Page 291 of Heat of the Everflame

I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. Their magic can’t hurt me.”

“But their weapons can,” he said darkly.

His thumb swept across my wrist. Somehow the simple gesture felt deeply intimate, bringing a blush to my cheeks and heat pulsing over my skin. My heart broke into a sprint that had nothing to do with the battle we were about to face.

I leaned in closer, my chest brushing his. “Chin up, Prince. I’m about to put on a show just for you.”

His eyes dropped to my lips and blazed. I stretched toward him, yearning to feel his mouth on mine, but from the corner of my eye, my mother’s glare was a siren in the silence. I needed them to work together—setting off this particular bomb would have to wait until we escaped.

If we escaped.

I love you, I said into his mind. Just in case.

His hunger deepened to something more profound. He grudgingly let go, though his knuckles brushed my arm in silent response.

“Enjoy the view,” I crooned as I grabbed the vine and started my ascent.

The air was eerily quiet when I approached the edge. No voices, no sounds of running, no clink of blade-on-blade from the training fields. Heavy clouds obscured the sunset, and the sky had darkened to a flat, portentous grey.

I cast a thought out to Sorae. Her wingbeats broke the silence as her silhouette soared above my head.

Now, I commanded.

A deafening snarl rippled through the air. I pulled my head above the ground—and the blood drained from my face.

Soldiers.

Soldiers and more soldiers.

Far more than we’d seen before.

Hundreds, maybe thousands. Mortal and Descended.

A massive circle all around the opening. Weapons drawn, shields up, magic conjured.

I frantically ducked back down before the draw of Sorae’s distraction wore off, gasping against a flood of rising, burning fear. Not for my own life, but for the faces staring up at me—the people who’d put their faith in me to lead them to freedom, a vow I wasn’t so sure I could keep.

I sent Luther an image of what I’d seen, and—gods bless him—he gave no reaction. He simply nodded and turned to the others to calmly convey what they needed to know.

My nails sunk deep into the fibrous roots as I swayed just beneath the surface, willing my trembling to subside. A gust of wind fluttered through the hair that had come loose from my braid, and my father’s words swirled around me in the whispering breeze.

If you are outnumbered or overwhelmed, or if all seems lost, just keep moving. Onward, until the very last breath.

I drew air into my lungs, wrapping his guidance around my heart like a glittering shield, then hoisted myself up onto solid ground.

A hundred swords raised in response, a thousand eyes trapping me in place.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special,” I called out. “Do all Crowns get this treatment, or does your King have a little crush?”

“Our King is dead.” A red-eyed soldier walked forward, his heavy regalia marking him as the Fortos High General. The aura of his potent magic slammed into me with a hostility that matched his acrid scowl. “And I think you killed him.”

I cocked my head. “Now why would I do that?”

He held up an object in his hand.

I swore softly. A messenger hawk’s scroll.

“It seems the Regent of Lumnos believes you should not be allowed inside the prison. He sent a warning that you came here with the intent to kill.”

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