A guard’s scream pierced the air. I knew I had the space of a few heartbeats to unlock the fragile tendrils of my long-buried gift. To reach the horses. Add to the chaos. Despite how the diafol snarled, and the world collapsed, a smirk tugged on my lips. Unnoticed, as Romero kissed Enfys’s head, I reached within, fumbled through the ever-earnest core in my chest. The second his eyes closed, ribbons of pale silver burst from me and I hissed against the pain. They careened outside, gnarled and crooked, refusing to obey. They didn’t need to though. They only needed to?—
The horses – horses who’d been trained to remain calm even in the face of the worst battles – whinnied and bucked. Hooves smashed into the carriage, tilting it further, the three of us landing in a tumbled mess. The king’s head smacked into my own, his body blocking the doorway. I cursed loudly.
‘Papa!’
Blood dripped in a steady stream down the king’s snarling face.
‘What are those damned guards doing?’ Placing his hands either side of the seat, he attempted to stand. He wouldn’t risk leaving, though. Not with the diafol running ragged among his guards – guards who were currently being thrown from their steeds.
‘You,’ the king hissed, blood smearing his usually sharp white smile.
I breathed slowly despite the thundering of my pulse. Fuck, did he truly suspect me?
Enfys cried as the diafol crashed into the side of our carriage, crushing the door as if it were nothing but a dry autumn leaf. I only had seconds till the guards appeared to protect their king.
‘Pablo,’ I said, my blurry vision fixed on Enfys. ‘I need to find Pablo.’
I kicked open the remains of the door, ignoring Enfys as she screamed my name.
I required time to adjust to any change of light. Time I no longer had as the diafol tore through a guard. Gods, there were times I was grateful for my shattered sight. The beast, a swirl of blood-matted fur and claws, matched our carriage in size. My blood chilled as I craned my neck, staring wide-eyed at the torn and tattered creature. As Enfys screamed and the king roared, I dived into the darkness.
CHAPTER 6
Your current, quite frankly pertinacious, stance clearly breaks the terms of the treaty. King Raul of Asmar is dead. Therefore, I demand the immediate return of our heir, Prince Matthias. I understand your concerns regarding his age and although we, as a grieving nation, appreciate your offer to rule in his stead till he comes of age, we will find our own way. If my son fails to return within the month, then I’m afraid I’ll be forced to go to The Alliance.
— PERSONAL LETTERS FROM QUEEN ISBETH OF ASMAR TO KINGROMEROIV
Blood swirled violently through my veins as I stumbled in the gloom. Indistinct shapes leapt out at me. Shadows groaned. The boar-like diafol ravaged the king’s guard, and I stifled a cry. As my blurry vision fixed on the beast, a shrieking figure slammed to the ground. Tightness constricted my chest when I witnessed the chaos I’d had a hand in forging. For a moment, my body refused to move as a guard attacked, striking the creature’s flank. Their Vyrium-imbued blade was the only thingstrong enough to penetrate its hide. The diafol’s scream pierced my ears, and I winced. The metallic stench of spilled blood overwhelmed my senses, but this was no time to lose my head. This was a Gods blessed distraction – one Ihadto use to escape the shackles of wedlock.
I wouldn’t get another.
Pablo’s shoulders slid under my hand, his muscles rippling.
‘Guide me.’ My voice shook, barely a whisper.
The wolf tensed, then drove us both into the heart of hell.
Instinct screamed at me to look back. Instead, I craned my neck in the direction of the thick forest. I half-laughed, half-cried as I took in the dark shadows between the twisting trunks. We’d slip away, find a hiding place. Everyone would assume I’d died. A victim of the diafol. Enfys might shed some tears. The king might rage. But for the first time in my life, I’d be free.
I cursed, stumbling as the ground morphed from the smooth, well-travelled road to uneven grassland. Trusting the wolf, I clung to him as he loped on sure, steady paws.
Blundering through the dusk, my heart leapt. Not a single guard had noticed me slipping away. In all fairness, they were distracted by their desperate attempts to overcome the diafol. The gloom concealed my escape and for a brief moment, a smile tugged the corner of my mouth.
I didn’t have a great record when it came to escaping. Maybe my attempts for freedom angered Evella? My ankle slid into a hole, twisting. Pain burned through me as I tried to remain upright. My slick fingers slipped through the wolf’s fur, my body slamming down onto the grass as I heaved in ragged breaths.
‘Not this,’ I hissed, waiting for the cry of a guard in chase. ‘Not now.’
Pablo’s warm breath huffed across my tearstained cheek. He whined, nuzzling, urging me to my feet. My eyes closed, fighting against the throbbing of my ankle. But the wolf had no intentionof leaving me behind. Grabbing the shoulder of my dress, his teeth narrowly missing my flesh, Pablo heaved.
Then, the ground beneath us rocked. Approaching hooves thundered. Through the haze, the murky forms of what must have been riders raced towards the splintered carriage. I swore and scoured what clues I could from them. It was too dark, my vision too blurred. Damned hunters probably, drawn in by the wails of the dying diafol. Mercenaries who’d swoop in at the last moment, claim the kill, then demand payment. No one dared to refuse lest they be abandoned to the abominations. And if they spotted Pablo? We had to get out. Shuddering, I leaned on the wolf, biting back a scream as my ankle crumpled. I crashed onto the cold ground, stony shards slicing into my palms and knees.
My heart stuttered. There must have been twenty…thirty hunters all dismounting, weapons glinting in the weak light. A muffled shout carried across the frigid dusk. They’d realised the carriage belonged to Drufaera’s king. I sobbed as my ankle collapsed in another attempt to stand. The hunters shouted orders, organised themselves. They had someone to impress, after all. A fortune to be earned. Sweat trickled down the back of my dress as I failed once again to rise. The diafol would be dead in seconds. Then the hunt for the missing bastard would commence. Nausea gripped me as my ankle bent once more.
‘Evella help me,’ I whispered into Pablo’s fur. He buried his head into the crook of my neck, pitiful whines tickling my ear.
When Pablo grabbed the back of my dress, I dug my fingers deep into his fur as he hauled me towards the shelter of the tree line. My already throbbing ankle slammed into a rogue rock and my unbidden scream rent the air. Gods, we were done for. Pablo didn’t halt though. He dragged me as though I were a half-mauled rabbit.
The undeniable swish of a released arrow hissed through the air. I held my breath, powerless to predict where it would strike.It sliced into the ground, a mere breath away, when a deep male voice shattered the gloom.
