Page 25 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

The fae with the broadsword smiled at a young girlwho was whispering to one of the other children and pointing at his ears. “Get them to safety.”

“I will.”

They prowled toward the screams, and I gestured for my group to follow me.

Hybrids were dying, and I was fleeing. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. But I would keep these people alive. No matter what it took.

When we reached a clearing large enough for us to gather together, I placed both children on the ground and held up one hand to snag everyone’s attention. Already, my arms ached. The pregnant woman leaned down and checked both children. Her son was still fast asleep. The smaller boy cried quietly, and one of the other women lifted him into her arms, giving me a nod.

“From now, I need silence,” I said. “If the iron guards hear us, they’ll kill us. I’ll keep you alive as long as I can, but there’s only one of me. Who else has an attack power?”

Several other women held up their hands, along with a couple of older boys. I’d hoped for more, but I wouldn’t let them catch a single glimpse of my disappointment.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to protect our children,” one of the women snarled, her eyes hard. “Just lead us to safety.”

“Okay. Keep them quiet. You,” I snapped at a boy of around ten summers. “Sheath that knife while you’re running. That goes for all of you. I don’t want any accidents.” Picking up the sleeping boy, I balanced him on my hip. “Let’s go.”

ASINIA

I’d known the moment the barrier went down. Some part of me had been convinced that Regner was dead and the war was over. And then Demos had reminded me of the human king’s wards.

At least a third of the rebels in this camp were humans. When around half of those humans had begun screaming, I’d sprinted toward the main campfire, assuming we were under attack.

But they were happy screams. Those humans could suddenly access more of their power.

Now, days later, Tibris was healing everyone he could. Demos was back on his feet, and we would finally meet with Herne today. His response would determine our next move. In the meantime, Demos had been desperately sending message after message to any of his old contacts, attempting to discover if a man named Torinth was still alive.

Not long before Prisca and the others had left Aranthon, Madinia had sent us a message. Regner’s wards were impenetrable—tied to the mirror gifted to humans by Faric. We needed to find a way to steal and destroy that mirror, but according to Jamic, Regner would keep it with him at every point.

Torinth was the one person who might be able to help us. His power? Diminishing personal wards.

If he wasn’t alive…

I had absolutely no idea how we would kill Regner.

The sun was warm on my skin, a slight breeze playing with my hair as I walked toward the healer’s tent. Tibris glanced up as I approached. He looked calm, relaxed even. But I’d never forget the restrained panic in his eyes when he’d seen the condition Demos was in after the attack.

“How is Demos?” he asked, clearly following my thoughts.

“The usual. He’s training. Pretending he was never injured in the first place.”

Tibris rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the concoction he’d been mixing.

“Will you come with us to talk to Herne?” I asked.

He measured out some kind of fragrant weed, raising one eyebrow. “You’re hoping my presence will help?”

“I know it will.”

“You may be surprised. Believe it or not, but Herne is usually more reasonable than you’ve seen since you arrived. It helps that Prisca and the others managed to bring the barrier down.”

I pondered that. The truth was, we could no longer justify staying here. Now that Demos was able to travel, we had to leave. It was up to Herne to make sure his people were not defenseless.

Because if we left and this camp was wiped out… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

“Asinia?”

I glanced up. A shadow had slipped across Tibris’s face. He knew the stakes. He knew we had to leave—no matter how much we had come to care for the rebels.

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