Page 1 of Kiss of Smoke

1

It was almostimpossible to believe my eyes.

The entire palace was gone, massive shards of glass sprayed across the lawn of the Seelie garden, nothing but a smoking ruin left behind.

I clung to the windowsill as the force of the explosion kept ringing through my head, making me feel like I was viewing everything underwater.

The skyscrapers of downtown Avilion that were over a mile away were glittering as well. I realized I was looking at glass shards that had flown with such force that they’d embedded themselves in the bricks.

A hand slid down my back, holding me upright. Robin was speaking, but his voice cut in and out.

“—okay?” he said, and I blinked at him slowly. His mouth moved, but nothing seemed to make sense, my vision wavering.

Something nudged my toe as I shifted in place, trying to keep my balance.

I looked down and saw a chunk of purple glass glittering near my foot. I bent down slowly and picked up the piece of crystal that was hot against my palm, still giving off wisps of smoke. The strobing red emergency lights overhead refracted off its surface like freshly-spilled blood.

More pointed thoughts swam to the surface, insistent but woozy.

The Seelie royal family. If they were dead, Avilion would fall to pieces. Both Titania and her heir Tanaquill lived in the palace…

I tilted my hand to drop the glass, then at the last second tucked it away in my palm again. I would keep the shard of the palace as a memory of this night.

As a memory of what happened when you didn’t keep a close enough eye on your enemies.

“I’m okay,” I said, but I couldn’t hear myself speak.

Jack’s mouth was moving, and Robin nodded grimly. Maybe I hadn’t actually said anything at all; I was so dazed that I could’ve imagined it.

I didn’t realize what they were planning on until Gwyn’s arms wrapped around me.

“They need to search for the royal family,” he said in my ear, speaking loud and slow. “I’m taking you to a healer. Don’t try to fight me, Bananas.”

I was vaguely aware that I was digging my elbows into his ribs, trying to break away and follow Robin. Somehow, even shell-shocked from the force of the blast, there was a piece of my mind that felt the job wasn’t done and I needed to keep going.

But Gwyn easily pinned my arms down and picked me up, carrying me through the red-lit halls of the Garda complex behind the fixers.

Jack touched my cheek before Gwyn carried me out of sight, then grabbed Robin’s arm and vanished.

I struggled again, still wanting to follow—wehadto make sure Queen Titania was still alive—but Gwyn shook his head. Several shards of glass fell from his blond braids, and his mouth was set in a grim line. One of those shards had opened a thin cut on his cheek that was already drying into a clotted red scratch.

“You’re not going out there,” he told me, and I pushed past the ringing in my head, trying to focus my shock into anger.

“Three sets of eyes are better than two,” I said as he carried me down several flights of stairs. “All that matters is that…”

I couldn’t voice it out loud. The fear that was pounding in my head like a siren was almost impossible to put into words.

What had Jack called it when an attempt was made on a queen’s life?Code Onyx.

We were in Code Onyx now. Garda were crawling over every surface of the complex, pushing down the stairs around us in a flood.

“That doesn’t matter now.” Gwyn tucked himself into a corner, keeping me protected from the armored Garda who ran by, bristling with weapons. His arms were tight, the muscles hard as stone. “You’re getting out of here, and Robin will take care of the situation out there.”

I looked up at him, taking in the grim set of his lips. That’s when I realized he was angry atme.

“Gwyn?” I asked in a small voice, but he didn’t answer. He just stepped back out into the hall after the Garda passed, carrying me towards an exit door shrouded in shadow.

We stepped out into the night, and it was anything but peaceful. Sirens wailed like banshees, and several Garda helicopters had converged over the ruins of the palace, cutting over the complex like angry hornets.

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