Page 153 of Merciless Is My Crown

Tristan leapt gracefully off an overturned wagon onto the nearest roof.

I scanned the street and blinked.

In the shadows, I swore I saw…I rubbed my eyes.

I swore I’d seen Zor and Cosimo, hiding in the shadows on the side of the street, but I must have been imagining things, because Zor was standing right beside me and Cosimo was tracking Zeph’s burning footprints.

“I guess we follow, too.” Raziel gripped my hand. “Do I have to remind you not to do anything impulsive?”

“You have such a clever way of phrasing your nagging reminders as questions,” I muttered. “Has that always worked for you in the past?”

“I’m trying something new.”

“Well, it’s not working, just so you know.”

“Duly noted.” Raz gripped my hand harder. “Do not do anything impulsive. Trubahn would consider it a feather in his cap if he managed to kill you, Anaria, and within these streets, there is enough forbidden magic to fill a hundred books. Be smart.”

“A direct approach. I like that so much better.”

“Good, I’ll use that from now on.”

“Stop fucking around, you two,” Zorander snarled behind us. “Stay on your toes.”

“Kind of hard not to when the entire street is literally on fire,” I murmured, dancing around one of Zephryn’s enormous flaming footprints.

“Anaria.” Tavion narrowed his eyes as Zephryn disappeared around a corner. “He’s not wrong. This is a trap.” He pressed into my other side so I was sandwiched between him and Raziel.

“Here.” I slid off the bands and shoved them into Tavion’s pocket. “Since you are the official keeper of the iron bands.”

“Is that my new title? Because if it is, we should make it official,” Tavion murmured, tracking the trail of fire around the next corner. We halted at the intersection like we’d hit a wall, Zor slamming into us from behind.

The footsteps…stopped.

No dragon. Not even a glimpse of a scaly tail disappearing around a corner.

“Okay, I’m officially freaked out now.” I tightened my fingers around Raziel’s and scanned the roofline. No sign of Tristan, either. There was a tearing sound, and in Tavion’s place stood an enormous white wolf, a low, primal growl rumbling in his chest.

“That doesn’t make this any better.” But I loosened my grip on my magic, letting only enough out to coat the street in shadow and starlight.

A figure jerked into sight, moving like a marionette, his thin arms dangling, head tilted to one side, inturned feet scraping over the cobblestones with every dragging step.

“What the fuck is that?” Zorander hissed, and the wolf whined, claws scraping the stone as he crouched lower, powerful shoulders bunching as he prepared to spring.

“Trubahn,” Zorander muttered darkly behind us. “But that’s not him in control. It’s someone else. See how he’s moving? A possession spell, and he’s fighting it with everything he has.”

I pulled up more magic, creating a barrier between us and whatever the fuck Trubahn was.

My starry barrier began to vibrate, and I tasted pure, uncut power as Raz added his magic to mine, the barrier solidifying. Something moved behind Trubahn.

No, not moved…undulated, as if the air had become liquid.

Fear, primal and ancient, rose up inside me.

Whatever lurked in those shadows…I knew what it was. My breaths came faster and faster. I’d seen this thing before.

Not in this lifetime…but another.

A long, long time ago. On another world.

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