Air magic, I remembered as I fell limply back to the ground, the weight of my head too much to remain upright.
Cam shouted at the people while Ram guarded his back with fire rising up from the palms of his hands. The flames hissed and spit as he urged them to grow larger, forming a shield of pure fire. The twins moved in front of me, holding the crowd at bay with the threat of their magic, yet the masses still pressed closer.
An enormous stone ripped from a nearby building and flew toward the brothers. Ram shouted, and Cam whirled around, lifting his arms to catch the boulder within a wall of air just before it collided with his head.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a male creep forward holding a bucket of water. I opened my mouth to shout a warning but could only croak out a strangled noise. The male dropped the bucket to leave only the water suspended in midair, then thrust his hands forward. Thin jets of water flew at the brothers like liquid missiles.
They crashed into Cam and Ram, knocking them off their feet. The mob wasted no time grabbing them and binding their arms at their backs, preventing them from using their powers.
Dismay spread across their faces when their eyes met mine, and I knew they couldn’t save me.
The crowd descended on me again, kicking at my already broken body. Seconds before I lost consciousness, I heard a loud roar that sounded like my father’s voice.
Chapter eighteen
“Princess? Princess, please wake up.” There was an edge of panic to the voice, and I pried one eye open. I should be used to waking up groggy and confused, but it wasn’t getting any easier.
“Dey?” I croaked out, recognizing the face swimming in and out of focus.
His features were pinched tight in worry, and I wanted to smooth his furrowed brow. He breathed out a sigh of relief, uttering something that sounded like a solemn prayer.
“Why am I on the ground?” I asked, my voice hoarse and cracking.
I heard a derisive snort, then a male voice said something in Rivellan. I glanced over my shoulder and confirmed that yes, Sin was standing just over my shoulder, glaring down at me.
“Sin, you are not being helpful,” Dey gritted out.
My eyes focused back to Dey. “Where am I?” I asked, sitting up. Soft grass spread out beneath me with several weeping willow type trees forming a circle around us.
“Princess, please lie still. You are not finished healing,” Dey urged as I tried to climb to my feet.
I abandoned my attempt to stand, but only because things were still a little blurry. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
It was all so fuzzy. There were flashes of the twins, some birds, a glittering city, then… nothing.
“I remember going to Civi Adasa with Cam and Ram, but then it’s like a black wall in my mind. My memories are just gone.”
Sin muttered something again in Rivellan, and Dey snapped back at him in kind. I had never heard Dey so angry before, it was making me nervous. The scowl on Sin’s face deepened and he moved away from us.
“Dey,” I said softly, pulling his attention back to me. “Tell me what’s going on. Why can’t I remember anything?”
“I was forced to use an extensive amount of magic to save you,” he said, caressing the side of my face. “I am sorry for the side effects.”
My brain supplied the memory of waking up in bed with him before, and the feeling of confusion that had resulted from his help that time as well. God, was that just yesterday? It felt like weeks had passed.
“Princess,” Dey continued in a pained voice. “We nearly lost you. You were in town, and there was a crowd of people who thought you were an abicario mocking their religion. The crowd became infuriated and attacked.”
I touched my head, recalling the Shen’Valla shroud that Cam and Ram used to hide my bare arms. A terrifying thought popped into my mind.
“The twins?” I gasped out. “Are they okay? If I was attacked then… Dey, please tell me they’re okay.”
“They are being punished currently,” he said gently, and I heard Sin grunt something behind him. Apparently he hadn’t gone very far.
“What? Why?” I tried getting to my feet again, but Dey held me firmly in place.
“King Verren is punishing them for putting your life in danger. Princess, when he found you in the street covered in blood and being viciously beaten. I have never seen him so enraged. If we had not been in a meeting so close by and heard the commotion…”
“I would have died.” Flashes came to me, triggered by his words. The shroud pulled from my head, the people shouting, the pain.
