Page 74 of Forged By Heart and Claws
A glint of the torchlight hit the onyx hairpin.
Rage twisted inside me, and my claws curled tighter around my sword. That hairpin belonged to Elara and had been passed down from our mother.
Wecouldn’tget captured. If they locked us in those cells, the keys wouldn’t help. The locks were inaccessible from the inside. I shifted subtly, angling my body toward Calla Lilly with my right shoulder pointed at the pocket door.
Briar’s glare fixed on Calla Lily. “Kaylen and I have our differences, but she doesn’t deserve to rot to death. None of these people do.”
Calla Lily sniffed. “And you don’t deserve to be queen.”
She then turned her smile on me, syrupy and cruel. “My darling will bemostpleased to learn about the two of you. I didn’t expect this outcome, but that just makes it more entertaining. You’ll die, of course. Publicly. Perfect timing for our coronation.”
Briar growled, low and feral, and again, the bond between us wavered, like it was fading. For a moment, I couldn’t feel her emotions. I experienced only my own rage and tension.
“You’ve locked up children,” Briar spat. “Starved the innocent. If you think I’ll let that slide and not tear your throat out with my teeth, you’re more of a dumbass than I thought.”
“Not if you’re drawn and quartered first.” Calla Lilly‘s smile didn’t even twitch.
“Touch her,” I said flatly, “and I’ll raze this castle and everyone in it.” Then I linked with Briar.Angle toward the door. Take Kaylen and head in first to lead the way back to the others. I’ll be right behind you.
Briar didn’t answer me through the link, but she did take Kaylen’s hand and draw her to her feet. That disconnection wasn’t like her. Concern twisted my gut.
But she was moving like I wanted her to, so I focused on the plan. “You know he’s using you, right? You weren’t good enough to be my bride, and you aren’t good enough to be his. Even if Fate hadn’t chosen Briar, I would never have chosen you.”
Her eyes blazed, and she sucked in a breath. She pressed her lips into a thin line and pointed at me with a trembling hand. “You— You?—”
I stepped forward and slightly to the side, wings flaring just enough to block her view of Briar’s subtle movements. “Careful, you’re shaking. Guilt, perhaps?”
“Halt!” The first guard motioned with his crossbow, glancing at Calla Lily for orders. The second guard mirrored the motion.
Smirking, I turned my head just enough to keep them guessing, then flicked my gaze back to Calla Lily. The swordsman behind us hadn’t moved, still holding his position to block what they thought was our escape path. “What’s the matter, Calla Lily? Did the shadow beast get your tongue, or is it guilt from stealing jewelry from my sister’s room?”
Color drained from her face, and the torchlight caught the glitter of the numerous rings she wore. Half of them were from the royal quarters. The fury rising inside me iced over into something far colder.
“Sho—” she started.
Briar cut her off with a sharp, wild laugh. “That’s right. Go ahead and shoot us! I’d rather die here and now than see Colm’s ugly face again.” Her voice faintly brushed my mind again.Laugh and move.
Oh, clever woman. I forced a deep, mocking laugh, covering my face, and pretended to stagger sideways, moving closer to the pocket door.
Kaylen blinked, half crouched between us. “Are you two insane?”
“What are you laughing at?” Calla Lily hissed. Her face reddened, and her red-brown eyes blazed. “This isn’t funny!”
“It isfunny!” Briar tilted her head and bared her teeth in a feral grin. “You have to spend eternity with Colm. That’s the joke, isn’t it? You think he actually cares about you, while he locks up children and lets innocents starve?”
“Politics are cruel. I don’t need to justify myself to you!” Calla Lily clenched her fists. “Arrest them now!”
A flash of red caught my eye from the corridor to the right of Calla Lily. A small glowing orb sailed through the air, arcing cleanly before it struck the stone floor just behind her with acrack. Oil splashed across the floor and then ignited.
The explosion of heat tore through the hallway. I threw my wings wide, shielding Briar as the fire erupted upward, devouring the air and casting molten gold light across the walls. The guards yelled, stumbling backward as the blaze climbed toward the ceiling.
Calla Lily shrieked, slapping at her gown as embers caught the hem. “What in the ashing void?”
A woman strode out of the smoke and flame, long black hair streaming behind her. A small crossbow gleamed in one hand, a second red orb burning faintly in the other. “Run, Briar! You can take out the main guard at the entrance before reinforcements arrive! There should only be three still there!”
Shock jolted through me. Another bridal candidate was still alive and fighting.
She swung the crossbow toward the swordsman at the far end of the corridor. “You move, and I’ll put a bolt through both your precious queen-to-be’s faces! Not that I plan to kill you yet, Calla Lily, you deserve tosufferfirst.”
