48
Reyna
Reyna sliced her dagger through another wood fae neck and watched as his blood-soaked body crumpled onto the stone floor. She glanced behind her before charging forward. Thane was gone. Lorcan had dragged the High King to safety. Imogen had vanished as well.
And Eislyn...Reyna’s heart trembled.
She took one last look at the carnage of the room—most of the assassins were dead—and spun toward the nearest corridor. Perhaps Eislyn had gotten to safety. She was a smart girl. She would have known to flee instead of fight.
“Princess Reyna,” a soft voice said from behind her. She whirled, dagger raised, only to find one of the castle guards cowering in the corner, face white, hands shaking. She frowned. He should be out there fighting instead of hiding in the darkness. No matter. Some warriors did not realize they could not handle battle until death stared them in the eyes.
“The fight is over,” she said sharply. “Go back into the hall and help your fellow guards with the corpses.”
“Yes, your grace.” He gave a slight nod, and then drew in a sharp breath. “But, you see, I just saw Eislyn being taken.”
Reyna’s blade clattered against the stone ground as it slipped from her hand. The world tipped sideways; everything around her turned stark white. “What?”
He nodded eagerly. “Two servants, I think they were wood fae, grabbed her and dragged her outside. They took off on horses, heading toward the front gates, I believe. I didn’t hear where they plan to take her, but they left not long ago.”
Fury and fear stormed through Reyna like a hurricane. She stalked toward the huddled guard, every single cell in her body shaking with pure anger. “You saw her being taken, and you didn’t do a damn thing? How dare you!”
She wanted to stab him. She wanted to knock his face against the ground.
Her sister had been taken.Eislynwas in danger.
With a deep-throated roar, she whirled away from the guard and grabbed her dagger from the floor. She broke out into a run, rushing toward the nearest door that would lead her out into the courtyard. When she pressed into the cool air, she looked around. There was no one here. It was completely empty. A chill went through her. The wood fae had planned it like this. They knew the entire court and city would be celebrating their new king. No one would be around to see them steal a princess away.
Reyna ran to the stables and jumped onto Enbarr’s back. As she galloped toward the city gates, she let out a low whistle, calling Wingallock to her aide. This time, she would not make the mistake of leaving her owl behind. Eislyn needed her, which meant she needed all the strength she could get. If the wood fae had captured her, they likely planned to take her far south, past the Mistmoor Mountains, and into the wood fae lands.
This was no simple trip through the small Witchlight Woods and into the hilly grasslands. The trip would take weeks. She had no supplies. No food. No water. But she would not stop until she had found her sister. And taken her back.
Reyna’s stomach twisted as she reached the front gates of the city. The half a dozen guards that had been stationed there for the king’s coronation littered the ground, scarlet blood mixing with the dirt.
Eislyn’s not dead, she reminded herself. The wood fae would not have captured her if they meant to kill her. They would have just tried to slaughter her inside of the castle along with everyone else.
Wingallock soared overhead as Reyna pushed through the open gates. She dropped back her head, gripping the reins tight, and whispered the words into his mind.
Fly ahead. Find Eislyn.
Wingallock let out a long, low hoot of terror, voicing Reyna’s own turmoil aloud. He rushed up ahead, wings outstretched, the white feathers glistening in the moonlight. Reyna urged Enbarr onward.
Enbarr galloped into the grasslands, the tall stalks outside the front gates untouched by the Ruin that had descended on the hilly fields behind the castle woods. They followed a close distance behind Wingallock, who could dip and soar faster than her horse.
Holding tight onto the reins, Reyna closed her eyes and focused on her familiar. Instantly, a fresh blast of power rushed through her veins, and the world brightened around her as she viewed it through the lens of her owl.
Just up ahead, she spotted three figures rushing through the grass. They were perhaps an hour’s ride ahead, but her owl’s keen sight formed a clear picture in her mind. All three were on horseback, and they were moving in a gallop that was not much slower than hers. Where she had not weighed her horse down with supplies, they had. The middle of the three was Eislyn. Her head was obscured by a brown hood of some kind, but her golden gown practically glowed in the darkness.
Reyna opened her eyes, urging Enbarr ever forward. At this rate, she would be able to catch them. She did not know what she would do once she did, but she would worry about that once she’d reached them. She had her dagger on her belt, but the wood fae had arrows. Frowning, she clung tighter to her horse.
All of this was her fault. If she had not approached the wood fae alone, the Air Court wouldn’t have felt forced to attack, resulting in the horror at Thane’s coronation. If she hadn’t had her heart set on vengeance, Eislyn might not even be in this realm. Reyna wished for nothing more than to go back in time and take it all back.
Just up ahead, Wingallock let out an agitated hoot. Reyna tensed, and then watched in horror as an arrow soared straight at her owl’s heart.
49
Lorcan
Thane paced in his chambers, his fingers jammed into his long golden hair. Lorcan stood firmly with his back against the door, sword held at the ready. The bolts were all shut tight, but he would not move an inch for fear the enemy would burst through at any moment.
