“I won’t deny that we could use you, but... Gods. A Hunter, fighting with us. One of the king’s own.” Clearly conflicted, Alaric grits his teeth and scrubs a hand down his face. “I never thought I’d see the day. You’ve really turned your back on them?” he asks Gabriel.
“I have,” he replies without a beat of hesitation.
A long moment passes as the captain studies Gabriel. “Suns help me, I must be going mad, but I believe you.”
“You’ll take off the cuffs?” I ask.
He inhales, still looking troubled. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Please.” I can’t hide the desperation in my voice, the eagerness I have to be freed from these shackles.
“If I do, and you hurt one of my people...” Alaric shakes his head. “Gods help me, you will quickly find that your first stay with us was rather luxurious, all things considered.”
His threat is clear.
Turn on them and pay the consequences.
He doesn’t need to worry about that. I shouldn’t even be here right now—I was destined for death. King Andreas has made his position on the matter clear. Even though the rebels’ earliertreatment of me was rough, and even though they hurt Gabriel, they haven’t tried to kill either of us.
It’s a low bar, but their lack of murderous intentions means something.
“I understand and agree to your terms,” I say.
Alaric turns to Gabriel. “And you, Hunter?”
“I accept,” he says instantly, his shoulder brushing against mine. “Nothing could convince me to leave her side.”
Before, that kind of declaration would’ve bothered me. Now, everything has changed, and I can’t imagine doing this without Gabriel.
The captain grabs a sword from an injured fighter being brought inside for treatment and hands it to Gabriel with a grumbled “Do not make me regret this.”
Gabriel nods, and Alaric retrieves a key from his pocket. He removes Gabriel’s manacles, sliding them onto his belt.
Alaric turns to me, and I’ve already extended my wrists towards him. He takes my right hand and inserts the key into the cuff.
Even with the battle’s chaos, theclickof the lock releasing is as loud as a clap of thunder. A rushing, roaring sound fills my ears as the first cuff falls off, and the tingling inside me increases tenfold. It feels as though lightning is trapped under my skin.
This is nothing like what happened on the night of the ball. My magic had exploded out of me that night, but this...
This feels different.
“Last one,” the captain says, but his words sound like they’re coming from a distance.
All I can focus on is the key as it slides into the lock. The twist of Alaric’s wrist. The sound of the lock unlatching.
And then . . .
Freedom.
My lungs expand, and my chest feels light as though a weight has been lifted off me. The tingling spreads through me, consuming me. I can feel it in my fingers. My toes. Inside and out, it touches my entire being.
Alaric places the manacles into his pocket and says something to Skyler, but even though their mouths are moving, their words don’t reach my ears.
Waves are crashing inside me, a storm ready to burst. The roaring is so loud, I can’t hear anything else. My heart is thundering, desperate to break free from the confines of my chest.
Everything is a blur as my body adjusts to the feeling of my magic once again. At some point, we move to the base of the mountain near the other Marked Ones. Four men and two women stand in a line, sweat dripping down their brows as they lob seemingly endless waves of colored magic towards the soldiers.
It doesn’t take long to realize they are the reason the king’s soldiers haven’t overtaken the mountain. There’s a stirring inside me, a yearning to stand next to them.
