I jumped to my feet and bent my knees, raising my sword high. As if by instinct, my body began to move, twisting and swirling and dancing side to side. The world was a blur around me as I blocked and parried. And when I finally stabbed the beast in the heart, I’d forgotten where Iwas.
Wrapping my hands tight around the hilt, I yanked my sword from the beast’s skin. I tried to block out the sound of steel inside of flesh and the sight of all that blood. Just as I wiped my blade with the end of my cloak, I heard a strangled cry from behind me. I whirled toward thesound.
Alwyn had fallen to the floor, and a Redcap loomed over her twisted body. There was a cut on her cheek, and her cloak had been ripped to shreds. The beast pounded its chest, roaring in brutal anger. He was going to kill her. One swipe of those massive claws, and she’d bedead.
I dropped the bloodied cloth and pounded my feet on the ground, my eyes focused on Alwyn’s terror-filled face. The beast raised its claws. With a shout, I launched through the air, my sword held high. I had no idea if I would make it. I had no idea if my blade would find itsmark.
Just as the Redcap swung its claws toward Alwyn’s broken body, I threw all my weight behind my sword as I flew right at its gut. The tip sunk in as I landed on the ground. With a grunt, I shoved the blade in further, twisting and turning until I was certain the wound wasdeep.
And then the beast crashed onto thefloor.
Alwyn scrabbled back, her eyes wild. Tears poured down her face, and blood caked to her skin. She gave me a slight nod and a smile before I turned back to thedoor.
If my count was right, there would be only one Redcap left. With a deep breath, I raised my sword and strode over to the broken door to peer outside. Finn’s hand whispered at my elbow as he tried to hold me back, but I stepped forward all thesame.
Because I didn’t hear the scratch of claws or the roar of beastlylungs.
I heard someonecrying.
I stepped through the broken door and lowered my sword. A girl huddled on the stone steps, shuddering as sobs shook her trembling body. Keeping a tight grip on my sword, I glanced from left to right, scanning the darkness for any sign of another Redcap, though I knew I wouldn’t find them. I could tell by looking at her exactly what she was. This girl was the other beast. And she lookedbroken.
I knelt down beside her and put a timid hand on her shoulder. She flinched, and her sobs suddenly stopped. She whirled toward me, her eyes wild, her pupils dilated withred.
“Get away from me,” shehissed.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said quietly. “I just want to help. I know that you cannot help yourself when you become thebeast.”
“You’re fae,” she spat. “Of course you want to hurt me. That’s all any of you ever want todo.”
A pause. “Is that why you came here? Is that why you attacked theAcademy?”
She sniffled and let out a harsh laugh. “You have no idea about anything, do you? You don’t know what it’s like out here, not when you’re hidden away in the safety of this place. But these are glass walls, Norah Oliver. And one day, they willbreak.”
Unease churned through my gut. “How do you know myname?”
The girl pushed up from the ground and lifted her chin, suddenly defiant and strong rather than sad. Her glittering green eyes pierced my soul. There was something about her, something I couldn’t put my finger on. Her long blonde hair reached her waist, highlighting her gaunt form. She looked as though she hadn’t eaten in days. How long had she been living out in the wild of Otherworld? When was the last time she’d had a fullmeal?
She took a step forward and shoved a finger at my chest. “I am you. And you areme.”
Blood roared in my ears. “What are you talkingabout?”
“Did you ever stop to think that you had to take someone’s place?” she asked, her voice turning sharp. “There were four fae babes who were chosen to become the Tithe that year. Sophia, Lila, Sam, and…me. When Queen Marin decided to hide you in the human realm by replacing me with you, what did you think would happen to me? Did you think I’d be allowed to stay at home with my family? Of course not. If I suddenly did not disappear as planned, that would be too obvious to her enemies. They would know what she’ddone.”
All the blood drained from my face as I blinked into the furious gaze of the girl before me. None of this had ever occurred to me, but now that she was spelling it out, one excruciating word after another, I felt as though I’d been staring into a sea of clouds all these months. Everything she said made sense. Why hadn’t I seen this untilnow?
My mother had hidden me in the human realm by having me take the place of the fae babe who had been meant to go in the first place. And then that babe had never beensent.
The girl sneered as she continued to poke a strong finger at my chest. “Queen Marin didn’t want me dead, but she couldn’t very well let me go free, now couldshe?”
My face drained. Queen Marin couldn’t let her go, because if anyone found her...then they might realize she’d sent another babe in herplace.
“Where did you go? What happened to you?” I asked, even though I knew what she would say. Looking into her eyes now, it was clear. She’d been lost to the wild of Otherworld, and she’d become a beast along the way. And now she had come for herrevenge.
She leaned forward, her nose only a breath away from mine. Her eyes danced with darkness and anger, built up from years upon years of horror. “The Wilde Fae. They gave me to the Wilde Fae. And then I got bitten by a Redcap, and your precious Hunters kept trying to track me down to kill me on the spot. Because you see, Marin was dead by this point, and the Hunters had no reason to keep me alive anymore. I’ve spent my entire life running from them. They’ve killed friend after friend after friend, but no more. I’m here to put a stop to this. And you’renext.”
Claws flashed in the air as she raised her arm high. I spotted them a second toolate.
Chapter Twelve
