Page 201 of The Dark Lord’s Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny)

“Absolutely not—” her mother started.

“Mom, they saved us.” The girl’s voice was steady. “Lord Blackrose’s soldiers got us out before King Auremar’s people arrived. I heard the servants talking. We’d be prisoners—or worse—if they hadn’t acted.”

“I’ll participate,” one of the Fekete twins said. “If it’s truly voluntary and only a few drops.”

“As will I,” her sister added. They nodded together, and I suppressed a shudder.

Slowly, others began to voice their agreement. Not all—Lord Brightwater looked like he’d swallowed a lemon—but enough. More than enough.

“Thank you,” I said, meaning it. “We’ll perform the ritual once we’ve rescued the others.”

“What about our families?” Lord James Pearlbridge asked. “The ones without heroic blood?”

“They’ll remain here, safe and protected,” I promised. “This isn’t a punishment or a prison sentence. Once the threat is dealt with, you’re free to go wherever you wish.”

“Assuming we survive,” Lord Brightwater muttered.

“Yes, well, that’s rather the point of all this. Survival.” I fixed him with a hard stare, and he shrank back.

As the crowd began to disperse, Sebastian and I shared a look of exhausted triumph. One crisis managed, approximately seven hundred more to go.

“That went better than expected,” he said.

I watched Lord Janos Torok storm off, probably to challenge a suit of armor to combat. “We have enough volunteers. It’ll have to do.”

“The children helping shamed some of the adults into it,” Sebastian observed. “Funny how that works.”

“Children usually have more sense than adults,” I agreed. “Less time to learn stupid prejudices.”

Vex appeared at my elbow, having materialized from whatever shadow she’d been lurking in. “Well done. Only three threatened to riot, and Torok only challenged two people to duels during your speech. I call that a win.”

“We’ll need to move them,” I said. “The volunteers, I mean. Once we rescue the others, we’ll need to perform the ritual quickly.”

“The Sky Serpent can handle it,” Vex assured me. “I’ll coordinate with Captain Brecca.”

“Just the ones with heroic blood this time,” I emphasized. “Their families stay here where it’s safe.”

“Understood.” She vanished again, off to handle logistics with her usual terrifying efficiency.

Sebastian and I stood in the emptying hall, surrounded by the detritus of his stress flowers.

“Five days,” he said quietly.

“Think we can pull off a rescue, an invasion, a ritual, and save the world in that time?”

“Honestly? No.” He smiled wryly. “But we’ll do it anyway, won’t we?”

“Of course we will.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “We’re heroes, remember? Impossibly stupid plans are kind of our thing.”

“I thought you were the Dark Lady now.”

“I’m whatever I need to be to keep the people I care about safe. Even if one of them is an impossibly stubborn Dark Lord with a martyr complex.”

“He loves you, you know,” Sebastian said quietly. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. Like you’re his entire world.”

“I know.” I slowly exhaled. “That’s what scares me.”

Because love could make people do terrible things. And if Kazimir ever had to choose between me and the world…