A soldier from Lon burst from a side hall. Greaves launched into action. Kallias didn’t so much as flinch as his guard deflected the blow and spun the man into the melee, where hands dragged him away from me.
“Stay close to me, Your Majesty,” Fallione murmured, leaning in while his gaze swept the corridor. His sword gleamed in his grip.
I felt the absence of a blade acutely. Even without knowing how to wield one, the lack left me exposed. Vulnerable.
We left a trail of destruction in our wake as we climbed several flights of stairs. Greaves had no issue kicking men off the staircase, letting them fall amid a shower of splintered wood.
At the highest floor, seven soldiers blocked our path.
“Move,” Greaves snarled, even as Kallias advanced without a word.
“We’re under orders–” The protest died behind a helm.
“In the name of your king, move!” Fallione shouted, edging closer to me.
One soldier hesitated, weapon dipping a fraction. Then they struck. Sword and spear flashed. Gold and black cut through gray steel as our men surged past the advisor and me, joining the clash.
Chaos swallowed the hall. I gathered my skirts, fear skittering along my spine. Where were Gyrak and Tsunami? Was I so weak without my dragons?
As if in answer, an outraged roar thundered through the halls. Dust streamed from the ceiling as the stone beneath our feet shuddered. Men clapped gauntlets to helms, staggering under the force of it.
Kallias seized the moment. He drove his spear through the narrow gap at the last soldier’s throat, then kicked the grand doors open.
We surged inside.
The study sprawled wide, its walls layered with paintings. Busts of noblemen and priceless vases rested on pillars before shelves packed with endless tomes. Dim light filtered through smoke drifting past the windows, Lon still burning beyond the glass.
Before the largest window stood a man.
He held a child.
My heart lurched. Cold fear surged through my veins at the easy smile on his face as the little girl clung to him. She couldn’t have been more than four, straight brown hair falling against porcelain skin too fine for this brutality. Her cheeks burned red, tears spilling as she clutched fistfuls of his jacket.
A woman stood to the side, somewhere in her middle years, hands clasped, her face blanched with terror. One glance flicked to the man and child before she lifted her gaze to meet the fury of her king.
“Give the child to her mother, Kai.” Kallias’ voice thundered, raw and furious, leashed tight like one might try to restrain a dragon.
Kai’lon bounced her on his hip, flashing his white teeth. Brown hair clung damply to his brow. “We should keep our children close, should we not, Kallias?” His voice cracked, nerves breaking through.
The girl buried her face in his neck with a whimper.
She must have thought us monsters.
Kallias’ spear dipped, blood pattering onto the white marble. No guards remained to shield the man. A dagger rode at his hip, but it made little difference.
His grip on the child set my hands shaking.
“I will not repeat myself.” Kallias shifted his hold, the shaft turning in his grasp. “Sarai, retrieve your daughter.”
“I can see you safely to your rooms,” I said, stepping forward. Anything to get the girl out of here—away from the bodies choking the halls.
Away from her father.
The woman shook her head, lifting a trembling hand to tuck loose hair behind her ear. “We will stay with Kai’lon, Your Majesties.”
“They’re not worthy of those titles,” Kai spat, glaring at his wife. “A true king wouldn’t abandon his family, his kin, to chase a harlot across the sea.”
I felt it coming. The words still struck hard, hurled at me before witnesses by a man who dragged his child into this carnage. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I raised my chin and edged closer to Sarai.
