Page 1 of Beneath a Shattered Sky
One
Caed
“You came,” Rose whispers.
Her violet eyes study me with the pain-filled wariness of a wounded kitten as my heart pounds in my chest, reacting to the fear and hurt that the Call is still projecting my way. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to protect her.
She’s a mess. Huddled in the hollow made by the roots of a salt-bitten tree, her skin is shredded, burned, and are those black veins on her arms? Shit, they are. She has iron poisoning on top of everything else.
She didn’t ask me a question, but she’s still waiting for me to say something. Before Rose, I would’ve blurted a sarcastic retort without hesitation, protecting my pride like a good son of Balor.
But because itisRose, every single answer that might’ve spared my pride seems like an insult.
I’ve done enough damage to this female.
“You called.”
It’s the painful, broken truth. I’ll always come when she needs me, even when she’d rather I didn’t. I’m shackled to her by more than oaths and curses.
I wish she’d say something. Why is she here, alone on the outskirts of a forest, with none of her Guard? Is this a peace offering—a reason for me to feel hopeful—or am I her last resort?
Her eyes slip out of focus, her face slackens, and her eyes roll back in her head. All of my questions turn to ash in my mouth as she slumps forward, unconscious.
“Fuck.” I cover the distance between us in three strides.
Pulling her from her hiding place and into my lap, I grab blindly for the pouch at my waist and dig through the contents. Rations, tinderbox…
Come on. Where is the fucking thing?
I shove aside that damned sleeping draught I never used in Pavellen and slouch in relief as I spot what I’m looking for. The tiny tin glints up at me from the very bottom of my pouch. I snuck it from Prae’s rooms when we were in Fellgotha, just in case Rose managed to come into contact with iron again. It’s been in there for a while. Will it even still work?
Taking a breath—and praying to the Ancestors that I’m not about to poison her with old medicine—I slather the stinky green mess on her wrists. These wounds can only mean she was restrained with iron.
In a fae city.
What the fuck happened? Bram and the redcap said they were handling things. They swore they had reinforcements.
I stare at the black veins, willing them to disappear. Is it working?
“Caedmon-fucking-Fomorii,” Prae pants, shoving her way through the undergrowth with her sword at the ready. “What in the name of the Ancestors’ wrinkled ballsacks—Shit!”
My cousin, still wearing her fae glamour, stares at me, then at Rose, then back at me again, before she manages to pull herself together. I didn’t mean to dash out of the inn like my ass was on fire, with nothing more than what I had on and the first sword I could grab. It just… happened that way.
In hindsight, I probably should’ve explained, but the Call was so frantic I couldn’t think past the need to find Rose.
To her credit, Prae understands instantly. Her lecture dies on her lips, replaced with a concerned frown. “Was she alone?”
I nod. “Iron poisoning, Prae. Where the fuck did they get iron?”
She gives me a grim look. “I don’t know.”
“Her tracks lead this way.”
“Hurry!”
Our heads snap up. I tilt my head, silently ordering her to go back for our stuff, and she gives me a stubborn little jaw clench in return. She’ll do it, but she isn’t happy about splitting up. Understandable, given that the little queen is obviously being pursued.
I’m no fool. Eero was planning a coup, and Rose wouldn’t have called me if she had any other option, which means four Guards must have already failed to protect her today. I don’t plan on being the fifth.
