Page 90 of A Sky of Emerald Stars

“Where’s Briar?” I panted, suddenly running and flipping over bodies I knew weren’t hers. Evres was gone and Briar along with him. “Briar!” I screamed, running to the window where I spotted a sleigh halfway down the road, disappearing into the darkness. “Briar!”

I bolted, ruined leg be damned. I felt the blood of each step gushing down my leg. I knew soon I would bleed out, but I didn’t care. I had to get to her. She couldn’t be captured. Not again. I wouldn’t let them take her.

“Briar!” Her name shredded my throat as I screamed it again and again. “BRIAR!”

I didn’t feel the sting of the snow on my feet as I bolted down the mountainside, trying to keep my feet under me as my wounded knee buckled with each step.

“Calla!” Grae shouted. I heard him bounding up behind me, knew with my injury that he would catch me, but I kept racing forward anyway.

Grae’s bare arms banded around my torso, yanking me back as I flailed in his grip.

“No, no!” I wailed, fighting against him. “Briar!” Her name was a defeated sob now.

“You need to shift, Calla,” Grae gritted out, tightening his grip on me to the point of pain. “She’s too far gone now. You can try to connect with her that way, too. I promise—wewillget her back, but first you need to shift, little fox, or you will kill us both.”

At that, I stopped fighting. The reality of my brash actions slammed into me. I was willing to give up everything, my life even, to save my twin. But I could never hurt Grae, and if I died, he’d die, too. The thought finally cooled my panic just enough so I could find that magical thread to pull inside me, imagining the pain of muscles bending, the pop of bones crunching, and then I shifted.

Grae released me and I landed on all fours, howling to the moon a mournful cry. I couldn’t feel Briar in my mind, knew she must be in her human form, and the thought of her trapped and naked in Evres’s sleigh made me howl even louder. I walked over the mountain’s edge, the sleigh already disappeared through the trees, too far even for my Wolf to catch. I knew I couldn’t go after her alone, not into Damrienn.

Something to my right caught my eye, and what I saw made me collapse into the snow. The ocean was ablaze. The boats fleeing to Olmdere were all on fire. My stomach roiled as I took it in—such an unfathomable sight. It washed over me in waves of panic and sorrow. All those humans gone. Nero’s message to them clear: try to run and you’ll die. His message to me just as clear: try to fight me and more will die. I let out a broken howl as I stared out at the sea of golden flames, grieving the broken promise I made to those humans.

I turned to Grae and shifted back into my human form again, the wound on my thigh still raw but the bleeding stopped and the wound closed.

“We need to get out of Taigos. Now,” I commanded, finally coming back to my senses enough to give direction. “Before wehave a vengeful Ice Wolf pack on our tails.” I darted back toward the mansion to get Ora and Mina.

“Breathe, Calla,” Grae reminded me as I ran.

“Sweet Moon.” I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “I think I’ve just started a war with Taigos.”

Sadie

“Rasil,” Navin choked out. “What have you done?”

“You think I didn’t know?” Rasil crooned. I tried to take a step away, but Tadei grabbed me by the upper arm and yanked me to his side. The Onyx Wolf pack growled at my back, and I felt dozens of hungry, murderous eyes trained on me, ready to strike. “I knew. I knew from the very first second you looked at her that you loved her, that you wouldn’t do what you must. I came here the very next day to warn the King.”

“Raz,” Navin whispered. “You’ve betrayed our people, our cause—”

“Youbetrayed our people with her,” Rasil hissed. “Iam keeping us safe. Our songs were meant to be sung, Navin. You were always too cowardly to see it.”

“Your Majesty,” Navin implored the King. “Whatever allegiance he promises to you, his goal is to exterminate Wolfkind—”

Rasil whirled to Luo and bowed deeply. “Your Majesty, his lies are just as I warned you. We live to serve our kings, ourGods,” he said, lifting a finger and pointing it accusatorially at me. “Sadie Rauxtide is not only a defector of the Silver Wolf pack, she is also a skin chaser.” He held the vase aloft to the room. “And Navin Mourad is trying to steal something very precious from you.”

“You think you can fool the Onyx Wolves?” King Luo seethed at me and Navin. “Bring me the brand.” From the forges burning beyond the doorway, one of the guards pulled a hot metal poker, the end shaped into a paw print.

“No!” Navin screamed as two guards grabbed him by either arm. He thrashed against their grip, headbutting one before the other landed a right hook square to Navin’s jaw and he dropped to his knees. “Sadie!”

I gave Navin one last look, knowing it might be the last time I locked eyes with him, and he nodded back. “I’ll find you in the next life, love,” he whispered. “Listen for my song.”

I kept that smile plastered on my face as I turned back to Tadei. “Let’s at least go out singing,” I said to no one but Navin.

“Go ahead,” Tadei murmured to me, dropping his mouth to my ear in a sinister curl. “Try to shift like that and see what happens.”

He kicked me to my knees beside Navin and I let out a deep, mocking laugh. Tadei’s eyes flared, darting between me and Navin with sudden alarm. Maybe he expected tears or pleading, but certainly not laughter.

Tadei’s hands balled into fists. “What’s so funny?”

I watched his face fall as I yanked, ripping the silver rope free from behind my back. “My hands were never bound.”

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