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CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

“ S hit,” I cursed, looking at the door and the only known way out of this place. I began to draw my sword but Bastian reached out to knock it back into its sheath.

“I have a better idea.” He stepped into my personal space, snatching the vial of blood from beneath the neck of my tunic and smirking at me as I smacked his hand away from my breasts.

“Not what I was after, spectre, but if you want to offer again later you might tempt me.”

“What are you doing?” I demanded as he banded his arm around my back and yanked my body flush with his.

“That door isn’t the only way out of here. You’re forgetting who you’re riding with.” Bastian turned his gaze up to the rocky roof above our heads and before I could even begin to protest, he shot a vine towards it and hauled us skyward.

I cursed him loudly as we raced up towards the solid rock overhead but he only laughed before we dove into it as easily as if it were water.

I stamped my eyes shut, cringing into his body as dirt and debris tumbled through my hair and down the back of my shirt, cascading into my boots and smothering me in an instant.

But before I could even contemplate panicking about being buried alive, the rocks hurled us back out of them again, floorboards exploding all around us as we erupted into the middle of the dance floor.

“Subtle,” I coughed as Fae screamed and ran in all directions, their inebriated states making them clumsy and confused but I knew that wouldn’t last for long.

Flames billowed overhead as someone took a badly aimed shot at us, but I was on my feet and running for the exit before they could realign their attack.

“Come on!” I yelled, shoving Fae aside roughly and hoping no one had yet realised that we’d just arrived in that place with the aid of earth magic.

“I’m right behind you,” Bastian snarled as he kept pace at my back and I flung the beaded curtains out of my way as we exploded into the bar.

The music was still pounding loudly and no one seemed to have even noticed the commotion from the next room so I darted between the tightly-packed bodies, snatching a cloak from the back of a woman’s chair while she was focused on the game of cards she was dealing.

Bastian followed my lead but he was as subtle as a brick about it, punching a Minotaur straight in his bull’s face and ripping his cloak from him as he crashed to the ground with a moo of alarm.

“For the stars’ sake, stop drawing attention to us,” I sniped, throwing myself out of the doors and almost bowling a group of giggling Fae girls over in my haste to leave.

They all shrieked abuse at me as I elbowed through them, though one caught sight of me beneath my hood and cried out, begging me to ride her face. I cursed again, tugging my hood higher and taking off into the street.

It was dark now but flames burned brightly in sconces at every corner, illuminating the city after dark and making it far harder for us to lose ourselves in shadow.

Bastian’s thundering footfalls kept pace at my back and I could only let myself trust that he’d be able to keep up as I broke into an all-out sprint.

We raced for the metal gates at the end of the street.

It looked as though a park lay beyond them, the darkness promising us escape if only we could engulf ourselves in it.

Fae turned their heads to look at us as we raced by, but I couldn’t waste precious seconds worrying about them. It was only a matter of time until Zayad’s men took to the streets and called for the guards and-

“There! That’s her – that’s the Sky Witch!

She isn’t dead at all!” a voice boomed, followed by the shrill whistle of the Talons and my stomach plummeted as I realised we were already out of time.

The Matriarch’s personal guard were on the hunt and as a piercing Wolf howl lit the air, I knew we were in for one hell of a chase.

I threw a look over my shoulder, spotting a squadron of twelve all racing after us, two ripping through their clothes and shifting as I watched, a Manticore and Nemean Lion joining in the hunt.

“I think they might have realised who you are, spectre,” Bastian cried and the bastard actually sounded like he was enjoying this.

“Well if the goose has already gandered,” I muttered before throwing my hand out and wrapping us in a whip of air magic which launched us into the sky over the fence and into the ornamental gardens beyond.

Magic burned through me as I hurled us above the trees but a wild whinny alerted me to the approach of Pegasuses in the air and I was forced to drop us beneath the cover of the canopy.

I stumbled as we landed and Bastian caught my arm, righting me.

“What now?” he asked, the silver in his eyes bright with exhilaration and a choked laugh escaped me as for a moment I was reminded so powerfully of Dalia it was as if she were right here with me. She always had enjoyed danger far more than made any kind of real sense.

“We run,” I said simply because there was nothing else for it. “We run and run and if by some miracle we escape them we keep running all the way to Stormfell because now that they know who I am, they’ll bring the entire army of Pyros out to stop me.”

“Big headed little thing, aren’t you?” he mocked. “But if you’re so sure they’re going to lose their shit over you then I guess we’d better get going.”

He caught my hand in his and broke into a sprint once more, yanking me along to make sure I was keeping pace with him.

And in that moment it felt just like it always had with Dalia and Moraine at my side when we were crossing enemy lines and racing away from certain death.

I didn’t fear or doubt him, I didn’t even think about the fact that he was a Stonebreaker and I was a Skyforger.

We were just two outlaws on the run. And for now, that was enough.