Page 180 of Quicksilver

“Motherfucker,” Carrion hissed under his breath.

Behind Malcolm, golden hair rose into view, and then Madra appeared, dressed in the female version of the golden-plated armor that Zilvaren's city guard wore. Fisher stiffened, his hand closing tight around Solace as Belikon followed after her. The Yvelian king no longer had a hole in his stomach. In fact, he looked hale and hearty, dressed in a winter green tunic and black pants. The king's lip curled in disgust. Pointing a furious finger at Fisher, he snarled, “You really think you can kill me with a powerless sword? You can't kill any of us with a mere blade. We are the Triumvirate, Dog. Three crowns sharing one source. To kill one of us, you must kill us all, and that is no easy task.”

“I'm willing to give it a shot,” Fisher fired back.

“You've never known when to admit that you're beaten, boy. That's always been your problem.”

“I won't be beaten until I'm dead,”

“Oh, that moment can't come soon enough for me. I've wanted to put you in the ground from the moment your mother whelped you. But you'll be dead soon enough, and I'll have your father's sword to mount on my wall right beside your skull. I'll also have the Alchemist to forge all of the relics I need. Between the three of us, we'll bring the old gods to their knees and claim every realm we desire while we're at it. Now, will you die on your knees or face-down in the dirt? The choice is yours.”

I had no idea what Fisher was planning next, but Belikon, Madra, and Malcolm all stood between us and the quicksilver. I couldn't see it, but I felt the pool pulsing on the other side of the mountain of coins they stood on. We had no magic in this place. Our enemy had plenty of death magic to draw from,andthey had the high ground. If we went back, we'd be faced with the other horrors that lived in the labyrinth, and there was no way out. No quicksilver to call to me beyond the walls of the amphitheater. The only way to reach safety was through that pool, which meant we had to go through the Triumvirate, as Belikon had called them.

Amazingly, it was Carrion who stepped forward first, Simon held aloft. “We might think Fisher's an arrogan ass, but we're not just going to let you kill him.” His tone was confident and devil-may-care, but I saw the way his hand shook as he pointed the tip of his sword at Belikon's head. “We especially aren't going to let him be killed by a bastard who'd hand over his own daughter to be tortured and enthralled by a fucking vampire.”

What’s he doing?Fisher said into my mind.He's going to get himself killed.

I don't have a clue. But he should definitely stop.

Belikon sucked his teeth, his cloudy eyes full of disregard. “Every trap needs a lure,” he said. “And anyway, Everlayne was born to serve my crown. If I deem it appropriate that she die to aid my cause, then she will fucking die.”

“She won't die. Malcolm's venom is being drained from her as we speak. Soon, the vampire taint will be lifted from her blood, andhewill no longer have any control over her.”

“Carrion, stop!” I hissed. That blow Harron dealt to the back of his head must have done some serious damage. From where I was standing, it seemed likely that he’d lost his fucking mind.

“Yes, Carrion. Stop,” Malcolm said. “You know not who you insult.” The playful light in his eyes had blinked out. He stepped off the mound of coins and floated down from it, as if carried on some kind of invisible wind. I'd never seen anything like it. We were allsofucked.

“Saeris? Listen to me. These coins are fake,Fisher said.They have to be. The original coin that Belikon struck our deal withwas made of silver. It burned Malcolm's hand when he caught it. He wouldn't even be able to stand on so many silver coins without them affecting him.”

I watched Malcolm's boots make contact with the carpet of coins. He sauntered toward Carrion with a self-satisfied smirk on his face; he definitely wasn't in any pain. In fact, he only seemed to flinch a little when he drew closer to Carrion's sword.“Okay. So what does that mean?”

“The original coin would have had traces of quicksilver in it, too. The people of this city believed it was good luck. They thought it would bring them good fortune and connect them to the gods. Do any of these coins contain quicksilver?

I stiffened, realization slowly dawning on me. I was beginning to understand what he was saying to me.“No. They don't,”I told him.I don't even think they're made of metal. They're...an illusion, perhaps? Magic?

Okay. Then do you understand what you need to do?

Malcolm hissed, snake-like, as he pushed Carrion's sword away. He leaned into the thief, baring his fangs. “What areyougoing to do to stopus?We are immortal. We are gods. You are just a human with shaky hands and a pig sticker. What would stop me from ripping your throat out right here, where we stand?”

“Saeris!”There was an urgent hitch in Fisher's voice.

“Yes,”I told him. “I know what I have to do.”

Carrion's eyes flitted to mine for a second. They held all manner of unspoken words. Then, he lowered Simon, gave Malcolm his full attention, and said, “Nothing's stopping you. Go ahead, Leech. Bite me and see where it gets you.”

“Carrion,no!”My shock registered like a slap across the face.

Malcolm swept around Carrion, face hideous with his hunger. His lips peeled back to reveal narrow, elongated fangs. Not just his canines. All of his teeth were sharpened to viciouspoints. Carrion didn't even raise his hand to stop Malcolm. Head tipped back, he stared at the vampire defiantly as Malcolm snapped his head forward and sank his teeth into his throat.

“Gods! We've got—got todosomething!” I shrieked.

Fisher's hands closed around my arms. Lorreth's too. The males held me tight, their expressions hard. And all the while, the king of the vampires drank.

This wasn't happening. Carrion was being drained right before our eyes and we were doing nothing. Nothing!

“There's nothing wecando.”Fisher’s voice was so quiet compared to the ringing in my head. “We'll all die if we try to pull him off him.”

“Let me go! I have to try!”