The sounds from the hall got louder. Everly’s sharp voice pierced through all of it. With Cayden at my back, I rushed to my friend's side, where two massive enforcers blocked the exit.
“You’re not even supposed to be in there,” one of them repeated, clearly not for the first time.
“And we’re trying to leave, so we’re not in here,” Everly hissed.
She stepped to the side as if expecting Hero, then caught herself. Her arms folded tight, retreating, and for a heartbeat, she looked small. I slid forward, filling the space she had left.
“Quinn.” Both enforcers immediately recognized me.
“Shit! Is that a dragon?” the other one asked.
I reached up and scratched my dragon’s chin—he was so calm compared to the last one—before focusing on the two men. “The Pit’s gone to hell. We landed here. This looks bad enough already; don’t make it worse. Let us out.”
The enforcer’s features hardened. “I can’t. None of you have been vetted. Ezra’s orders are firm. No one in or out.” The two stood straighter, their bodies filling the entire exit.
“I’ve basically kidnapped like fifteen women and brought them to the Architect’s bedroom. This looks so bad. Are you really going to make it worse?”
“Orders are orders,” the man stated.
Cayden started to step forward, and I put out my arm to keep this from turning into a fight. This was my bad. Once again, I was following the rules.
“You still have orders concerning my safety, right?” I asked.
The one who’d spoken the least looked at my dragon, and a bead of sweat ran down his face.
“Yes,” the other confirmed.
My knees wanted to buckle, my chest wanted to cave, but I couldn’t let them see it. Not anymore. I slid to their fronts, put a hand on each of their sword pommels, and released my Majekah. Black dye dripped out of the leather sheaths. Metal cracked, turning into chunks and bouncing off their pant legs before hitting the ground. I cut off my Majekah. A few knives and an axe hit the ground as their belts turned into scraps.
A rush of tingles filled my head, making me lightheaded, and my earlier exhaustion made my feet leaden. I smiled sweetly up at the enforcers. “I am not asking, I am giving you new orders. Stand aside.”
Although the speaker hesitated, the second swiveled like a door. I reached out, placed my hand on the other, and pushed. Like his friend, he begrudgingly pivoted.
With a trail of ducklings, I stepped out of Xan’s world and into mine.
Apparently, my world was a pub.
Like Aragorn throwing open Helm’s Deep, I burst into The Rooster and flooded its cauldrons with sparkling magic. Adrenaline pumped, and my heart thundered in my chest. Every eye in the half-full pub swiveled to me, and voices cut off.
Exhausted, bloodied, with crystal-and-red hair half out of its braid, I must’ve been a sight.
“Leave,” I ordered. “Staff can stay. If you haven’t paid, it’s on me.”
I stepped farther in.
Chairs scraped as two tables stood without question. The rest sat, still absorbing my demand.
A bigger enforcer in the back with lime-green hair in a half-ponytail narrowed his eyes. “Why the fuck would I take orders from you?”
I took another step into the pub, giving Cayden and Everly room to flank me. The dragon on my shoulder lifted his head above me and let out a little stream of magic.
“Xan’s fighting for his life,” I said, my voice much more even than my emotions. “The families set a trap.”
Another table of men stood, though they weren’t in their blacks; based on their build and the swords strapped to two of their backs, they were probably off-duty enforcers. With a grateful nod, the group rushed past me. Making a few of the women waiting outside gasp in surprise.
The big enforcer crossed his arms, daring me to back down. Excuses clawed at my throat, but I swallowed them.
Morgen’s rasp haunted me:stupid girl, there’s always fear.A tear slipped. Dad’s voice followed:don’t react, or Scott wins.Another tear. Then Holiday’s last words—thank you or fuck you.I’d never know. I didn’t care.
