Page 163 of Crown of Briars
Did she know about the army? I had left her so abruptly…
The soldiers beside me shifted their stance, teeth bared as they prepared to fight. Orla lifted her sword in the air, a shout on her lips.
With a roar, I spread my arms, allowing my shadows to burst from me and engulf the courtyard. Screams erupted, but I pushed on, blanketing the square with black mist that spilled down the road, blinding the human soldiers.
With the humans shrouded in darkness, I drew my fingers to my lips and let out a shrill whistle. Loud, animalistic shrieks answered me, and the great beating of wings told me the alporas had heard my call.
My keen fae eyesight locating Zorben , my alpora, even in the darkness. He galloped toward me, and I swung atop him with ease.
“On me!” I bellowed, thrusting my sword in the air. Several soldiers mounted their alporas. Some cheered with battle cries, lifting their weapons toward me in unity.
As one, our alporas soared into the air, carrying us over the portcullis. Below us, the humans screamed, still blind thanks to my shadows.
I jabbed my sword toward the humans, the rage in my blood hungry for carnage. “Attack!”
I stood,frozen, gaping at Gerard. In my mind, I couldn’t reconcile his presence here. Nothing made sense.
Was he a vision? A hallucination? Was I under some sort of spell?
Answers, Sybelle,the logical side of my brain told me.You need answers. You can panic later.
“What are you doing here?” I asked carefully. My eyes darted to the bloodstone in Gerard’s hands, but I pretended to ignore it.He might not realize how much I know,I reminded myself.
“I came for you, my darling,” Gerard said, striding toward me. My muscles locked, and I had to fight the instinct to cringe away from him.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand. Gerard, I’mmarriedto the king.”
“He won’t be the king much longer. You will be free soon.”
My blood turned to ice. “What—What are you talking about?”
Then, Varius’s frantic voice filled my mind, summoned by the amber stone still gripped in my palm.
“Sybelle, if you can hear this, the Earthen Court army is here. It isn’t safe. Stay in the castle with Enzira. I’ll hold off the army to ensure they won’t get to you.”
My stomach dropped like lead. I fixed a horrified gaze onGerard. “What did you do?” My voice came out as a terrified whisper.
“She is relentless, and she will not stop until every fae is destroyed.” Gerard reached for me, but I curled my arms behind my back, afraid he would notice the chain of my necklace wrapped around my left hand. “We can slip away during the battle. No one will notice. We can be free together, my love.”
All I could do was shake my head like a fool. “She?”
“Your sister.”
My skin tingled with unease. “Orla? What is she doing here? Where—Where is my father?”
Gerard’s mouth formed a thin line, and my heart filled with dread.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” My voice was hollow. Deep down, part of me suspected this. Why else wouldn’t the shadowstone be able to show him to me when I asked?
Sorrow twisted in my chest. King Maddox had only seen me as a weapon to wield. But he was still my father and a beloved king. He had treated his people well.
My eyes narrowed. “Did you kill him?”
“No. Orla did. She insisted it was the only way.”
“The only way forwhat? Speak plainly, Gerard!Why are you here?”
“To destroy the unseelie! To fulfill my mother’s curse!”
