Page 83 of Diamond Kisses

Victor bared his teeth. He glowered at me and swayed in my direction. But then he smiled and winked. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, Ilyana. Once order has been restored, you’re the first I’m going to hang, draw, and quarter.”

He took off.

Cradling his arm, limping and cursing, he vanished past the invisible line of protection granted by his snipers.

Mollie.

Cupping my bleeding, bruised throat with one hand, I staggered to my trembling legs and stumbled to where Mollie lay.

Please, don’t…please don’t be dead.

“Mollie.” I dropped to my knees and cupped her cheek.

I recoiled in horror.

The perfect hole in her skull.

The blank glaze of her stare.

No…

Another pock-mock of dirt bounced into the air.

Another aimed right at my feet.

I threw myself behind the bush where Mollie had appeared, hiding from the snipers on the wall.

Through the branches and night-glossed leaves, I stared at my friend.

A woman who’d been so brave.

A jewel who’d traded her life for mine.

Great wracking sobs gathered in my belly.

I bit my fist.

Not yet.

Not yet.

I couldn’t cry.

Not yet.

Looking back at the fortress, I staggered to my feet andran.

Flames danced from multiple stories and windows. The west wing had a hole in it where a dayroom used to be. The deck where I’d kneeled beside Henri so many times had caught fire, the wooden planks blazing like a platform to hell.

Another island-shakingBOOM.

In the distance, the tower standing guard to the dungeons shivered, shuddered, and tumbled. A waterfall of stone fell in slow motion, taking with it carved angels and gargoyles and Victor’s proudly waving flag of a brilliant sparkling diamond.

I kept running into battle.

Shadows of fights between Masters and jewels flickered in the backdrop of chaos. A few jewels jerked and twitched on the ground where Masters electrocuted them, only to be pounced on from behind by other jewels.

I ran into the thick of the acrid smoke, ducking past a fighting Master and guard, then dashing past a jewel hacking a Master to pieces with a butcher’s blade from the kitchens.

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