Page 23 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

Everything was going perfectly.

Until we rounded the last bend near the dungeon exit?—

And the real Roberto, the very guard Tae was impersonating, came striding straight toward us.

His eyes narrowed.

Tae tensed beside me, one hand flexing.

And I smiled, lifting my chin, preparing to lie through my teeth with the voice of a courtesan in love with danger.

The real Roberto froze mid-step at the top of the stairs, eyes locking on me. His face twisted with confusion, then fury.

“Imposter!” he barked, pointing straight at Tae.

Tae didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward, mirroring Roberto’s expression perfectly and shouted in the same voice, “He’s the imposter!”

The two identical voices echoed off the stone walls, sharp and commanding.

I blinked between them, panic prickling beneath my skin. “What do we do?!” I whispered, pressing my hands to my face.

The guard who’d escorted us out turned, uncertainty flickering across his face. He looked from Roberto to Tae, clearly overwhelmed, until his grip tightened on his sword.

He drew it and leveled the blade at Roberto.

The real one.

Tae followed suit instantly, his own sword sliding free with a practiced, fluid motion. I stepped back, unnoticed behind the chaos, my fingers curling around the hilt of the dagger hidden in my skirts.

Roberto snarled. “You’re making a mistake, that one’s the changeling!”

The guard thought Tae was a Blood Fae. Changeling magic was reputed to be dark.

The guard took one uncertain step toward him?—

And I acted.

I darted behind him and cracked the pommel of my dagger against the back of his head. He crumpled instantly, his sword clattering to the floor at my feet.

And then chaos erupted.

Steel clashed against steel as Tae and Roberto lunged at each other, blades ringing in the narrow stairwell. Sparks danced where their swords collided, and the sound echoed like thunder in the stone hall.

Tae fought defensively, parrying, ducking, weaving with agility and precision, but it was clear he didn’t want to hurt the man. His blows were meant to disarm, not maim.

But Roberto?

He was out for blood.

Every strike was vicious, aimed to kill; thrusts to the throat, slashes at the gut. His blade kissed Tae’s side in a sudden, brutal arc, cutting through the illusion-glamour and crimson staining his shirt beneath the guard’s armor.

“Watch out!” I shouted.

He gritted his teeth, twisting away from the next strike, and with a sharp pivot, he slammed his hilt into Roberto’s temple. The man crumpled with a grunt, falling hard onto the stone.

Tae staggered back, hand pressed to his bleeding side. “We need to go.”

I nodded, adrenaline surging like wildfire. We bolted through the corridor, slipping down the nearest servant passage as I yanked the unconscious guard’s keyring from his belt.