Page 45 of A Court of Truth and Thorns
I grind my teeth. “Violet, your father—”
“Stop.” She thrusts her free palm toward me. “Listen to me. You are still alive because the Messenger believes your soul not yet lost to the Dark God. The battle between the Dark God’s evil and the Goddess’s love is waging within you this very moment. Choose the side of love, Kalianna. Swear your allegiance to the Goddess and let the Messenger guide and train you to serve her will.”
I stare at Violet’s eyes beyond the darkened glass of her visor. Large, determined, lashes as long as Wil’s. My friend’s little sister. My cousin. The girl who betrayed us all.
Violet’s lips move, though no words come from her mouth.
Kali. Kali. Kali.
My brows twitch.
No! Don’t move. Leaf said you can read lips.Violet takes a sharp breath. Her free hand curls around her skirt in a white-knuckle grip. Despite the wind and rain, her skin looks flushed. My heart slams against my ribs. I stay frozen except for a small, nervous glance at Rune and Bahir. Uncertain. Considering. It’sall I can do to buy Violet a few moments to find her words. Whether those words can be trusted is another matter.
I’ve been watching. I think Bahir’s ring is his key,Violet’s lips say silently.Maybe it can be yours.The next moment, Violet turns her hand in Bahir’s grip, grabs the ring, and yanks it off his finger.
The spear of flame at my throat falters. Violet goes to throw the ring but crumples to the ground mid-step, her body convulsing.
I sprint toward her as Rune rushes Bahir, the prince’s sword raised high. The moment my skin touches the ring clutched in Violet’s spasming fingers, bees shoot out across my skin. The ring must be akin to a stim crystal—one that’s stopping Violet’s heart.
The agony in the girl’s eyes spills over us. The bones of her small fingers threaten to break under my attempts to pry open her fist and remove the ring from its grip.
I force my breathing to slow, bracing myself for the influx of the ring’s magic. It comes, but not in the way I expect. Magic siphons into my body, coating my nerves like oil, and stops. No replenishment of my reserves, no diversion from Violet’s assault.
Whatever in the rutting hells this ring is, it’s unlike anything I’ve felt before.
Violet’s lips darken from lack of blood and air. I scrape my palm open on the rough stone, but even the direct contact with my blood changes nothing. Clenching my teeth, I ignore the crack of bone as I force the ring from Violet’s grip. I slide it onto my finger at the same moment as Bahir bellows my name.
I jerk my head up.
For the first time since stepping foot on the roof, Bahir is away from the Eye. He stands now with one arm pointed at Rune, who’s standing too close to the platform’s edge.
Rune bends against an unnatural concoction of wind and rain that drives him backward toward death.
“The Goddess’s sacred gift is not for you, Kalianna,” Bahir roars at me, his wind forcing Rune back another step. Then another. “Return it now or the boy’s life is forfeit.”
Panic washes over me. A barrel of black powder topples onto its side, taking the other one down with it. I watch them roll off the roof as if in slow motion. What dry powder remained in their bellies sparks at the collision with the cobblestones below. The boom of the small explosion echoes through the streets. Our one means of breaking apart the Eye, gone in a flash.
“The ring, girl!” Bahir turns his palm up. “Throw it to me.”
“No!” Rune shouts.
My mouth dries. I raise the hand with the ring to my face, staring between the artifact and the bishop. Despite wearing the ring, my reserves remain empty. Perhaps Violet was wrong when she thought the ring valuable enough to risk her life for. Or maybe the ring and I are simply incompatible. Perhaps that oily sheen that covers my innards is the final mark of my failure.
Perhaps the ring is useless to me. Rune is not.
“Don’t do it,” Rune yells. His sword is gone. His arms try and fail to stave off Bahir’s assault. Silver hair, damp with rain, whips in Rune’s face. “Don’t give him anything.”
Bahir wheels on Rune. With the next heartbeat, Rune loses his footing. His body skids toward the edge of the platform, fingers grasping for purchase. His head strikes the gargoyle, and his body goes slack for a moment before toppling over.
The world ends. I scream, falling to my knees.
30
KALI
Even Bahir stands frozen for an instant. Then he turns toward me slowly and smiles, showing his teeth. The wind settles. “You made me do that. No one else. You.”
A sob chokes me.
