Page 180 of Burn of the Everflame

The front door slamming open. The guard’s shout, cut short by another swinging blade. On the porch, the thud of a head hitting the floor, then another thud for its corpse. Outside, a whistle. The sounds of fighting, over too soon. A loud, triumphant cheer.

“No!” I begged.

Andrei clawed at the Guardians holding him up, scratching deep gouges down their forearms. They hissed and let go, and he lunged for the knife in Brant’s hand.

But his wound had already done its job. His chest was drenched in scarlet, and his face was quickly turning pale. Brant ripped the knife back with little effort. The others pelted Andrei with fists and boots that went unanswered, and he collapsed to his knees.

Maura can heal him, I told myself. There’s still time to fix this.

I reached to grab him, and Vance seized me by the collar. “Hold on, Brother Henri. We’re not done yet.”

“He’s going to die!” I shouted.

The others began to laugh.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Vance said. He pulled back his coat and unsheathed a Fortosian steel dagger that we’d stolen during the armory attack. The pink gemstones in its black-and-copper handle glinted as he held it out to me. “Finish him off.”

I stared dumbly at the other Guardians. Surely, one of them would stop this. We killed Descended, not mortals.

But they didn’t help, nor did they object.

They stared and they smiled and they laughed.

“We have to get him into town,” I begged them. “If we hurry, the healers can save him.”

Brant snorted. “Not the smartest, are ya, kid?”

I grabbed the knife from Vance and jabbed it toward him, sending him jumping back. “Let him go!”

The laughter silenced. The others pulled their weapons and closed in around me. I swung the blade wildly to keep them away, but there were so many of them, and Andrei’s eyes were drooping fast.

Vance held up a hand. “Everyone, calm down. Brother Henri is just a little surprised, that’s all. He needs a moment to get his thoughts in order.”

“Better do it fast.” Brant grabbed Andrei by the hair and yanked his sagging head upright. “He won’t last much longer.”

Vance turned to me, eyes crinkling with an amicable smile. It was a jarring shift from the frosty bite he’d shown toward Andrei. That’s how Vance had always been—warm and encouraging to those he took under his wing, merciless to everyone else.

Though it was the opposite of Auralie, it made him an effective leader, as well. Vance split the world in two. If you were one of us, you were cared for. Respected. We were family. We risked everything for each other, even our lives.

But if you were one of them, then you were the enemy.

And enemies had to die.

“Brother Henri,” Vance said, “it’s time to prove your loyalty to the Guardians.”

“I already have,” I protested. “I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked.”

“You got engaged to a Descended,” Brant spat. “How are we supposed to trust that you won’t betray us for her?”

“Maybe he already did,” another Guardian said. “For all we know, he led us there last night knowing exactly what she’d do.”

“That’s why they closed the hole in the garden wall,” another growled. “He told her we were coming.”

Their glares grew darker.

Vance placed his body between me and the points of their blades. “Henri would never do that.” He turned to face me. “Isn’t that right, Brother? You swore an oath to the Guardians. You’re still with us, aren’t you?”

I began to tremble. How was I going to save Andrei? I wasn’t sure I was even going to survive this myself.