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“That I would take care of her. Now let her go, she’s not part of this.” I measured the distance between me and Em, but it was too far.
I toyed with accessing the magic, but I had no idea what would happen.
What if it worked and I got all that power back all at once?
I’d kill everyone here, including Ember and Zor.
“You didn’t exactly hold up your end of the bargain, did you?” Solok scraped his nail down Em’s face, then ran his tongue up her cheek, gathering every last drop of blood. “Has Anaria kept her word, Ember?”
Ember’s wild gaze found mine and my heart began to break at the betrayal in her silvery eyes. “No. She hasn’t.”
I was well aware of how closely Zorander listened, of how damning this looked. I eyed the distance between us. There had to be some way to get Ember away from Solok.
She was right fucking there; I could almost touch her.
“Your friend was rescued by a group of traitors, while she left you behind.” Solok purred his creamy lies into Ember’s ear. “She never attempted to save you, or warn you. I should know. I was watching.”
Some of the fear bled from Em’s face, replaced by hurt.
“Iwanted to.” I told her, my voice thin and high. “I couldn’t get away, not with all the guards.”
She couldn’t believe him, could she? She’dseenwhat Solok was capable of…but her eyes filled with doubt. Beside me, Zor went taut, and out of the corner of my eye, an odd darkness swirled across the flat plain.
Shadows moving, where nothing should be.
“I waited.” She said quietly, “I waited for you to come back, but you never did.” I shook my head at the note of resentment in her voice.
“Itried, Em. I was…”
“Anaria was in a holding cell for own safety, but escaped, with the help of the Commander of the High Guard, if I am not mistaken. Riding off to freedom and leaving you behind to fend for yourself.”
I shook my head, searching for the right words to explain.
“Youfucking bastard.” I hissed, baring my teeth. “Twisting everything to your purpose, because you are too weak to fight fair.”
Something flashed across the sky. Beyond Solok and Ember, shadows and lightning sparked and whirled, as if an angry thunderstorm raged around us. Solok didn’t notice, too consumed by hatred, his eyes glowing with that strange golden fire.
“The commander…Tavion Montgomeryhelped you escape?” Tears overflowed Em’s eyes and spilled down her pale cheeks as Solok turned my oldest friend against me.
“He did.” I would not lie, even as my brain screamed at me to say no. “But this is not like it sounds, he…”
“If Anaria was a true friend, she would have offered to exchange her life for yours by now. Yet I’ve heard no such proposal pass her lips.” Solok’s gloating smile widened and I exploded.
“You lying bastard, I will tear your…”
Zor’s hand tightened on my arm at the same time the shadows whipped around us. Then we hurtled through the air, black wind blinding me, ripping the breath from my lungs. I spun in circles, didn’t know up from down, I couldn’t see, couldn’t think, tossed around like a doll.
Only Zorander’s hand, clamped steadily around my arm gave me any sense of grounding.
He was the only real thing in this vortex of wind and shadow, I could not breathe enough to even scream.
I hit the ground, legs buckling beneath me, my fingers clawing the soft, damp earth while I fought to stop my head from spinning.
I looked down at what was clutched in my hands.
Green, vibrant leaves.
Leaves from a tree I’d never seen before.
