They’d done it. The fight hadn’t been planned—they had wanted to knock Karwyn out and take the contract before anyone noticed—but still, they had made it.
Eyden met Lora’s excited yet tired eyes. Ashes coated her skin. Her once light blue sweater was full of soot. A small, hopeful smile played on her lips.
Farren reached Lora first, taking the contract from her hand. He gave her a warm smile as his free hand moved to his pocket that held his own spelled paper while he unrolled the contract. Farren’s forehead creased as his concentration took hold—right until a gust of wind ripped the contract from his hand.
Turning, Eyden noticed Karwyn had risen from the ground. His face was swollen and badly bruised, but he was standing upright. Eyden made to move towards him, but with one swoop of his hand, Karwyn forced Lora to his side. He put his free hand on her throat, squeezing tight.
“Do not move,” Karwyn bit out. His teeth were stained red. Eyden could tell Lora had reached her limit, exhaustion radiating from her as she tried to loosen Karwyn’s grip on her.
“Ignore him, he won’t kill me,” Lora croaked out, the air stuck in her throat.
Karwyn dug his nails into her skin, drawing blood. A strangled cry escaped Lora. “Maybe not, but I can torture her all I want,” Karwyn replied.
Uncertainty clawed at him. Eyden didn’t want to leave her here, exposed to Karwyn’s punishment. And he had no idea if Farren had been able to spell the contract in that short amount of time.
“What the actual fuck is going on here?” said a voice coming from the silver double doors.
Rhay stood in the doorway, a pastel blue strand of hair falling into his shocked face. An open, turquoise flask was in his hand. His eyes took in Eyden and Farren, then landed on where Karwyn gripped Lora’s bloodied throat.
“Karwyn, what in Liraen are you doing?” Rhay asked. His voice sounded both surprised and also the opposite, like he had known this day might come.
Karwyn’s eyes danced between his hand wrapped around Lora’s throat and Rhay. He hadn’t known that the king could look flustered,caught.Varsha must have been right. Rhay was his weakness.
“Call for the guards,” Karwyn yelled to Rhay, his voice now unsure and less menacing. He loosened his grip ever so slightly, enough for Lora to take her chance. She slapped his hand from her throat before twisting around and kneeing him in the stomach.
Sprinting towards Eyden and Farren—the contract forgotten—she yelled, “Run!” before grabbing Eyden’s hand and pulling him to the door.
Ignoring Rhay, they ran past him, down the corridor. Eyden exchanged a panicked look with Farren. Had it been enough time? As if he could read his thoughts, Farren shrugged. Before Eyden could inquire further, a guard spotted them. He yelled out, drawing attention from others close by.
Lora almost ran into a servant as she led them on, aimlessly, it seemed. They rounded an empty hallway, and Lora pulled to a stop.
“Teleport away before they see you,” Lora said in a rush. Ashes were mixed in her hair. Her turquoise eyes appeared brighter with the soot sticking to her skin.
“The contract,” Eyden said, glancing between her and Farren.
“I’m not sure—” Farren said at the same time Lora said, “It doesn’t matter, you need to go. Now!”
Her face was twisted in fear. Not for her, he realised, but forhim.
“Come with us,” Eyden said, grasping her hand. Lora shook her head. “Please.Who knows what Karwyn will do to you.”
“I can’t risk it. Not yet,” Lora said.
Heavy footsteps drew closer. “We need to go,” Farren said, putting a hand on his arm.
But it was too late. Guards rounded the corner, and Lora yelled a curse, pushing Eyden and Farren ahead to the next corner so they would be out of view again. An arrow whizzed past his head, almost hitting Eyden’s face. The guards had opened fire.
He knew this was it. They needed to leave. They were at a dead-end now. Once the guards caught up with them again, there would be nowhere to run.
“I’ll be back,” he said, drawing Lora’s attention again. Her eyes had grown misty. Her mouth parted in shock.
Eyden’s eyes travelled down to where her hand gripped the arrow stuck in her stomach. Blood was pouring from the wound. Lora’s breathing was shallow.
“Fuck.” Eyden ran to her, pressing his hand to her wound to slow the bleeding. “I can’t leave you like this.”
Lora shook her head, her teeth gritted against the pain as she swayed on her feet. “Go,please.I’ll be fine.”
He could hear the guards almost upon them. Lora’s blood drenched his hand.So much blood.
