Page 9

She must have been seen stealing the Serpent’s Key from Blythe, and now the guards are hunting her . Like a thousand of the king’s stallions, my heart gallops in my chest as I start pushing my way through the horde.

As if every worry that entered my mind is destined to come true, I see Raven burst through the crowd and turn down one of the side streets. A hush falls over the people as the King’s Guard finally makes their way around the bend.

“Where has she gone?” the guard leading the charge yells into the crowd. “Where is she?”

The throng of people stills as everyone looks around, wondering who may be the one to give up Raven’s location.

The city of Esoros and its people have suffered under the reign of King Renard, who’s attention is only drawn for his own needs and desires.

He has abandoned his people and the consequence is their silence.

Even in this moment, the only sound the crowd makes is a haggard cough here and there while the lot of them just try to avoid stepping in someone else’s mess made on the cobblestones.

The leader of the King’s Guard draws his whip and raises it into the air. From here I can make out the bulging of his veins lining his neck as he screams, “Where is she?” Still, no one says a word.

Like a strike of lightning, the guard snaps his whip over someone in the crowd. A scream splits the night air as someone falls to the ground. Hushed murmurs skitter about, growing louder and louder with each passing second.

I need to get out of here. I need to find Raven.

Slowly backing away, I watch as the people of Esoros turn on the King’s Guard before their leader can snap another crack of his whip. As the guards’ swords are drawn, I turn around and run for the nearest side street to find Raven.

The sharp pain in my shoulder begs for me to slow down. Instead, I pick up my pace, darting through street after street trying to pick up on any signs of where she might have gone. When I reach another intersection, I see a group of people looking behind themselves toward the docks.

Yes! She got out. She must be heading toward the ship .

I have no idea where Amara and Wells are, but they were meant to stay on the rooftops, watching from above as Raven’s shadow.

Pushing my body further, I run down the open street toward the docks. When I make it to the end, a sharp darkness settles over my vision. The lantern lights have all been blown out along the seawall and there’s only a few stragglers compared to when I made it off the Reaper .

An eerie feeling churns my stomach as I try to slow my breathing. Squinting, I look around the docks to see if I notice Raven’s figure.

Nothing.

And then, a scuffling sound of boots against rock comes from my left.

Turning, I peer down the long stretch of darkened buildings and my heart plummets.

A large shadowy figure holds Raven up against the wall of one of the buildings, her feet kick beneath her as she struggles to get the person’s hands away from her neck.

“Raven!” I scream, not caring about the attention I might draw.

The hooded figure shifts his gaze my way as he continues to hold Raven in the air by her throat.

Blythe’s piercing eyes cut through the inky night and straight to my soul.

And when his white teeth gleam in a wide smile that sends a chill skating over my skin, every fiber in my body screams at me to run the other way.

Instead, I unsheathe my daggers and force my feet to carry me forward. Raven’s eyes grow larger as she notices me. There’s a slight shake of her head and I know she’s trying to tell me to go away. That we’ve lost and there’s nothing I can do to stop Blythe’s vengeance on our interference.

But I don’t stop. Not when he has his hand around the throat of the young girl I saved. The girl who has become a sister to me. If he takes her down, I will be right there with her. We will fall together.

Palming my daggers, I lift my right hand and let the weighted metal fly.

A whisper of its path cuts through the air.

It flies fast but Blythe sees it coming before it has a chance to dig into the meat of his shoulder that I aimed for.

He moves forward, just far enough to avoid the strike, pressing Raven further against the wall with his body.

Just missing the sweep of my dagger. It lands a few yards away with a clattering thud against the cobblestones.

Blythe lets out a wicked hiss as his shrewd eyes land back on me.

I’m almost there. Almost close enough to stick my other dagger in him. With only one weapon left, I can’t chance missing him again and being defenseless. Not when Raven’s life is on the line.

He raises her small body further into the air, her feet kicking against the brick wall as she wails her fists at him.

