Page 27 of Ravenrose

Two shouts rise from the line of detained Rosecliff guards, protesting my mistreatment while I fight to regulate my breathing. My need for oxygen growing severe.

“Captain Rusic,” the graying Kovari soldier says, turning toward the newcomer.

I’m still bent over, struggling to breathe as my lungs refuse to expand completely. My gaze remains fixed on the floor until two boots enter my vision, stopping on the marble just ahead of me. I swallow hard.

“Line them up,” the captain commands, his voice deep and rough. I know it’s his with no need to look, a voice used to being obeyed.

The Kovari soldiers react with speed, roughly forcing the Sitari prisoners into some semblance of a line around me.

The captain’s boots remain in front of me, and despite every instinct screaming at me to keep my head down, my eyes lift.

This is it.

I’m going to die. Right here. Right now. But I won’t go out a coward.

Setting my jaw, I fight the urge to drop my eyes as I stare up into cold and empty eyes. Captain Rusic holds my gaze for a long moment before turning to survey the full line of prisoners. His gaze circles back around, lingering on me for half a breath longer than the others before he turns, looking away while addressing his soldiers.

“Take the humans,” his deep voice commands before his eyes fall back to mine again. “And execute the fae.”

The response is instantaneous. Soldiers raise their swords, but a frantic, shrill voice breaks through; it’s coming from the end of the line. “Princess! Princess! Please!” the woman pleads. “She’s the princess!”

No. In horror, my eyes fly to locate the speaker, recognizing Ellory—human, and one of my lady’s maids. She’s frantically motioning in my direction, desperately trying to capture Rusic’s attention, but really anyone who might listen.

But no one does. Rusic’s back is already to us as she pleads louder with the retreating captain, standing and resisting the soldiers as they try to drag her off with the rest of the captured human servants.

I shake my head subtly, my gaze flying between her and the captain. No, no. I desperately try to tell Ellory to let it go in silence.

Just let me die here.

Now.

Clean.

My eyes are still on Ellory when silence falls again, the Kovari soldiers stilling around us. Swallowing hard, I whip my head back to face the captain. He’s turned around, a quiet look of rage on his face, one hand held up as he moves in to assess the woman, the movement predatory.

Ellory, now fully aware he’s heard her, falls silent at his menacing approach, swallowing hard under his furious gaze before he turns it on me. Rusic doesn’t speak as he takes me in again, looking me up and down, my heart thumps wildly in my chest, nearly stopping entirely when his gaze settles on the crown.

When he still says nothing, the man beside him, one also dressed in black like him, speaks up. “Can anyone else confirm this fae to be a Sitari royal?”

I close my eyes.

There’s a long stretch of silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop in this crowded hall right before the entire line of Sitari soldiers and servants pipe up their reluctant confirmations.

My eyes open, resigned—and unable to keep from glaring back at the well-meaning betrayal. They’re trying to save my life, but—no, no, no, no. This—this isn’t good.

My eyes slowly trail back to Captain Rusic, and then to Ellory behind him; her eyes are full of both desperation and apology. I’m sure she had hoped to save my life, but hadn’t quite thought through what might happen after.

Another beat of uncomfortable silence, and then, “Bring her,” Rusic states simply, already turning and heading back toward the hall while he adds, “You know what to do with the rest.”

There’s a flurry of movement; the two soldiers who were flanking him step forward, grabbing hold of me and dragging me up while I scream, trying to fight them off.

The Kovari soldiers move in as one, swords drawn. Some of them shove the human servants away roughly as they scream in protest, while the others bring their swords down, driving them through each of Rosecliff’s guards, brutally executing them.

I twist and fight, but the men holding me are strong, and though they struggle to keep hold of me, I’m out of the room before the last of the royal guard is dead. The screams follow me out into the hall, growing rougher until I realize… the screams are coming from me.

Chapter 14

ROWAN