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He seemed conflicted, his eyes flickering between Emilie and me. There were few instances in which Cyrus allowed me to be in charge, but in the heat of battle, he listened to my commands. Lee was next to us now, tugging on Cyrus’s arm.
“Let’s go, Your Highness,” Lee said, and Cyrus reluctantly followed him.
I sprinted toward Emilie, thrashing through the crowd of masked menaces, and prayed to gods I didn’t believe in.
Emilie’s wall of wind broke just as I reached her, and the horde crowded around us.
“Ladon,” she cried. Terror laced her voice and painted her face. She reached for me and I fought my way through a blur of bodies. But they closed in, swarming faster than I could keep them at bay.
Emilie’s hand wrapped around my arm, and this time I didn’t throw her off or snarl at her touch. I felt for her blindly as my blade flashed, reflecting lightning from the sky above. My hand was sweaty when it clasped around hers.
Suddenly, she was ripped from my grasp. She screamed, and I pivoted to find her being dragged away by one of the masked fighters. She struggled, kicking and clawing at their arms, but they were stronger than her.
“Emilie!” I shouted, reaching for her desperately.
And then a blunt object struck me in the back of the head.
Everything went black.
Chapter Thirteen
Ladon
My head pounded as I pried my eyes open. I was lying on cold, hard ground, like the first frost of the winter. Fog swirled around me, making it impossible to see the sky above me, while tall hedges lined the sides of my vision.
It was dark—perhaps dusk?
Where are we? Where are we? A voice inside my head whispered.
I blinked, trying to clear the haze from my vision. The world was spinning, and I felt as though I might be sick.
Where are we? Where are we?
That voice in my head grew louder. I tilted my head, my neck cracked as I worked out my stiff muscles.
“Emilie?” I spoke softly. She was lying on the ground, her face frozen in terror. Eyes wide open yet unseeing.
“Where are we? Where are we?” she repeated.
“Emilie.” I crawled on my hands and knees to her, shaking her from whatever trance held her captive. “Hey, it’s all right. Snap out of it.”
Her lips stopped moving, and her eyes focused on my face. Then her brows furrowed. “Ladon?”
“Yes, it’s me. Are you injured?” I asked, scanning her body briefly. She appeared to be physically unharmed, other than a scratch across her forehead and a bruise forming on her cheek.
“I…I think so…I…” She looked around in confusion. “How did we get here? What is this place?”
“I don’t know,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. I flinched when I came across a wet spot. When I pulled my hand away, my fingers were covered in sticky blood. “I blacked out. I don’t know what happened. You don’t remember anything?”
She frowned, and tears welled in her hazel eyes. “I remember you coming for me, right before my magic gave out. But then I don’t remember what happened after that.”
I took her by the hands and pulled her into a sitting position.
She gasped. “What are those?”
Her hands trembled in mine, and when I followed her line of sight, I found our hands intertwined with black vines crawling up our fingers and wrists.
I jumped back and landed on my ass. With my fingers outstretched, I stared in horror at the black that tainted my skin. I rubbed it with my thumb, but it didn’t smudge. The markings were permanent.
