Chapter Twenty #2
The streets are even more crowded than before. Patrons push and shove their way through the throng, not even noticing when they bump into others.
Luckily, a nearby vendor is selling the colorful, chewy, steamed cakes the siblings have always been fond of.
I have been gone less than five minutes, but as I return to where I left Violet, I cannot see her through the mass of bodies. A sinking feeling settles in my gut.
Heedless of those around me, I shove through the throng with more force, using my powers to help move those not paying attention. Shouts and cries of alarm ring out, but I ignore them.
When I reach the corner, she is nowhere in sight. The only sign she was ever here at all is the knocked-over bag, with her books half spilling out.
I turn in every direction, scanning every face for her.
A slap rings out through the din.
“What are you doing?” a man demands.
“She bit me!” another snaps back.
Their voices are coming from the alley. I race toward them, knowing I will find Violet with them.
Four men and one woman position themselves strategically within the narrow space. They are dressed identically in all black, with silver masks obscuring the upper half of their faces.
Violet hunches, grasping at her chest as she gasps through her second episode today. If she dies, we are all doomed.
“If you come any closer, she dies,” the woman says, taking several steps forward.
“We were wondering how long it would take you to come for her,” the man closest to me says.
“There are two ways we can do this: give us your coin, and you are free to take her. Resist…” With a flick of her wrists, she draws two short swords from behind her back and swings one in a circle, stopping with the blade against Violet’s throat. “And both of you will die.”
“Take it.” I fling the bag of coins at her feet. “Now, release her.”
They all exchange glances. The smallest of the men bends to scoop it up. He is scrawny compared to the others in a way that betrays his youth.
No one moves to release her.
The man standing directly in front of Violet hums, then turns to address the woman. “He gave that up a little too easily.”
The woman nods in agreement. “Makes me think there is a lot more where that came from.”
“I gave you what you wanted. Unhand my wife or learn the true meaning of regret,” I say in a low warning.
The man strolls forward a few paces. “The problem is we think you’re holding out on us. No one goes around flashing money like that unless they have ten times as much hidden on their person. You were practically begging us to help relieve you of it.”
The men slowly advance on me while the woman keeps the blade pressed against Violet’s neck.
“Let’s kill them both so we can get out of here,” the youngest says.
“You will regret this.”
The woman’s sharp, humorless laugh cuts through the dark alley. “And what will you do if we don’t? Tell the big, bad prince?” she asks in a voice dripping with mocking sarcasm. “No one has given two demon shits about the people of this land since he brutally murdered the king and queen.”
Ringing fills my ears, drowning out whatever the woman says next. She shifts her arm, drawing her blade across the delicate skin of Violet’s neck.
The cut is shallow, bringing forth a thin line of crimson that forms a series of beads. Violet sways, on the verge of collapse.
If she dies here, all of Arum is doomed.
I run toward them.
The first man to reach me moves to strike with an ax, but I release a burst of power. It hits him in the chest, a starburst of ice piercing his flesh. The crystals spread, coating his entire body in a thick layer of ice. He crashes to the hard-packed ground with a deep crack.
The others shout, scrambling to get away. Unfortunately for them, the only way out is past me. Beads of sweat form across my brow from using such an immense amount of power.
They intended to take the life of the one I swore to protect. I refuse to stop until I ensure that it will never happen. One by one, each of them falls.
The woman gapes in horror at her frozen companions. She tries to run, but it is too late for her to avoid the same fate.
I drop to my knees before Violet and drag her into my arms, pressing my palm against her chest. Tendrils of magic pour into her, weaving through her veins and wrapping around her heart.
She inhales deeply, then leans on me for support.
Scooping her up in my arms, I rise and carry her away.
“I think I can walk,” she says, weakly pushing against my shoulders.
She is not the slightest bit convincing, but I oblige her anyway. I set her on her feet at the edge of the alley, holding onto her until she’s steady.
Violet shifts to look back, but I stop her, cupping her cheek.
I tell myself that letting her see will not help the trauma of her ordeal, but I cannot deny that my true motivation is how much I loathe knowing she will know me for the monster I am if she sees the death I wrought.
I gather up the bag of books as she leans against the side of the building. There is no sign of the box of steamed cakes I discarded the moment I realized something was wrong.
Violet clings to my arm until she is forced to let go in order to get in the saddle.
Weak and exhausted, we ride together in silence.
One more shard.
One.
I will find it, or we will both die trying.