To ice.
The drops hardened into razor-sharp hail. The first of the mercenaries screamed as the ice shredded through cloth and skin. Malkin threw up a shielding arm, but the hail drew lines of red in his golden skin.
The movement shocked Caylus back to himself. He seized the Rhodairen man, dragging him back into the crowd as the mercenaries bolted. The crowd parted as the soldiers fled, Malkin screaming after them to stop, the hail chasing them like a swarm of angry wasps.
Bring down the throne.
A piercing call echoed over the voices of the crowd and yelling soldiers. Light crackled in the sky. Then a bolt erupted, striking the throne. Splintered wood shot in all directions, a fire rising from wood. Fueled by Res’s magic, the flames flared higher, snapping at Malkin with vicious teeth.
Malkin stumbled away. Lightning struck again, hitting the ground a few feet away from him. Then he bolted.
The crowd cheered as the hail and wind chased the fleeing mercenaries and soldiers back toward the coast. I followed, leaping easily to the next of the closely packed buildings. Kiva followed, leaving a cursing Samra behind.
The main road emptied onto the boulevard that ran along the bay. Kiva and I ran to the edge of the final building, Res hidden in the clouds above.
Malkin’s men had already boarded the ship and were moving as quickly as they could to get out to sea. I saw a flash of copper hair as Malkin dove into the captain’s quarters, barricading himself against the hail.
In the midst of the chaos, a tall, slender figure stood at the bowsprit of the ship. Cloaked and hooded, I caught only a flash of gold before Res’s wind swept down, shoving the ship roughly out to sea. It rocked and bowed, the churning waves turning it about.
Res broke free of the clouds, keeping well out of arrow range as he banked in low, wide circles.
Make sure it can’t come back.
As the ship grew smaller on the horizon, the unruly waves tossing it left and right, the hail tore down once more, turning the ship’s sails to ribbons.
I smirked at the fading sight.
Then something moved at the corner of my eye.
I spun, bow raised, and came face-to-face with Ericen.
Four
Everything stopped.
I stared at the prince, and he stared back, his black Vykryn uniform transforming him into a shadow in the night.
And then my mind caught up, and I was lifting my bow, and his hand was reaching for one of the swords strapped to his back.
But I was quicker.
I lashed out with my bow, striking the back of his sword hand with the upper limb. He hissed and leapt away to put space between us.
He threw up his hands. “I’m not here to fight you, Thia.”
The slight rasp in his voice pulled at something in my chest. A reminder that I’d cared about him. That maybe I still did. “Then walk away.”
“I can’t. I need—”
I didn’t wait for him to finish, slashing again with my bow.
He dodged, hand returning to his sword. “Listen to me, Thia.”
“I’ve done enough of that already.”
I’d listened, and I’d believed him. But I understood now. Ericen might be a better person than his mother. He might not believe in the ways of his people that led them to wage war and conquer nations, to spill blood in the name of their god.
But he was still the prince of Illucia, and he would not betray that.
The air stilled. My hand tightened on my bow. His eyes traced the line of one of my leather-gloved hands—the glove he’d given me. Then I moved. Quick as a wingbeat, he drew a sword from the sheath on his back. I nocked an arrow, drew, and loosed just as his sword knocked my bow aside. The arrow grazed his arm, but he didn’t slow, sweeping the flat side of his sword toward my ankles.
Kiva’s sword caught the blow. She followed through, throwing Ericen back. He moved with the blow, easily keeping his balance.
“Thia, wait—”
I slashed again, not giving him time to speak. He deflected it, then shot forward inside my reach. I tried to twist away, but he caught my wrist and swung me hard into the wall beside the door.
My breath left my lungs in a whoosh of air, but I clung tight to my bow, even as he pinned my wrist into the wall. I felt the heat of his body against mine, a flare of energy in the chill night air. Felt the rise and fall of his chest in time with my own, his gaze locked onto mine.
“You can be more than what she made you,” I whispered.
He recoiled. Kiva’s footfalls were the only warning he had before she slammed into him, throwing him aside.
Regaining his footing, he backed away, sword pointed down, other hand raised in a show of peace. “Listen to me. I came as soon as I learned about my mother’s plans with the fires. I didn’t want you to walk into a trap.”
“Funny,” Kiva growled. “This feels a lot like a trap.”
He ignored her. “Please, Thia.” His blue eyes were bright in the light of the moon, beseeching. “I need to talk to you. There’s something bigger going on here. Bigger than Illucia and Rhodaire.”
You have no idea. Illucia didn’t know about the rebellion forming against them from the ruins of the nations they’d decimated.
“After you escaped, I went back to the throne room. Auma and the monks were gone.”
Kiva flinched at the mention of Auma’s name.
“My mother was furious. The things she was saying—” He cut off, hesitating.
“What?”
“They didn’t make any sense.”
“You’re not making any sense, Ericen,” I growled.
“I’m trying to help you.” He stepped forward as if to press the sincerity of his words into us.
I stared at him expectantly.
His jaw worked. “She said something about the Sellas.”
I stilled. “What about them?”
“She wasn’t making any sense,” he repeated, shaking his head. “She was talking about them like—like they were still alive.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said even as a chill trailed down my spine.
“I’m just telling you what I heard.”
“Why should we believe a word you say?” Kiva asked.
Ericen looked at me. “Because I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t choose her over you.”
I stepped back, stunned. The night we’d escaped from Sordell, Ericen had been right there. He could have called the guards, could have sent Vykryn riding after us a wingbeat behind, but he hadn’t. He’d let us go.