Amryn was in no state to use a weapon, but she still wished she’d brought the knife Carver had given her.
Carver. Her heart lurched. She prayed he wasn’t here. That he was safe—
A shrill scream sounded ahead of them.
Ivan stopped short, dragging Elowen against his chest. The crowd seethed around them, buffeting them now that they’d stopped. The change was jarring, since it had been getting easier to navigate the crowd as others had streamed toward the alley as well. But Amryn knew there was danger waiting for them in the alley. She could feel it. And as more screams rose, it became clear to everyone else.
People shoved in a mad scramble to get away from the alley.
“Blazing Saints,” Ford cursed, his grip on Amryn bruising. She latched onto his wrist, desperate to keep from being separated as people tore past them.
Ivan spun back to face them, Elowen sheltered by his broad body. “They are cutting off escape routes.”
“Is it the Rising?” Elowen asked, voice shaking with her fear.
“Probably,” Ford gritted out. “Though this is bold, even for them.”
Ivan scanned the rooftops, tracking the fired bolts. “They are shooting into the center of the square. We should stay on the edge. Find a shop and seek shelter—”
“Look out!” Elowen shouted.
The warning came too late.
Someone shoved into Ford and Amryn—hard. Ford lost hold of her, and she fell to her hands and knees on the cracked cobblestones. A boot ground against oneof her hands, and Amryn cried out. The attack hadn’t been deliberate, just a man running scared, but her hand radiated pain.
The emotional shield wavered once more. She fought to keep it from failing completely.
Eyes flashing up, she saw Ivan reach for her—only to have a man with a cloth tied around the lower half of his face slash out at Ivan’s hand with a gleaming blade.
Ivan jerked back. He shoved Elowen behind him, one hand on her waist as he fought against the attacker. In seconds, the seething crowd swallowed them from view.
Amryn scrambled to her feet, her trampled hand throbbing hotly. She spun, searching for Ford. The frantic press of the crowd made her stumble back, but through the chaos she spotted Ford. He was on the ground, grappling with a masked man. Their blades flashed in the sunlight.
Amryn’s stomach dropped. She pushed against the people streaming past her, fighting to reach Ford. She didn’t know how she could help, but she couldn’t just—
An elbow hit her side, knocking her into a man. He twisted sharply, and her stomach dropped. A mask was tied around his face. Dark eyes bored into hers.
Amryn stumbled back. Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs as the man stalked after her, a bloodied knife in his fist.
“Amryn!” Ford’s bellow was nearly drowned out by the shouts and screams bathing the square. “Run!”
She ran. Her lungs were caught in a vice and sweat coated her body as she darted through the crowd, weaving between other desperate people. Her own panic tasted sharper, her fear cutting through everything else she felt despite the bloodstone’s muting effect. She was trying to reach the edge of the crowd, because that’s where Ivan had said would be safest. She needed to find him and Elowen.
She broke through the tidal rush of people and nearly tripped over an overturned cart. Oranges and lemons were scattered on the ground. Her lungs burned, adrenaline making her body shake. But she’d made it. She was on the edge of the square. Every door she could see was closed. People were banging on them, pleading to be let inside.
There was no sign of Ivan or Elowen.
Somewhere, a man shouted, “The city guard is here!”
Hope pinged through Amryn.
A brutal grasp on her skirt jerked her back. She cried out as she slammed into a hard chest. Her flailing kick sent an orange skittering away.
A rough arm caged her. The stench of sweat invaded her lungs.
“Got you,” the man holding her sneered, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.
She fought wildly against his hold. Bucking. Thrashing. She didn’t care if she hurt him. Didn’t care if she felt the pain she inflicted. Desperation grated inside her, demanding she fight with everything she had. Her fingernails raked his arm, and he cursed. When his hold weakened, she finally broke free.
