Page 90

I didn’t have time to examine the insanity running through my mind, for the rebel sneered at me and pushed off the ground. Blood flying from her cut, wings beating powerfully, she launched herself at me again.

But before she slammed into me, a dagger came whirling from above, slicing her right wing in half. She screamed, and I spun to find Lord Riis still fending off rebels above, shooting glances my way.

He’d sent the blade. He might have saved my life.

ButIneeded to finish this.

I spun to face the rebel, and though there were tears in her eyes, she stood again. The fury in her face made it clear that she’d never stop fighting.

“How can you ally with them? Don’t you see what they’re doing? The land is dying. Magic is spinning out. We’re weakened.We’re dying.”

I swallowed, understanding. Empathizing, even. Killing off the land, people dying because of it, I understood why the rebels would fight for that.

“I know. I’ve seen it.”

“And yet you still sleep at a White Bear’s side. You still wear the gowns and go to the plays and eat the finery. The villages starve and yet,here you are.” She spat at my feet.

“I haven’t always lived like this,” I murmured, shame welling inside me.

“You do now.”

“I—”

“Long live the trueborn heir!” she screamed and came at me.

Before I knew what I was doing, I raised my dagger and sank it into her chest. Blood sprayed. But I barely noticed the hot gush as her eyes widened. They dipped down, so mine followed. I gasped.

I glowed, a silvery-violet hue that wasstronger than the other times it emanated from me. As if my magic had been dying to get out, to help me. To save my life. The light flickered again, and then the light vanished, just as the life in the rebel’s eyes dimmed to nothing.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I’d killed her. Without even really knowing that was what was about to happen, it had.

My throat tightened as I took her in, my gaze darting to the hawk insignia on her armband, to the dagger I’d pushed into her chest.

She would have tried to kill me. Had aimed to injure or kill Saga too, and yet . . . This was my first fae kill. One of my own people, not a vampire monster I despised with all my heart. I dropped the dagger.

“You should never let your guard down,” a voice said from behind.

I whirled to find an arrow aimed at me. The faerie who looked so like me. Closer now, I could see that we shared yet another resemblance. She bore a vertical scar, slashing over her left eye. Not an identical twin to the crescent scar over my temple, but the similarities, when combined, still caught.

She seemed to notice the resemblance too, her ice-blue eyes going round, her lips parting in shock. That second of hesitation was all Vale needed to come at her from the side to slash his blade.

The archer spun to safety, dropping her bow down as she did so. And when she faced Vale again, and saw his sword raised, likely measuring it against the likelihood ofher drawing her arrow and aiming in time, she chose correctly and ran.

“Warrior Bear and the princess in here!” she screamed.

“We have to run,” Saga hissed. I spun to find that she was awake and rising to stand. “There are so many.”

Vale growled, and in his eyes, I could see that he wanted to fight, wanted to hunt down the fae who would have put an arrow through me.

“She’s right, Vale. We need to go.” Behind her, I saw Vidar, still on the ground, bleeding out. “Vidar needs serious help.”

With each minute, fewer fae rushed from the theater, the theater in which I could hear the clashing of swords, the groaning of downed people. No doubt Clawsguards fought under the dome of the playhouse, keeping most of the rebels contained inside. Unable to stop myself, my gaze dipped to the very rebel I’d killed. She stared up at me, lifeless and cold and resolute, with that same sneer on her lips.

Vale still didn’t look convinced, but fifty soldiers burst through the front doors. One soldier paused when he saw Vale. He eyed Vidar, covered in blood, and the four bodies of the rebels that Sayyida and Vale had felled.

“Get Lord Virtoris out of here.” The soldier’s attention strayed to Saga, Sayyida, and me. “We’ve got this under control.”

Someone, likely the king as he’d been one of the first to flee, had sent help.