I watch Silas barely nod out of the corner of my mind.
“You aren’t going to make her fight, Malachi,” Silas rages, but remains unmoved. “Don’t be ridiculous. Let her go.”
Silas also realizes that if either he or Larkin lunges, one of us will die, and he’s right about that.
“You are correct, Silas. There won't be any fighting today. In fact, there won’t be a struggle at all. I admit that takes away some of the fun.”
Malachi reaches behind his back and pulls out a dagger.
Tears flow continuously down Yara’s face as she stares at me, her dark eyes now bloodshot, filled with terror. I don’t break my gaze from her. I rack my brain to think of a plan to get her overto us and away from Malachi, but everything I can think of puts us all in danger.
“Grab the dagger, Yara,” Malachi orders.
She hesitates and grits her teeth. Even with him controlling her, she tries to resist the order, but it’s too much. Her trembling hand reaches for the blade, wrapping her delicate fingers around the hilt.
Malachi lets her take the blade, and for a second, I wish more than anything that she would drive the dagger into his heart—if he even has one. Yara’s arm drops to her side under the added weight, and she remains frozen, clutching the dagger.
“Good girl.” Malachi pats her head and turns his gaze back to us.
His eyes convey an unsettling calmness, as if he’s been plotting this for far too long.
“Malachi, what are you doing?” Larkin steps forward.
I grab his arm and squeeze my eyes shut, praying Malachi doesn’t give the order for the Travelers around us to attack. Larkin freezes as an icy breath chills his neck. The invisible creature lurks close behind, revealing its presence. Larkin glances sideways, and Silas realizes that we are outnumbered and have fallen into an unfortunate trap. We are completely surrounded by death in every aspect.
“Please, Yara, drop the blade,” I beg.
Yara attempts to unfurl her hand, but the hilt remains stuck to her hand.
“I can’t, Briar,” she cries. “I want to, but I can’t.”
Malachi leans in and kisses her cheek. “Oh, she’s right. She won’t be doing that.”
Tears stream down my cheeks as Silas takes my hand to steady my shaking. He remains strong, but even through my trembling, I can feel a slight quiver in his. Silas understands thathis father is insane, and he knows better than anyone right now the lengths to which he is willing to go.
“Stop this fucking show. Let her leave.” Silas’s shadows pulse in a dark threat. “She has nothing to do with this.”
Malachi whispers something in Yara’s ear, and a sob escapes her throat.
I squint my eyes to try to read any words escaping his lips, but I can’t make anything out other thandead.
“I’m sorry, Briar. I should have never involved myself,” she cries. “I was just trying to help.”
“Just stay quiet,” I say. “We are walking out of here, together.”
“When I’m gone, look for where the light illuminates. Look where the light guided you that night. Search where you ended up.”
Malachi snatches her arm, ordering her to stop speaking, “Enough.”
“Don’t say that, Yara. You’re going to be fine.” I assure her, but my words fumble out. I ignore the message, trying not to draw attention to her words. “Just drop the dagger and walk over here.”
Look where the light guided you.
“How dare you lie to her right now, Briar?” Malachi huffs. “How will people ever trust you if you just continuously lie?"
He pulls Yara closer by the waist, and I clench my fists.
Malachi buries his face in the nape of her neck, and she attempts to recoil from his touch. He reacts to her dismissal with a huff of disgust, snapping his head away and loosening his grip around her waist. My heart pounds like thunder, and I realize our time is short. I glance at Larkin; his eyes are wide, filled with fury and distress.
