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That moment of distraction nearly cost him his life as a mercenary lunged. I threw one of my daggers without thinking, catching the man in the throat. He dropped, gurgling.

Sebastian stared at me in disbelief. “When did you learn to do that?”

“Funny, coming from the person who taught me to throw,” I replied, retrieving my blade with a grimace.

Noah finished his opponent and turned, blood splattered across his handsome face. “Ilyana? What in the cursed skies—”

“Explanations later,” Anderic cut in, joining us. “We need to seal this breach.”

A cart full of rubble stood nearby. We pushed it into position, creating a makeshift barricade. It wouldn’t hold for long, but it would slow the tide.

“The west wall is barely holding,” Noah reported, wiping sweat from his brow. “Rosalind is there, leading a group of archers.”

“Rosalind?” I repeated, blinking. I already knew she could handle a sword, but now a bow too? Was there anything she wasn’t good at?

“She’s quite formidable with a bow now,” Noah added, a hint of pride in his voice.

Another explosion rocked the city, this time from the west. The sound of splintering wood and screaming followed.

Anderic’s eyes met mine. “The Western Wall.”

“Go,” Sebastian urged. “We’ll hold here.”

Anderic grabbed my arm. “Remember what I said about staying close?”

“I’m coming with you,” I assured him.

We sprinted through the city streets, dodging panicked civilians and rushing soldiers. The western breach came into view—a gaping hole where the gate had been, now swarming with Elentharian soldiers in their distinctive blue and silver.

And there, standing atop a fallen section of wall, was Rosalind. Her chestnut hair pulled back in a tight braid, bow in hand, firing with deadly precision into the advancing forces. Each arrow found its mark with terrifying accuracy.

“Noah wasn’t exaggerating about her skills,” I murmured.

“Lady Bellrose has many talents, it seems,” Anderic replied, drawing his sword. “Let’s ensure she has the chance to display them for years to come.”

We waded into the battle, cutting a path toward her position. Elentharian soldiers fell before Anderic’s blade like wheat before a scythe. I stuck close to him, using my daggers to dispatch any who slipped past his guard.

“Your Highness!” Rosalind called out, spotting us. “They’re targeting the inner wall!”

I followed her gaze and saw a group of soldiers carrying barrels—black powder. Explosives.

“Cover me!” I shouted, breaking away from Anderic.

“Ilyana, wait!” He yelled, but I was already running.

I weaved through the fighting, ducking under swinging swords and leaping over fallen bodies. One of the powder carriers spotted me and drew his sword. I slid beneath his guard, my dagger finding the soft spot under his ribs. He collapsed with a wheeze.

The remaining men abandoned their barrels, forming a defensive circle. Five against one—not ideal odds.

“Gentlemen,” I smiled sweetly, “I don’t suppose you’d consider surrendering?”

Their answer came in the form of advancing blades. I backed up, calculating my options. Then a familiar voice rang out.

“Duck, Lya!”

I dropped to the ground as arrows whistled overhead, taking two men in the chest. Looking up, I caught Rose’s eye across the battlefield and flashed her a grateful smile.

“Save some for me!” She called out, already nocking another arrow.

I laughed despite the chaos around us. “Always so greedy, Lady Bellrose!”

I used the distraction to attack, my daggers finding vulnerable points in the remaining men’s armor. They fell, but not before one managed to nick my arm with his blade.

“The explosives,” I called to nearby soldiers. “Get them away from the wall!”

As they rushed to comply, I realized I’d lost sight of Anderic in the chaos. The battle had separated us, exactly what he’d warned against. Dammit.

A flash of crimson caught my eye—Red Cross mercenaries flooding through the western breach. And there, directing them, was the unmistakable figure of their leader, the man simply known as Red.

I needed to find Anderic.

* * *

The battle deteriorated into pockets of desperate fighting throughout the city. I found Sebastian again near the market square, leading a group of citizen-soldiers against a contingent of Darian’s men.

“Have you seen Anderic?” I shouted over the din of battle.

Sebastian parried a thrust, then ran his opponent through. “Last I saw, he was headed for the palace! The King and the Queen—”

My blood ran cold. “What about them?”

“Prince Callum breached the palace gardens! Lennox took some men to intercept, but—”

I didn’t wait to hear more, already sprinting toward the palace. The route was chaos—burning buildings, clashing soldiers, screaming civilians. I helped where I could, cutting down enemies in my path, but my focus remained fixed on reaching the palace.

The gardens were a mockery of their former beauty—trampled flowers, blood-soaked earth, bodies strewn among the roses. I heard fighting ahead and rounded a hedge to find Lennox surrounded by Elentharian soldiers, fighting with desperate fury.

