“Everyone stay back!” Vi shouted at the top of her lungs. She reached for the head Crone, pushing the elderly woman away. Vi spun, grabbing Zira and pulling her toward her, Fiera, and Tiberus in the same moment.
“How dare—” the Emperor grumbled. Before he could finish, Vi conjured a thin wall of flame with a thought. It burned white-hot and towered above them, nearly touching the bottom of the stone basin the statue was holding aloft in the dome above.
“It’s an assassination attempt.” Vi glared at Tiberus. “Keep your wife safe and don’t move.”
Sweat dotted his brow, but the Emperor kept silent, the reality of the situation sinking in. He clutched Fiera to him, so tightly that Vi couldn’t make eye contact.
“Zira, stay here and protect the sword.”
“I can fight,” the woman insisted, pain turning her voice into a snarl.
“You’re hurt and—”
“Mother above I will turn this sword on you if you don’t let me at the bastard who did this!”
“Fine.” Vi was grinning like a fool. As if this was something she wanted. Something she enjoyed. “Fiera, you guard the sword.”
“It has always been my duty.” Fiera pushed the Emperor away enough to take the sword from Zira’s hands. She looked the least frightened of them all. The only thing that filled her dark eyes was the light of Vi’s flames, and absolute trust that Vi had only ever seen one other time—in the eyes of the men and women who had followed Fiera into battle that night.
“Ready?” Zira asked over the crackle of flames.
“Take this.” Vi quickly drew her sword, handing it to the woman.
“What about you?”
“I’ll find—”
A sword sliced through the wall of fire, nicking the Emperor’s side. He yowled in pain and turned with a growl. Blood stained his hip red, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.
“We’ve wasted enough time.” Vi grabbed Zira’s hand and pushed an opening into the fire, just wide enough for them to slip through, before closing it once more. They ran head-first into a man on the way out.
Head over heels, the three of them tumbled. Vi rolled, stomping feet around her crushing her back and ribs as the panicked masses fled. Grunting, she pushed herself off the floor, flames following her every movement, sending those who would run into her away in burning pain.
“Mysst soto larrk.” A sword appeared in Vi’s palm, her flames masking the strands of light and glyphs that condensed into the weapon. In the back of her mind she continued to focus on the wall of fire protecting Fiera and the Emperor; at all costs, she’d maintain it.
That brought her attention back to the barrier. Three men were slashing at it blindly, getting as close to the flames as they dared. They must think the wall of fire was Fiera’s and that the princess was the one to kill to see it undone.
A dark delight filled her at the notion. This was becoming too easy.
More fire erupted at her side, identical to the flames at Zira’s back and stealing her attention. Zira pushed the charred man off of her, scrambling to her feet.
“Thank you, a second time.”
She’d thought Vi was behind the fire. “You’re welcome,” Vi said as she rapidly scanned the shifting crowd for where Deneya was firing offjuth starys. But the woman had hidden herself well, and Vi brought her attention back to the men slashing for the Emperor and Fiera. “Let’s take care of them.”
“My pleasure.”
They moved in tandem. Vi had been running drills with Zira long enough that she was familiar with how the woman moved. But moreover, she was confident with a sword now. Killing came easily. Vi sliced the first man down without a thought before moving onto the second.
Zira parried another. They fought off the immediate threat with backs to each other in an odd dance of death.
Vi bared her teeth, panting and snarling as she looked across the blood-smeared floor of the cathedral for more threats. Most people were out now, the other conspirators included. They must’ve turned tail when they realized their plan wouldn’t bear fruit.
“We need to follow them!”
“No.” Vi stopped Zira with a straight arm. “You get the Empress and Emperor to safety. Bar up the room she was in earlier. Let no one in but me. I’ll go after them.”
“Yull—”
