AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Kade! There!”
He swooped us low, and a wave smashed Finn into the jagged rock again then pulled him out with the current. I spun in Kade’s grip, “Lower!” I shouted at him over the roaring of the water.
Another wave shoved Finn into the rock again, splashing us with biting cold. A blue light streaked through the water, then another.Wraiths.
“Ready,” Kade hollered, and when the current went back out, he dropped us, “Now!” he said, and the wraiths rushed to the surface, pushing Finn upwards. I wrapped my arms around Finn’s middle, securing my hands together at his back, under his hanging wings. I searched the darkened waves, but the wraiths had vanished, back into the depths far below.
Kade buckled under the extra weight, his skin heating to that of a roaring fire. His heart pounded against my back, and his breaths came hot and fast against my neck.
“Finn,” I said, searching his pale face for some sign of life. He washeavy.I wasn’t sure how long I could hold on to him. “Kade, hurry!”
With a forceful roar, Kade lifted us to the top of the cliff, collapsing under the strain the moment we cleared the edge. We struck the ground. Fractals of light spotted my vision and a searing pain lanced through my ribcage.
I forced myself up, crawling to where Finn lay, sprawled on his back.
“Finn!” I screamed, my voice breaking. I grabbed him by his leather vest, shaking him. Was he breathing? I couldn’t tell. His skin, it was so cold, like ice. Like he froze himself with his own Grace.No.
Kade lunged for his twin, “Step back, Liana,” he ordered, and I obeyed, flinging myself backward onto the rock. He placed his hand on Finn’s chest, eyes shining yellow. Steam rose from the Draconian warrior as he poured heat into his brother’s limp form.
Finn stirred, and I gasped, my heart leaping. Kade then brought his hands up, clasping them together, and crashed them down into the centre of Finn’s chest.
He convulsed, his body throwing itself into a seated position. He spewed water from his mouth. Choking. Shaking. I scrambled forward, wrapping my arms around him.
It took a moment, but Finn came back to himself, placing a hand on my back—holding me to him.
Kade blew out a long breath ending in a relieved laugh, “Welcome back, brother.”
Chapter Twenty
“It isn’t safe here,” Alaric said, pacing the parlour. Against my wishes, he had forced the healer to work on me first before tending to Finn, who was recovering in my bed. “We need to leave.”
Leave?“And give them what they want? Give up?”
Alaric turned on me with a mixture of wrath and despair in his eyes, “You were almosttaken.And Finn nearly died. I’d rather see youlivethan see you keep your godsforsaken crown only to watch you die,” he snarled through gritted teeth.
I crossed my arms over my chest, only then taking notice of my still damp night clothes, the white fabric transparent from the wet. He was right, and if Tiernan’s Falcon hadn’t warned us and then flew back to his master to awaken him, Tiernan wouldn’t have found Kade in time to tell him something was wrong—and I’d be gone. And Finn would be dead. But… “I’ll not run away like a coward.”
“We’re wasting time,” Kade shouted, rising from his seat, “The Draconian was injured, he couldn’t have got far. We need to find him.”
Alaric threw his hands in the air, “Go then, but be back here before dawn.”
Kade stood, and I stood to stop him, a hand wrapped around his bicep. I had wanted to ask him if he’d seen the wraiths in the water and if he knew why they would help us when only weeks ago, they’d tried to drown me, but that was a conversation for another time. “Be careful,” I implored him. “The Draconian, he had a Grace I’d never seen before. He held lightning in the palms of his hands. He was strong.”
“I’m stronger,” he said, covering my hand with his own for but a moment before he left.
Alaric came to my side and watched Kade soar off into the distance until he was little more than a speck. “I vowed to protect you, Liana,” he whispered, pain underlining each of his words, “And whether you’re queen or not, I will uphold that vow. And so will they.”
I leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, resting his head atop mine, “I won’t press you to flee, but I’maskingyou to consider it. We could return… once you’ve developed your Grace and take back what belongs to you.”
I had considered it. The answer was no. If the person who intended to take the throne had hired the Fae who worked to assassinate me, what sort of hands would I be leaving my court in?
At that moment Thana burst into the room. There would be no hiding this incident, it seemed. The servants had loose lips, and the walls did indeed have ears.
“Thank the gods,” she exclaimed, rushing over to wrap me in a smothering embrace. My fractured ribs screamed in protest, but I bore the pain in silence. The healer could only do so much to repair them without depleting her Grace. Finn needed it more than I did. His kneecap was shattered, and his body bruised beyond recognition. The healer would remain throughout the rest of the night as I had ordered her to, using every ounce of her Grace until it fully recovered Finn.
“Thana, I’m alright, stop fussing.”
She pulled away from me, turning to Alaric, “Where are the other sentries?” she asked him.
