Page 163 of House of Embers
It was the break in his facade that stood at the edge of the platform poised like a knife that broke it all to pieces. Isa, at attention, her collar tight around her neck, her eyes narrowed to pinpoints. He hadn’t sent her into the fight. He wanted this to last. Or he wanted her to watch.
“Bastian,” Kerrigan said. “Quite a spectacle you’ve put on here of normalcy. But I guess you’re pretty good at that, aren’t you?”
“It’s good to have you home.”
“I bet.”
Fordham shifted at her side and then put his boot into the face of one of the forum onlookers who had just produced a knife out of his pockets. “Nuh-uh.”
The male cowered, and Fordham quickly disarmed him.
“And you brought Fordham,” Bastian said. “As expected. I hear congratulations are in order.”
“We don’t particularly want them from you,” Fordham said.
“A king doesn’t need congratulations, I suppose,” Bastian continued as if he hadn’t heard. “But a royal wedding. That’s something to look forward to.”
“Are you fishing for an invitation?” Kerrigan asked, unsure where he was taking this line of conversation. If he was just showing that he knew what was happening in the House of Shadows, it didn’t matter. None of that was private. In fact, it had all been declared very publicly.
“I think we’re past that, don’t you?” Bastian asked. He raised the hand that had been severed to reveal his metal prosthetic and used the metal fingers to twirl the Ring of Endings on his finger.
“Long past it,” she assured him.
The Ring of Endings kept him immune from magic even if its real purpose was healing. She needed to get it off his finger before they could end this. But she had a plan for that. She just needed to keep him talking.
“While this has been amusing,” Bastian said, “I would like to continue with the forum.”
“Oh, of course,” she said, taking a step to the side as if to allow the sycophants to come forward. “Looks like you’ve lost your worshippers.”
“We can start with you,” he said.
She laughed in his face. “I never worshipped you.”
“Feel free to list your unreasonable demands for the council, and we can decide whether to keep you alive after we put down your petty rebellion.”
Kerrigan’s eyes cut to Fordham. This was a new angle.
“We both know that one of us isn’t leaving this arena alive,” she said as she took a step back to Fordham’s side.
“You’re right,” Bastian said with a nod.
Then he waved his hand at Isa, some unknown command. Thegirl visibly bristled as she tried to resist what was coming. Kerrigan brought her magic up, expecting an attack from the assassin.
But all Isa did was drop into the sand on some unseen artifact. A hiss sounded as soon as her foot made contact, and then a trap sprang around Kerrigan and Fordham, holding them in place.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
The Foot Soldiers
Clover
Clover had her amulet in her hand and a bag of magical artifacts in a bag at her hip. “Ready your troops.”
Islay and Ruen split off to the left. They’d been furious when they found out about Gerrond’s duplicity. The drifters had doubled their support after that, like they’d been putting so much stock in Gerrond’s help and then, when he’d turned out as false as all the others in the houses, they’d aligned with the revolution. It had been a real boon to her foot soldiers. Drifters weren’t all peaceful, and many of them had fallen out with war houses but had the battle experience that most humans and half-Fae lacked.
Faint had already headed around on the right with his contingent of soldiers. Bails and Tanny had gone with him this time. Clover had Jennith at her back and wings in the sky.
The aerial front had been their cue to enter the battle. After clearing out the Dregs for miles, they’d pushed the guards back in the city.
