The beautiful music that once filled the air had been replaced by screams, bangs, and the clash of steel against steel. Chaos had descended over the once joy-filled night.
From my angle at the bottom of the stairs, I couldn’t see into the ballroom. Desperate to know what was happening and to find my mother, I crept from the shadows when the man and woman disappeared inside.
My thoughts turned to the kids Ianto had saved after immortals in black burned their orphanage. Not all the kids and amsirah running it were lucky enough to survive.
Are these the same amsirah who attacked the orphanage?If so, why did they destroy the orphanage, and why are they here?
I wouldn’t learn the answers to those questions by remaining here. Staying low, I kept within the shadows as I crept up the stairs.
As I drew closer, I also heard the distinct whistle of arrows and the thud of the weapons striking flesh. I gulped as I resisted turning and running away from the death at the top of the stairs, but I wasn’t going anywhere without my mother.
I was almost to the top when a hooded figure appeared in the open doorway. Freezing, I held my breath and hoped the shadows would obscure me.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Ellery
I almost duckedto hide myself more, but I was scared movement would draw their attention. The figure remained for a few seconds before retreating.
Once they vanished, I rushed up the steps and into the ballroom before someone else arrived. I was in such a hurry to get inside and off the steps that I didn’t see the puddle of blood until my foot slipped in it.
My heart lodged in my throat as my arms flailed and my foot skidded forward on the smooth marble. So much for a stealthy entrance.
Only luck kept me on my feet and anyone from spotting me as I skidded into one of the stone pillars and crashed to a stop. Shoulders heaving as I gasped for breath, I took a second to steady the pounding of my heart as I wiped the blood from the sole of my black shoe.
My fingers curled into the thick red tapestry. This pillar was one of the ones with a hidden alcove beyond.
If I could find my mother, I could get her into one of these pillars and the servants’ quarters. From there, we’d find a way out.
If I could, I’d come back for Ryker. I couldn’t leave him here; he wouldn’t leave me.
I also had to try to pinpoint Callan, but my mother was more important, and if I found her first, I would get her out of here. It was just a matter of locating her.
Poking my head out from behind the pillar, my stomach plummeted as I took in the carnage surrounding me. At least a hundred, if not more, amsirah with sacks on their heads filled the room, but not all wore black like the one I’d seen in the garden.
Many were dressed in green, brown, or blue, and some wore lighter colors. It seemed they’d donned whatever clothes they had for this… uprising?
It had to be an uprising; what else could it be? But who was behind it?
Clashing with the amsirah in hoods, the earl’s and king’s guards worked to destroy them. Through the blood, crush of bodies, and weapons, many of the guests were trapped in the middle of the ballroom.
Some were still on their feet, screaming as they tried to flee, but most were huddled or crawling across the floor to escape. Others had fallen victim to the battle; their blood and bodies littered the floor.
I didn’t see my mother anywhere amidst the carnage… or Ryker. Ivan, the duke, and the earl were all gone or somewhere in that mess, but I suspected they’d been the first to flee.
Ivan and the earl were closely guarded and would have slipped through the door behind them as soon as the revolt started. The duke wasn’t near them the last time I saw him, butthings had drastically changed since I went to the garden to meet Ryker; he could have been anywhere when this started.
The squeak of a shoe alerted me to someone coming up behind me. I turned as an amsirah with a sack over their head went through the open doors to the garden.
They stopped when they spotted me, and their brown eyes narrowed through the holes in the sack. My heart sank as I struggled to restrain the panic trying to consume me.
Without a weapon and unable to use my lightning, I was completely vulnerable to an attack—something they realized as a smile curved their lips.
The hooded amsirah lifted their small sword as I turned and sprinted toward them. It was a move they hadn’t expected. I didn’t give them time to think about what was coming or prepare for it as I lowered my shoulder, slammed into them, and enclosed my arms around their waist.
My momentum propelled us both toward the open doors. With my arms still locked around them, I felt them recovering and their hands rising. I imagined the sword lifting over me, hovering above, before plunging into my back.
I couldn’t let that happen.
