Shay groaned. “Fucking Ninth. Get out—we’re coming with you.”
Honestly, I couldn’t get out of that room fast enough. I couldn’t wait to tell Avie that one of her besties had somehow bagged both seconds. I was impressed. I’d tell her all about it, after I was done spanking her into next week for sneaking out of here without me.
Within twenty minutes, my father had been informed about what had happened, including Avie’s reasoning, and he’d given me a contingent of Third Line men to march to Fortaare. Even now, stealth would be better than brute force, but if it came down to it, I wanted to have muscle at my back, in case I had to fight my way to her.
There was no way I was leaving her in the hands of Feodore Vylan. No fucking way.
We ranthe whole way to Fortaare, but when we arrived, my feet skidded to a stop. Fortaare was on fire.
No, scratch that, just the gates to Fortaare were on fire, and there was already fighting. I could see Vylan’s guards,their uniforms silhouetted in the glow of the flames. But their combatants? They were a random assortment of people, and I couldn’t pick who they were fighting for. Some fought like professionals, making me wonder if they were former Dawn Army. Others looked like dock workers and people from the tent city on the outskirts of Fortaare.
“What thefuck?” Vox breathed, and he looked over at Lierick, who had his face screwed up in confusion.
“They’re fighting for themselves. Someone riled them up about the injustice in Fortaare, of the way their daughters were plucked from their homes, their food stolen, their money taxed. It’s a proper revolution of the First Line, but I can’t figure out who instigated it. I don’t think it was Avie.”
Yeah, I couldn’t imagine Avie inciting this level of violence, but maybe these people hadn’t needed much of a push.
Vox let out a long breath. “No fucking way.” He pointed toward the fray.
There, swinging a sword in a way that told me he didn’t care if he lived or died, was Malak Trenton. He was fighting one of Vylan’s guards, and that was a good enough line in the sand for me.
“Against the guards! Fight your way in,” I yelled to the soldiers at my back. They whooped; the Third Line were nothing if not brawlers, and we’d been sitting on our hands for far too long.
Malak turned as Lucio dived into the fray in front of him, his eyes almost comically confused until he spotted us. He fought his way toward us, even as someone attacked Vox, who laid the guy out with a simple turn. If this was the best of Feodore Vylan’s guard, then maybe we wouldn’t need the Second Line army to take them out.
Malak appeared in front of us, blood spattered across his face, his eyes alight with violence. “She said you’d come, but I’m glad it was now. They almost had us on the back foot.”
Fear gripped me again.
“You’ve seen Avalon?” Zier barked, reaching for Malak.
He nodded, looking around. “We should talk somewhere quieter. The Baron has spies everywhere.” Leading us into a building that was miraculously not on fire, he closed the door. “Met her at the sewage reservoir. I was sneaking in to kill the Baron as he slept. She said there were better ways to help Ebrus than committing suicide at the hands of Feodore Vylan.” His matter-of-fact statement was tempered with a soft laugh.
Vox raised an eyebrow. “She’s right. You wouldn’t have even made it into the palace, let alone to his bedroom.”
Malak nodded. “So she said. She said you guys would be behind her, but couldn’t come where she’s going. That it was dangerous; she said you would know why.” He looked at Lierick, who looked ashamed.
Vox laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. “If Avalon thinks we’re going to wait around for her to die, she doesn’t know us very well.”
Malak laughed. “She said you’d probably say that too. She said you’d know when it was safe to find her. That you just had to wait.”
I nodded, but there was no way I was waiting. If she was in the Hall of Ebrus, I was going to be right behind her, even if I had to tear Fortaare to shreds first.
“Malak!” someone shouted, and we all rushed from the building. More First Line guards had appeared, and one face in particular sent rage flooding through my veins.
Stanlus. I fuckinghatedthat piece of shit, and today was his reckoning.
I rolled my neck and looked over at Vox. “Let’s end this.”
Avalon had lit the match, but I was going to burn this place down.
Stepping into the battle, I let the Spryrix free. He roared to the surface, ready to murder his enemies and retrieve his mate. But first, there was a blood bag he was desperate to have between his teeth.
Twenty-Six
Avalon
Iwaded out of the shit-filled drain, Epsy perched precariously on top of my head, well away from the sludge that I didn’t want to think too hard about. And to think, I’d believed the little furball was dumb.
