Page 79 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
He appears right in front of me, and I suppress a small shriek. “Daemon!” I gasp. “Look!” I point toward the ships.
His already grim expression grows even darker. “It’s a slaughter, a coup. An attempt to eliminate the heads of the royal houses of Aureon while they’re all in one place.”
I had known that it couldn’t be anything good. Perhaps a squabble between two houses, or some drunken revelers taking things too far. But I had never expectedthis. “That’s… that’s insane.” I can’t even find the words. “But what about the spell? Who would try to do something like this?”
He takes my hand, and when he speaks, I already know from the look on his face what he’s going to say. “It appears to be House Harkyn. And your grandparents’ associates from Vinorjia.” Daemon points to the incoming ships. “Those are their sails. Reinforcements.”
The blood leaves my face, and for a moment I’m speechless. I press my face against Daemon’s chest, tears of anger burning in my eyes. “That’s why they summoned me from Shadow’s Keep and started this whole thing. They didn’t care if I won the tournament or died trying. They just needed a reason to invoke it. And this is why Kildari is so sure that I’ll be his wife.” The horror of it all is too much, and I draw in a shuddering breath.
Daemon just holds me for a moment. “We can’t stop what’s happening back there. Our plan remains the same: we leave, and we leave right now. If we can get word to the Queen…”
I straighten and shake my head. “But Cillian!”
Daemon’s brow furrows. “Cillian is surely in on the plan.”
“No, he wouldn’t. He hates them as much as I do. He would never help them with something like this.”
“Embyr…” Daemon’s eyes hold sympathy, but his voice is firm.
“No, Daemon! He’s family. I can’t leave without him. And what about Julian?”
“Julian is the general of magic for all the Guardians. He can take care of himself. He’s probably already on his way to warn the Queen.”
I grind my teeth together. “I can’t leave my cousin.”
Daemon places his hands on my shoulders. “He’s safer than anyone here. Even if he doesn’t know what’s going on, he still won’t be harmed. I can’t let you go back there. You’ll be killed, and you can’t help anyone if you are.”
Hot tears of frustration burn at the corners of my eyes. “I can’t believe this…”
“Me, either.” Daemon pulls me against his chest again for a moment. “Now, we’ve got to get out of here. They’ll be looking for you.”
His words send a shiver of horror up my spine.
Daemon takes my hand and we head toward the peaks above the valley, toward the glen where we practiced magic. Within a few minutes we reach it, and I look back the way we’d come. In the distance, I see a great blaze where the dinner tents stood, and throughout the massive campsite there are dozens of smaller fires, tents set afire. Horses gallop back and forth, some with riders, others loose. I can still hear distant screams, and another tremble moves over me.
“Come on,” Daemon says softly. “There’s nothing we can do for them.”
We head toward the end of the glen. We’re just reaching a narrow gap where two of the peaks come together when a figure strides into view from the other side. My heart explodes in my chest, but then I recognize the person. Julian.
“Thank goodness!” he cries. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“We left the dinner early,” Daemon says. “A fortunate accident. We heard the battle from the distance and steered clear.”
“Terrible, an absolute horror,” Julian says, wringing his hands together. “I need to send word to the Queen, but I wanted to find you two first.”
“I’m so glad you made it out of there,” I say, my voice shaking. “Are there…other survivors?”
Julian’s eyes go distant a moment, as if seeing something in his head. “I saw a few fleeing, but…it all happened so quickly. They came from all sides, down the valley and out of the hills on the other side. Surrounded everyone at the dinner…” He cuts off and shakes his head.
“It’s…it’s my family,” I say softly, hating the words as they leave my throat. “Well, my grandparents. And those awful brothers from across the sea. They are awful, but I still can’t believe they’d do this.”
Julian nods, his movements jerky, clearly on edge. “That’s what I was afraid of. You were part of their plan, my dear. That’s why I wanted to find you. I couldn’t let them take you.”
My eyes glisten with tears, and I reach out and squeeze his hand. “You’ve been helping me from the beginning. It’s so kind of you… I don’t even know how to ever thank you.”
The professor glances up at Daemon. “I’m not the only one…”
I follow his gaze, and Daemon slides his hand around my waist, pulling me closer. The professor smiles, a small, weak smile, his own eyes looking wet. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of leaving Embyr’s side for the foreseeable future,” Daemon says. “I wasn’t going to let her be married off to a stranger.”
