Page 210 of The Forbidden Dragon King
“I’ve got it. You’re safe.” Daire’s voice sounds as ruined as I’m feeling.
Moths, shadows, scarab beetles, rats, and fog.
How can we fight our way through them all to find the palace? I can barely see my Golden Family who are close around me. I don’t know these streets.
How can we make it through this chaos?
I shudder, fingers twitching around Hadrian’s Dagger.
I shake my head, struggling to remain in control.
My pulse is pounding in my ears.
All of a sudden, Vicious’ piercing scream rings through the darkness. It shocks me because Vicious never screams.
She has been promoted in her Guild of Assassins partly because of her cold-blooded skills but also because of her high tolerance for pain, both receiving and giving.
I’ve never seen her scream or cry.
Hearing it now makes the hairs rise on the back of my neck.
I swing around to face where Vicious should have been but she’s missing.
“Vic!” I call desperately through the banks of fog.
Wraith is sobbing.
“What the fuck…?” War throws herself toward where Vicious had been, dragging a bleeding and limping Lucius with her. “Wraith, what…?”
I stare down at a bloody figure on the floor who is covered in a sea of rats.
Bile rushes up my throat.
Never show pain. Never show weakness.Never show emotion.
I force back the tears in my eyes.
“Save her,” Wraith begs.
I move forward, but War blocks my path and snatches my arm.
I wince.
“Don’t you dare, Relius,” War snarls. “Get back to the palace, or I’ll ram this dagger up your ass myself. You have to live. We’d all die for you. It’s what we swore, remember? Don’t look back.”
She turns me and shoves me into the fog.
I lose the battle. A tear chases down my cheek.
Behind me, I hear Wraith still sobbing.
Freya presses hard against my back. Daire presses closer as well. His wings stroke tentatively against my shoulders in comfort.
I don’t push him away.
My Golden Family are my true family. Best friends. Chosen because they’re the best at what they do and because I knew that they would be loyal.
Now, they’ve sacrificed themselves for me.
