Page 10 of The Starlit Ring (The Chronicles of Liridin #1)

Or I could sneak past the banquet hall, down the stairwell, and out the back garden door.

My chest heaved. The more I weighed my options, the worse they sounded. I had no hope of fighting my way out, and I didn’t want to know what the Tocchians would do with me if they caught me.

Could I escape through the gardens? I knew their twisting paths and thorny hedges well. I would take this route whenever I wanted to leave the castle unnoticed. But with enemy soldiers stationed nearby, I might not be able to avoid detection .

The sound of approaching footsteps spurred me into action. I ran toward the banquet hall, darting between skirmishing soldiers. My boots slid on wet floors, but I managed to keep my balance.

I thought of my muddy slippers from yesterday, and briefly wondered if I wasn’t actually clumsy, just rude.

Nobody chased after me, but bewildered stares followed in my wake.

I careened down one corridor, dodging groping Tocchian gauntlets, and darted through another, where the corpses of Tocchian soldiers were stacked.

I splashed through blood seeping across the stones, stomach revolting at the metallic stench.

Bodies were piled three or four high, shoved off to the side like meat-stripped bones on a plate.

At first, I thought I was alone except for the cooling corpses. But as I neared the door to the toilets, someone raced after me, calling, “Princess Talina!”

I gasped and pumped my legs faster. I needed to get out of here, right fucking now. But the floor was slippery and panic had long weakened my reflexes.

The soldier tackled me to the ground. I fell with a bitten-off shriek, flailing as my face was pressed against cold stone, into blood that stank of war and death.

“What are you doing here?” the guard hissed, releasing some of the pressure on my back. I struggled, but it did no good; he was stronger and heavier than I was, and I’d never fought in real combat. If it came down to a true fight, he would win.

“I refuse to die here,” I snarled, twisting this way and that, hoping to free my wrists. But his grip remained steadfast, even as his disbelieving face examined me. Olmsteadian, I realized with relief, glimpsing the stag on his armor.

“What do you know?” he demanded suddenly. “What did you have to do with this?”

I stared at him, horrified. “Have to do with what?”

“This invasion.” He spat the word like a gob of snot .

“Nothing!” I insisted, appalled that he could even suggest such a thing.

The guard breathed heavily, glaring down at me. Something about the look on my face must have convinced him I was telling the truth, because he released me, and offered a hand. I didn’t take it.

“We need to get you somewhere safe,” he said, catching my wrist before I could flee.

“I’m not going to wait for them to kill me!” I snarled, twisting my arm. It didn’t matter. The guard dragged me down the hall despite my protests.

I refused to be taken to the same room where my siblings were hidden (if indeed they were still alive). We’d be lambs for slaughter. “The banquet hall,” I gasped. “Have they taken the banquet hall? What of the King?”

“King’s fine,” the guard snapped. “Hiding. Banquet hall is where you’re going.”

“So it’s safe then?” The edges of my panic lost their sharpness as relief pushed its way in. I hadn’t wanted to stab him. But I would, if I had reason to believe he was about to betray me.

But the guard didn’t answer. Just hauled me past the toilets, where the bodies of two more Tocchian guards lay.

Why so many dead Tocchians? Why did they allow our soldiers to surrender when we took their lives without hesitation?

What the hell was going on?

The guards outside the banquet hall frowned at the sight of me. They were bloodied but whole, with dents in their armor, their faces pale but determined. “Princess Talina,” one choked, shocked to see me. “How?—”

“Doesn’t matter,” snapped the guard holding my arm. “Put her in there. Don’t let her out.”

“King Amonrew asked that the princess?—”

“We aren’t honoring requests right now,” my guard said.

I couldn’t help the expression on my face. Treason? Was this treason? The King would be furious if they didn’t protect me. Any longstanding member of our guard knew this.

“Fine,” snapped one of the soldiers, reaching for the door. It creaked open, and Ria stumbled out, eyes red, fingernails bleeding.

“Where is he?” she demanded. “Is Prince Marius here? I demand an audience. Bring him to me.”

Then she spotted me, and her eyes widened. But she didn’t acknowledge me, didn’t ask what had happened or where I’d gone. She only squared her shoulders. Head held high, blood streaked across her face, she was more beautiful than ever.

What was her plan? Surely, she didn’t intend to meet an aggressor without Father present.

“Absolutely not,” one of the guards began.

