Page 22 of Three Dark Kings and the Gilded Serpent

Lilis is impossibly quiet opposite me, her muscles tense, and her deep exhale carrying a sudden pain. “Ask him whom else he killed that day.”

I don’t know what she’s talking about, but the ache in her voice is like a chain wrapping around my heart.

A second later, Edgar and the white wolf race around the side of the compound.

Lilis breaks into a run, sprinting across the snow toward the wolf, catching hold of Edgar’s outstretched hand before she swings herself up onto her wolf’s back.

She wraps her arms around Edgar’s waist, and I catch a mere glimpse of his gold-flecked eyes before they race away.

I don’t have a second to waste.

I need to get Stellen onto Nara’s back and get away from the shapeshifters.

Behind me, one of the male contenders lies, unmoving, on the ground while the other man circles Fable in his fae form, his claws raking the air.

My focus now completely on Stellen, I wrench him upright, facing the split-second decision to leave the dagger in his chest.

I can’t risk that he’ll lose more blood if I take it out.

Avoiding pressing on the weapon, I haul him up onto Nara’s back.

Even with my increased strength, I struggle with Stellen’s weight, my fear for him growing while I grapple to seat him in front of me, his swords in their scabbards only making the task more difficult.

His wounds aren’t still bleeding, but with every press of my hands, I hum desperately to my armor. Now that I’m touching Stellen, I can wrap some of the silver threads over his injuries, even if it does little to help him.

Quickly ready, I cry, “Go, Nara! Get us to Juniper. As fast as you can!”

Chapter Six

Thyra

Itell myself Juniper will know what to do.

Stellen made it clear he can’t go to a healer. Not ever. But if I can get him back to the palace, we can clean his wounds, stitch them if needed, give him clean water, replenish his fluids, keep him alive… Somehow.

He’s been wounded before and survived. Once we deal with the worst of the wounds, I’m certain he’ll just need time to rest.

Nara gives a fierce growl, her claws extending and ripping through the snow as she answers my cry and plows away from the compound.

Before the wolf can make it more than twenty paces, Stellen’s rasp breaks through the rushing wind.

“Nara… The gravesite.”

I’m startled to hear him speak. Relieved. But also, uncertain. “Stellen?”

Nara hasn’t obeyed him, although I have no doubt she heard him. The gravesite is located south of Iker’s compound and east of the Sacred Stone Temple. Most importantly, it’s the opposite direction to Juniper.

Stellen’s eyes remain closed as he draws a deeper breath than he’s taken for long minutes, repeating, sharp and cold. “Nara. Take me to the gravesite.”

The power of his Voice rushes over me.

He warned me that his Voice affects all who hear it, not just his intended target, and it doesn’t seem to matter that he addressed his command to Nara.

As she immediately changes course, I fight the compulsion that goes against every instinct to keep Stellen alive.

“No. Stellen.” I grapple with his weight as I try to see his face, bringing him closer to me. He’s so tall that the only reason I can prop his head back on my shoulder is because he’s badly slumped in my arms. “I’m not taking you there to die.”

His breathing is shallow. Painful sounds.