Page 32 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

W e travel to Yal’s estate in Yursus inside two merchant carriages. They split our group in half and do the same with the Ezkai. Taaslord Noire travels a carriage with the first group, and General sits right in front of me on the bench with my group.

I’m so unnerved by the conversation with Kata that I can barely sit still. My knee’s bouncing, and all I can focus on is managing my breathing and heartbeat. Everyone will think I’m a fragile fucking human nervous about going into the mission.

I don’t want to look weak in front of the most powerful man in Ekios. The man whose approval I seek. Who thinks I may be the key to a new future, even if I don’t give a shit about it.

To my relief, nobody says anything. Everyone’s lost in their own thoughts or preparing themselves mentally for the raid. Thank fuck Kata is in the other group.

I can’t do what she asks of me. No way am I going to sabotage my chances of becoming an Ezkai, even if she knows about me and Daegel.

There must be a way out.

The first thing that comes to mind is to kill her. It would be easier during a mission, if things get hectic. The General himself said the chances of death are high. Nobody would question if a cadet died in the process.

The thought alone gives me jitters. Can I murder someone like this, in cold blood? To protect myself and my ambition?

“Don’t ask if you can kill. As soldiers, we’re born for it,” Dad said once, “but before you do, ask why you should.”

I was thirteen, blood on my tunic after sparring too hard. The boy’s arm had broken with a snap that still echoed in my head.

“And if the reason’s strong enough?” I asked.

“Then don’t hesitate.” He tapped the middle of my chest. “But you better be certain your reason aligns with your inner compass. Because every life you take stays with you until the end of yours.”

I’ve done it before. To survive. Why am I hesitating now?

Ending Kata’s life is for survival. Or is it not?

Before my mind can spiral any further, the carriage halts. All heads rise. My muscles tense, prepared for action.

“The first group, led by the Taaslord, will go through the back of the estate,” the General says. “We’ll go through the front, which means we’ll take the most heat. Make sure you have each other’s backs and do everything you must to get to Yal Absom.”

I give the General a sharp nod. One last time, I run my hands over all the blades strapped to me.

I’m fucking ready.

The canvas hanging over the back of the carriage lifts. The Ezkai outside nods and holds it open for us so we can get out. The General leads the way.

We parked just around the corner of the tall stone fence surrounding Yal’s estate. Quickly, we make our way towards the main gate, where four large fae stand guard.

I open my senses, but no emotions are present. Decarios.

The General lifts his hand, and we halt. Over his shoulder he glances at me and gestures for me to approach. With a thrashing heart, I do.

His voice is a whisper. “Can you take them out from here?”

Oh, fuckity fuck.

I glance behind me at our group. No other archers. Gripping my bow harder in my hand, I dip my chin in a curt nod. I lift my bow, draw an arrow, and pray.

Please, please, please behave.

The bow doesn’t fight me. At least not right now.

I inhale.

Exhale.

Let go.

Before the first arrow even lands in the middle of the first bouncer’s chest, I aim at the second guard.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Let go.

The arrow lands true the second time around. Bodies fall to the ground with a heavy thunk . The other two fae guards rouse, looking around for the threat.

I shoot the third arrow, then the fourth.

All land right where I intend them to.

I could kiss my bow from gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you , I chant in my mind.

The approval in the General’s eyes makes me high. He says nothing, though. Simply gestures for our group to follow him forwards. “Let’s move!”

That wasn’t hard now, was it? I can do the same with Kata, too.

Adrenaline courses through my veins as I quickly make my way through the gate and down the long gravel pathway leading towards the estate. No other guards are present, so nobody stops us from breaking through the front door into the swing of a party.

Nobody could have prepared me for the chaos that erupts.

The General barks orders, while the guests scream. Ezkai are lethal as they slice their way through the crowd.

So much blood. So much violence.

Every fae with visible tattoos is slain by the Ezkai. Cadets hesitate only for a heartbeat before following suit.

I secure my bow on my back and draw two blades sheathed in my boots. I parry a blow that comes from my left, thrown by a fae with braided hair.

She’s so small yet vicious.

Baring her sharp teeth, she swings her long dagger at me, and I deflect once more. Before she can pull away, I grab the wrist of the hand holding the knife and whip her around until I hear the gentle crack in her shoulder.

She screams.

The blade slips from her hand and falls beneath out feet with a clang . Using the blunt side of my blade, I hit the back of her head and watch her unconscious body slump on the floor.

Some fae manage to flee. I ignore those who pass me. Instead, I scan the faces to find the reason we’re here.

Yal Absom.

His scar is even more vivid in person than in the illustration. Sneering, he slashes through the group of Ezkai and cadets trying to corner him farther down the large living room where the main celebration was taking place.

I pass gambling tables turned over, cards and dice scattered messily on the blood-soaked floor. The copper taste lodges in the back of my throat and nostrils, but I ignore it even though it makes my stomach twist.

Two Ezkai and two cadets from my group fall at the hands of Yal Absom. My steps halt. I’m not arrogant enough to think I can take him in an up-close fight by myself.

Quickly whirling on my heel, I crouch behind a sideways gambling table. I sheath my blades and remove my bow from my back. Then I find the right angle and draw the arrow. Before I shoot, though, the General comes into my view, advancing towards Yal Absom.

The General wields a powerful broadsword made from the strongest black bloodstone. Sparks fly when his blade meets Yal’s curved dual swords.

