CHAPTER 111
Ezryn
Idash through the narrow streets of Hadria, the sound of rushing water echoing off the stone walls. My boots are drenched from the rising tide, heart pounding as I work to get as many people to safety as I can.
Up ahead, a man huddles between two barrels, arms wrapped around two children. Each of them having sprouted the fin-like ears of a siren, their skin glinting with a metallic glow.
“Hurry!” I scream to them. “Get to the ocean! You’ll be safe there.”
Rosalina’s magic has worked; the citizens of Hadria will be able to breathe underwater, to grow tails like the sirens who live in these seas. The sirens themselves wait at the ocean’s edge, ushering the Hadrians out and bringing them to safety in their underwater city.
I place my hand on the man’s shoulder, holding his fearful gaze steady. “The water is your friend. Be brave, now.”
“What of the skeletons? Some have survived the flood,” the man says, voice quivering.
I lift my mother’s blade up to catch the light. “I’ll deal with them.”
The man nods, then takes his young children by the hand and sprints toward the south.
I look around, searching for any more citizens to urge forward or any skeletons to dismantle. A shadow passes overhead, and I look up to see a winged horse flying above, its rider shooting arrows down into the city, striking enemies from above.
My heart thunders. We may not claim victory this day, butneither will Sira. That in itself is a triumph. Though they will need to rebuild their city, the people of Hadria remain free. That is more than I can say for my own realm.
A rush of water sounds, and I run forward to see the canal has finally fully flooded. Water breaches the banks, spilling into the alleyways. Before I get swept away, I leap straight into the canal, landing on a barrel. The churning water makes the barrel spin, and I barely keep upright. Spotting a sturdier-looking wooden plank, I jump and land upon it. Briny water sprays up at me, blurring my vision. The plank starts to sink with my weight, and I jump again. Each leap is a gamble as I make my way down the canal, using pieces of debris as my stepping stones.
I land upon a broken door, barely keeping balance. A terracotta awning hangs from a stone wall overhead; above it is the upper quadrant of the city. A scream cuts over the rushing water. Propelling off the door, I grab hold of the awning and pull myself up. Tiles slide under my feet. Using brute force, I scramble up the stone wall and heave myself over onto dry pavement. It won’t be long before this section of the city is flooded too.
The scream punctures the air again, and I run toward it. A young fae woman sprints down the alley in my direction, a skeleton only steps behind her. I charge forward, sword at the ready, taking the skull of the skeleton with a single swing. The green fire within the monster’s chest wanes. I know it won’t be long before it reanimates, but at least this will give the woman a chance to escape.
She looks to me, her wide eyes shining. “Th-thank you.”
“Get to the sea! There will be people there waiting to help you.”
Her eyes widen even more. “I saw it. When we go into the water, we’re changing. What’s happened to us?”
“You have been blessed by the Queen’s magic,” I say assuredly. “She has given you a great gift.”
The woman looks up, a sense of awe on her face. “She has returned.”
“Go! The water is safer than the land now. Tell everyone you see. Get to the water!”
The woman runs off, and I allow a moment to catch my breath. My own gaze drifts to the sky. Somewhere up there, Delphia and Nori are both on winged horseback, scouting for survivors. Rosalina and Dayton have completed the first part of their plan.
Dayton’s power … It’s incredible.He brought the entire ocean to his beck and call. The awe apparent on the woman’s face from a moment ago—it is nothing if not warranted. Just as the Queen performed miracles an age ago, now so does her daughter.
I suck in another deep breath. I must do my part. I will clear this city and save as many as I can.
The marketplace is on this level of the city. There may be scared citizens hiding there. I take off at a run, cutting through a backstreet passage—
There’s a figure at the end of the alley, turning in a circle as if he’s lost or unsure what to do with himself. He’s a fae, not a siren, and entirely too well-dressed for a battle.
Caspian.
My reaction surprises myself. Gone is the white-hot rage from the last time I saw him. Instead, it’s as if my whole body has been plunged into freezing water. My muscles tense. My eyes narrow. Caspian … here. In the city.
Farron says they worked together to try and free the Queen. But I know better. So many people I love have been led astray by his charm and guile.
If he helped us once, it’s only to lead us into a greater betrayal.
