“Because the alternative, child,” Ydros rumbled, “is your queen’s death.”
The blood drained from Ciana’s cheeks.
For the first time in days, something sparked in Sebastian’s chest.
He’d failed so much. So thoroughly. He’d failed the person he’d promised he never would, even after she’d given him all the perfect pieces of herself with delicate, trusting hands.
No more. He would fail no more.
He halted in his tracks, rooting his feet to the ground. The guards gripping his arms jerked to a stop with him, giving him confused, wary glances.
Sebastian ignored them. He lifted his gaze, landing on the slitted, mossy green eyes of the god.
And murmured a single, solid word.
“No.”
He dropped into a squat, years of training taking control. The guards made a shocked noise as he wrenched free from their grip, rolling forward. He sprang to his feet, hands balled into fists, chest heaving.
He had no weapons. His hands were chained together. But he still had his body and his mind, and by the fucking gods would he use them to his last breath.
The guards formed a ring around him, metal singing as their weapons slid from their sheaths.
“You are a fool, Armature,” Ydros huffed, though his words weren’t angry. He just sounded…frustrated.
Well, Sebastian was finally angry.
“Maybe,” he said through gritted teeth. “But I willnothelp you betray my queen.”
He lunged for the nearest guard.
The guard stepped back, swinging his sword. Sebastian caught the steel between his shackles, twisting his wrists. Theweapon wrenched from his opponent’s hands, eyes widening with shock.
Sebastian kneed him in the crotch. The man doubled over, wheezing, hitting the ground with a mewl of pain.
He turned to the next guard. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, energy vibrating down his arms.
Somewhere, he might’ve heard Ciana cry out. It might’ve pulled his attention away, just for a moment.
It was long enough for someone to dart out of the shadows. Long enough for three more guards to surround Sebastian, pushing him back to his knees.
Long enough for something to prick his neck, skin flaring as it pierced his skin.
“I told you, Armature,” Ydros rumbled. “It would’ve been easier if you had complied. But thankfully, I am prepared for all possible outcomes.”
The world grew fuzzy. Sebastian blinked, trying to clear his vision. Sounds were too loud, colors too bright. The number of people in the courtyard doubled.
“Wha—”
Ciana’s scream tearing through the courtyard was the last thing he heard before his world went black.
Chapter 82
Mariah quietly snuck from her and Andrian’s tent before the sun had crested the horizon, when the waning moons still hung heavy in the sky. The summer air was warm, especially in this part of Onita; dew sparkled on the meadow grasses, butterflies flicking between the wildflowers.
None of them black, though. She hadn’t seen the small insect that had haunted her after Khento in so long. She often thought it might’ve been a figment of her imagination, something her mind had crafted in the aftermath of trauma.
Did it really matter if it was?
