Page 153 of Steel Heart Iron Claws

“I swear to you, little violet,” I vow, lips shaking. “They will pay for what they’ve done to you.”

I stroke her cheek one final time—and leave my last drop of tenderness in that touch. When I push to my feet to face the fae court, it’s without a shred of mercy in my soul. My body is nothing but a weapon now.

“You never fucking deserved her!” I shout.

I charge at Vale. King of Fae. I have nothing but my two fists, so I’ll make them be enough. With adrenaline and heartbreak simultaneously pushing me forward, I feel like I could rip the heads off these glowing bastards.

Vale opens his hands palm-down to release bursts of blue fey toward the floor. It’s just a warning, which is his mistake. He should have struck me dead when he had the chance.

“Fuckingfae.” As I get within a few feet of him, one of his eyes twitches a second before he aims his fey at me. Thattwitch is enough of a tell that I have time to duck, sliding on my knees past his left side. With a flick of my wrist, I unlatch one of his battle axes from the holster on his back. When I come up to my feet behind him, it’s with his own axe swinging.

My senses pick up the sounds of the other fae scrambling to their feet with astounding speed. The air crackles with the smell of a coming storm as they ignite their fey—but they aren’t fast enough to stop me.

“This is for Sabine!” I bring the axe down toward the junction of his neck and shoulder. My lungs scream out all my rage, my pain, my heartbreak as I bring the axe down.

Five inches away.

Three.

One.

And something happens. Something is—wrong.

My arms are locked. My legs, too.

Fuck.

I throw all my strength into trying to move, but I can’t so much as blink. I’m a damn living statue. I’m the only one—the fae are still rushing in my direction.

“Stop, Lord Basten!” Captain Tatarin comes into my view, her hands extended like she’s holding back a tide, her face awash with desperation. She begins to lower her fingers to count down the seconds until her spell ends.

Eight more seconds.Seven.

“This isn’t the way!” she says in a rush. “You don’t understand what you’re doing!” She throws a desperate look at Vale. “Highness, let me talk to him. You need him, remember? He’ll deliver Astagnon to you.”

Six seconds.

My lungs burn from wanting to breathe but not beingable to. While I’m struggling, Vale calmly steps out of my axe’s trajectory.

Slowly, he nods.

Five.

From behind the table, the four other gods approach, their eyes sparking in cold amusement at my misfortune.

As Iyre, Artain, Woudix, and Samaur surround me, Captain Tatarin continues breathlessly, “Lord Basten, hear me out. Human sacrificeisthe key to awakening the fae, as Sabine figured out. The fae thrive on our blood and breath and prayers, but to awaken them requires the taking of a full human life.”

Four seconds.

I gather my strength, ready to unleash it the moment I’m free.

Captain Tatarin’s eyes flick briefly to Vale, whose fey bolts surge from his palms like blue lightning, ready to strike me dead. She continues, “But all the fae tales that speak of them slumbering in underground tombs? The scribes got it wrong. There were never tombs. The fae slumber for thousands of years, yes, but not in dirt.”

Three seconds.

Frankly, I could care less what Captain Tatarin has to say to defend the fae. She’s guilty by association. A human who willingly works with demons deserves the same fate as them. The second her spell breaks, she’d better get the hell out of my way, or it’ll be her blood on my hands, too.

Two.

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