Page 161 of Crown of Briars
A shadow appeared from across the table, and I tensed in alarm.
A man clad in full armor materialized, and in his hands was the gleaming bloodstone.
My chest seized, and I took a step back, shock and horror coursing through me. “Gerard?”
Gerard smirked, his eyes full of admiration. “I knew you would figure it out, Sybelle.”
I tore down the hallway,urgency flooding my veins, and threw open the first door I could find. Surely, in this moment of desperation, the castle would lead me to Sybelle.
But on the other side, I found the courtyard of the castle.
I faltered. Was Sybelle here? Or was the castle redirecting my path?
With a growl, I slammed the door shut. “Please,” I pleaded. “Please, I need to find her.”
I opened the door again and once more saw the courtyard. The afternoon sunlight gleamed along the polished stone steps.
Frustration built in me, so volatile I thought I might explode. Black shadows streamed around me. I almost flung the door shut hard enough to break it off the hinges… but something stopped me.
In the distance, an unfamiliar horn blew, echoing in the air.
I froze, my blood chilling.
Fae soldiers rushed into the courtyard, swords drawn. One paused to glance at me as I stood there, lingering in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
“An army is advancing on the castle, Your Highness. We don’t know where it came from; our sentries didn’t see anything along the road.”
An army.
But… how?
After Warwick’s threats, I’d stationed sentries everywhere—beyond the castle, monitoring Chesser Road… There hadn’t been a whisper of any soldiers.
At any rate, the shadow storm had completely overtaken Pern District. Any army would have to travel through the Necro Shadows to get to the castle.
I shook my head and stepped over the threshold. There wasn’t time to think. I scanned the frantic soldiers flitting about, searching for a familiar face.
“My lord!”
I turned and found Clermont shuffling toward me. He was already dressed in armor, with a long sword strapped to his hip. In his left hand, he carried my breast plate.
“What the hell’s going on?” I asked as he started fastening the breast plate to my chest.
“I don’t know how they did it, Varius, but they are here,” Clermont muttered, his nimble fingers moving quickly. He removed his sword, scabbard and all, and offered it to me.
I quickly fastened it around my hips and nodded my thanks. “Who is it? Where did the army come from?”
“They bear the flag of the Earthen Court.”
I stared at him, horror sinking in my stomach. “That’s… not possible. There was no one there! And the Necro Shadows…”
“I know. I don’t understand it myself. Clearly, some kind of powerful magic is at play.”
Magic? From a court full of humans? None of this was making sense.
“Can we keep them from breaching the palace?” I asked.
