You escaped.
I smiled despite the precariousness of our situation. I was armed with only my intractable power and a shard of porcelain against half a coven of witches and a palace full of fae. Diminished though their magic might be, this would not be an easy escape. So, it would have to be a quick one.
They’ve been tossing gems through a slot in the door. They are too cowardly to open it and face me.
In my experience, there was only one place where the doors had holes cut into them for passing food. It was bad news; a dungeon would be highly fortified. At least I was already in the bowels of the palace.
Dungeons, I sighed. I’d reached the archway. From here, I could see the thick glass doors that divided the bathhouse from the rest of the palace. The opaque frosted glass mimicked thepattern of the tiles.I am going to have to fight my way to you. Is there anything else you can tell me?
Yes. Do not hurt yourself any further.
I am less likely to get hurt if I know where you are and how they’re imprisoning you.I palmed the porcelain shard. If my power sprang out of control, the fact that this was in my hand was not going to slow me down. It would not have any effect at all.
They have guards outside my door. Four, I think. Leave me at least one for a snack.
She could not see me roll my eyes, but I was certain she felt it.I thought you did not like the taste of people.
I can learn.
There was nothing to be gained from patience and delay now. Whatever awaited me through those opaque glass doors would only get worse with time. The flow of blood from my forearm had stopped, the normal function of clotting doing its work. It was incredible what the Dark God’s power could do. And now I would turn that power upon the fae who dared to separate me from and imprison my familiar.
I did not even need to flick my finger. Barely restrained power flowed from my hands, across the tiles to the glass doors. The puddles of dripping water around me froze over, transforming into glittering pools of ice. But my attention was focused upon the doors. Everything else was incidental.
The glass was already frosted and opaque. As my frost covered the panes, their color disappeared entirely. Tendrils of ice snaked along the metal that held the intricately-patterned triangles in place, working their way up from the base of the door to the arched point at the very top.
For a half-breath, the world was frozen. Then my power broke free, and the doors shattered. Glass shards even sharper than the one clutched in my hand rained down. Thousands ofjagged glass and ice missiles crashed to the ground, the tile beneath them cracking under the impact.
My chest rose and fell rapidly at the sudden expenditure. But my power sang.More.
Isanara’s satisfied hiss filled my mind.
A flick of my finger, and a sheet of protective ice covered the ground, shielding my bare feet from the shards of broken glass. But I had no sooner passed beneath the tiled arch that had held the doors before I was stopped again.
They’d assigned me fewer guards than my familiar—two. Neither of them held a weapon, nor even looked mildly impressed by the display of shattered glass.
The dark-haired one lifted his hands and clapped slowly. “Well done, Koryn.”
Quiet time, Isanara.
I could picture the flare of her wings that ought to accompany the disgusted sound she made. But she did not speak.
I did not have that luxury.
I tilted my head to the side, considering my pair of adversaries. “You know my name, but I do not know yours.” Although instinct filled in identity.
There were the turquoise eyes I’d adored. There was the long, dark hair I’d seen falling over Alize’s shoulder in a remembered embrace, and later, delivering food to my cell.
“You underestimated her, Wills,” the dark-haired male said, ignoring me entirely. He did not even bother to keep me in his gaze, let alone draw the sword sheathed at his waist, as he held out a hand expectantly to the shaggy-haired blond male at his side. “Pay up.”
They’d placed bets on my ability to escape. The arrogance of the fae knew no bounds.
Let them exchange wagers. There were only two of them, and I’d use their arrogance to my advantage. I was free of thesalt. Unspent power screamed in my veins, begging for a release. They’d only be distracted for a second, but a second was all I needed?—
Flames encircled me, spiraling up and around like a snake, a coil of fire that held me effortlessly in place.
“You did not think it would be that easy, did you?” The dark-haired male’s sparkling turquoise eyes were on me once again. The crinkle at the corners told me they’d never truly left. A tactic to see if I would exploit the opportunity. An opponent taking measure of a challenger.
The smirk at the corner of his mouth was so familiar that my knees almost buckled. He had Alize’s golden skin, but Garrick’s eyes. Too bad for him that the emotion in the pit of my stomach was no longer affection.