“You don’t give me orders,” Ria said, crossing her arms. There was a stain on her dress that looked like wine, and one of her slippers was missing its buttons. “Bring him to me . I wish to negotiate.”

The guard opened the door again, ready to shove me through.

“Leave her,” Ria spat, glowering at me. “I want her here with me.”

My heart sank. I remembered the guard’s words even as his grip on my wrist relaxed. ‘ What did you have to do with this’?

Did Ria suspect the same? Her furious glare stung.

“Fine,” said my guard. “I’ll see what I can do.”

He dropped my arm and turned on his heel. I could practically see the steam rising from him, cooking him in his own suit of armor.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ria demanded, facing me. “Where the hell are you going? Do you want to meet the hangman?

I shook my head. “No, I?—”

“You can’t show up dressed to escape and assume people won’t think you’re involved,” she hissed .

“I will not lie down and die like a good little girl,” I snapped. “I won’t cower in the corner while they storm my home.”

Ria shook her head. “And neither will I,” she said. “I’m going to fix this. Give me your sword.”

I stared at her in disbelief. If she killed Prince Marius now, it would be a diplomatic nightmare.

On the other hand, murder might be the only way to stop this.

Wordlessly, I handed her my sword.

“Thank you,” said Ria, exhaling slowly.

The doors creaked behind us. Shouts and cries slipped through as more guards appeared.

“I must beg you not to do this,” said a guard I recognized as Hax.

Why wasn’t he with the King? My blood ran cold.

But Hax was whole and hale, without blood on his armor. His sword was clean in its scabbard. Perhaps Father truly was hidden away somewhere and had sent Damon to guard the banquet hall.

It was possible, if unlikely. I doubted Hax would easily obey such an order.

“I must order you stand down,” said Ria firmly. “All of you. This is the only way.”

Footsteps sounded in the distance. I tried to think of something to say. Anything to talk her out of this. But I knew from the way she turned to face the oncoming danger that it wouldn’t matter. Ria had made up her mind. All I could do now was stand and watch.

But as the footsteps grew nearer, something in Ria’s face tensed. She looked from me to the guards and said, “Talina… I need you to wait in the banquet hall.”

I shook my head. “You’ve got my sword.”

“There are plenty of soldiers to watch out for you,” said Ria.

“Cranz made that for me,” I argued. With a good deal of griping and groaning , I didn’t add. The sword was one of my most prized possessions, with a pommel the color of pink peonies .

“You’ll get it back,” Ria growled. “I’ll make sure of it. Now go!”

I didn’t get to make the choice for myself. The guard to my left grabbed me by the arm and stuffed me through the door with little ceremony.

I was shoved face-first into a crowd barely restrained by shouting soldiers.

I slammed into an armored back and was thrust into the throng.

“No!” I shrieked, fighting my way forward.

But there were bodies all around me, crushing my arms to my sides, pushing me into a guard whose back was already pressed to the door.

I tried to yell, “Stop it!” as someone slammed between my shoulder blades, but found I didn’t have the air.

Gods. I was going to suffocate here.

The realization was like a strike of lightning. My nerves were electric. I could die here, in this rush.

And then there was a hand at my collar, pulling me backwards. I gasped, choked, and emerged on the other side of the chaos, stumbling against Rowan.

“Fuck!” he said, cupping my cheeks, looking me up and down. “Are you alright? Where the fuck have you been?”

“Ria’s outside,” I gasped. “She means to negotiate with the prince.”

He groaned. His hands dropped to his sides. “Are you joking?”

“No. She took my sword.”

“I thought you said she meant to negotiate!” Rowan pressed his hands to his temples, massaging. “She took your sword and shoved you in here?”

“Yes!” More or less. I supposed she hadn’t really done much in the way of shoving.

“And where, um, exactly did you find a sword?”

“In my rooms,” I said, looking down at the floor, unable to meet his eye. How stupid he must think me.

He followed my gaze and groaned when he saw my boots. “You went upstairs in the middle of all this for a sword and what? A cloak? Where exactly did you think you were going? ”

“Away from here,” I snapped. “I’ll take my chances outside, thank you.”

“That’s—” Rowan began, but he stopped himself, and simply said, “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Where’s Baden? Where’s Father?”

“Baden and Father are in the cellars,” said Rowan. “Hopefully not the wine cellar,” he added, pinching the bridge of his nose, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just said. “The rest of us have to stay here. It’s not safe to move.”