Page 28 of Vicious Is My Throne

The boy’s eyes flared wide, his mouth open as if I’d said something profane.

“Killing is forbidden,” he breathed, so pale every freckle stood out. “Even mentioning such a thing…” He dropped to his knees onto the sandy ground, where grains of sand trickled toward us in a long, wavering line. “You must take the words back, my queen. Now. Before it is too late and the peace you have wrought is for nothing.”

“I take them back. I…forgot. In my anger, I forgot our laws.”

The sand stopped moving, but the darkness of the ravine seemed to gather itself, ready to burst up out of that hole in a fury of fangs and claws. I opened my mouth to ask another question, but the boy’s blue eyes smeared, his face blurred, then pain burst through my arm like fire.

“Anaria. Wait.” Tavion gasped, reaching out his hand to grab me as darkness swept up out of that pit and engulfed us both.

I blinked up at the ceiling of the stone chamber where blue light danced like ripples on the water before Raziel’s face came into view, his eyes raging as he swiped his sleeve across his mouth.

“Don’t ever ask me to do that again, princess,” he snarled, then he picked me up and slammed me against the wall hard enough my teeth rattled. “Now stay right there and don’t move while we kill the rest of them.”

I blinked again.

Behind Raziel the entire chamber was filled—fucking filled—with whatever Tristan had faced earlier. Night Crawlers scuttled back and forth, lunging with those deadly taloned feet and snapping pincers. Zorander yanked his blade out of one’s eye with a splash of blood, spun, and sliced through another, barely avoiding those deadly jaws, strong enough to snap his leg in half.

“Don’t…” I stumbled away from the wall, still getting my bearings. “Don’t get the blood on you.” But my words were lost in the melee, every sound amplified by the arched stone walls.

Three of the things lay unmoving in front of the portal, but gods, there were still so many.

Tavion had already joined Tristan, fighting side by side, their movements calculated and smooth like they’d done this a hundred times before.

The nasty bugs had cornered the mule. The poor thing was kicking and squealing, and I ripped my jacket and the bands off, blasting short, controlled bursts of magic toward the creatures dragging the poor beast into the tunnel.

More of them poured from the opening.

Enough to overtake us and crush us from sheer numbers alone.

“Get down,” I shouted, my words still ringing off the walls when I unleashed a wave of starry black, sending magic hurtling through the writhing horde, shearing off legs and heads and spiny shells. The wave disappeared into the tunnel, only dying shrieks echoing back out.

I took one look at the black, soupy mess staining the floor, black vines already slithering toward us. “Holy gods, we can’t stay here.” The sharp sound of feet skittering across stone echoed out of the mouth of the tunnel.

So much for getting answers. We’d run out of time.

“I’ll hold them off. Get Anaria through the portal.” Zorander planted himself in front of the tunnel opening, and I nearly lost my breath before Raziel yanked him back.

“Don’t be a fool. Someone catch the mule and let’s go.”

The portal swallowed us up as we plunged into the light together, none of us especially caring about the devouring cold. All of us wondering only one thing—whether or not those things could follow us through.

As it turned out, they couldn’t.

9

TAVION

When we emerged from the other side of the portal, knives and swords out, expecting to be attacked, there was nothing waiting except two skulls staring at us with empty sockets and echoing silence.

Anaria frantically checked the mule’s pack, sighing in relief when she found her precious leathers were still tucked in the saddlebags, frowning when she counted the remaining torches. “Five.” Her eyes flicked to Zor’s. “We only have five torches.”

“We’ll make do. We keep moving. We don’t stop until we reach the end of the tunnels.”

Which meant Tempeste. Reapers. And fucking gods know what else.

Raziel picked up a torch and held it out to Tristan who conjured up a burst of flame, and the pitch roared to life with a fume of black choking smoke. None of us said a word as we fell into line behind Raz—Zor, then me, then Anaria, with Tristan in the back leading the skittish mule.

We only stopped when none of us could take another step. Anaria collapsed, Zorander scolding her softly as he settled her into his lap and tipped a canteen to her mouth. It wasn’t until she’d eaten and drank that I finally relaxed, sliding down the wall of the tunnel, instantly falling asleep from exhaustion.

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