Fire sears my lungs with every step I take. Closer now, I can see the tears that spill down Raven’s face. Her eyes flutter as she gasps what little air she can from the pressure of his hand around her throat.

“Rowenya!” I hear from somewhere distant behind me.

Amara .

She and Wells must have found us from their watch on the roofs.

There’s no time to look to see how close they are. Only one more building separates Raven and me. Only a few more paces and I can?—

NO!

Blythe’s other hand disappears inside his cloak, revealing his own dagger. Shimmering crimson shines in the moonlight from the blood-colored ruby nestled on the end of the hilt as he raises it to Raven’s throat.

Everything goes silent. Not even the sound of my feet against the stones beneath me make it to my ears as I watch in horror.

Faster! I need to run faster!

Pain jolts through my shoulder like a rod of lightning, reminding me that this moment is real. Blythe has Raven cornered with his dagger to her throat and I . . .

I am too far away . . .

Too far away to stop him as he slices his blade across her delicate skin.

My scream shatters the stars, cleaving the world in two just like Blythe’s blade has done to my heart.

I slide forward onto my knees, just in time to catch her crumpling body before it hits the stones.

Blythe stands somewhere behind me, his shadow looming over the both of us as Raven’s blood spills onto my arms from where I cradle her head.

“No,” I whisper, blinking against the tears that cloud my vision of her.

She moves her mouth to speak, but instead of words, crimson blood spills from her lips.

“Shhh,” I tell her. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” The lie comes easily as I pray to the heavens for it to come true.

Blythe laughs viciously behind me, but I ignore him.

Please don’t leave me. Please . . . please.

Her dark-as-night eyes scan my face. So young and yet an eternity has been etched into those ebony irises.

Raven’s life has been hard. Harder than most. Still, she fought for the life she envisioned for herself.

The one she tried to live out every day since I bought her freedom from the madame who had enslaved her.

Careful not to mar her beautiful face with the stain of her blood, I run my fingertips along the edge of her hair.

“Look up,” I tell her. “Look at the heavens, Raven.”

Her gaze trails beyond my face to the landscape of lights above us. “You’re going to be free. Free of this world. Free of the pain. You’re going to dance amongst the most beautiful lights you’ve ever seen, my friend. You’re going to be free .”

She looks at the stars for another moment before she grips my forearm hard. I look down at where her hand wraps tightly over my skin. A glimmer of gold shines through the opening of her coat.

“You did it.” I gaze at her in awe and she gives me a small nod as more blood rushes down her neck. More tears fill my eyes, making them burn as I lower my face to hers, holding her close to my chest. “I’ll make him pay,” I promise. “I’ll make them all pay.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I take in the smell of the rose oil in her hair.

She always spends too much money on fine soaps and oils.

My mind reels back to a time when I asked her why she chose to spend her coin on such frivolous things.

I remember the smile she gave me, soft and serene as she told me that there was a time when she wished she could have bathed in such sweet things to mask the smell of the men and women who used her for their pleasure.

When she joined my crew there was no need for her to mask the scent of others on her skin, but she wanted to buy them for the young girl she had been—as a reminder that she got out.

As I lean back, Raven’s eyes are no longer lit from within. Still as stone, her final gaze is of the starry night. The image of her lifeless face burns a hole into my soul that I know will never heal over.

“Be free, my friend.” As I settle her back down, I reach inside of her coat and take the golden box, then bury it inside of my own coat before I shift to stand.

Not a moment later and I feel the icy metal of a blade at my throat.

“Not so fast.” The sound of Blythe’s gravelly voice rakes down my spine.

Several pairs of boots scrape over the cobblestone streets along with the chattering snickers of Blythe’s men who joined him in the hunt for the Serpent’s Key.

“Rowenya!” Amara’s scream has me looking to the left just in time to see her and Wells skitter to a stop at the building’s edge. She reaches for her pistol, but I shake my head no.