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A predatory rumble shook from Hector’s throat at the threat. They were no longer planning on bringing us back for judgment. The orders must’ve changed the moment Aiden died. These Wolf guards were now assassins.
The sound of the two young Wolves’ footsteps faded away and Grae looked between us, signing, “Ready?”
Hector was all but coiled, waiting for that one word that would unleash him. I unsheathed my dagger and nodded. I took one last steadying breath and we crept out the doorway and into the hall. Grae stood in front of the shut door behind which Sadie and Navin were waiting. He tipped his chin up to the ceiling and Hector and I followed suit, our last prayer to the Moon Goddess, before his boot slammed into the door.
Splinters flew as the door snapped clean off its rusty hinges. The three of us barreled into the room, Grae aiming for Hemming as I turned toward Soris. With the element of surprise, I was able to slice across his bicep before he could grab his sword. He growled, jumping back from my next swing. I felt the whoosh of air just in time to duck under Hemming’s swinging fist as Grae kicked him backward.
“You.” Hemming seethed at me.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Hemming,” I said, choking up on the grip of my dagger. “But I don’t hide from a fight.”
“Then it will be more fun to kill you.”
With a bellowing shout, he shoved off the wall and charged forward. Grae intercepted him, forcing him to pivot to block the blow. Soris ran toward me, trying to use his dominating size to overpower me. But muscle and brawn only won a battle when combined with speed and tact. And the way he barreled toward me made it easy to sidestep and trip him.
He collided with the wall, barely having time to lift his handsto shield his face. His hand snaked out and snatched my ankle, yanking me to the ground. The air knocked out of my lungs as I slammed into the wood, my skull bouncing off the floorboards. With my neck craned back, I saw an upside-down Hector and Grae circling around Hemming. Despite it being two on one, Hemming was holding his own. His fist collided with Hector’s side and Grae just had time to dart out of the strike of his blade before attacking again. The chaos of their battle was cut short as Soris yanked me forward, grappling to pin me to the ground.
I bucked my hips, headbutting him square in the nose with enough force to hear it crunch. Using the whole weight of my body, I shoved him onto his back, thrusting my dagger down but hitting nothing but floorboard as Soris rolled to the side. I lurched back, scrambling to my feet and setting distance between us again. My chest heaved as I squared off with Soris, but before Soris charged at me, he pivoted and kicked out Grae’s foot, Grae’s attention too trained on Hemming.
Sadie growled as she struggled against her bindings in the corner, flailing across the floor to free herself, shredding at the ropes with her teeth. I felt her frustration but didn’t have time to help her at the moment.
Instead I shot forward, attacking with my dagger again as I heard the awful bark and thud of Hector hitting the floor, theshingof metal clashing. Sadie screamed her brother’s name. Fear roiled in me that, even as I kept my eyes trained on Soris, Grae and Hector might be losing their battle against Hemming. Soris shoved me backward and charged at me again. This time, I held for a split second longer before spinning, using my momentum to drive Soris’s skull into the wall.
Whether the impact rendered him unconscious or not, it didn’t matter. I whirled, following through with my dagger and stabbing him between his shoulder blades. I knew from his wet gasp that I had pierced his lung. He flopped to the ground as Grae’s dagger clattered to my feet. I spun just in time to see Grae’s bloodied face hit the floor. He crawled forward towardhis weapon as Hector tried to hold off Hemming solo. King Nero’s right hand had proven why he’d claimed the title—his fighting prowess evident in his relatively unscathed features while he rained his wrath upon Hector’s brutalized body.
Blood dripped from the corner of Hector’s lip, one eye so swollen it was nearly shut. He swayed on his feet, his guard lowered—an easy target. Grae scrambled to his feet and we launched forward in unison, but we were too many strides away.
I screamed as Hemming took the final step in toward Hector, ready to stab him in the gut.
Hemming’s eyes bugged. He went utterly still, taking an unseeing step forward, then teetered over. He dropped to the ground, revealing the knife through the back of his neck. Sadie leaned against the wall, staring at the throwing knife imbedded in her victim. Her binding lay discarded at her feet, her wrists bleeding from where she’d thrashed against the rope.
Hector stared from Hemming’s lifeless body and back at his sister, frozen in shock as if still waiting for Hemming’s blade to sink into his belly. Then he moved. In two strides, he grabbed his sister and pulled her into a fierce hug.
“Thank the Gods.” His voice cracked, the veins in his hands popping out as he crushed her into his chest.
Grae untied Navin, slinging his arm over his shoulder and helping him to stand. Navin swayed, barely clinging to consciousness.
“You need to get him out of here,” I said to Sadie. “Let us handle the other two. We’ll meet you at the wagon.”
“I want to fight,” Sadie growled.
“You already have,” I said, pointing to Hemming and then back at her bruised face. “But both of you are seriously injured.” I took a step toward her. “You can fight for me another day.”
She held my stare for a moment before pulling me into a swift hug. “Thank you for coming for me, Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty?” Navin asked as Sadie ducked under his other arm, taking his weight from Grae.
“I’ll explain back at the wagon,” Sadie said, leading him hobbling out the door. She looked back at Hector. “Can you fight?”
Hector wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and spat onto the ground. “I’m fine,” he lied. Half of his face was turning purple, but he rolled his shoulders and bounced on his toes like he was ready to jump into a sparring ring again.
Sadie shot a look at me. “Be careful.”
With that, Sadie and Navin disappeared down the long hallway, heading toward the back exit. The rest of us turned toward the stairwell and thundered out onto the street. The fire the others started now consumed half a building. I looked around for them, seeing their three cloaked figures huddled in a doorway.
Malou touched her hood in proud greeting.
“Thank you,” I signed to them. “Now get back to the wagon. Sadie and Navin need you.”
