Page 100 of A Queen's Game
“Nothing is ever as it seems,” she said, pulling out a dagger. The light globes from the main street reflected on its glinted edge.
The male turned to run but Valeriya chucked her weapon. The metal found the soft spot behind his knee, the male collapsing. She chuckled as she approached the male sprawled on the ground, his panting the only sound. “Where are the missing pilinos?”
“Wh-what?” he stammered, cowering as she stood above him.
“Don’t act stupid.” Valeriya kicked, feeling the crack of his ribs. Wyltam had said that Keyain would take care of their disappearances but Valeriya knew that was as good as doing nothing. This was her chance to find them. “Tell me where they are and what you’re doing with them.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The male flinched as she kicked him again.
“I warned you. Don’t—” A dull blow knocked into the back of her skull, her version going white from the pain. She joined the male on the ground, groaning as she tried to stand.
“What in the hells is this?” The male who attacked her from behind stood over her with furrowed brows. “She looks exactly like….”
The male on the ground next to her scrambled back. “She looks like Queen Valeriya.”
She glanced down at her body, realizing her illusion dropped with the hit to her head. “Shit,” she hissed, rolling into a crouched position.
Though it was unlikely anyone would ever believe that the Queen attacked them in an alley, it wasn’t a rumor she was eager to have going around. The best way to remain discreet for her and her sister’s plan was to give no hints of Valeriya’s mage abilities—which included any rumors. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the task she must complete.
Aithyr coated her body in her disguise once more as she sized them up. “As I said, an unknown target can be the most dangerous one.” Valeriya glared at the two males who pulled knives out. “You’ve chosen poorly this evening.”
With a quick motion, Valeriya threw the dagger at the male to her left, trailing its trajectory. The male hit the blade away, but Valeriya was on him before he could attack. With one foot placed behind him, she used her body’s momentum to shove, causing him to trip, and she pulled another dagger to her hand.
“Stupid bitch,” the male said as he thudded to the gravel and stones of the alley.
Valeriya jumped on him, pinning his arms down with her knees as she aimed for his jaw before he could speak again. Her punch landed, sending pain through her hand and earning a crack from his jaw. As she went to hit again, crackling lightning danced around her fist.
The male bucked, throwing Valeriya off him. Before she responded, he stood, drawing his leg back, and kicked her in the chest. Pain bloomed with a snap. He drew back his leg andkicked again, landing in the same spot. Valeriya grabbed his leg on his next kick, pulling him back to the ground. The male had seen who she was—incapacitating him would no longer be an option. Her dagger found its mark between his ribs, fresh blood coating her hand.
A panicked cry came from the end of the alley. The other male crawled towards the main street with her dagger still penetrating the back of his knee. Valeriya jumped up, closing the space between them.
“Please,” he begged. “I swear—”
Valeriya grabbed him by his hair, placing the edge of her dagger against the pulse of his neck. “One last chance. Tell me what you’ve done with the missing pilinos.”
“Help!” he shrieked, fighting against her hold. “Help—”
The blade cut deep, silencing his cries.
Valeriya dropped her dagger by the unconscious male, the one she knocked out with magic. At least he had lived, meaning the guards would have one of them to question.
Footfalls sounded from the main street, followed by the barking of orders. Valeriya faded into the dark of the alley, taking off before someone would see her.
She had never taken a life prior to this. The blood on her hands and the stillness of their bodies haunted her as she traveled through the city streets. Though she had trained to become a mage, she never believed that she would need to kill anyone. Now, she’d killed two. There was one slight solace to the edge of guilt she felt: pilinos would stop disappearing. That terror ended at the edge of her knife. The thought steadied her as she raced toward the palace.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Marietta
Awarm, humid wind blew past Marietta’s face, the petrichor scent thick in the breeze. A smile crept onto her face even as Keyain gripped her arm, leading her down the temple steps. City guards waited at the bottom, Amryth remaining at Marietta’s side instead of falling in line with the rest. The chirp of crickets cried from small pockets of greenery that dotted the cityscape.
Her body no longer felt the relentless weight she’d been carrying for months. She got herself out; she got herself free. Though Keyain’s rage was a breath away, held back by only his need to appear calm in front of others, Marietta continued to smile as he wove her through the cobblestone city streets.
Light globes drifted overhead with their warm glow. Flower boxes sat beneath windows, spilling over with blooms of every color. Mature oak trees dominated tiny parks as they passed, surrounded by greenery and statues like the ones in the palace. Marietta longed to stop and explore the fascinating city, but Keyain pulled her along.
“Amryth, give us some space,” Keyain said, making the soldier step in line with the other guards. Once she was out of earshot, he hissed, “What the fuck were you thinking? You’vemade a spectacle of yourself, escaping the suite amid pilinos vanishing on the streets. You could’ve been the next victim, Marietta.”
“If you had taken me to the temple yourself, then this wouldn’t have happened.” Marietta’s eyes wandered to the Satiroans walking the streets. An elven lady leaned over to her companion, hand over her mouth, as they stared in their direction. They weren’t the only ones to take notice of their party.
