Page 52 of The Blood Crown

“Tanis,” the woman answered, taking her hand.

She had damned them all with that one final act. But there was no condemnation in Ven’s eyes as they met hers. Only silent understanding, his hand outstretched, open and waiting.

Valea cast a wary look at Aurelia, realization dawning as her eyes narrowed. There was no hiding herself now, but the female's blistering gaze broke off as muffled shouts urged them forward again.

Mountveil's doors towered above them.

The only way out.

Ven and Karro scanned the cavern behind them as Valea peered up at the imposing iron doors.

Aurelia stepped beside her, turning toward the white-haired female. “You should know that if we leave this place, there are worse things that will hunt us on our journey back to Ravenstone.”

She couldn’t have said why she whispered the words of warning to the female. Valea had damned herself just as much as the rest of them this night, and there would be no turning back for her, either.

The Captain turned, red eyes sparkling with cunning. She’d known—even if she hadn’t known exactly the kind of power Aurelia wielded until now, she’d known that Aurelia was hiding what she truly was.

The female gave a small nod of understanding.

Valea took a single step back. She kicked the doors open with a booted foot, the elegant blade in her hand gripped tighter as she stared across the expanse of the bridge.

Lavender and rose illuminated the sky beyond the cliffs.

Dawn was breaking.

The female swallowed hard, the knot at her pale throat enough to tell Aurelia that she was fighting back her fear as much as the rest of them.

But she did not look back as she pulled her red hood over her face and ran into the bursting glow of morning.

Chapter 27

No sooner had Valea stepped onto the stone bridge, and arrows were raining down from the cliffs above.

Aurelia sprinted after, clutching Tanis close behind as Ven and Karro brought up the rear.

Valea swung around, sheathing her blade in one fluid motion as she removed her bow and threaded the white fletching of the arrows through her fingers, marking her targets on the fortress walls high above. Dawn had yet to crest over the cliffs, but the pale winter sunrise was creeping closely enough that she let out a hiss as the diluted light touched her face. She did not flinch as she drew and released arrow after arrow, picking off the archers that fired at them.

Aurelia ran with Tanis toward the end of the bridge. Turning, she looked over her shoulder, her breath cut short.

Ven and Karro fought a crowd of Nostari sentries, their path to the bridge cut off.

Valea stood in the middle, drawing fire from the archers above. But Aurelia watched with horror as the pale skin exposedat Valea’s hands and face grew red, blistering as dawn rose above the cliffs and spilled onto the bridge.

The female grimaced, but she did not retreat. Her eyes flicked to where Karro still fought beside Ven before she loosed another arrow, bringing an archer tumbling down the sheer face of the fortress.

“Go!” Aurelia shouted, flinging Tanis to the end of the bridge, dodging a spray of arrows as she ran back.

Dawn washed over the stone and Valea finally hurtled herself to the ground, her face blistered and raw as she crumpled under the hailstorm.

Aurelia sprinted toward her—spanning the distance to where she lay huddled, stranded in the center of the bridge.

Ven and Karro only needed to take a few steps further and they’d be out of reach, but the onslaught of the sentries was too much for them to move.

Aurelia curled her fingers, willing her magick into her palms. Thunder rumbled in the distance, dark clouds blotting out the dawn for a fleeting moment, letting the sentries gain ground as they fell on Karro and Ven once more.

Lightning exploded, branching across the sky as it met the cliffs.

Great sheets of black rock tore from the face of the mountain, the shouts of the sentries cut off as the rock came crashing down with a deafening roar that shook the bridge, smashing into the stone.

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