Page 111 of To Vanquish Darkness

And then the world went still. Marcel's boot against her wrist froze. Amalie blinked, the sounds of clashing bodies and feral growls heightening into a roar. Her vision sharpened, and she could suddenly smell the granite from the sandstone beneath her cheek. The leather of Marcel's belt, the salty sweat soaking his shirt.

Amalie flicked her hand, and Marcel stumbled back in slow motion. She gripped the sword and before she'd thought it, she was on her feet. Then her boot was in the center of his chest.

Marcel flew backward, crashing against the steps, his head snapping. She was there. Standing above him, the sword raised over her head.

"Amalie," a voice rasped, and she faltered.She knew that voice.Her head lifted to find dark eyes boring into hers. "Amalie."

She blinked, and the world snapped back into frame and her body no longer felt weightless. Theo's finger twitched againstthe stone, and she spun, taking in her surroundings. Marcel cowered beneath her, gasping for breath, blood pouring down his face. Olivie pushed up from the ground, her skin bruised, her eyes bloodshot. Clémentine and Etienne stared at her as the Pourfendeurs fled, disappearing behind the house.

And then her eyes landed on him. Ren. His gray eyes wide with shock. She'd barely thought his name before the floodgates opened again and she was flying through the air. Ren's figure shimmered, and he began to fade into a swirl of smoke and shadow, but Amalie's strike was like lightning.

He was slow. So slow. And weak.

"You killed my mother. You took her from me, tricked her into loving you, then killed her." Amalie's vision blurred as she threw him against the tree he'd pressed her against moments before. She was Amalie d'Acier.Amalie of Steel.

"How?" Ren gaped at her, terror warping his features. "You're a human. You're?—"

Amalie slammed the blade through his chest, driving it home into the bark behind him. Ren's body jolted from the impact, and his arms flew wide. Amalie waited, watching like she had on the roof for his wound to start healing, for his chest to rise and fall as his heart reformed and began to beat.

But Ren's eyes were dark. Lifeless. When she pulled the sword from his body, he dropped to the ground, his legs splaying at unnatural angles. His skin faded, growing pale and ashen.

Amalie dropped to her knees and stared into his stony features. "I am aguardian."

As Ren's body began to crack and crumble, Amalie pressed up from the earth. The sword felt like an iron weight in her hands as her whole body trembled. Power seeped from her like water, and she drew in a shaky breath.

She turned to find the yard empty besides Etienne sitting on the steps next to Theo, and Clémentine standing a few feet away, watching her.

"Damn, Amalie. Where was that on the rooftop?" Clémentine raised an eyebrow.

Amalie exhaled, nearly losing her balance. "How did you know?"

Etienne frowned. "Theo hadn't returned after we scouted the attack. Ren was supposed to meet us, and he didn't show, either. Then I found a note on the gates to the castle. It listed this location."

Amalie's brow pinched. "A note?" Who would leave a note? Who else had known where she and Theo were heading besides her own family?

"My family." She exhaled in a rush. "I need to find them."

Clémentine eyed the sword in her hand warily as Etienne lifted Theo from the ground.

Amalie turned, feeling Theo's eyes on her. She didn't want to look at him. Not yet. "I can do this myself," she said, her voice unsteady as pressure built behind her eyes.

"We're coming with you," Etienne said simply, walking up to stand next to her.

Amalie nodded once, scanning the dark, empty street. What had she done? She'd fought against her friends, she'd left Olivie bruised and unconscious on the ground and Marcel cowering in front of her.

She'd vanquished.

Her hand flew to her shoulder, running over the lifted mark on her skin. He was going to kill her. Ren was going to?—

"Amalie?" Clémentine nudged her shoulder, and she sniffed.

"This way." Amalie led them down the street, crossing through the center of Mordelles and back onto the lane that led to Uncle Oren's house. They didn't complain about her pace.Theo limped along next to Etienne, his arm slung over his friend's shoulder.

Had Theo planned for them to die tonight? Would they have taken her family to safety, and then . . . what? Would he have taken her aside? Would he have told her anything or would he have held her close and slammed the sword through their bodies at the same time?

The moon seemed to shrink as it rose, and by the time they reached the gate, it was dangling over their heads. Amalie pressed her hand against the door. She'd told Oren to leave, to take the others to safety.

"They may not be here."

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