Page 25 of Daughter of the Ninth Line, Part Three

Twenty-Four

Avalon

The First Day of the Revolution

“ W ell, well. If it isn’t Avalon Halhed, the one and only love of my life.” Hayle kissed me as he picked me up and spun me around. “Your sword skills are getting so much better,” he murmured as he buried his face in my neck.

I snorted, because there was no way. “Liar.” I hugged him back. “Careful, I’m still holding my sword. Though I have to admit, it’s a novelty that I’m poking you with something long and hard for once.”

He chuckled. I loved his laugh. “The Librarian wants to see us. Says it’s of extreme importance. I have to go find Lucio to tell Shay that the other one has been requested also.”

I looked over to the corner of the training ring. I’d seen Lucio flirting with Acacia earlier, so maybe he knew where Shay was. Having to go around in a circle to speak to Vox hurt my heart. “I think I saw Lucio flirting wi?—”

Quarry cawed loudly, coming down to land on Hayle’s shoulder, and I could tell from the rigid line of Hayle’s shoulder that whatever news he carried was bad. Hayle was silent as he and his raven companion conversed, before he turned a pale face toward me.

“We’re under attack,” he said quietly, but almost as soon as he finished the words, a siren wailed.

“Boellium is under attack. Please return inside the walls.”

Who the hell would be attacking Boellium?

Braxus appeared at my side, and I buried my fingers in his comforting fur.

People were yelling and rushing toward the atrium, and we got swept up in the crowd.

Somehow, the Third Line conscripts who’d been in the training ring formed a circle around us, moving as one cohesive unit of animals and humans.

We’d barely stepped through the doors when we were swamped by people. It was madness inside the atrium, of a sort that I hadn’t seen since the day I’d arrived. People were panicking, while instructors were trying—and failing—to restore order.

I needed to find Vox. “Come on, we’ll see if we can spot Lucio or Shay,” Hayle yelled over the sound of people’s panic.

We hadn’t made it three steps when we were approached by the Librarian.

“Heir Taeme!” she shouted, making her way toward us from ten feet away.

Hayle huffed, his anxiety to find and care for his people making him short on patience.

When she finally made it to the space in front of us, her cheeks were pink, and she too looked annoyed.

“Heir Taeme, I need you to come with me. It’s a matter of urgency. ”

“I’m sorry, Librarian, but we’re under siege. I haven’t had time to find Vox?—”

“Don’t worry about that.” She hustled us back toward the door. “Quick, we must hurry, or this will end badly. At least, that’s what the book says.”

What book?

I must have asked the question out loud, because the Librarian gripped my arm and was now tugging me to the atrium door. Braxus stepped between us and gave a warning growl.

The Librarian looked down at the hound and raised a brow. “Deep down, you know what I’m saying is true. Follow those instincts,” she said to the hound, which was super freaking weird.

But Braxus, for a reason I couldn’t comprehend—and one that left Hayle completely dumbfounded—stepped aside to let the Librarian drag me toward the door.

“I’ll explain about the book later. I’ll explain everything later. But we must hurry, or the Heir to the First Line dies.”

As we stepped out of the atrium, Vox was standing by the gates, face to face with a beautiful blond man dressed in black and amer.

Vox held a gun—I hadn’t even realized he owned one—on the man in front of him, though it kept pointing to the ground and lifting again. The Librarian hurried me over to the stranger, but not before I noticed Svenna standing off to the side, looking dazed.

Something wasn’t right.

The stranger stared at the Librarian with a blindingly white smile. His eyes were an abyss so dark, it was nearly impossible to see his pupils. He was young enough he probably could have been a conscript at Boellium War College.

“Don’t fear, Librarian. We too have a copy of A Future History of Ebrus . We learn from our mistakes.” His eyes shifted from Librarian Enora to me. “Avalon Halhed, Ninth Daughter of the Ninth Line, it’s so good to finally meet you.”

Vox stepped between us, blocking me from the view of the man in front of us. Hayle also tugged me behind him.

“Don’t look at her,” Hayle growled, and the guy laughed.

“And who are you?” he asked.

“Hayle Taeme, Heir to the Third Line.”

The guy leaned around him so he could meet my eyes again. “Really? A matching set? Interesting.” He raised both hands in the air. “Where are my manners? My name is Lierick Hanovan, and I’m here to surrender.”