The temple had stood for centuries—millennia. It couldn’t have fallen.Hecouldn’t be gone.
My dress caught on rubble as I ran, one of my heels snapping with the force of my steps. I kicked them off and kept going. Ignored the rubble slicing into my feet.
The closer I got to the structure, the thicker the smoke. It stung my lungs, my breaths harsh through it. That pungent, ashy smell overwhelmed me as I charged into the haze, and the clashes of battle turned to a dull hum.
“Where is he—where—where…” I coughed over the pain in my chest and the ache in my heart.
Sobs wracked my body as I tore at debris. The echoes of the blast rang in my ears, the tumbling rock that followed it. I tossed crumbled marble and stone aside. Each clack of rock against rock made me flinch, the thought of what it sounded like on bone…
The temple was gone, only existing in chunks.
And even through my clouded eyes it was clear—there were no survivors.
My hand pressed against my chest; my lungs tightened.
He couldn’t be—he couldn’t be?—
I was vaguely aware of a hand cupping my cheek, forcing me awayfrom the columns of gray smoke that rose above the spot my father had last stood.
Around the corner, down an alley, into a shop with the windows blown out. Shelves turned over, bottles of oils and incense spilled across the floor. But I was surrounded by a safe huddle.
A steady thumb brushed the tears from my cheeks.
“Breathe. Breathe,” a voice repeated softly. Through my panicked sobs, chocolate eyes swam into view. He inhaled slowly, waiting for me to match it. Once I forced my lungs to cooperate, he exhaled. I mimicked the motion, ignoring the tears gathering in Tol’s eyes, as well.
The rest of the battle through the city dimmed as I looked at him and let his presence tether me down to this bloodied reality.
“She’ll pay,” I finally sputtered, voice thick. “They will all pay.”
“I promise,” he whispered, wiping away the last of my tears.
“Jez,” I gasped, spinning to find my sister clutching Erista’s arm. Still as a sculpture, she stared out the window at the smoke-streaked sky. Silent tears streamed down her face, but when I placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked at me with nothing but molten resolve, dark and agonizing and ready to burn the world down.
She didn’t speak—she didn’t need to.
My sister blinked her tawny eyes—our father’s eyes—and transformed into a weapon ready to be wielded against those who took him.
The pain we were feeling wasn’t the only loss that would come from this attack. The battle was raging through the streets already, and some of the strongest warriors we had to offer stood in this shop, ensuring Jezebel and I were okay.
I shoved away the ache stemming through my heart and turned to my friends. My family. Tolek, Jez, Cyph, Rina, and Malakai. Lyria and Mila. The delegates and even our two Engrossian guests.
They’d all come.
“This is an act of war.” I bent and sliced Starfire through my skirt, leaving the fabric in an uneven trim around my thighs. Tiny beads fell like golden raindrops through the ash. “And it ends tonight.”
I straightened to find everyone preparing as I had. There was no time to run for our leathers, to don any kind of armor. I was barefoot,relying on the mountains to heal those small cuts as I went.
Tonight, we’d fight with the honed skill flowing through our blood, the desire to protect our home, and the desperate need for vengeance.
Lyria fell into the role she’d been trained for, quickly assessing the damage that could be seen from here and working with Cyph and Dax to predict what the Engrossians’ next tactic might be. Figure out a way to spread a strategy through the city.
I didn’t let myself think of how Danya should have been at her side. That Danya would never stand here again.
Once they’d set a plan, Lyria fled out the damaged door with Mila.
Before turning the corner, she stopped. “Baby brother!” The black velvet of her fitted dress was spotted with ash, but the jagged edge she’d cut with her sword flared around her thighs.
Tol was already watching her. “Yes?”
