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The earth quaked and the air, hot as if summer had made its sudden return, pressed in all around them. “Faster,” Ace hissed, pulling Margo along.
A sob fell from the girl’s lips as she stumbled over vines that stretched out from the garden. Silence enveloped Glatton only to be lost moments later. Ace lurched forward, falling to her knees. Margo was at her side, flat on her stomach, hands covering her head. Only then did she register theboomof magic.
“Oh, gods.”
No one got angry the way Fae got angry, especially a very powerful king. Ace ignored the grass and twigs that dug into her knees as she twisted to look over her shoulder. Flames licked at the gardens, at every home, at every available surface that stood before the king of Fae.
Glatton was burning to the ground.
“Don’t look,” Ace turned Margo’s chin forward. “Let’s see if your mother is inside.” She had to force herself to swallow around the lump in her throat, to ignore the need to run into the woods and disappear all by herself like she had long ago. People were calling to each other through the debris. Shouts of pain drowning together into one terrible noise.
On her tip-toes, Ace was able to peer into the living room windows. Every ounce of air was knocked from her lungs at the sight of the blood that splattered against every surface. Derfla was in there all right, but she was in just as many pieces as the front door was. There was no saving her.
The ridges in the siding of the house could be felt through her shirt while she turned herself around. Gray smoke was filling the air, tasting bitter and ashy. Margo coughed at her side and looked at her with hope shining in her gaze.
“Could you see anything?”
Ace shook her head. “Have you seen Shelby this morning?”
“Him and mom got in a fight. I left to follow mom to breakfast and Shelby stayed behind.”
Silver armor stamped with crossing arrows appeared through the haze. Swords were pulled, swinging on anyone in their path as they bashed through homes and gardens alike. The heavy stomp of their feet could be seen in every flinch Margo made.
A figure rushed around the corner of the house, hands settling at Margo’s waist. She let out a shriek before a palm covered her mouth.
“We have to get out of here.Now,” Rehan growled.
“We’re going to keep you safe.” Ace tried to reassure the girl though she wasn’t certain she could do much of anything at all except to run. “I swear it.”
Margo nodded as Rehan released her. Her dress was torn at her the hem and dirt clung to her torso. Still trembling, Margo turned to follow Rehan.
With a wave, he ushered them from the side of one house to another. They froze as orders were given to a small group of Fae who ran forward toward the center of town from the forest’s edge. When the clanging of armor grew distant, they continued forward.
Sun parted through the clouds, and streamed through the smoke, to glint off of a single blade that was thrust through the air just below Rehan’s chin. His arms were up in an instant. Ace’s fingers tugged at Margo’s dress, yanking her behind her as she pressed the girl between her and the house. Another small cry squeaked through her lips.
“Where are you running off to?” A grin of jagged teeth came into view. Curling wisps of hair fluttered on top the Fae’s head as he leaned in and took sight of the three. His eyes skipped from Rehan’s face to Ace’s and she could feel his gaze burning on her neck as he noticed the white scar.
With a huff, the sword was lowered and his back was turned. As quiet as his sudden appearance, he disappeared into the fog without a sound to tell them how near or far he was. He was there then gone like a ghost come to haunt them.
Rehan’s hands fell to his side. “Make a break for the tree line. I’ll stay at your backs.”
“Come, Margo.” Ace nodded, glancing only once to try to see what lay between them and the cover of the forest. Not so much as a single home stood in their way, nor had vines overgrown on the path to trip them. A clear shot.
“Go, go, go,” she said, her hand centered on Margo’s back, leading them forward. Rehan’s steps were not far behind them mimicking the beating of her heart.
Anotherboomrattled their eardrums. Margo ran with her hands covering her head, screaming when the noise startled her. The uneven terrain reminded Ace of the tiled roofs of Maipeg. Her ankles ached, out of practice from running over dips and curves so quickly. Still, she pushed their bodies hard, wheeling Margo away from Glatton.
She only allowed them to stop when branches were whipping at their sides, their clothes catching on the brambles of brush. Others had followed too. Terrified, blood-stained faces looked to them as they came to a stop or continued to hurry by, warlocks and witches who’d managed to get through the Fae and escape.
“Rehan, watch the girl,” Ace snapped, turning back toward Glatton. It was no longer the city of lost witches. Anyone within several miles would be able to see it going up in smoke and know their exact location.
The collar of her shirt pulled against her neck. Ace coughed as her body tipped backward into Rehan. “What are you doing? You can’t go back.”
“I have to find Shelby.”
“Ace, I don’t want you to go.” Those small hands wrapped around her wrist and tugged at Ace’s heart strings. Margo looked up at her, fear still bright in the glassy reflection of her eyes.
“You’ll be safe with Rehan.” A small pat was all she could give the girl. “This marriage will go a lot smoother for you if you learn that stopping me is nearly impossible.”
