Smoke poured from the stone building in the distance, the air erupting in an acrid scent of scorched perfume. I picked up my pace, sprinting the remaining distance as my mind made sense of the smell. And then it hit me all at once.
No, no, no. What had Audryn done?
I moved to the south side of the building where puffs of dark gray smoke clouded from a small rectangular window.
A group of guards ran at us. I sent a rush of magic through the air and prepared to start the fight, but one by one they dropped in front of me as my sister’s magic worked in tandem at my side.
I turned to the ginger-haired man. “Lead me to her!”
“You want to actually go inside there?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “The place is on fire.”
I pushed past him and found the front door; I’d rather die with her than live a single day without her. The door flung open, and a line of guards crawled out, all coughing, red-eyed, and looking sickly. They collapsed and lay on the ground asAmalee found her way beside me. It wasn’t the slow, painful deaths she enjoyed, but swift and efficient.
“You’re going to die in there,” Amalee said.
“So be it. I’m not leaving her.” I pulled off my shirt and tied it around my face and looked at Jaspar. “Where do I go?”
“I’ll take you to her,” he said.
“The smoke is toxic—it’s oleander. Cover your face,” I rasped as the smoke began burning the back of my throat.
Jaspar removed his shirt and sliced it in half, offering my sister some of the cloth. They tied the fabric around their faces just before we entered the building.
Crawling on our hands and knees, we moved down the hall. Jaspar stopped only four doors in. Audryn was so close to the exit, yet things were dreadful enough for her to resort to taking the same way out her mother had. But I supposed nobody truly knew just how close they were to the light when all they saw was darkness closing in around them.
Amalee and I sat back, both working to kick open the already cracked door. The smoke was so thick, I could hardly see in front of me. My body shook in a coughing fit; the cloth over my mouth did little to block out the contaminant. With searching hands, I felt around the room as I moved through the space. The illuminated smoke glowed from the flames flickering in the fireplace.
My hand landed on the edge of a heeled boot first. I scrambled up the leg and knew it was her the moment my mind caught up and remembered the curves I’d memorized. Audryn’s arm was slung over Fisher, and she easily slipped away from the guard as I pulled her into me.
Small fires dotted the ground around their bodies, the burned shrubs almost reduced entirely to ash. Audryn must’ve figured the fireplace wasn’t enough and started throwing the fiery bush around too. She left little room for error in her plansand had done a terribly glorious job of killing herself and the guard.
I brought my palm to her face and spoke into her ear. “I know you don’t need my help,” I rasped, “so we’ll do this together then.”
With Audryn close to my chest, I crawled across the floor and dragged her with me until we found the door to the hall. My breath was strangled. With little air, it took me longer than it should’ve. I could only hope that I’d get her out in time. If Audryn died, I wouldn’t make it.
Below the heavy smoke, I pulled her into my chest and gulped one big breath. I rose to my feet, her body dangling in my arms. It would’ve taken too long to make our way through the hall without walking, and I needed to get her into the fresh air. My eyes burned with a vigor unlike anything I’d felt before. I traced the wall with my shoulder to feel the way out.
The breath I’d held was gone by the time I made it to the exit. With aching lungs and blurred vision, I pushed through the doorway and gasped as the cool air hit my skin. My feet carried me only a few steps before I fell to my knees.
My stomach sank when I looked down at Audryn’s soot-covered face. With her skin pale and lips tinged purple, she looked ready for the grave.
Amalee and Jaspar tumbled from the building, dragging Fisher behind them. The guard was ashen and looked like he’d been dead for at least half an hour. But I’d watched limbs stiffen after death, and his were still limber. He was alive—even if barely.
Zalzre, Ralti, and Dysis circled above, Dysis screeching. The beast was distraught, but knew better than to land unless given the order. I called Zalzre to me, and he dove in an instant. I held Audryn tight as he picked us up in his claws and carried us back to the main area. Someone capable of helping had to be there.Even if I needed to depend on Macabre magic, I would. I would not let her die.
Zalzre released us onto the flower-filled ground and I collapsed, a welcome cushion to the cold stone of the smoke-filled prison. I cradled Audryn in my arms while I coughed up soot between gasps.
“You’re going to be fine,” I whispered and pushed back her hair.
Raiti released Amalee and Jaspar next to me. I glanced at my sister. She was struggling to take a full breath and kept her eyes on the ground. Jaspar palmed his chest, taking shallow, quick breaths.
“You alright?” I huffed at Amalee. She didn’t answer and kept her gaze down.
Dysis haphazardly dropped Fisher’s unmoving body, releasing him from about a foot off the ground. Wyverns might’ve liked to pretend they didn’t understand us, but she no doubt knew of the guard’s wrongdoings against her rider.
People crowded around; the fighting had finished by the time we returned. A chef wearing an enormous hat ran toward us with a guard at his side. Their stares were fixed on Audryn, concern heavy on their faces. Before I could react, Dysis dove and shrieked hideously in their direction, causing them to draw back.
“Don’t get any closer,” I warned, “because if she doesn’t kill you, I will.” My eyes landed on the males, and I glared, despite pitifully slumping on the ground. The chef looked at Audryn and retreated to the castle.
