Page 92 of Of Kings and Thieves

“Where is Laney?” I asked.

“Safe outside the castle.” Killian ducked beneath a fallen beam. “She wasn’t anywhere near when I tore down the wards, but I wanted to tell you first, of course.”

“Thank you,” I said, touching his arm. He gave a short nod, and we continued.

We scrambled over piles of stone and wood, the sounds of screams and sobbing still drifting out of rooms and through walls. The castle had been reduced to a disaster zone, and at the heart of the destruction was the man I loved, possibly trapped and alone. We moved as quickly as possible. I kept up a constant stream of thoughts for him to hang on, that I was coming, just as he had done for me not so long ago.

We came upon a massive slab of stone blocking the corridor, debris piled high on either side. Killian swayed alarmingly, in no shape to clear a path with magic. Nor could we shift the stone ourselves.

The group backtracked, choosing an alternate route that zigzagged through the wreckage. As we walked, a question occurred to me, and I glanced at Melion. “Where’s Scarlet?”

Melion, whose attitude toward me had softened since last I had seen him, cracked a small smile. “She went to free Magnus from the dungeons. Alone.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Magnus is alive?”

Melion narrowed his eyes at me. “Why? What have you heard?”

“It’s a long story,” I muttered.

Killian gestured for us to move on. “Magnus is alive.”

I smiled and then hurried to follow Kolvar, who was far ahead of us now, scouting the corridors. “Scarlet went to get him alone?”

Silvius grinned as he helped me climb over a pile of shifting stones. “Scarlet is capable of handling a few soldiers, or haven’t you noticed?”

I shook my head, torn between exasperation at Scarlet’s recklessness and admiration for the sheer fucking guts she possessed. “And what have the rest of you been doing all this time?”

Silvius winked at me. “Starting an uprising, of course.”

As we continued, my breath came in sharp gasps, and I coughed from the dust hanging in the air. We were all covered with it, our clothes and faces gray as if we had rolled around in ashes. But with every step, my panic intensified, thoughts of what might have befallen Col crowding my mind until I could focus on little else.

The thought of losing him now was too agonizing to bear. I picked up my pace, heedless of the protest from my exhausted body and burning lungs.

After what seemed an eternity of climbing and crawling, we finally reached the base of the eastern tower, the entrance partially blocked by a large stone. Melion and Kolvar grasped either end, grunting with the effort as they heaved it aside.

The path now clear, I scrambled through the opening without waiting for the others, my need to see Col overwhelming any patience or caution. I raced up the spiral stairs, my footsteps echoing in the narrow space, a litany of pleases spilling from my lips with every step.

Please let him be alive. Please let him be whole. Please, please, please...

The stairs seemed endless, my legs burning and lungs aching by the time I finally burst out onto the platform at the top. And there, standing guard in front of a heavy wooden door, were The Harrow’s soldiers.

I didn’t pause to wait for the others, didn’t consider the consequences. The sight of the soldiers barring the way to Col ignited my rage, pouring fire through my veins. Without a second thought, I opened my mouth and unleashed my song.

The soldiers swayed on their feet as the magic took hold, expressions slackening. But my song wasn’t one of dreamless sleep. Instead, it was one of rage and despair. The soldiers’ faces turned to fear. I sang on, uncaring of my own safety, my sole focus freeing the path to Col. One soldier dropped his sword, terror etched into his features at the sight of me.

The others were not so easily cowed. A few shook off the effects, charging at me with weapons raised, fighting my power.

Melion and Kolvar burst onto the landing, throwing themselves into the fray. The clash of steel rang out, Kolvar wielding his blades with lethal grace, with Melion’s claws and fangs just as deadly. The remaining soldiers fell beneath their onslaught.

The last soldier standing vaulted toward me, his sword swinging in a sharp arc aimed at my head. I stumbled back, the song dying on my lips. Exhausted and forgetting my training, I flung up my arm in a futile attempt to block the killing blow.

A knife whipped by, burying itself in the soldier’s throat. He stumbled forward and crumpled to the ground at my feet, blood spurting from the wound. I turned to find Silvius behind me, another knife balanced casually in his hand, his expression grim.

“What?” he quipped, though anger simmered in his tone. “I wasn’t going to hit him with my lute.”

Kolvar stalked to the surrendered soldier and yanked his arms behind his back, tying them securely. The man trembled as he looked at the blood sprayed around the walls, and wisely offered no resistance.

With the threat eliminated, I raced to the locked door and pounded on it. “Col! Can you hear me?”

---