Kallias
Ronan grabbed the back of my tunic, hauling me into a storage room that reeked of damp straw and old oil. The door thudded shut behind us.
I whirled on him, my hand locking at his throat, blood roaring through my veins so loud it drowned out the distant clatter of dishes. “She’s being raped by that–”
“They’re screaming, you idiot!” Ronan hissed. The heels of his hands dug into his temples as if he could crush the sound inside his skull. His teeth clenched hard enough that I heard one crack, sharp as a snapping twig.
“Who?” I demanded. My gaze sliced back to the door. I was already measuring the distance, already prepared to tear through it.
“Gyrak! She’s screaming in their heads!”
I dropped him. His body hit the stone with a hollow smack that stirred dust from the cracks. “Then let them burn it all.” I stormed to the door, fingers grazing the latch.
His heel slammed into the back of my knee. The joint buckled. Pain shot up my thigh as I crashed to the floor, air punching from my lungs. His weight followed, crushing me into the stone wall that reeked of mildew and spilled grain. We rolled, limbs tangling, knocking crates and brooms down in a scatter of wood and straw.
“He will kill you both!” he snarled, throwing a fist at my face.
I ducked. His knuckles skimmed my ear. I rolled him onto his back, my forearm braced across his collarbone. “I don’t–”
The door flew open. Lanternlight sliced across us. I flinched, my teeth crashing onto Ronan’s neck. He grunted, grappling against me. Dirt and muck filled my mouth. The taste of earth and metal coated my tongue, thick as blood.
“Get out of here!”
A rough hand fisted the collar of my tunic and yanked. The fabric bit into my throat as I was pried off him. Ronan slapped a hand over his neck, covering the strip of skin I had bared.
“Take it to your chambers, you fool!” The Velli roared, breath sour with ale as he shoved me into the hall. “You’re both dismissed! Git!”
I stumbled forward, wiping at my mouth. Grit scraped my teeth. The Velli servants kept their heads bowed, their movements stiff and mechanical. Trays heavy with roasted meat and spiced wine passed me, steam curling into the corridor. Others carried used dishware out, grease and gravy sloshing in bowls. No one looked at anyone else. They flowed around me like a colony of ants, silent, ordered, blind.
Ronan was tossed out behind me. His shoulder rammed into my back. I seized the front of his tunic and dragged him down the corridor. He pressed his fist to his forehead, features pinched, breath ragged through his teeth.
I was walking away from her.
She was on that table, spread out like a feast. The image burned behind my eyes. Was he sucking her dry? Sticking his–
“Gah!” Ronan clung to my arm. His knees gave out.
I caught him before he struck the floor. His weight sagged against me, hot and trembling. I scanned the corridor. A single Velli turned the corner at the far end, boots fading in the opposite direction.
They were too cocky here. The Radaanian king they knew would never cross the Craggs. He would never step into their homeland, let alone stalk their halls with nothing but a hunting knife at his hip and fury in his chest.
They believed they had nothing to fear.
I would give them terror.
Shadows pooled along the walls. I searched for privacy, for any door that promised darkness and silence. There were no placards, no markings. Only identical wood panels and iron handles. Did the staff simply memorize every room?
My jaw ached from clenching. I shoved a door open.
A dark staircase yawned before us, stone steps spiraling down into a throat of black. Cold air breathed up from below, damp and mineral. I braced Ronan against the wall and shut the door behind us. The latch clicked. A weak lantern flickered above, its flame sputtering, casting thin gold over rough stone.
My forehead slammed against Ronan’s shoulder. His heartbeat thudded against mine, uneven and frantic. “I can’t leave her. I have to go back.”
“What, you and your wee dagger?” Ronan hissed. His fingers pressed into his eye sockets as if he could shove the visions away. “I’ve got enough going on up here without your whining!”
I balled my fist and tapped my knuckles against the wood beside his head. The sound echoed down the stairwell. He was right. I had no sword. No spear or armor. No army. Here, I was nothing more than another body in the corridor. Without thedragons, we had no hope of getting her home. With the king over her, I would be dead before I drew breath to strike. And with that room full of Velli, Ronan wouldn’t make it out alive.
And Nienna would have no one left to save her.
