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The Paragon.

They were here for me.

Not a single soldier stayed behind. Rewyth’s entire army had pressed forward, focused on keeping the attackers away from the castle.

Yet somehow, these enemies snuck through. Fear pricked my senses as I remembered what I had learned about the Paragon. They were eachgifted.

“Jade Weyland,” a hooded figure said. Silas stood behind me. My father grabbed me by the shoulders and began backing up slowly. “I hear you are the alleged peacemaker. Is this true?”

I opened my mouth to speak but I froze. Malachi was still on the ground. One of these hooded men kept him there, I was sure of it.

“Jade is my daughter,” my father yelled. “You will not take her!”

Silas shook his head as he stepped into view. “Your daughter seems to have a secret. If you are the peacemaker, we need to know. My people have been waiting on her arrival for centuries now. It is in everyone’s best interest if she comes with us.”

“Bullshit!” my father yelled.

The hooded figures stepped forward. Malachi tried to stand but failed. “It’s honorable,” the hooded figure started, “that you protect your daughter this way. I am interested to know, though, were you protecting her when you sent her to marry the Prince of Shadows? When you sold her off to the fae lands?”

I couldn’t see my father’s face. At that moment, I was glad. My father had suffered plenty the last few weeks.

“I am not the peacemaker,” I finally declared. “There’s been some mistake. You have the wrong person. I am only a human, and I never wanted any part of this!”

Silas eyed me closely, but eventually turned his attention to Mal and Serefin. “Let them up.” Whichever hooded figure that kept them pinned to the ground relaxed. Malachi was on his feet in a second.

Silas held out his hand and said, “Not so fast. We want to handle this peacefully. If everyone cooperates, perhaps we can.”

“You call this peaceful?” Mal spat. “Infiltrating my kingdom? I assume you call the other messengers you sentpeacefulas well?”

“You would have never given up the girl otherwise.”

“She is not a tool for some prophecy. And she is not going anywhere. She is mywife. You willnottake her.”

His words were strong, but I knew deep down we were at the end of this road. Desperation crept through my body.They shouldn’t die for me. They had done enough.

“What do you want from me?” I asked Silas, pleading for any way out of this situation. “If I trulywerethe peacemaker, why would you need me? To kill me in some ritual? Sacrifice me for the greater good?”

“It is custom that to prove you truly are the peacemaker, you must pass the Trials of Glory,” he answered.

Malachi and Serefin seemed to freeze.

“No,” Mal muttered.

“It is the only way to–”

“NO!”

“The Trials of Glory? What is that?” I asked.

Before Silas could answer, a flash of black and silver wings crossed my vision. Malachi tackled Silas effortlessly, and Serefin pulled his own sword on one of the hooded men. My power flared, and I didn’t stop it this time.

Desperation and adrenaline mixed together to help me wield my deadly gift. I threw my hands in the direction of the Paragon members, and light exploded around us.

CHAPTER38

Malachi

Saints save us…