“Lennox!” I cried, charging into the fray.

Together, we—mostly Lennox—dispatched the last of his attackers. Blood ran down his face from a gash above his eye.

“The Queen,” he gasped. “In the observatory. Prince Callum—”

“Go find Anderic and the King,” I ordered. “I’ll get to the Queen.”

The observatory stood at the highest point of the palace gardens, a glass dome glittering in the afternoon sun. I raced up the spiral staircase, daggers ready.

Inside, I found Queen Felicia backed against the telescope, a small dagger clutched in her trembling hand. Prince Callum advanced on her, sword drawn, his handsome face twisted with malice.

“Step away from Her Majesty,” I commanded, my voice steadier than I felt.

Callum turned, surprise flashing across his features. “Lady D’Arcane? I thought you were dead.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” I moved carefully into the room, positioning myself between him and the Queen. “You’re losing, Callum. Your forces are being pushed back.”

“Temporary setbacks,” he sneered. “The city will fall by nightfall.”

I raised my daggers. “Not while I draw breath.”

We circled each other, neither making the first move. Callum was larger and stronger, with the reach advantage of his sword, and I could only throw daggers. I needed to be smarter.

“I never understood why you aligned with Chancellor Darian,” I said, buying time. “What did he offer you? Gold? Power? Aetherian steel?”

“Recognition,” Callum spat. “I’m fifth in line for a throne I’ll never see. Here, I can carve out my own kingdom.”

I had completely miscalculated his motives.

“Over my dead body,” Queen Felicia declared, her voice regal despite her fear.

“That’s the general idea, Your Majesty,” Callum replied, lunging suddenly.

I intercepted his blade with my dagger, the impact jarring my arm. We danced a deadly waltz around the observatory, steel meeting steel. He was really good—better than I’d anticipated.

I wouldn’t last much longer with my mediocre skills.

A lucky strike knocked one of my daggers from my hand. Another slash caught my side, tearing through leather and skin. I gasped, stumbling backward.

Callum smiled, sensing victory. “Any last words, Lady D’Arcane?”

“Behind you,” I panted.

“Really? That’s the best you can—”

The observatory door crashed open, and Anderic burst in, his armor splattered with blood, fury etched on his face.

Callum whirled, but too late. Anderic’s blade caught him across the chest, driving him back. The two princes engaged in a flurry of blows that left me breathless to watch.

I scrambled to the Queen’s side. “Are you hurt, Your Majesty?”

“No, child,” she said, her eyes never leaving her son. “But you are.”

I’d almost forgotten my own wound. “It’s nothing.”

Callum was outmatched. Anderic drove him back step by step, his technique flawless, his strength seemingly inexhaustible. When Callum’s back hit the observatory rail, Anderic knocked his sword away with a powerful blow.

“Yield,” Anderic commanded.

Callum glanced at the sheer drop beyond the rail. “Never.”

A horn blasted from the city walls—three long notes. The signal we’d agreed upon if the battle turned irretrievably against us. My heart sank.

Callum smiled, blood trickling from his split lip. “Hear that? Your city falls.”

Anderic’s expression didn’t change. “Retreat if you wish to live.”

Callum hesitated, then dove for his sword. Anderic moved to intercept, but Callum wasn’t attacking—he was fleeing, disappearing down the staircase.

“Let him go,” Queen Felicia said. “We have more pressing concerns.”

She was right. The horn sounded again, more urgent this time.

* * *

From the palace battlements, we had a clear view of our impending defeat. Darian’s forces had pushed our defenders back to the inner walls. The Red Cross gang was systematically destroying the eastern quarter. Elentharian reinforcements streamed through the western breach.

“We can’t hold,” I murmured, watching Commander Maxwell’s northern forces being steadily pushed back toward the city center.

Anderic’s jaw clenched. “We must.”

“Your Highness!” A guard pointed toward the horizon. “Look!”

At first, I saw nothing. Then, a glint of sunlight on armor. A line of horsemen appeared on the northern ridge, then another, and another. Banners unfurled—the black stag of Everard, the silver hawk of Thornvale, the blue lion of Tiberix, and the green serpent of Valeraine.

“The dukedoms,” I breathed. “They’ve come.”

Leading the Everard contingent was a familiar figure—Duke Eldrick Stormbourne, Noah’s father, his armor gleaming in the sun.

“Perfect timing,” Anderic remarked, a slow smile spreading across his face.

The horn sounded again—but this time, it was different. A rallying cry. Hope surged through our exhausted forces as the dukedoms charged down the ridge, thousands strong, catching our enemies in a pincer movement.