The matte black floor began to slope up at quite an angle, and as light filtered in from ahead, I idly wondered why they hadn’t chosen stairs instead.
Being third in our procession, I could only see glimpses of where we were headed, but it looked like we were headed for a fairly large juncture, and I couldn’t help but worry if we’d be too exposed.
Wanting a better look, I peeked to the side and froze as two silhouetted figures blotted out the natural light as they walked toward us.
“Don’t stop,” Sidrick said from behind, forcing me to move forward without missing a stride. “Stay quiet and follow Endymion’s lead.”
I nodded and kept pace, my hand itching to reach for that blade even though I knew it would be woefully inadequate in an all-out skirmish. Forcing in a calm breath, I kept pace with the others.
“Commander,” a voice called, and I wasn’t the only one to tense at Lothar’s voice. “You got them already,” he said, sounding surprised. “The order just came in.”
Endymion didn’t miss a beat as he continued to lead us forward. “Perhaps that’s why I’m Lord Wymond’s High Commander, and you’re not—I don’t have to wait for orders to know what they’ll be.”
Lothar didn’t respond, and I didn’t have to see him to know the blow hit him where it hurt—his ego—proving Endymion could be lethal in more than one way. I’d never seen the autumn trio interact before, but it didn’t take a genius to see they had a different dynamic than the summer commanders I stood between. They seemed hostile. Competitive, even. Then again, that’s exactly how the Autumn Court ran its military. I’d read the horrors myself when confirming Endymion’s history.
“Shall we help with the escort?” Njal asked, and fuck me if his voice didn’t crawl across my skin like a thousand spiders.
Stopping, Endymion stood at the front, shielding us from his commanders who reached us faster than I wanted—whichwas never. Heart pounding, and I wanted more than anything to jump into motion, but Sidrick’s grounded me.
“Lead the way,” Endymion said, gesturing for them to turn around and walk ahead.
I couldn’t see what was happening, but I could feel the hesitation.
“Is there a problem?” Endymion said, his voice holding the sharp edge of a warning.
It was subtle, but Artton and Sidrick shifted closer to me.
“Procedure dictates?—”
“That you follow your commander’s orders,” Endymion said, cutting Lothar off. “You’re lucky Wymond hasn’t heard about the cost of your incompetence, yet.”
“We got her, didn’t we?” Njal protested.
Endymion stepped forward. “You lost every last one of his Shadow Hounds, poisoned her—despite his explicit orders against it because we don’t know how it will affect the spark—and you let two of them get away. But, sure, yougother.”
“Actually,” Lothar drawled, “we just came from delivering the other two to Wymond.”
“No,” I gasped, and looked to Sidrick over my shoulder.
His face was stone, but his eyes—gods, his eyes met mine with the same horror coursing through my veins.
“Wipe that smirk off both your faces,” Endymion ordered. “Cleaning up your own mess is no reason to be smug. Now that he has those two as well, I take it Lord Wymond is ready to meet in the Great Hall?”
“Yes,” Lothar answered.
“Yes, Sir,” Endymion corrected, reminding them who their superior was.
The air grew thick as the seconds ticked by with stiff silence, and I braced myself.
“Yes, Sir,” Lothar finally ground out,the words costing him.
“Let’s not keep our High Lord waiting,” Endymion said, adding further insult by ignoring Lothar’s concession.
Mercifully, Endymion’s tactic worked, and the two unwelcome fae began leading us without another word—though I wasn’t convinced that was a good thing.
Just over Artton’s shoulder, I saw Endymion throw a quick glance his way. The summer commander nodding to whatever had been silently communicated.
No more than five steps later, Artton slid in beside Endymion, swiping something from him before they both brought up an arm and lunged in tandem. Their silhouettes made a quick left-right movement, and before I could even bring my hands to my mouth in shock, two bodies fell to the ground.
