I edged further away from them all.
If I saw a chance, I was making a break for it.
"Travis can shadow walk." Callie's voice sounded in my ear despite her not standing anywhere close to me. "Be careful."
The tight feeling in my stomach loosened. At least one of them had chosen a side.
"You're losing sight of what is important." He pointed his sword at the crown. "That is the only thing that matters right now."
"I disagree," Callie said, positioning herself almost protectively in front of me. "There can be no infighting. Attacking another Scattered is one of the worst crimes there is."
Travis shook his head in disbelief. "This is what has always been wrong with this court."
He was no longer pretending to be the charismatic leader. Instinct told me he’d already relegated Callie and Don to acceptable losses.
"The strong eat the weak. That's how it's always been," he said.
"Not here," Callie argued.
Shadows moved around Don, gathering around his head, the tentacles that resembled hair multiplying.
Travis's mask dropped as he realized there was going to be no talking his way out of this. "And that's why it's been so easy to deceive you all these centuries."
The crown hummed. The future unfolded before me.
Travis would shadow step. Only he wouldn't bother with the other two. His only target was me.
I could already feel the burn of the sword as he impaled me with it. The wound would be mortal.
I hovered in that in-between, the future not yet realized even as it was unavoidable. I held no weapon, nor could I run.
The shadow of a bird swept toward me, its dark wings blotting out my vision.
Briefly, I imagined it helping me. That it would stop the future I felt rushing toward me, unable to get out of the way of.
Why can't it?
A good question. Why had I assumed it couldn't?
He and the others are the guardians of the realms for a reason. You only need to ask, granddaughter of the king.
"Please," I whispered.
Time snapped into existence. Don's shadows shot toward Travis.
My former captain wrapped himself in a veil of night, disappearing only to appear in front of me in the next second.
Over his shoulder, the bird descended, shadows from the ceiling flying toward it. The bird's shape morphed, a giant dog with tentacles dangling from its chin forming.
Travis started to thrust.
The dog landed, crushing Travis. There was a terrifying snarl and then the dog grabbed Travis's arm and shook its head hard. There was the crack of bone and a pained scream.
I swept up the sword as power arrowed at the dog.
He yelped and jumped back.
Travis roared as he came to his feet, his magic already gathering for a killing blow. I sank the sword intended to kill me into his stomach.
