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Bow before the Serpent…

“Elowen,” Sion snapped, “let’s go.”

I didn’t want to leave it behind, my delightful garden…so many more blooms to cull.

Death magic took hold of my thoughts.

If they won’t kneel to me in life, they’ll worship me in death.

Sion practically dragged me into the night, and my thoughts started to clear a little. I turned back to the open door, aching to kill more. But what I saw instead was an archer loosing an arrow aimed directly at me.

Sion lunged in front of me, taking the arrow in his chest. His body jerked with the impact, and a growl rose from him as he fell back into me. Righting himself, he reached up, grasping theshaft of the arrow. With a snarl, he pulled it out, the tip slick with his blood.

It had nearly pierced his heart, and he staggered a little.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

I wrapped my arm around his waist to help him walk, feeling the warmth of his blood seeping through my fingers.

From the darkness, Maelor appeared, the air around him growing darker, colder. His inky magic spiraled from his body, shielding us completely in darkness. “For fuck’s sake, come with me.”

The next thing I knew, I was wrapped in Maelor’s powerful arms. I’d know him anywhere merely by the scent of sandalwood curling around me, by the protective way he was holding me.

“I’m okay,” I whispered. “Sion is the one who is injured.”

“Oh, he’ll be fucking fine. But you shouldn’t be near him when he’s injured. He’ll need to feed, and it won’t be on you.”

The wind whipped at my hair as he carried me away from the castle—away from Sion—in utter darkness.

At last, Maelor put me down, and I breathed in the scent of oak and moss from the forest around us. We were back where we’d started.

From the darkness, I heard Sion’s deep voice. “Give me your arm, Maelor.”

Maelor let out a deep sigh, holding out his arm, then asked, “What happened?”

“The Pater is in a weakened state,” I said. “It turns out he gets his strength from siphoning it offwitches. He uses the trials to find the strongest among us, then he strips them of their power. That’s how he stays young and immortal.”

“But magic is banned during the trials.” Ivy’s voice pierced the dark.

“Yes,” said Percival. “Of course the Order doesn’t allow magic, but we all used it to survive.”

“So, without witches, he could die,” Maelor said.

“He’s falling apart,” said Sion’s. “But I don’t know that we can kill him yet. He’s ordered another witch-finding tomorrow morning in Lyramor. They’re planning a hasty trial to give him strength again. Elowen and I are going to ride through the night and disrupt it before dawn if we can.”

“Just the two of you against the Luminari?” asked Maelor, an edge in his tone. “You keep putting our Underworld Queen at risk. We need her alive.”

“It’s a walled city,” I said. “We don’t need to fight anyone. All we need to do is warn them and make sure the city’s gates are shut before the Luminari arrive.”

The shadows started to thin around us as Maelor’s magic faded. I could see the outline of his broad shoulders and his pale eyes piercing the dark.

Shouts rang out nearby, and I turned to spot the glow of torches piercing the darkness as the soldiers began to hunt for us. My pulse raced. “We should get the fuck out of here.”

“Maelor, my magic is depleting fast,” said Sion. “We need you to use your shadow magic to get everyone to safety.”

Maelor held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded, and a blanket of cool darkness fell over us once more.

“I’ll show you the way.” Sion’s hand slid into mine, and he pulled me away from the group.