From the distance, a shift in her winds caught her attention.
She froze, her gaze sifting over the parapets to the city beyond. Beneath the ink-black sky, weaving through the darkened streets of Salskoff, were small flares of flickering light, approaching at a uniform pace. And as they began to spill out onto the riverside promenade, she saw, with a rush through her veins, what they were.
“Wait, Ramson,” she gasped. “Wait—look!”
From all around came glints of navy-blue armor reflected in torchlight. And as Linn watched, they filed in perfect formation to the riverside walkway, behind the battered ranks of the Red Tigress. There were squads flanking entire carts, carrying what appeared to be firepowder and launchers; commanders on sleek, tall horses followed, holding flags that rippled like an ocean, bearing the sigil of a roaring seadragon, a soaring hawk, and a rearing stallion intertwined.
The Bregonian army had arrived.
By her side, Ramson let out a string of swear words. “By the gods,” he said, sounding, for the first time since Linn had met him, reverent. He leaned over the wall, lips parted in amazement. “I don’t believe it. That bastard actually did it.”
“King Darias?” Linn asked.
Ramson nodded. “I’ve been writing to him over the course of Ana’s campaign. He never responded—I didn’t think—”
But Linn had sensed something else, something that came to her like a whisper through the booms and explosions below. Something that touched her Affinity like a steadying hand and twined around her heart.
Kaïs.
“YURI!”
The scream tore from her throat as Ana lurched forward in her saddle. Her valkryf shrieked, stumbling away from the cloud of dust, snow, and debris settling at the site of the explosion. A giant hole had been torn in the center of the Kateryanna Bridge. On the other side, there was only silence and stillness.
Ana dropped the reins and slid out of the saddle. She stumbled forward through the smoke, her vision blurred, her hand cupped to her mouth.“YURI!”she yelled through the chaos.
In the tide of her grief, her blood Affinity answered.
The world flared to life, silhouettes of blood signatures approaching. The bridge was littered with bodies in pools of blood—but as she combed her Affinity through it all, she latched on to a familiar signature: one that smelled of coal and warmth, of hot chokolad and ptychy’moloko, of strong arms that held her in an embrace.
Ana dropped to her knees. Yuri lay crumpled atop rubble, his flame-colored hair coated gray with ash. There was blood everywhere, and as she pulled him into her arms, she could tell he was too pale.
Ana pressed her fingers to his neck. There, a pulse flitted, faint, but present.
He moaned; his eyes fluttered open, and his gaze came to rest on her. His lips formed her name.
“Hush,” Ana whispered. She pressed her hand to his stomach. Her Affinity latched on, blood gushing like water from an uncorked bottle. Tetsyev, where was Tetsyev, her battalion’s healer? Ana was weak, her Affinity sputtering out like a candle against a roaring gale. As blood leaked between her fingers, Yuri’s hand came to rest on hers. His eyes were gentle, fading.
In the sudden silence all around, there came the sharpclick, click, clickof footsteps. A flash of darkness; a looming shadow.
Seyin stepped out of the smoke, daggers gleaming in his hands. His eyes flicked from Yuri to land on Ana. Fury flashed across his face, followed by fear. “What have you done?” he whispered.
“Seyin.” Her voice came out in a rasp. “It wasn’t me—”
“I always knew it was a matter of time,” Seyin continued. His eyes burned, reflecting the red of the fire before them. “You used us, and now, you plan to eliminate us.”
Something behind him drew Ana’s attention; something moving through the swirling gray smoke. Wisps of a signature of blood, and a dark opaqueness deflecting her Affinity where she tried to probe. Instinctively, Ana flung up a hand—just as an Imperial Patrol leapt out of the smoke, sword raised.
“Seyin, watch out,” she gasped.
The soldier swung his sword down as Ana shoved with her Affinity. In her weak state, she only managed to draw his balance off; his blade bit into the cobblestones by Seyin’s boots.
Darkness spread across the bridge; for a moment, Ana’s vision flickered. When she could see again, Seyin was gone.
The Imperial Patrol plucked his sword from the ground. Time seemed to slow as he approached them, each footfall pounding a heartbeat. Ana’s connection to his blood slid and slipped in her focus; sweat beaded on her temples and upper lip as she struggled to call on her power from her siphon again and again. A dark green tinge had spread through her veins like poison leaking from the siphon. All around, her flesh had become mottled.
Ana looked up as the Imperial Patrol raised his sword over their heads.
Another flicker, a shimmer of shadows across her vision, then a dagger across the Imperial Patrol’s neck drew a line of red. The soldier staggered and fell to his knees.
