“No one will follow you.”
She turns, searching for the lords. But they’ve fled and she’s alone.
The situation starts to dawn on her and she scrambles.
I take my chance. Wrapping my shadows around her body, I encase her into a cocoon. She thrashes and screams, but my magic holds firm. It’s more powerful than hers, more controllable.
She rages, shouting like a dragon, warning others of their might. Only Aoife is not fearsome, she’s broken.She’s lost it.
“Release me!”
“You don’t control me anymore, Aoife.” Grabbing her face, my nails bite into her cheeks drawing blood. My fangs grow long and I smile, a gruesome sight. Guards start to shout behind me, and Max steps into the center, looking to the open doors, nervous. “For everything you did to me, I should draw this out. Make you scream until your voice is gone, pluck every single hair from your head, every single fingernail and clip your wings.”
Her eyes round, the putrid scent of her fear intoxicating.
“But it’s more important that I forget you than have my revenge.” The shadows turn to steel and she gasps. “Goodbye, Aoife.”
Ripping into her neck, a spray of blood covers the floor, my chest, and face. I don’t even drink it—the scent turns my stomach. It’s sour like a lemon, rotten on the tree.
Max sighs, holding my arm as I drop the queen to the floor. Ink seeps from her eyes, mixing with the red that puddles under her. It grows, a dying rose under so much black and I watch it, transfixed on the sight.
Behind us, the guards crash inside, clamoring together. Swords raise high and we turn, Max’s fingers already red. The throne room becomes crowded.
My limbs tremble as shadows billow off my shoulders like a cloak in the wind. My energy is failing, but now isn’t the time to be tired. We have to leave—return to our home. I need to get out of this place.
“Not great odds,” she murmurs and I smirk.
“When has it ever been easy for us?”
A wall of fire swirls behind the main doors, growing in heat and intensity. The orange and reds blend together, casting ugly shadows on the Fae. As they glance back, it erupts, consuming them whole.
Ducking low, I grab Max as the fire reaches high above. It devours the room, burns the banners, melts the walls, and destroys the guards with one fell swoop. The heat—so overpowering I can barely breathe—makes both of us cough and drop to our knees, searching for fresh air.
As soon as it came, it’s gone with a flash.
Peering upward, I lock eyes with my sister and her fierce face.
“Don’t just sit there,” she snaps. “More guards are coming and that took way too much energy to do again.”
Helping Max to her feet, we run after her, darting into the hall. Reid is there, Mal watching the far corner for more guards.
“So, you finally understand your limits.”
“Really?” She scoffs. Before I move past her, she grabs my shoulders, looking into my eyes. “It’s you, right?”
Clasping her hand, I nod. “Max brought me back. I’m whole. Without Aoife’s influence.”
“If you didn’t kill the bitch, you better point me in the direction.”
I point to the blood on my tunic. “Already done.”
She smiles wickedly and something heavy lifts from my chest.
“I’m all for a happy reunion,” Reid yells, running back from the corner, Mal on his heel. “But guards are coming and our limited guards are stuck outside fighting. We need another way out.”
“Through the servant’s passageways,” Max tells them, grabbing a tapestry. “Mal and I used it to find you all. If we hurry, we’ll get out before they find us.”
We don’t wait to argue. Mal takes the lead through the corridors, not bothering to be quiet or stop. The halls are stiffing, confining butwe push on. Once we reach the end, we shove through the heavy wooden door and lock it behind us.
