She slipped a dagger from her sleeve as the two remaining fae stormed at her, Rahmur and a younger fae. The younger one striking at her got a slash to his stomach, doubling him over. She turned to kick at Rahmur behind her while throwing a star at the other one’s chest. The younger fae moved just in time, the throwing star landing in the wall behind him as he clutched his stomach.
“I have her,” Rahmur told his companion. “Get the other one.”
Elyssa’s eyes travelled to Amira, who was watching them, eyes frantic. The other fae moved towards her, and the princess took a frightened step back. He struck at her relentlessly, slapping her face with so much force that she was knocked back against the wall. Her body slid to the ground. The fae raised his fist for another strike.
Oh, hell no.
Elyssa dodged Rahmur’s punch to the throat as she let her almandine dagger fly, hitting the younger fae in his chest, right in his heart. He crumpled to the ground. Amira watched him fall with hooded eyes, wiping at the blood on her face. Relief washed through Elyssa, but it was short-lived. She’d given up her only remaining weapon.
Rahmur seemed to realise it too, his hand going to his jacket as he removed his own dagger. Eyes turning to the fallen fae, her weapon lay only a few feet away. She made a run for it, but Rahmur was fast. She barely dodged his blade as his fingers twisted in her servant’s uniform, pulling her back roughly.Fucking fae strength.
Kicking at his shin with all her strength, Elyssa prepared to knee him where it really hurt, but he raised his arm. The dagger came dangerously close to her as Elyssa gripped his upper arm, trying to force the blade away from her face. Her breathing became laboured, and sweat ran down her back.
With his free hand, Rahmur delivered a punch to her kidneys that stole her breath, her focus wavering, and suddenly, the blade was at her throat. Blood swelled on her skin, a thin cut forming.
“You know, this was fun, but I think we’ve reached the end,” Rahmur said, his bright green eyes flashing murder.
“What are you going to do? Take me to the Void? I’d rather die,” Elyssa hissed through clenched teeth, every movement forced the blade across her skin as white-hot pain shot through her.
Rahmur tilted his head. “You’ll die soon enough, little human. But tell me, have you sought out dark magic? I’ve heard rumours here in Carnylen.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”Dark magic?Only the Dark King had stooped so low as to gamble with powers that only promised despair.
“Don’t play foolish. You know what I mean.” The pressure of the blade increased, and Elysa couldn’t help but flinch.
“Stop!” Amira screamed, having gotten back up on unsteady feet. Blood ran down her bruised nose, but she no longer seemed to care.
Out of nowhere, the wind increased, becoming furious, blocking Elyssa’s vision as her hair blew in her face. The sharp edge of the blade dug deeper.
“I saidstop!” Amira screamed, a newfound conviction in her voice that Elyssa hadn’t expected, but was all the more delighted to see. Wasthisthe real Amira? Despite the blade on her skin, Elyssa felt a smile sneak up on her.
Yelling in pain, Rahmur dropped his dagger. Elyssa’s hand went to her burning throat as she caught her breath. Rahmur’s hand was burned where he had held his weapon. Before she could make sense of it, a wave of cold air threw the fae to the ground, whipping Elyssa’s hair from her face and blowing dust into her eyes.
Elyssa tried to spot Amira amidst the dense air. Was she drawing from the elements around her? She couldn’t dwell on it as she followed Rahmur’s gaze to the forgotten dagger. This time, she was faster than him.
Running forward, she fetched his dagger. Rahmur didn’t even have time to react before she’d knocked him over, knelt down, and aimed the dagger at his chest. He gripped her arms, the roles now reversed as he stopped her from digging the blade into his skin.
“Elyssa, we need to go!” Amira shouted from somewhere. Elyssa turned slightly, her grip on the dagger never wavering. Dust swirled in the air, making it harder for Elyssa to grasp her surroundings. She caught Amira’s eyes through the mist, her lips trembling, telling her to run. But Rahmur was righthere.She had to end him.
His words drifted back to her, reflecting in his twisted gaze.
“Tell me,” she said, her hands turning white with effort as she brought the blade a tiny bit closer to his chest, “what dark magic were you talking about?”
Rahmur regarded her closely before a challenging smile appeared on his face. “You really haven’t heard the rumours, have you? You’ll never get the chance to try it out once I’m done with you.”
“Try out what?” Elyssa all but screamed at him, digging her knee into his stomach and pulling a grunt of pain from him.
Rahmur laughed, the sound chilling Elyssa’s bones. “The rumour goes, with the right spell, the right amount of dark magic, a human can turn fae.”
Chapter31
Rhay
The masquerade ball used to be Rhay’s favourite night of the year. He loved how wearing a mask could help people live out their true desires.
Yet, this evening, his heart wasn’t really in it. It didn’t matter how many deliciously strong cocktails Rhay had drunk or how astonishing his outfit was. Nothing could make him forget the attack in Quarnian and what he feared about Karwyn’s involvement.
Just as the thought left him, Rhay spotted Karwyn, a silver mask adorned with turquoise crystals hiding his features, leaving the party. His eyes travelled over the ballroom, searching for Lora, yet there was no sign of her. Was she looking for that dreaded door? Now that he had mentioned it to her, Rhay feared the day when she would go and discover the truth about this twisted palace.
