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Shit.

“Enid, I suggest you stop hiding.”

She whipped her head around to the male voice talking. Her heart stopped. More soldiers came from the east, and they had Avenay and Vasu in their grip, a knife to their throats. Could she get to them? Somehow quickly knock the people holding them away and get them to safety? She took a step forward and pain shot up her leg. This wasn’t good. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. No, she couldn’t take the chance.

Avenay’s face was contorted in a frown, fear practically pouring out of her like a tidal wave it was so evident on her features.

Dropping the shroud and smoke, she fell to her knees. Her hands trembled against the cobblestone as she tried to press herself up to her feet again, but it felt as if a great weight bore down on her. What in the darkest pit was going on?

“You’ve been poisoned,” Onora said, as if reading her thoughts.

She looked up, her glance bouncing to the other soldiers. Some shifted on their feet in discomfort, others’ expressions confirmed the truth of it enough. A magic inhibiting poison. When did this start?

She looked back, and the knives were off Avenay and Vasu’s throats, easing some of the worry constricting around her. Rough hands grasped her biceps, yanking her up and clamping shackles on her wrist. A muted cry sounded from Avenay, and Enid met her furious gaze. She’d never seen her mate with such a ferocity of anger, and Enid wished she could kiss it away, calm the tempest raging there.

But she was weak, so weak. Again, and again, and again.

“Take them to the temple,” the male holding onto Avenay said.

“What of her brothers? Or the firebird?” the centaur asked.

“They’re of less importance. Get the human and demon to Hevena in the temple and I’ll take these two to the king. Don’t fail.”

The centaur nodded and yanked Enid forward, toward the forest. Avenay cried out and that thread between them tightened. Enid closed her eyes and focused on it, sending her everything she could, all her love and assurance. It was met with a fiery light that warmed her.

She opened her eyes and looked at Onora as they stumbled along the path up to the woods.

“How did they poison me?”

“It’s in the wine. I noticed two days ago and stopped drinking it,” Onora replied.

Enid grimaced. “You could have warned us.”

Onora slid a glare to her that Enid returned right back. “I wanted to figure out what was going on before I sounded any alarms. You tend to barrel into situations headfirst, without a thought.”

“You don’t know me well enough to say that’s true,” Enid hissed.

It was true, and she hated that Onora had read her so well, so quickly.

“What’s going on here?” Onora asked. “We volunteered for this. Why are they now forcing our hand?”

Enid chewed her lip, thinking it over. The soldiers were clearly listening to them,and they were too close to whisper amongst trained ears. She looked at Onora and shook her head. She didn’t know, andshe didn’t think it was the best idea to talk about any theories. But she had an inclination that Avenay and Vasu had discovered something they shouldn’t.

Chapter 32: Avenay

“Let me go!” Avenay cried out.

The soldier next to Avenay was a burly male, all muscles and thick, fur covered legs. He reached down, grasping her by the arm and she thrashed against him, scratching and making him bleed. In response, he slapped her across the face and she let out a burst of light. He yelled and stumbled back, but he still held onto her and she stumbled with him, slamming into the ground, ribs cracking. Avenay held up her bound hands to send out more light, but they had caught onto her trick and grabbed her wrists anyway, clamping her hands together. She couldthrow light out still, but it wouldn’t be as concentrated or effective without her hands directing it.

Enid and Onora were being dragged to the forest, disappearing down the road. Cold sweat coated her skin. They were taking them to be sacrificed.

The satyr yanked her up, making her walk alongside Vasu. She had to think of a way out of this, of something—anything!—she could do.

They were taken back up the streets to the castle. People peeked out windows, staring as they passed. Some looked on in confusion, others with a grim recognition. Did everyone know the plan for tonight? Or only a few? Could any of these people be turned to allies to aid an escape?

But then again, where would they go? They were stuck here until the enchantments were broken as well. Maybe this was the only way.

Wait.