If I were to shoot the arrow and hit Yal, this would give the General an advantage in the fight. But if I were to miss and accidentally hit the General instead…it might be the thing that gives Yal an opportunity to slay the General.

Gods damn it , I curse in my mind and look down at my bow in my hand. It hasn’t betrayed me yet tonight. But it’s only a matter of time.

With a roar, Yal Absom charges at the General, blades swinging. Before they collide, the floor and the ceiling rumble, and the whole room gets lost in dust as an explosion goes off somewhere in the room.

The table does barely anything to shield me from the impact. I’m thrown back and my chest heaves. My skull rattles as I hit the wall behind me, and for a moment, I can’t inhale a breath.

The world around me tilts, and I squeeze my eyes shut to stop the spinning and the nausea that goes through me in waves. Finally, I manage to get air into my lungs. Everything aches with each breath.

Coughing, I bend forwards so I’m on all fours. Sounds are muffled, my ears ringing from the explosion. My leathers are covered in white dust.

Fuck me, this is bad.

I scramble to my feet. Swaying a little side to side, I take in the damage in the room. Even more bodies litter the floor. Some are Ezkai and cadets. Many are Caligos.

Where’s my bow? I force my feet to move forwards as I look around.

I find it a few feet away from where I landed, buried under some broken furniture. Wiping my face with the back of my hand, I rush to find any survivors.

A gasp escapes me.

In the corner of the room, under one of the larger gambling tables, lies the General. One side of his face is bloody, but he’s awake. A few feet away from him is Yal Absom. One of Yal’s legs is limp as he tries to crawl away.

I charge forwards without hesitation. Kata’s dusty face catches my attention, though. She lies unconscious in the rumble, her leathers ripped, her bow nowhere to be seen.

I pause.

This is my moment.

It would be so easy. I could stab her between the ribs and let her bleed out.

Nobody would see me.

There would be no questions.

I’d be off the hook.

A groan from the General pulls my attention away from Kata. He’s trying to get out from under the table, but he’s stuck.

My plans for Kata forgotten, I rush forwards to help.

The iron and reclaimed wood is too heavy, though. The General is pinned beneath it, blood soaking through his uniform. Color drains from his face.

I strain against the edge, but it won’t budge.

I’m too weak. Just a human.

I curse under my breath.

“Don’t worry, cadet,” the General says. He lifts his eyes. Not to me—to Yal behind me. “Don’t let him escape.”

I pivot.

Yal is trying to crawl towards a discarded blade, leaving a streak of blood in his wake.

No.

I charge and slam him to the ground. When I straddle his back, he bucks under me, an elbow driving into my ribs. Pain shoots through my side.

My blade finds his cheek. First cut is too shallow. Shit.

Even injured, a fae Decarios is powerful.

He hisses, blood staining his teeth. “I will not die at the hands of a human.”

“Yeah,” I say through clenched teeth, trying to keep him down. I grip the back of his skull and drag my blade across his throat. “We’ll see about that, asshole.”

He gurgles, convulses, and stills beneath me.

Suddenly, I have nothing left to give. I collapse next to the body. My muscles shake so hard, I drop the bloody dagger.

Just one breath. One damn breath.

There’s movement at the corner of my eye.

The damn fae with braids I knocked out earlier is back on her feet. Damn it. I should’ve finished her.

Her eyes are feral as she stalks towards the General. Blood trickles from her temple.

The General moves fast for a man half crushed. He yanks two iron stars from his belt and hurls them into her chest.

She staggers and snarls. “You think this will stop a Caligos? We endure much worse to earn our keep.”

I lift my bow with shaking arms.

Don’t fail me now.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Let go.

The arrow splits the air. A heartbeat later, it lodges deep in her chest. A lifeless body crumples besides the General.

“Nice shot, Wildarrow,” the General says, voice faint.

I blink, eyes wide. “You know my name, sir?”

He chuckles, which turns into a wheezing cough. One of his lungs must be punctured.

“You’re the only human Decarios in my service. Of course, I know your name.”

I choke out a laugh and sag back onto the floor with relief. I only give myself a moment to breathe.

Slowly, I crawl back towards him. The General’s leg is twisted under the table. I missed it earlier, but from this angle, it’s clear.

The shadows move first—inky tendrils slither across the floor like smoke towards us. They coil around the heavy wood and lift it like it weighs nothing.

In their wake follows a tall figure. Taaslord Noire.

“Thank the spirits of the gods,” he says to the General. “Can you move?”

“Ribs may be broken. Legs could be better.”

The Taaslord looks at me. “Get him. The shadows will do the rest.”

I stare at the tendrils curling like fingers around the debris. My stomach clenches. What kind of power is this?

Dragons. Bows that have minds of their own.

Now this—shadows that obey the whims of the fae.

Ekios is a damn handful. I had no clue what I was signing up for when I chose to travel to the misty lands of the fae.

I slip under the General’s arm, helping him up as the shadows retract. He’s a big man and leans heavily on me. But I don’t complain.

Taaslord Noire surveys the dead. “Ah, Yal Absom didn’t survive.”

“No, Taaslord,” I say. “Apologies.”

He turns his strange eyes on me. They sparkle—not with amusement, but something sharper. Measured. Dangerous.

“You’re just as promising as we hoped.” He might be looking directly at me, but his words are to the General.