Emeric, with a martyr’s air of vindication, says faintly, “Horses.”
Adalbrecht lets out a roar from scores of mouths. A moment later a clangingbanganswers from all over the Göttermarkt. The bells go silent.
A new wave of screams erupts as the sleepers start waking. Nobles and commoners alike stampede from the plaza, and Emeric, Barthl, and I duck behind the Falbirg ceremonial house to get out of their path.
“THIEVES!” Adalbrecht’s tortured voice tears across the Göttermarkt. “MINE! THE GIRL IS MINE! THE EMPIRE IS MINE! HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM ME?”
I peer around the corner as the wave of fleeing people subsides. Gisele, Ragne, and Joniza are huddled behind the wreck of the altar house. The monstrous Adalbrecht is lurching around the plaza, crushing chairs and knocking over braziers. He swings one massive fist into the Reigenbach ceremonial house. It collapses in a heap of blue silk and gilt.
Emeric pushes away from the Falbirg house. “I have to call the court before this gets any worse.”
There’s another crash from the plaza, but I’d swear it’s my heart. “We just lost our biggest piece of evidence.”
Emeric pulls the letters from his jacket. “I’d say Adalbrecht himself is convincing evidence at this point. And we can prove everything else with these.”
“Can we?” I ask.
His jaw clenches, his eyes on the paving stones. All he says is “I promised you.”
“Ragne, wait!”
Gisele’s cry reaches us. We all turn and see Ragne run into the plaza, falling to all fours. She shifts to a black lioness, red eyes burning—and then she swells even larger, until she’s almost as big as Adalbrecht.
She did say she would be greater on the full moon. I just hadn’t expected that to translate to size as well.
Ragne hurls herself at him, claws out.
They topple over onto the plaza, Adalbrecht screaming as she drags him over spilled coals from the braziers. The ground shakes, the paving stones splitting beneath them. Smoke rises from the carpets, tongues of flame springing up from broken chairs. Adalbrecht smashes the side of Ragne’s head with an iron-shod fist, but she sinks her teeth into his foreleg and jerks. There’s a crunch like a felled tree—then an earsplitting howl from Adalbrecht.
I hear a muffledthwip. Emeric staggers forward with a startled cry.
A crossbow bolt sprouts from the back of his left shoulder, so close to his heart, I think for a terrible moment he’s—gone. His arm jerks, spilling the letters onto the ground.
In a flurry of golden skirts,fuckingIrmgard von Hirsching sweeps them up.
She moves out of range, stuffing the letters under an arm, and levels a crossbow at me. She must have picked one up off a fleeing guard. I brace Emeric as he fights to keep on his feet; he’s still here, still with me, but I can’t imagine the pain he’s in. It gives me only the feeblest satisfaction to see Irmgard’s dress has been ruined beyond repair, her gleaming tresses tangled.
Doesn’t change that she’s still pointing a crossbow my way.
“Oh,Rohtpfenni,” she simpers. “You thought you could stop this? Adalbrecht’s going to rule Almandy with me. You’re just a little bitch who squeaks when she’s whipped.”
I stay very still. One wrong move and I won’t have to worry about the curse anymore—or anything else at all. And if we can’t get the letters back . . .
We have to get the letters back. I have to be smart about this.
Irmgard, as ever, sees my hesitation. “Get on your knees,” she sings. “Beg. Beg me to let you live.” Then she tilts her head, smirking. The crossbow shifts to point to Emeric. “Beg me to lethim—”
I tackle her before she finishes the sentence.
Irmgard’s head smacks against the paving stones. The crossbow fires. The shot goes wide. Then I hear Ragne scream, and look up.
She’s rearing back, one paw fumbling at her eye. Vivid red streaks down her cheek. Then she vanishes—no, she’s a crow, tumbling and flapping as she plummets, slows—then a cat again, shaking her head.
She had to shift to heal. But that takes the most out of her.
Ragne streaks toward Gisele. Her fur bristles with terror as Adalbrecht lumbers after her, sides heaving with hungry laughter.
What else could possibly hold him off?
