Page 61 of Frost Like Night
“You are unfit to lead us!” one cries. “We never should have trusted you!”
“You deserve death!” the other adds, and they draw their weapons and dive at Ceridwen.
The crowd dissolves into panic, their silence broken nowby horrified shrieking. They rush for the doors as soldiers advance from the side halls, Angra’s men, their uniforms a mix of Cordell and Spring, their faces set with . . . amusement.
I send one more blast of protection to my Winterians, keeping them clear of Angra’s Decay, and launch to my feet. No hesitation—the open-air room means dirt coats every tile of the floor, making it easy to lift the particles and create a haphazard version of a sandstorm. The air fills with blinding dirt as the crowd’s chaos rears into terrified screams and the jostle of weapons.
Sir and Mather react without needing instruction, sprinting after me down the balcony. The Thaw trails behind us, their weapons drawn. The sand starts to settle, so I whip it up again, but another force snatches it away from me. The unexpected loss of control sends me stumbling into the railing.
The sand clears, controlled by Angra’s outstretched hand.
I’m leaning over the room, so close to his balcony now that I could reach out and touch him. Henn stands next to me, having joined us as we raced past his hiding place.
Angra grins. Beside him, Theron smiles, just as pleased as Angra, albeit with more relief than satisfaction.
I push myself back from the railing and rip my chakram free, but the pillars make throwing it impossible. Soldiers appear behind us on the balcony, their booted feet shaking the walkway, and the Thaw turns to intercept them amid achorus of shouts and clashing weapons. I send them bursts of strength and swing around the corner to come face-to-face with Angra. The keys are in his hand.
Angra doesn’t bother with a weapon—a shadow engulfs his fist and his grin turns sickening. Below us, chaos still bubbles over, but the crowd has mostly departed—the only shouting comes from one source, a voice that triggers awareness.
Ceridwen.
She cries out, and I whip around to look for her.
Distracted,distracted—
That word consumes me as I blink and Angra punches the air, his shadow pummeling into my chest. I heave backward, hurtling into Sir and Henn, who jog up behind me.
Theron swings forward, catching Angra’s arm. “She could be here to surrender!”
Angra holds and I fly to my feet, chakram still raised.
“Have you come to surrender, Winter queen?” Angra asks, but his voice says he knows I haven’t. Another shadow gathers around his fist—
Before he can throw it, Mather climbs onto the railing and leaps to their balcony, careening into Angra, who slams back into Theron. The three of them drop to the floor in a collision of thuds and shouts.
I hesitate, eyes scrambling over the mess of bodies for the keys—did they get jostled loose? Does Theron still have them? Why did Angra give them to Theron at all?
But I know why.
Because I’d have no problem killing Angra to get the keys, but if I have to get them from Theron . . .
Angra is on his feet now, Mather between him and me with a dagger drawn. Angra doesn’t toy with me this time—he jerks his hand to his chest, pulling the dagger from Mather’s grip. Mather staggers forward with a cry of alarm, but Angra is already flinging his hand back out, hurling the dagger at me.
Theron flips onto his knees and reaches for Angra.
“No—she’smine!” he roars, and pulls Angra’s aim off, the dagger plunging to the right to graze Mather’s shoulder before it clatters into the room below.
Mather spins with the force of the blade. Behind me, Phil wails, and any last knot of concentration I had utterly unravels at the sight of blood spraying out of Mather’s arm.
Go,I beg myself.Get out of here, get out of here—
Panic drives me, such fuel that I don’t even need to touch the Winterians. Mather, Sir, Henn, the Thaw—I grab onto their bodies with the same snaking tendrils that let me find Sir, and on a pull that tears at my stomach, I use my magic to remove us from the balcony.
18
Ceridwen
TONIGHT THEY WOULDassassinate the king of Spring and end his magic-fueled reign of terror.
