Yuri dove for Ana.
On the other end of the stage, the Ice Queen flung her hand out. Ice rose from the ground like a solid white wave, hardening into a barrier over their heads.
Fragments of what had been the blackstone glass rained down all around them, filling the air with soft tinkling as they bounced off the ice archway overhead.
Ana’s shoulder slammed onto the stage as Yuri tackled her, his hands at her throat, his teeth bared in rage. She fought back, her fingers prying at his hands, her mask hot and sweaty against her face. “Yuri,” she choked. “Stop—”
“I’ll have you know how it feels to die at the hand of an Affinite,” he growled, lifting his hand.
“Yuri!” She ripped her mask off. “It’s me!”
He froze, hand hovering above her, expression suspended between confusion and rage. And then, slowly, recognition seeped into his eyes, along with disbelief. He drew back, lifting his hands from her as though he’d been burned. “Kolst—”
“Ana!” The sweetest voice rang out, one Ana would recognize anywhere.
May knelt on the stage, barely ten paces from Ana, the astonishment on her face quickly giving way to joy.
Relief hit Ana so hard that a half laugh, half sob bubbled from her lips. “May,” she cried, reaching forward.
An arrow whizzed past her and struck the marble stage.
“May!” Ana’s cry turned to one of panic as another arrow lanced off the stage, a hand’s breadth from her.
“Dyanna!” Behind her, Yuri gave an agonized yell.
At the edge of the stage, the Ice Queen—Dyanna—looked up, her face almost as ashen as her hair. Blood, startlingly red against her pallor, dripped from her nose.
A blur whizzed toward her. Dyanna’s body jolted with the shock of the impact. She slumped onto the ground, the shaft of an arrow protruding from her back. The thick scent of blood filled the air.
“Dyanna! Dyan—” Yuri’s shout broke into a choked sob. “No.No.”
“Yuri!” Ana seized his arm, pinning him beneath the ice barrier. “We have to get out—”
An arrow struck the ground next to May. The child’s eyes widened as she looked up; she turned and began to run toward the velvet curtains.
In the shadows of the viewing alcoves above, the marksmen nocked and drew. Ana was already scrambling to her feet, even as arrows shot toward them, even as she realized that she would not reach May before an arrow found its mark.
But someone else was running toward the child. Ramson flung himself at May, skidding across the ruined marble on his nobleman’s trousers and peacoat. Shattered glass and ice crunched beneath him. He rolled, bundled May into his arms, and dove for the curtains.
Whoosh.The arrow grazed his abdomen. He arched his back in pain, gave a muffled grunt, and staggered.
Ana was already running. She reached Ramson’s side at the same time as Yuri; together, they hauled Ramson and May off the stage and into the darkness behind the velvet curtains.
Backstage, the air was musty and the scent of sweat lingered. They stumbled through the sets of drapes and down the stage into a chamber, dimly lit by several torches in sconces. Dark corridors stretched out toward their left and right. The screams of the crowd seemed to come from a distant world, as though the thick drapes had partitioned them from the chaos and granted them this temporary sanctuary.
In the semidarkness, a small voice found her. “Ana?”
A sob welled up in Ana’s throat. “May,” she croaked. They both moved for each other at the same time, colliding with cries of relief. Ana held on tightly. “Your hair.” Tears burned her eyes. “It’s all sooty.”
May laughed and clasped Ana’s cheeks in her hands, tracing tears away with her small fingers. “It’s you. It’s really you.”
More tears spilled down Ana’s face. She chuckled, a wet, gargling sound, and pressed her forehead to May’s. “Of course it’s me. I wouldneverleave you.”
Ahead, Yuri cleared his throat. A small flame danced in his palm, illuminating the corridor ahead. “This way.”
Ana clasped May’s hand, and they hurried after him. “Where are we going?”
“It’s the Revolution, Ana,” said May. Her eyes were bright. “Yuri’s aRedcloak—a rebel, for the Affinites. I met the other Redcloaks when I was brought here. We’re going to rescue them right now.”
