Chapter 29 #3
He grabs my hand on his chest. “Come with me, Red. If you stop now, here, at the edge of the border, you’ll never know the truth. Someone out there does.”
I scoff. “In Annwyn.”
His eyes don’t flicker away from mine for even an instant. “Yes, in Annwyn.”
“I can’t.” Even as I say it, I’m not exactly sure why. It’s foolhardy. It’s forbidden. It’s walking straight into enemy territory with nothing but a single Wolf to protect me.
And yet. I’ve already destroyed my entire life here in Llwyn. My father tried to murder me, then made a false son his new heir. I have no one left. Even as the thought crosses my mind, Hunter’s face flickers to the front. I’ve ruined his life too.
“You’ve wanted this for years.” Tristan whispers. “You won’t stop now. Not when you’re so close.”
He’s right, and I hate that he is. I can’t give up now. The Wolf has only known me a little over a month, and somehow, he already sees straight through me.
My mouth forms a thin, determined line. I nod only once, but it’s enough.
He pushes my knife away from his chest, satisfied. “We need to keep moving.”
We step out of the shadows, our footsteps quiet against the broken stone.
Tristan moves west through the ruins, past collapsed fountains and ivy-choked courtyards.
Some inner walls, still sheltered from sun and rain, hold faint traces of old paint.
Faded frescoes depict once-great men and women locked in scenes from centuries past. Their faces watch us, like ghosts of families and lives long forgotten.
Someone blocks the path ahead. Two soldiers step out, swords raised. Tristan moves back, lifting his own blade in defense. They strike first. Metal clashes as he parries, blocks, then parries again.
I’ve never seen him fight like this before. He’s graceful and deeply intimidating, pushing forward with the relentless energy and skill of a trained swordsman. The Dead Queen’s Wolves must train with more than just their dark shadow powers.
One soldier lunges for me. I twist out of his reach and flash my knife, knowing it won’t do much against full armor, but I slash anyway. I won’t be dragged back to my father’s palace of horrors. I’m going to find out who murdered Grandmother. I’m too close to fail now.
The soldier grabs the fabric of my red hood and yanks, knocking me backward.
I hit the ground hard, my knife skidding out of reach.
Before I can recover, he’s on top of me, pinning my arms down with his knees.
He fumbles for a rope, trying to bind my wrists as I twist and buck, but he’s too heavy.
I try to reach inside for my power—a spark, a flicker, anything—but all I find is emptiness.
Suddenly, he drops the rope with a cry of pain. His body curls inward, and he lets out a gut-wrenching groan. I shove him off of me, and this time he doesn’t resist. He collapses to the side, clutching his head. I scramble to my feet and grab my knife in one swift motion.
I turn to see Tristan, eyes blazing with hatred, black power crackling in his hands. His soldier is writhing on the ground too.
“We have to keep moving!” I hiss. More soldiers will find us any second. We can’t waste time torturing these two. A beat passes before Tristan releases the soldiers from his power. We keep running.
The ruins twist into a maze of obstacles. We weave around collapsed walls and leap over gnarled roots, our movements driven by instinct. My lungs burn, but I don’t slow down.
Tristan’s voice cuts through the chaos. “Don’t stop, Red!”
I risk a glance back. Half a dozen soldiers are gaining on us, Commander Malen at the front, his eyes burning with fury. The knights move in unison, their heavy footfalls pounding the earth behind us.
We vault over the crumbling remains of Ellyll’s ancient wall and burst back into the open valley, exposed and vulnerable. Overhead, the sky is darkening into twilight, the sky aflame with orange and pink. Dozens of soldiers clamor behind us, but I don’t look back again.
I stumble. Gravel bites into my knees and scrapes my palms bloody. The Wolf turns back and reaches for my hand. The moment his skin touches mine, our eyes lock. Where I expected to see fear, I find a storm instead. His eyes are the fierce, roiling gray of a tempest.
My heart leaps into my throat as an undeniable heat rises within me.
Here, on the edge of death, time seems to hold its breath.
I was a fool for not seeing this sooner.
The Wolf isn’t fighting for me because I saved him in Caerwen.
His protection has nothing to do with some Wolf code of honor.
And he isn’t risking his life for mine because his queen expects him to.
He’s protecting me because he cares about me.
Suddenly, Tristan pulls me to my feet and shoves me ahead of him. “Keep going, Red. Find the queen.”
With his eyes still locked on mine, a thick, black mist engulfs him. Like a surging shadow, it surrounds the soldiers. They cry out in alarm and confusion.
Before I can turn to run, rough hands grab me from behind.
Then, the world goes black.