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The fourth toll of the bell. Everything slows down. I see Einar’s eyes widening in horror, his hand stretching toward the axe on his back, for all the good it would do.
Khijhana takes a step forward, her lips curling up to show her massive teeth.
The powerful grip succeeds in spinning me all the way around, and my eyes land on Mother. Her dark face pales with fury, her features carved into a snarl more feral than anything the chalyx could ever hope to achieve.
Zaina is frozen several steps behind Mother, her lips parted underneath a glittering tiger mask.
Clang.
The silence after the fifth toll is deafening. I search for anything that might preserve my life in this moment. Anything that might keep Zaina and Einar and even Khijhana from throwing their lot in with mine.
I open my mouth to speak, to come up with a lie big enough and believable enough to get me out of this, when another voice sounds out instead, louder and closer than I expect it to be.
“I choose Lady Aika Delmara as my bride.”
THE END
