The Princess #2
Just before he slit it, a gleam of pale blue ignited in the air. Without thinking, I grabbed it.
And the entire world froze. Theron stopped moving. Calista was still as a statue, eyes gleaming as she eagerly watched me. Between my fingers was the delicate blue thread of Theron’s life.
His life.
Shivering bones… He was still alive.
“Theron,” I breathed. With slow, careful movements, I released the thread one finger at a time, worried if I jerked too hard, I would accidentally snap it in two.
Still alive. Still alive. The words resonated in my head like they had their own pulse.
When I let go of the thread, the air shifted once more, and Theron moved. His body jolted, and he let out a strangled choking sound. His chest seized, and the knife hovered midair.
For a brief moment, his eyes flew open, and that familiar onyx gaze fixed on me.
In a flash, it was gone, his face going slack again. But that was all I needed.
He was still in there. He was still fighting.
The thought lifted my heart, giving me the energy and motivation I needed.
He wasn’t dead. I could still save him.
With his next strike, I grabbed his wrist, then rammed my knee between his legs.
Theron moaned, and I ignored how the sound broke me as I swiped the dagger from his loosened grip. I stepped toward him and dragged the blade gently along his palm. He hissed in pain, jerking away from me. His eyes fluttered open again, regarding me with confusion and horror.
“Eira,” he groaned.
A relieved smile split across my face.
But it was short-lived.
The moment he said my name, he collapsed, crumpling into a heap on the ground.
“No!” I screamed, racing toward him. I touched his face, his shoulders, his hair, trying to rouse him. “Theron. Theron! Wake up!” I shook him, but his head only lolled onto my lap.
With a screech, Calista hurled the glass vial onto the floor. “Useless idiot!” she roared, her expression venomous. “I need more blood!” Her eyes darted to the crimson liquid still dripping from my arm.
A wild, animalistic sound burst from her.
Her lips pulled back from her teeth with a feral snarl, and she pounced.
I dived to the floor, covering the puddle of blood with my body.
Calista slammed into me, and we crashed in a pile of limbs.
Her claws tore at my clothes. I shoved her face away from my throat before she could rip it out with her fangs.
My foot connected with her stomach. Hissing and spitting like an enraged animal, Calista roared, the sound making my ears throb.
I managed to kick her hard in the temple, and she fell backward, toppling to the floor. After ensuring I had mopped up every drop of my blood with my clothes, I scrambled to my feet, angling myself away from her.
I didn’t know if she could somehow siphon the blood staining my clothes and use it to control me. But I didn’t want her getting close enough to find out.
Her eyes were redder than death as she stood, back arched and claws extended. We faced each other, bodies poised for battle as we circled one another like vultures.
“You were always going to lose,” Calista seethed.
“You never had what it takes to rule this court. Your weak bloodline failed this kingdom.” She waved a hand toward me, her face twisting in disgust. “You may appear a queen, but your beauty is only skin-deep. In truth, you are nothing more than a cold statue, carved in ice and glass. Beautiful on the outside, but void of anything substantial on the inside. I alone am strong enough to protect the realm.”
“With what?” I snarled. “Your Demon Fae gifts? You’ve been lying to your people for years! Hunting those of us who aren’t full-blooded seelie fae, as if we’re less than you. If the court knew that you were the very thing they were hunting, this entire kingdom would collapse!”
“If they knew what I was, they would still follow me over you!”
“Are you sure about that?” I reached into the folds of my tunic, intending to withdraw the hand mirror… and froze. My blood ran cold. With wide eyes, I stared at Calista in horror.
A slow smirk spread across her face as she lifted the mirror. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
Shit. I had forgotten she’d taken it when she poisoned me. “I’ll get it back from you. I stole it once, and I can steal it again.”
Her sneer returned. “Stupid, foolish girl. I always know where the mirror is. If you take it, I will find it again.”
I thought of the soldiers pillaging Tolston, searching every home. “You were looking for it. You knew it was in Tolston.”
“Of course I did. You have no idea the magic that mirror contains.”
“It contains the truth,” I said. “I can expose you, Calista. Once my allies arrive, we will take the mirror from you and summon the nobles of the court. I’ll use the mirror to show them who you really are.”
She barked out a harsh, grating laugh. “You truly are clueless, aren’t you? This is so much more than just an enchanted mirror. It is bound to my very essence. I can sense when it is near. Its magic calls to me. But go on, take it. Try to use it and see what happens.”
She shoved the mirror into my hands, her eyes gleaming. I clutched it tightly, my skin prickling with unease. This felt like a trap. The gleeful look on her face told me she wanted me to try it.
Calista’s smile only grew. Even with her mirror in my hand, she knew I was doubting everything about my plan. She knew I couldn’t win if I didn’t know for sure the mirror would work.
The throne room doors crashed open. My heart lurched as seven familiar faces appeared: Denton, Stella, Gareth, Huck, Tansy, Penelope, and Lark—the human nobles. My closest friends stood in the open doorway, flanked by soldiers wearing red bandanas and brass breast plates.
The rebels. My rebels. They were war-torn and bloody, but they were alive.
A smile broke across my face. They’d done it. They were here.
Calista’s head whipped toward the newcomers, her face twisting with rage. “Guards!” she shrieked.
“No one is coming, false queen,” Denton said, his voice booming. “The castle is ours. All that stands between our true queen and her crown… is you.”
As one, the soldiers and my human friends raised their swords. Pride swelled in my chest, and tears burned in my eyes. Until this moment, I hadn’t truly realized the loyalty these people had to me.
I was their queen. Their leader. And they were prepared to die for that truth.
I lifted the mirror. “Step down, Calista,” I commanded, my voice ringing with authority, “or I will show the world who you really are.”
Calista’s nostrils flared, her eyes wide as she looked around the room as if searching for allies. She would find none.
We had won.
A low, manic snarl built up in her throat. Spit flew from her lips as her features twisted. Huge, leathery wings sprang from her shoulders, and her pale skin darkened until it was an ashy gray. Darkness spilled from her feet, spreading across the floor like ink.
“You want to expose my true nature?” Calista hissed. “Go ahead. I’ll kill all of you before you utter a single word.”
Before I could object, Calista’s darkness swallowed me whole.
And then, the throne room erupted in screams.