Chapter 2
Vad
Sharp pain shot through my left wing as something pierced it and ran through my shoulder, higher than the last wound.
Hot blood poured down my chest, and I growled.
I glanced down. A wooden shaft protruded from my shoulder, the spearhead sticking out about six inches in front of me.
I struggled to move forward and knew what I had to do. I grabbed the shaft.
Don’t rip it out yourself. You’ll make the wound much worse, Briar said in my mind as her worry pulsed through the bond.
We can’t stay here. I had to get Briar and Elara to safety as quickly as possible, which meant removing the spear. I yanked on the shaft, trying to pull it out, but pain burned through my wing and shoulder, and nausea roiled in my stomach.
I stumbled, and my wing flinched, adding to my agony. I groaned.
“Vad, what’s wrong?” Thalen called loudly from somewhere in the crowd, not worrying about formalities.
Velessa yelped. “Don’t yell next to my ear like that. You scared me.”
“I’m fine.” The last thing I needed was for Thalen to fly through everyone to reach me. We didn’t need any additional chaos just because he couldn’t see me.
“As fine as anyone with a spear stuck through his wing and shoulder could be.” Verault rolled his eyes and smirked.
“What?” Elara gasped. “Vad?”
“We need to treat him—” Silus started.
“No, we’re not treating me here. It's not as bad as it seems. We need to escape before all of us get injured or killed,” I spat.
These people were after Briar and me, and I refused to let her get more injured than she already was.
I’d happily take another spear as long as she remained unhurt and standing.
Quen took a shaky breath. “Which way do we go? I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Just stay put. Vad can’t go on like this,” Rhielle answered.
Heavy thuds pounded against the other side of the door. "Open this door at once, and surrender yourselves to the custody of the Shadow Kingdom."
"I am your king," I snarled over my shoulder. Furious as I was, perhaps we could play this out and stall them. Every second was going to count. "You would dare to speak to me in this fashion?"
"You have betrayed the kingdom, sir," the guard said.
"It is our duty to take you into custody with the rest of the traitors.
You will be given a fair trial. If you do not surrender, we will be forced to break down this door and take you captive by force.
If you or those with you die, it will be on your head.
Surely you do not want more of your people's blood shed? "
Bryn moved toward us, blinking hard like he was trying to see. “Briar, the two of us need to get out of here immediately.”
The feck she’d be going with him. The Aureline Council leader was the reason we were all in this mess. I clutched the shaft harder, getting ready to yank.
Stop that. She scowled and narrowed her eyes. You’re going to make yourself bleed more.
I released a tight breath. Briar, you need to--
If you're about to tell me to go on without you, stop. I refuse to leave you behind. We’ve been through too much, and I’m staying by your side. Briar touched my arm, her concern spilling into my chest. “I won’t go anywhere without everyone here.”
As if Fate wanted to emphasize the horrifying nightmare I’d put her through, flecks of blood in her wavy, copper hair caught my eye, and I noticed her green eyes were glassy with unshed tears, her gown stained in crimson. My heart contracted painfully. She’d gone through so much because of me.
"Sir, what is your answer?" the guard outside demanded, his voice cracking slightly. "Don't force us to break down this door."
I rolled my eyes, sneering. They made it sound so reasonable. "Do you truly expect me to surrender?"
Veralt rubbed his hands together and stepped up beside me.
“Let’s handle this then,” he grumbled, grabbing the spear’s shaft behind my wings and snapping it in two.
"Fecking void!" Painful spasms vibrated through my wings.
I grew weaker, but at least his removal method was faster and caused less damage than sawing through it.
The tip of the spear pushed out farther in front of me, dark and slick with my blood.
The metallic tang with sweet undertones filled the chamber.
My head spun. Feck, that had hurt. But I couldn't stay pinned to the door. Especially with Briar refusing to leave me.
A series of heavy thuds vibrated through the wood and rattled the hinges. It sounded like wood against wood, so they had probably grabbed a bench to use as a battering ram. We had to barricade the door and slow them down as much as possible.
“I just want it known. If we die, I’m blaming Kaylen,” Quen muttered. "I feel like this is all her fault."
“Same, but I think this is beyond her powers.” Velessa massaged the wrist of the arm she had in the sling. "At least, I hope so."
