Much as I want to stand my ground and stab things, our only chance for survival right now—our only chance to save Valoria—is to flee as fast and far as we can.
“There’s nowhere in Karthia you can run,” he calls after them, as if sensing my thoughts. “Whatever you do, however far you go, it won’t matter. The kingdom is finally mine again.” A few of the soldiers shift creakily at that, as if in protest, and he hastily adds, “Ours. Karthia isours. You tried to banish the Dead, Valoria, but we’re here to take this world back! This is our rightful home, and now it’syouwho will have to suffer a dull eternity in the Deadlands. Death to the living!”
The soldiers applaud stiffly before beginning to march forward. Lysander leaps between them and us, and though he’s trembling all the while, he guards our backs as I grab Meredy’s hand and we race up the stairs together.
“Lysander!” she screams, turning back to check on him as I try to keep her moving after the others.
The grizzly bounds up the stairs close behind us as another light, metallic sound begins to fill the dungeon. But the soldiers aren’t following us, I realize as the eerie sounds of their movements pursue us. They’re collecting their spears, preparing to march.
We tear through the palace, alerting everyone we can along the way, and finally emerge into a cold, misty night.
In the gardens, I listen for the clanking sounds of Hadrien’s soldiers and try to catch my breath as Valoria explains what just happened to the remains of our volunteer army, those who gathered here and have been waiting since sunset on her orders.
Someone produces a lantern—Danial.
As he raises it toward the sky, shining light across our faces andthe cliffs, I glance warily at the horizon. There aren’t any ships cutting through the night yet, but there will be soon. I hope Hadrien won’t have as easy a time dealing with them as he seems to anticipate. That would buy everyone in the city a chance to escape.
Jax whistles, getting everyone’s attention so Valoria can address the group. She has to shout to be heard over the sounds of terrified nobles in their robes and dressing gowns fleeing down the hillside, shrieking about metal monsters.
“We need to get to the school,” Valoria says quickly.
“Majesty, you need to go to the harbor. Get on theParadise, and get out of Karthia,” Danial says, his voice low and urgent.
Valoria shakes her head. “I’ll go, but only after we fetch the students. They have to come with us. They’re Karthia’s future as much as I am.”
“Fine,” Danial agrees. “I’ll raise the alarm in the city and meet you at theParadiseafter.” He stands tall despite having barely recovered from all the healing he did, despite the screams now issuing from the palace windows. Apparently not everyone heeded our warning when we fled the palace. Casting his gaze over the volunteers, he asks, “Who’s with me?”
Almost all the new soldiers, young and old alike, follow him down the hill, toward the city. I can’t help but wonder if and when we’ll see them again as their retreating figures grow smaller.
“I’ll head to the rookery,” one of the remaining volunteers offers, her expression grim. I think she was a friend of Bryn’s and Sarika’s. “Someone has to warn the other provinces.”
“You’ll never make it out of there,” I say quickly. “You heard what they want—thatdeath to the livingnonsense.”
“But someone has to do it,” she insists. “I’ll send as many messages as I can before they reach me.”
I shake my head, looking to Valoria, expecting her to talk some sense into this brave girl. But Valoria merely bows to the guard, then embraces her. As they pull apart, and the girl dashes back into the palace, the crownless queen echoes softly, “Someone has to do it.”
The few remaining guards accompany Valoria, her little sister Ruthie, Jax, Meredy, and me as we begin the brief journey to the temple. Lysander brings up the rear.
There’s no time to wrap our faces against the wind that spreads the black fever.
Hoping for the best, we run, chased by the sounds of the metal soldiers streaming out of the palace and making their way toward the city. Following the path of Danial and his army. I hope Hadrien’s soldiers can’t run as fast as real people.
But as we near the temple, distant screams tell me everything I need to know, and everything I feared: Hadrien’s army caught up with Danial’s. And once he’s done with them, no doubt, he’ll use his soldiers to murder the living in their beds. Not because he wants to convince them of anything this time, but because he’s grown even more twisted in the Deadlands.
I don’t know what I’ll tell Simeon when I see him.
Valoria leads the way inside the temple, flinging open the door to find Simeon and Nipper in the library with a few of the students, all pulling on cloaks as if preparing to leave.
The moment she spots me, the dragon bounds over and wraps herself happily around my legs. I pat her head absently as I listen to Simeon.
“We heard the screams,” he says by way of greeting, glancing from face to face. “We figured it was bad.” Softly—almost unconcernedly, someone might say if they didn’t know Simeon—he adds, “I see Danial’s off doing something stupid.”
Valoria quickly explains everything that happened at the palace, and the students’ eyes grow wide with shock.
“Where’s Zee? And the captain?” a dark-haired girl only as tall as my waist asks Simeon. She glances around the shadowy library, illuminated on this cloudy night only by the dying fire in the great hearth, her eyes shimmering with worry.
Despite all that’s happening, my heart gives a leap. Captain. Kasmira must be here.
