Page 157 of Fall of Ruin and Wrath

“Knew right off something bad was going down.” Grady shoved his other hand through his mop of curly hair.

“Do you think it’s the Westlands?”

“Who else could it be?” he said. “They must’ve made it farther into the Midlands than anyone knew. That’s the only answer.” He grunted as someone knocked into us. “We’ve got to hide,” he repeated. “And then the first chance we get, we’ve got to get out— ”

Glass shattered behind us. Grady looked over his shoulder as I did the same.

Ni’merescame through the broken window, their feathered bodies slick with blood and gore. Their wings beat at the air as they swooped down, aiming for those still standing with talons that dripped red.

Chaos erupted. Those who could scattered in every direction, as we ran toward the main hall. We weren’t the only ones who reached the narrow hall that led to the Great Chamber and the remaining halls and spaces within the manor.

“Not the Great Chamber,” I gasped. “We can’t go there.”

“Shit.” Grady’s gaze briefly met mine. “Hold on. Don’t let go, Lis. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”

I clutched the back of his tunic as people crowded in all around us, quickly choking the hall.

But they didn’t know the house like we did.

Narrow tables fell, clogging the path even more as we were pressed farther down the hall. I tugged on Grady’s arm. “The blue door!” I yelled. “The back halls.”

Grady nodded, keeping his footing and mine as we were nearly shoved right past the door. We dug in, him grunting and me gasping as several people slammed into us. The door was stuck, forcing Grady to throw his weight behind it.

The door groaned, swinging open, and we all but fell through. I spun around, spotting Allyson’s pale curls in the madness. “Allyson,” I screamed. Her head whipped toward us. She started fighting toward the door.

“Come on,” Grady yelled, pulling us aside as a young fair-haired man and then Allyson dashed into the chamber.

I went to her. “Are you okay?” Her light blue gown was splattered with blood. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” she rasped, her curls falling haphazardly into her face. “Are you?”

“I’m okay.” My heart thundered. “I’m so glad I saw you. Have you . . .” I froze. A silver chain circled her neck, and from it, a sapphire jewel hung. “Is that Naomi’s necklace?”

Confusion marked her brow as she stared at me like she couldn’t believe I was asking such a question. “Yeah, I wanted to wear it with my gown. She gave it to me a few days ago.”

Oh gods.

I’d been wrong. It hadn’t been Naomi I’d seen. . . .

Allyson glanced up at the ceiling. “I . . . I got separated from the others,” she said, and I looked away, heart cracking at the realization. “Theni’meres— they came in through the windows there. I don’t know if . . .”

“This way!” Grady shouted, and I whipped around. “Come on. Damn it,” he cursed as people scrambled past the door. “This way, you fuckers!”

No one listened.

I shook my head, heart sinking as ani’mere’s shriek entered the hall.

“They’re coming,” Allyson whispered, backing away from me. She bumped into a settee. “We can’t stay here with the door open.”

She was right.

“Damn it,” Grady snarled, slamming the door shut. “Damn it!”

“Th-This way,” I said, glancing at the other man. He was pale. “There’s another hall. It leads to the servant quarters and— ”

“The wine cellar,” Grady finished. “That door is heavy. No one, not evenni’meres,can get through it.”

“Perfect. If I’m going to die tonight, I’d rather be drunk off my ass,” the man said, dragging a hand down the front of his torn shirt. “Name’s Milton, by the way.”