Page 76 of Heir of Illusion

My heart aches as a small head peeks out, revealing a little girl who couldn’t be more than five years old. Black ringlets tied together with colorful ribbons hang down her back. Without taking my eyes off Kipps, I grab the girl’s shoulder and gently push her back inside before shutting the door. She doesn’t need to see this.

“Please,” the woman’s desperate voice begs. “Don’t hurt me.”

“Shut up!” Kipps digs the blade harder against her throat, causing a small stream of blood to trail down her chest and stain the bust of her worn gown.

“Kipps. Look at me,” I demand. “You don’t have to do this. You can let her go, and we can just talk.”

“I can’t!” he shouts. “He won’t let me!”

Footsteps race toward us from the other end of the alley, cutting off his only hope of escape. He starts to turn toward them, but I pull his attention back to me.

“Who won’t let you?” I ask. “Is it Darby?”

“No!” he screams, his fevered eyes drilling into mine. “The voice! He whispers to me. He’s always, always, always whispering.” His free hand pounds against his head, emphasizing his words. “All the time. And I have to do what he says. I don’t have a choice.”

“Who is he, Kipps? Tell me his name.”

His face crumples as he shakes his head.

“You don’t understand. None of you have heard him yet.” His gaze drops to my collar and stays there. “But you will.”

A terrible scream fills the air as Kipps drags his blade across the woman’s throat.

“No!” I cry, but it’s too late.

Blood sprays from the wound, splattering across my face. I step forward, my arms outstretched on instinct as Kipps throws the woman toward me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him lift the blade to his own throat right before another spray of blood washes over me. Soldiers swarm him, but all my attention is reserved for the woman dying in my arms.

Her panicked eyes find mine, the pupils so wide they’ve eaten up her green irises. Lowering her to the ground, I position her torso in my lap as I try to apply pressure to the wound. Her skin is slick, making it difficult to keep my hands from sliding. There’s blood everywhere. In some distant corner of my brain, I know it’s too much. Mortals are fragile, and their bodies can’t replace it quickly enough.

“Just hold on,” I whisper. “It will be okay.”

Her gaze is unfocused now, staring blankly at the sky above us.

“A towel!” I shout at the soldiers. “I need something to stop the bleeding!”

No one moves. There’s no longer any sound of a struggle, yet they all stand around watching us instead of helping.

“Save her!” I order them. “Do something!”

My hand slips again, and I adjust my grip, noticing the way her bleeding has slowed. Her skin is too cold now. Or maybe that’s mine? I feel as though I’ve been covered in a blanket of ice. My brow furrows as I remember how warm it was earlier. Did the weather change already?

“Ivy.”

I don’t glance up to see who’s speaking to me. It doesn’t matter. I need to focus on the woman in front of me. She needs my?—

Dead.

The word echoes through my mind as I stare into her lifeless eyes. Her chest is still, no longer moving up and down. Air hitches in my lungs as the world spins around me making the past and present blend together.

I run through the gardens as a wagon brings the body through the gate. I heard servants whisper it’s the queen, but that’s not possible.No. No, it’s not her. It can’t be. Leona isn’t dead. The wagon hits a bump in the road, jostling the blanket that covers the body. It slips down, revealing a face I know too well. Frozen terror holds her eyes wide, but there’s no life left in them. Her mouth is open, as if she died screaming and rigor mortis made her fear permanent.If only I had?—

“Leona, no,” I cry as I shake the woman in my lap. “Please! You can’t leave me again.”

A gloved hand settles on top of mine, startling me. I drag my gaze away from Leona to find Thorne staring down at me, his blue eyes full of sympathy.

“She’s gone, Angel,” he says softly. “It’s time to let go.”

“No, she’s—” My words cut off as I glance back down, freezing when I see her face.

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