It was silhouetted far in the distance, its towers only a smudge on the horizon. The walls looked thin from here. And smaller than they should’ve been.
Too small.
Shit. It’s still too far.
Sebastian exhaled through gritted teeth, trying to control his shaking breaths. Then it hit him – a cold dread that didn’t belong to him. It cracked through his chest like a whip. He couldn’t breathe. He’d felt this before. When the Arcanth had called. Not with words, but a vision, a feeling, aneed.
And now it was screaming with terror.
It needed him to move faster.
The taste of smoke hit the back of his throat.
Terror. Fire. Burning.
She’d been sentenced.
He didn’t know how he knew. He didn’t care.
No. No, no, no. Fuck.
His gut twisted and his heart thumped so hard it felt like it would crack his already broken ribs still further. He saw it. A flash of her dragged through stone corridors. The rope tying her to the pyre. The smoke surrounding her. Her, terrified and alone. His hands flew to his temples, pressing hard, like he could force the image from his mind.
“Kara,” he gasped. “No – please–”
He didn’t hesitate. He kicked his valmare hard and rode like he’d never ridden before. Through the rest of the day – but by nightfall, the grey was finished. He yanked the reins hard and cursed. The grey stumbled again, nearly throwing him. He’d meant to ride through the night, but a dead mount wouldn’t carry him anywhere.
“Damn it,” he spat, leaping down. Pain lanced through his ribs at the impact. He hardly noticed. He paced once, twice, searching his surroundings with growing dread and frustration. Every second he stopped here was another second closer to Kara’s death. He didn’t havetime.
But there was no choice. He left the grey by the roadside and stalked into the nearest village, the last of their lights fading as its inhabitants slept. He found the stables by smell alone, shoved the door open, and scanned the shadows for a strong mare with fresh legs. A white onecaught his attention. Pawing at the ground – tossing her head as if she wanted to run.
Let’s run.
He threw a saddle on her and launched himself onto her back, riding into the darkness. He rode like the world was ending.
Because for him, it already was.
This new valmare was fast. The night sky had started to lighten with the first signs of dawn when her hooves struck the cobblestones of Vallenna City, echoing too loudly in the early morning quiet. The streets were still empty, stalls covered. No one stirred or even seemed to notice his arrival. He needed to keep it that way. Sebastian slid from the saddle before she’d even stopped moving. Adrenaline overcame his pain, his exhaustion. He ran the moment his feet hit the ground, sword in hand. He would not waste another second. The Citadel loomed, with the Hall of Justice deep within. He made quick progress, staying in the shadows. He’d patrolled it dozens of times on his own guard rotation. He could walk it blind.
He caught sight of the courtyard–
And his insides turned to ice.
The pyre was already built. A mountain of wood stacked with cruel precision, rope coiled neatly by its base, waiting. For her. He staggered, legs shaking under his own weight. He’d known it, felt it, but to see it–
Kara. No. Not yet. She’s still here. Still alive. It’s not been lit yet.
He tore his gaze away, to the oak doors, the stairs. To the dungeons beneath.
I’m nearly there, Kara. Hold on.
Sebastian bent low behind a water trough, heart hammering as he heard bootsteps approaching him. Two men rounded the far corner – executioners by the looks of them. He didn’t breathe as they passed on the opposite side of the courtyard. But their voices carried across the open space.
“Good job we already had it ready – moving it up last-minute like this,” one muttered.
Sebastian stopped breathing.
“Cade’s gone down to fetch her. We’ve got about an hour. Just after sunrise.”
