Page 97 of Return of the Vengeful Quee

A swell of panicked cries swept the crowd as the Rakuuna lunged for Charis. Tal leaped forward, putting his body between Charis and the monster.

The Rakuuna slammed into Tal, raking his body with her talons before tossing him aside like a child’s discarded rag doll. Zale and Vahn rushed toward their brother’s crumpled body.

Charis didn’t have time to see if Tal was all right. She plunged her hand into the pouch, scooped up the final pinch of moriarthy dust, and held it in her fist as the Rakuuna readied herself to stab her talons into Charis’s throat.

The Rakuuna lunged.

Charis ducked low and launched herself forward. Colliding with the Rakuuna’s chest, she slapped her hand across the creature’s mouth, releasing the moriarthy dust as the fangs closed on her palm.

Pain exploded down Charis’s arm. The Rakuuna grabbed her shoulders, talons digging in. Charis struggled to free herself from the creature’s crushing grip while behind her, people gasped or cried out, as if afraid they might be next.

Blood poured down Charis’s arm as the Rakuuna’s teeth sank deeper into her palm. She kicked and fought, but the monster’s hold on her shoulders only grew tighter.

Fear blazed through her, and she struggled harder.

What if the poison didn’t work before she was torn to pieces?

What if there hadn’t been enough moriarthy dust to kill her attacker?

The Rakuuna hissed, releasing Charis’s hand. Her black eyes found hers, rage simmering in their depths, and then her claws burrowed in, sending rivers of agony through Charis as the creature began pulling her shoulders as though she meant to tear her in half.

Someone shouted, and then a sword flashed, whistling past her face to embed itself in the Rakuuna’s chest. Its hilt was Montevallian. The creature stumbled back, and Holland stood there, breath heaving, black hair disheveled, clothing slightly askew as though he’d already fought a battle just to reach her side. Charis craned her neck to look at Nalani and found Lord and Lady Malinson, who’d been seated near Nalani, on their knees beside her, keeping both the dagger and the napkin stable.

“Kill him, too,” Ferris shouted, his voice rough.

“You can try. Who wants to go first?” Holland yanked the sword free and turned to see who was coming for him.

Bai’elsha spoke and three more Rakuuna rushed toward the head table, but then an ear-piercing scream split the air. For an instant, everyone froze as the Rakuuna who’d attacked Charis wailed, rising in pitch until Charis’s ears ached. The scream tapered off as the Rakuuna began coughing, black, brackish blood spraying from the hole that was rapidly eating its way through the creature’s jaw. Another hole, this one the size of Charis’s fist, tore open in the monster’s throat as if her skin was nothing but wet paper.

The Rakuuna began shaking violently. She reached for her throat, but the damage was done. Blood poured from her wounds, soaking her chest where Holland’s sword had done little damage. Bai’elsha chattered in her dry bones language, and more Rakuuna began moving toward Charis as her attacker slid to her knees, her breath gurgling in her throat.

Holland swung his sword in a wide arc as he placed his body between Charis and the incoming Rakuuna. “There’s more where that came from!”

Charis didn’t dare glance at Tal’s prostrate form as she lifted her chin and found the strength to speak in clear, ringing tones. “Queen Bai’elsha, you see that I can kill your kind. Have your guards stand down, or every Rakuuna left behind on Te’ash will suffer the same fate.”

Bai’elsha said something, and every Rakuuna in the room paused, watching their queen carefully for her next order. She turned to Charis. “You cannot get to Te’ash if you cannot leave this room.”

“I don’t need to get to Te’ash.” Charis spoke with absolute certainty. No hint of hesitation or doubt that would weaken the lie she needed Bai’elsha to believe. “I spent my time away from Calera assembling an armada of ships from every sea kingdom. Each ship is equipped with a supply of moriarthy dust, and I sent them to Te’ash. If my admirals don’t hear the correct coded message from my representative in time, they will proceed with the plan to destroy every single Rakuuna you left behind when you decided to invade my kingdom and kill my people.”

At Charis’s feet, the Rakuuna coughed wetly, shuddered, and lay still.

“This one is dead.” Holland twirled his sword. “Who wants to be next?”

Bai’elsha bared her teeth and then said, “You could be lying.”

“I’m the one person you’ve dealt with in Calera who has never lied to you.” Charis held the other queen’s gaze. “You could have sent emissaries directly to King Alaric to arrange a trade for the jewels you needed if you’d simply asked. You could have received the palloren Vahn Penbyrn sent offering you payment in full if you’d leave our shores except the Everlys intercepted it and made sure you didn’t. You could have had the medicine your people needed months ago, saving hundreds of lives. The reason you didn’t is because your allies—the Everlys—lied to you so they could keep using you in their treasonous plot to overthrow the legal rulers of Calera.”

“Enough of this!” Lord Everly shouted. “Charis and Holland must die for their part in the plot to— Ferris? Son?”

Lady Everly dropped the sheaf of papers she was holding and raced toward the head of the table where Ferris stood swaying in place, his face pasty white, his eyes bloodshot and bulging. Foam bubbled at the edges of his mouth.

“What’s happened? Ferris!” Lady Everly launched herself toward her son but stopped short as the broadside of Holland’s sword slapped against her stomach, stopping her in her tracks.

Charis faced the room, acutely aware of Tal lying on the floor, his siblings pressing Vahn’s dress coat to his wounds to stop the bleeding. He was all right. He had to be. She had no more space within her for that kind of all-consuming grief.

Ferris coughed, a wet, gagging sound that produced more foam.

“What have you done?” Lady Everly screamed at Charis.

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