"What is it?" I asked.
"I—I don't know," she stammered, brow furrowing. "But something is—"
The ground shook as an explosion shattered through the air. I threw myself over Arabella, shielding her body with my own as instinct took over. As the tremors subsided, we both looked toward the eastern wall. Smoke filled the air in thick plumes, the smell of burning already reaching us.
Then the screams came.
"Fuck," I cursed, quickly checking her for injuries. Her hand had a minor scrape, but to my amazement, it'd already begun to heal. I looked up, raising a brow at her display of magic.
"Witch, remember?" Then she pushed off the ground, grasped my hand, and ran toward the palace. She had managed to get us through the walls when we landed, though they were heavily warded. Although that was why, she'd explained before leaving, our travel might have been a bit more rough than usual.
The streets were in chaos. People ran back and forth, children cried for their parents to comfort them, and guards began receiving their orders. Order was thrown out in favor of survival. A long line formed near the palace walls as families were ushered inside, but we had no time to wait for our turn to come.
I ran up toward the front, past the cries of protest from those who'd been waiting for gods only knew how long. I hated how they looked at me, fear and judgment lingering there as we tried to get past them.
We were nearly at the front when a sentry shouted, drawing my attention to the small guard entrance. "General! Over here!"
Arabella and I didn't hesitate to run through. The sentry locked the door behind us as soon as we crossed the threshold. I looked around, noting the makeshift healer tents on either side of the courtyard that were stockpiled with medicines and bandages on one side. On the other, cots were being lined in neat rows. My stomach dropped, knowing we would be overrun with death and destruction before the day ended.
"Do you know where the Queen is?" I asked the man. "Perhaps Captain Saveq or—"
He shook his head quickly, picking up a box of supplies from a cart. "Look around. It's difficult to keep track of anyone in this mess. It was only by chance that I noticed ya. Best guess, though? I'd head to the council room if it was me."
I thanked him, running up the stairs and straight past Briar. She called after me, but I didn't stop. Not until we pushed open the doors to the council room.
Renai stood over a table full of maps, her deft fingers trailing evacuation routes for the kingdom. She spoke quickly with an older man on her left, and while there was a minor look of annoyance on his face, he watched her with interest. Nausea washed over me, especially remembering how our conversation had ended before.
I hated that I couldn't give Renai what she wanted, and I hated myself for not being strong enough to break off our bargain sooner. It was fucking selfish, and I knew that the entire time. But I told myself it was okay because, at the end of the day, I would have allowed myself to exploremorewith Renai if I had never known Arabella was alive.
Our relationship was filled with ups and downs, but I knew I owed her more than I could ever repay for keeping me afloat over the past century.
Arabella's hand tightened around mine as we began to draw attention by standing in the doorway, pulling me from my thoughts. She'd never been the type to enjoy a room full of eyes on her, especially not now, as she was known by most here as Lachlan’s pet witch.
"Kalen!" Eva cried, running at me with full force. She nearly knocked me back before I could steady myself. I looked up just in time to see Renai's eyes meet mine, and there was so much I wanted to say–to do. I wanted to go to her and tell her I was sorry for everything, but the hurt I saw flash in them would haunt me for the rest of my life. Eva patted me down, examining me from head to toe. She hadn't even glanced at Arabella, who stood awkwardly to the side since Eva had plowed into me. "Are you alright? We've been worried sick!"
"I'm fine, Eva, but we don't have time for this. Can we speak privately?"
She finally glanced at Arabella, eyes growing impossibly wide as she studied her. She appeared unmoved, but I saw the muscles of her jaw flex and her fingers curl into tight fists at her side as if she was barely holding onto her emotions. Eva’s hands relaxed, and she fiddled with her sleeve before regaining her composure. "Right, follow me." A slight tip of her head had Renai murmuring something to the man she was speaking with and walking toward us. She slipped behind us, her silence speaking for itself.
We followed Eva into a small room off the chamber where her father sat behind a desk. He bore dark circles under his already tired eyes. Eva perched her hip against the wooden frame, crossing her arms. Renai stood near the door, her hand casually resting atop the pommel of her sword.
Arabella cleared her throat, breaking the awkward tension between us. "I'm sure you have questions, and I promise I will do my best to answer them all, but I need to express the gravity of your current situation."
"I believe we've figured that out already," Eva replied dryly. "Lachlan has been attacking the city's eastern side, and the wards are ready to fall. Helia is prepared to the best of our ability, but we have no ally armies nearby, and we have no idea how many men Lachlan is bringing—"
"Nearly twenty thousand."
Alric blinked, leaning back into his chair. He studied his daughter, the way her nostrils flared as she sucked in a deep breath. Eva closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly. "Good gods," she whispered.
Arabella pushed forward. "They are made up of all manner of creatures, too. Humans, dark practitioners, fae—I've even heard rumors of great winged beasts, though I haven't seen proof of them. He plans to make an example out of Helia, to destroy the ones who attempted to destroy him."
"How did you get away from him to tell us all of this?" Renai sauntered up beside Eva, her hand still in reach of her sword. I couldn't fault her, the distrust was well warranted. Hell, a small part of me wondered if this wasn't some type of ruse. At the end of the day, though, my gut told me to trust Arabella.
Or was it just willful ignorance?
Eva looked at Renai, but Renai stared at Arabella, completely unfazed. "Well?" she asked. "I can't be the only one questioning the legitimacy of her allegiance, can I?"
"There’s nothing I can say or do to make you trust me. But I will attempt to prove my fealty by assisting in any way I can," Arabella said, tilting her head out the window. It was a near-perfect echo of the words Eva had just spoken. We watched as repeated blows landed against the wards, fracturing them further. There wasn't much time left before it fell apart entirely.
