He roared, boots slamming against the floor, the weapon lifting high over his shoulder.
Esmyra’s eyes flicked to the cuffs on her wrists, then to their chain.
Fuck yes.
With all her might, she raised her arms, locking the chain between them like a shield, bracing for the blow.
The axe came down, and steel met metal with a bone-shakingclang. The impact rattled through her arms, before the chain finally snapped. Her wrists flew apart as the man stumbled from the impact. She blinked as she stared at her separated hands, stunned while her breath caught in her chest.
Kaelypso’s fucking tits, it worked!
Esmyra slowly looked down at her chest. “...My tits,” she whispered with a manic giggle.
And then her gaze snapped back up to him, full of fire.
Wildfire, she heard Draevyn’s voice in her mind.
The guard’s jaw hung open in shock.
“Thanks.” Her lips curled. “But for your own sake, you really shouldn’t have done that.”
Fist flying, her knuckles crashed into his jaw with a dull crunch, and he reeled. The male snarled, swinging wide with the axe again, but now her arms were free. She ducked, pain flaring through her spine as the wind of the blade passed overhead.
Esmyra’s elbow slammed into his side, and she followed it with a knee to his gut that forced the air from his lungs. He retaliated with a punch that clipped her shoulder and sent her stumbling, but she caught herself on the wall.
Out of the corner of her eye, a daggerglinted in the low torchlight,half-buried in a pile of discarded chains. She didn’t waste a second as she dove for it in the same moment he roared and charged again.
Esmyra’s body slammed into the ground, skidding through blood and debris. Her fingers closed around the hilt and she twisted, bringing it up as he lunged at her, his mouth open in a yell as she drove the blade up into his gut.
The guard gasped, his weight slumped against her. She met his hazy gaze as blood gurgled up his throat, dripping from his bottom lip.
Esmyra twisted the dagger, and his eyes went wide before they lost focus completely. And then finally, he collapsed on top of her.
Holy hells,she did it. She’d never been more grateful for Draevyn’s training.
She shoved his body off her with a grunt, the weight of him thudding to the floor. For a moment she stayed there, her breath coming in ragged pulls. Blood smeared her hands, and her arms trembled as she brought them to her face.
Pushing to her feet, she swayed slightly and took in the room. The overturned chair. The broken chain, twisted and bloody. One body face-down in the corner, the other lying near her feet, limbs splayed. The tang of iron hung heavy in the air, and her ears were still ringing from the chaos.
Esmyra’s eyes darted to the door that loomed ahead, then back around the chamber. Her heart pounded as she strained to listen for shouts, footsteps, or the clang of armor.
But nothing came.
Her mind scrambled to form a plan, but it came up empty. She didn’t know where they’d taken her, didn’t know which way to go. But staying here meant death.
Esmyra flung open the heavy door and rushed into the hallway before bolting up the stairs and back into the corridor. Every ache in her body screamed at her to stop, but she didn’t dare. She couldn’t risk slowing down for even a moment so long as the velsinyte cuffs still encircled her wrists. And she needed to vanish before anyone realized the guards weren’t coming back.
Before the kings realized she was no longer their prisoner.
CHAPTER 42
Jak
Talons struck moss as Jak landed in the dark forest, feathers rippling into flesh and cloth until boots dug into the soil. He swore under his breath and turned to his crew waiting in the tree line, weapons already in hand.
“Screw sneaking in,” he announced as they all eyed each other warily. “Something’s happened and we’re out of time. We go through the front fucking door.”
That earned a ripple of movement. Half of them were grinning while the others stiffened, looking uncertain. All eyes flicked toward the towering elven walls in the distance, widening at the sight.