Veralt grabbed a couch and shoved it in front of the door.
Rhielle removed one of the decorative swords from the wall and thrust it at a diagonal angle through the door handle and the bottom loop of a lamp frame to help secure the door.
Those swords weren’t any good for fighting as the blade was too dull to even cut cheese, but the metal was solid.
She seized the second one and put it through at the opposite angle.
Yuki hugged herself, her mouth twisting as if she’d tasted a lemon. “No one wants Kaylen to have that kind of power, but what’s going on with Calla Lily? She was so friendly. I thought she was sweet. She hugged me.”
Thalira cast a soft look at Yuki. “Not everyone who hugs is a friend.”
These ladies should be quieter, but I knew if I demanded silence, it would make them more antsy and talkative. Besides, it wasn't as if the guards didn't know we were in here.
I decided to pretend to put them to use. “Someone, make sure that other door is locked.” I gestured weakly at the door on the far side of the room.
Vyraetos checked it and returned to where Silus was holding Elara near the cluster of Briar’s friends. Myantha and Thalen stood whispering together in the corner on the other side of the chairs and couch. Tears glinted on her cheeks.
Now to determine the rest of our plan, which meant I had to get this fecking thing out of me.
I drew in a ragged breath, adjusting my grip on the six inches of shaft between the spearhead and my chest. If I thought about it, I wouldn’t do it, so I didn’t pause. I yanked, hard.
Stinging and burning sensations rippled through the sensitive flesh, and blood gushed everywhere. Wincing inwardly, I clenched my jaw. The bleeding would stop relatively fast because the spear had missed major vessels. But feck, the pain had me wanting to lie down and rest.
That wasn’t a possibility. I steadied myself and took in our surroundings, trying to formulate a better plan.
The groom's chamber was simple, with little that we could use for the next phase of our escape.
A bureau and vanity with a large oblong mirror dominated the left wall, and a sitting area on the opposite side contained a small settee, ottoman, end table, and two velvet chairs.
The door I stood before was opposite another door at the far end, both firmly shut.
The torches had guttered out, but lighting them now would allow light to seep under the door and warn the people on the northern side, cutting off our time to escape.
We had to get out of here before the guards from the Ceremonial Hall had time to warn the others and access the private hall that connected to this chamber.
We had a few minutes to make this work, and no option for failure.
“Let’s get this door better barricaded.” I set the spear aside and rubbed the wound across the top of my shoulder, wondering whether I needed a makeshift bandage. My wing would stop bleeding soon, but I didn’t want the shoulder wound to leave a blood trail.
I clenched my teeth and ripped a thick strip of fabric from my surcoat just as another loud jolt jarred the door. Angry shouts sounded, as if more guards were gathering. Good. Let them stay focused here.
Clicking her tongue, Briar took the strip from my hands and tied off my shoulder wound proficiently.
My stomach clenched. I knew so little about the woman standing before me, yet I felt as if I’d known her forever.
When her fingers brushed my shirt, the jolt of our connection surged through me, even with fabric between us. It eased some of the pain.
“How does it feel?” She looked me straight in the eye.
“Perfect.” I smiled and pecked her lips before crossing to the dresser and pulling it toward the door. My wounded wing screamed as I strained, and the legs grated across the stone floor.
Veralt seized the second couch and dragged it over to shore up the first one.
Moving to the opposite side, Veralt lifted with me. Together, we placed the heavy wooden dresser on the new couch, the drawers clacking as they shifted. Loud curses and bellows on the other side of the door confirmed the guards were trying to batter down the door. But that would take them a while.
Veralt grabbed another chair and balanced it on top of the pile as another heavy thud shook the door. “Come get us, fecking assholes. I’ll use your corpses for torches!”
“Can’t we get some lights in here so we can see?” Quen asked. “We can’t do anything.”
“If you can find a light source, be my guest. At least until we depart,” I said. “But the groom's preparation chambers aren’t typically outfitted with flint or fire sources.”
“Great.” Quen huffed. She folded her arms over her chest and shuddered. “No problem. I love not being able to see.”
Thalira fumbled about and then gripped her shoulder. “We’ll get our powers back somehow, and the light too. Then we'll deal with Calla Lily.”
“Maybe we can set her on fire.” Quen arched a brow.