“I said—”
Magic crackled through the air. Vi could almost hear on the wind the blessedly beautiful words ofloft dorhleaving Taavin’s lips. There was a spark of light, and the eagle seized mid-air.
Vi turned back to Charlie. Fallor may have tried to throw a wrench in their plans, but those plans could still be salvaged. They just had to move very quickly and stay out of sight.
“Get up or—” The pirate never had a chance to finish his sentence.
“Juth calt,” Vi snarled, going right for the heart.
Charlie seized, wide-eyed. He crumpled on the spot, just as Jayme had, blood dripping from his lips. She had vowed to Fallor that she would see Adela’s brood suffer. But Vi found herself beyond caring. There wasn’t time to exercise the dark art of vengeance.
The world was ending and all that truly mattered were results.
The screech of a bird drew her attention. A nightwisp—half the size of the eagle—shot through the sky like a black arrow. Vi watched as it twisted mid-air, wicked sharp talons leading the charge. Before the eagle could fall from the sky, the nightwisp had dug its claws into it, using momentum to pin the eagle against the cliff wall.
Vi turned away from Charlie’s body, keeping herself crouched and praying the men on the boat hadn’t seen their comrade fall. Down the path was Taavin, shifting his stance and readying more words.
“Taavin,” Vi called as loud as she dared—hoping the wind and crash of waves masked whatever of her voice would carry. Taavin looked up to her. “They have imprinted tokens to talk to Adela. If the ship sees a struggle, they’ll have my father murdered!”
His eyes widened, no doubt putting together all Vi had in an instant: they had to move fast and with certainty.
With a pulse of magic, Arwin replaced the bird, landing on the path and sliding back slightly. The dazed eagle shook its head, slowly regaining its footing. When its eyes focused, they were trained on the spear Arwin was pointing at its neck.
“Loft dorh hoolo.” Vi thrust her hand at Fallor right as he was about to take flight. Her glyph surrounded him, stalling him in place.
Even withhoolo, she could feel him wriggling and writhing against her magic. He struggled to break free of her tethers and Vi realized she didn’t know how long she could hold him. Sweat beaded on her brow.
“You’re not leaving.” Arwin ruthlessly stabbed her spear through the bird’s wing. “Free him of your magic.”
Vi did as Arwin bid. This was her kill, her moment of revenge. They didn’t have much time, but they had time enough for this.
Fallor rippled in and out of existence. When he reappeared, his clothes were torn, blood pouring from deep slashes in his chest that Arwin’s talons had made. His arm was pinned to the path, blood pooling around Arwin’s spear.
“Arwie, let’s not—”
“Don’t,” she snarled. Vi would’ve snarled too if a man like Fallor had tried to give her a nickname likeArwie. “If you have any scrap of honor, any trace of the man I loved, you will stay in place and let me gut you from naval to nose.”
“Because you love me, don’t gut me,” he pleaded hastily, holding up a hand. “I-I never wanted to hurt you.”
Arwin slowly tilted her head to the side as Fallor spoke. Vi couldn’t see her expression, but she could see Taavin’s reaction to it. And that was enough for Vi to know it was every bit as venomous as her tone.
“You had a poor way of showing it.”
“Let me fix it. I can fix this,” Fallor continued hastily. “Who would you rather leave here with—me, or the Voice and a foreigner? Adela will pay anything for them. She’ll be indebted to the Twilight Kingdom. She’s a worthy ally to have on your side against the Faithful. With her ships, you could even stand up against the Swords’ armada. Start with the seas, then attack Risen.”
Arwin went very still.
“Arwin…” Taavin started cautiously. There must have been something on her face, if only for a moment, that made him uncertain. But his expression changed in the next instant, as the woman herself no doubt swung on a pendulum of emotions.
Vi watched as Arwin ripped the spear from Fallor’s arm and, in one deft motion, gouged his throat with the blade. The man fell back, took one last gasping, gurgling breath, and died. Vi didn’t feel one drop of pity or remorse. But right now, it didn’t matter what she felt.
It mattered what Arwin did.
“Don’t think this means I like either of you now,” Arwin said softly. “It’s not that I chose you.”
“You had a job to do.” Vi finished the thought.
Arwin slowly turned and gave a nod. That was enough for Vi to count on her for what needed to come next.
