Jayveh shook her head slightly. “I don’t know. Something about him seems—”
“Jayveh!” Sadia called out. “Amryn!”
They both looked to their left, where Sadia and Samuel had just emerged from one of the many corridors that led to this central hub in the palace. Sadia’s arm was still in a sling, but her smile was undimmed. Samuel followed his wife closely as she led the way toward them, caution living inside him. Amryn wasn’t sure he fully believed the emperor’s unexpected pardon yet. Something like that would take time.
After a quick exchange of greetings, Jayveh said, “Sadia, I actually wanted to ask you something. You too, Amryn, since you’re staying a while longer.” She sent them both a tentative look. “You know the emperor asked me to assist Hector and Chancellor Morav in planning the ball, but I was hoping you’d both agree to help me.”
“Of course,” Sadia said at once.
Amryn merely nodded. She didn’t think she’d have many opinions about the ball’s details, but she’d do anything to support her friend.
Relief rippled through Jayveh. “Thank you. I really didn’t want to attend those meetings alone, and—”
“Get down!”Ivan roared.
Panicked cries broke out. One of Jayveh’s guards shoved the princess to the ground, just as a sharp pain seared into Amryn’s arm. Ford slammed into her, tackling her from behind. The tiled floor flew at her face, and she reared back on instinct.
The back of her head slammed into Ford’s chin. He grunted as they both landed on the floor. Her cheek hit the stone hard, and agony burst across her face. Ford’s weight crushed her, making it difficult to breathe. Screams shredded the air, ringing off the stone walls that framed the courtyard. Chaos reigned as footsteps pounded and bodies hit the floor. Terror and alarm snarled inside Amryn, choking her.
“Don’t move,” Ford snapped.
She couldn’t even if she wanted to. He was pinning her completely. “Can’t—breathe,” she gasped.
He resettled his weight, but remained on top of her.
Amryn peered around his rigid arm. Jayveh’s guards surrounded her, making it impossible to see if her friend was all right. Samuel had Sadia pinned as well.
Ivan crashed to his knees beside them, one hand braced on the floor near Amryn’s head. “The shooter was on the roof behind you,” he said to Ford. He spoke quickly, his heavy accent clipping each word. “He was aiming at Jayveh. He looked to be wearing a palace guard uniform.”
Ford’s fury was only thinly veiled as he growled, “If you saw him, go after him!”
“I do not know the palace layout as you probably do,” Ivan snapped. “I will stay with her.”
Ford’s internal debate didn’t last long, but the intensity of his emotions were brutal enough to make Amryn wince. He cursed. “Guard her with your life,” he bit out. Then he was gone, tearing after the attacker and shouting for the rallying guards to follow him.
Ivan grasped Amryn’s shoulders and rolled her onto her back. Hunched over her, his eyes burned.
Her arm was burning, too. She glanced down at it, and her stomach rolled when she saw a smear of bright crimson on the upper sleeve of her dress.
Ivan’s hand curled over the wound, and Amryn stiffened at his pressured hold. “It is a graze,” he said curtly. “You will be fine.”
It didn’t feel fine, but she knew Ivan’s assessment was right. It was only a flesh wound. She tried to sit up, but Ivan used his free hand to pin her good shoulder against the floor.
“Stay,” he ordered.
Amryn gritted her teeth. “I need to see if Jayveh’s all right.”
“She is fine. Her guards tackled her, leaving you vulnerable.” Ivan remained crouched over her. He was shielding her, she realized. Just as Ford had done with his body, too. “They should have covered you as well,” he added, his tone dark. “Instead, you became the target when they pushed her down. You took the bolt meant for her.”
Amryn shivered. If Ivan hadn’t spotted the shooter, the dart that had only wounded her might have been a fatal hit for Jayveh.
The bloodstone pulsed.I could have helped you, it seemed to say.If you embraced using me, I could have helped you identify the threat.
Amryn closed her eyes, breathing hard through her nose. Was she imagining those words? Or was the bloodstone’s voice in her head once more, just more subtly than before?
Ivan misunderstood the tension in her expression. He attempted to make his hard voice soothing as he said, “You will be all right,il mishka.”
She still didn’t know what those words meant, but they were familiar, and that made them comforting in this moment.
