’s right,” he says, casting a glance around the room. “It’s late.”
“I couldn’t sleep if I tried,” Sorscha murmurs softly, moving to the window. “Not when Ilsa is still out there.”
Marideth moves to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “The king and his guards are out there now. They will find her.”
Something tells me they will. But the question is: in what state?
