Page 23 of He Who Ignites The Flame
“When things calm down, I plan to seek an audience with Lord Damien,” Vesa said. “He is an honorable male; he wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this.”
“What do you plan to do until then?” I asked. “You can’t just hide out here. It’s only a matter of time before you run into a darkling.”
“We—” An arrow slammed into Vesa’s shoulder, and she cried out as she stumbled back, clutching the shaft.
“Vesa!” Calliope cried, catching her before she hit her knees.
I twisted around to find a group of males surrounding us, two standing back a safe distance with bows drawn.
“I knew you’d lead us right to her.” My heart stilled at the sound of Atticus’ voice, and the flames flared beneath my skin as he stepped from the shadows of the trees, greeting me with a sickening smile. Realization dawned on me. They would have spent all their time searching the village, would never have thought to search elsewhere. Calliope and Vesa had been hidden, had been out of Father’s reach…
And I’d fucking lead Atticus and his men right to them.
“You two get out of here!” I yelled, placing myself in front of Calliope and Vesa.
“I can’t leave you!” Calliope sobbed, and I spared a moment to look back, finding Vesa pushing Calliope behind her.
“Get her to safety!” I hadn’t met the king, but if Vesa trusted him, I had no option but to trust her word. I turned to the guards stalking toward me, weapons drawn. “Get her to Lord Damien!”
“Come on,” Vesa said, her voice pained.
“No, please,” Calliope begged. “We can’t leave. They’ll kill him!”
Vesa grunted, and I looked over my shoulder to find her falling back to her knees, sweat beading on her brow. Her skin had turned sickly, and she panted, clutching the arrow in her shoulder.
“Vesa?” Calliope crouched next to her, eyes full of worry. “What’s wrong? Look at me.”
“She won’t be getting far,” the bowman said with a cocky grin, “Not with Aethersbane in her system.”
My heart shuddered. Fuck. Aethersbane was a toxic plant native to the Godsrealm, the toxin harvested and used as a poison to render fae and other magical beings of Elythias powerless. I didn’t even think it was legal to harvest and use. She would be cut off from her magic, weak, unable to fight back.
“Fucking bastard!” I yelled and charged at the bowman.
Atticus stepped back as more guards swarmed us, cutting off my path to the male nocking another arrow. “Take them.”
I slammed my fist into one guard’s face before another crashed into me, arms wrapped around my waist. We hit the ground, and I grunted before fighting to get out from under him. We rolled, grappling with one another until I managed to wedge him beneath me. I punched him again and again until his blood splattered my fist, my face. Hands grabbed my arms, halting my assault.
I fought their hold as they hoisted me off the bloodied male on the ground. “Let me go!”
Calliope’s scream drew my attention to them as guards tore Calliope and Vesa apart.
“Lord Damien won’t stand for this!” Vesa shouted weakly as she fought the hold of her captors. The guard twisted the shaft of the arrow protruding from her shoulder, and she cried out.
“Lord Damien will know nothing of tonight,” Atticus said lowly as he stalked toward her, and he nodded to the guard at her back.
The guard drew a dagger and ran it across her throat, crimson spilling down the front of her armor, and my heart plummeted.
“No!” Calliope screamed. “No! Please, Gods, no!”
My knees gave out as the guards forced me to the ground, the world going silent as Calliope tried to get to Vesa who grabbed at her throat, blood bubbling from the wound as she gasped for air. Then her arms fell slack at her sides, the light dying out in her pale violet eyes.
The guard tossed her lifeless body to the ground, her mouth moving but no sound coming forth before she went still.
Calliope screamed Vesa’s name, tears coating her cheeks.
“Leave her for the darklings,” Atticus said, turning to walk toward the tree line once more. “No one will search for a deserter.”
A deserter? Would that be the story they’d fucking spin when they realized Vesa was missing? It wasn’t enough that they would fucking murder her for defending someone she loved, they’d dishonor her memory by naming her a deserter?
