Page 98 of Queen of the Night
“I’m not free to roam the camp, my dear,” Tatania scolds, reminding me she’s a captive too.
Escape. Mama Tina and Renna wait on the other side of it, and there’s a heck of a lot of sorrow to be faced, but I know for sure I don’t want to bridge with Renton and make his takeover easier.
“The plan?” I whisper.
“I’ve… taken care of the guard.” She wiggles a key in her finger before grabbing my hand. “Come with me.”
I run with her through the hall and out the front door of Renton’s house, but I immediately pull back when I catch sight of the utter chaos before me. “You released the gloam monsters?” I nearly shout in panic.
What sort of plan is this? I’m more likely to die than escape now.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know how that happened, but we’ll take advantage of the distraction. It’s better than we could have ever asked for.”
I have an opinion to share about that, but I keep my lips pressed shut.
“Renton has already arrived, and if you don’t leave now, you never will. You must run.”
Three massive shard beasts trample through the large encampment, roaring so loudly it raises the hair on my arms, and it feels as if glass punctures my eardrums. I scan the devastation and spot roaming gloam wolves, deathstalkers, and other beasts that I have no name for. Fire licks up many of the tents, spreading quickly as it grows into an inferno. Gloam soldiers are running and shouting, attempting to control the beasts, and above them, large birds with talons so long they could stab me straight through swoop and dive at the soldiers. It’s a scene I certainly don’t want to run into. The sounds alone have me clapping my hands over my ears and instinctively shrinking back toward the shelter of my prison.
Tatania grabs my forearm and tugs. “Run, Vera!”
“What about you?” I ask, confused, as she grows impatient and begins pushing me along the shadows of the house somewhat roughly.
“I’ll be along. Don’t worry about me. Ensure he can’t find you. Andhide,” she warns.
“But—”
“Go!” she shouts, a vein in her forehead throbbing and her eyes wide.
“Take care of yourself.” I reach for her hand and squeeze itonce, wondering if this is the last time I’ll see her. I don’t have time to argue with her.
She nods sharply. I don’t know what lies on the other side of this gloam camp, but I can’t stay here. I send up a prayer to Lucentia and run hunched over, making myself as small as I can, toward the shadows of the next half-burnt building.
I glance back at my prison through hazy air, wondering if I would’ve burned alive if not for Tatania releasing me, and I shiver. Rupi’s quilled feathers begin to prick into my neck, reminding me to focus, and I tear my gaze away. I dart around the licking flames, startling violently when a loud pop and a crack come from within and the roof falls in. Sweat beads on my forehead from the heat, but I welcome it because the light from the flames helps me see where I need to go next.
I get braver the farther I go, darting between buildings without recognition as the chaos rages around me. I crouch down and sprint to a small group of tents, hiding beside one that hasn’t begun to burn yet as I warily watch a pack of deathstalkers pass by several feet away. I breathe a sigh of relief when they don’t seem to notice me… until I turn my head and come face to face with one of the hypnotizing creatures with spikes framing its gruesome face. All the air leaves my lungs.
I instinctively stand up straighter and back up, remembering that Ikar told me to never stare into their eyes, but my distraction has me tripping over one of the blazing tent stakes. I crash to the ground painfully. Sparks from one of the burning tents burst nearby, a few of them floating down to singe my clothing and highlighting the magnetism of the deathstalker before me as it places a large clawed paw into my boot.
Oh no.
I pull a lucent orb just as it lunges, raising my arm updefensively in front of my face, waiting for its weight to crush me, for its jaw to snap around my neck. But when I look up… only wisps of gloam raining down around me and disappearing into the air remain. My eyes widen, and I look at my little lucent orb with a new level of respect.
“Did you see that, girl?” I whisper with awe. Rupi tugs my earlobe painfully, urging me on. Her quills poke painfully into my neck, drawing blood now. “I’m going, I’m going.”
I allow the lucent orb to snuff out and scramble to my feet, searching carefully around me to figure out the best way to escape into the forest. I can continue sneaking through this chaotic, burning camp, or… I eye the wide-open space that leads to the thick treeline… I can run for it and hope the flying creatures above don’t take advantage of my prime bait status. I have only moments to make a decision.
I look over my shoulder before I run and spot Renton with another group of gloam masters, working magic furiously to contain all the monsters that broke out… or were they let loose? They already have two shard beasts captured beneath what look like large nets made of gloam. He works fast, and I know if I don’t take this chance, I might not get one again. So with one last glance at Renton, who seems to look up and meet my eyes even though there’s no possible way with the distance and chaos between us, I shake off the chill in my soul, crouch down, and run across the open expanse toward the treeline. The screeching of the enormous creatures flying above me remind me to stay low. I wait to feel talons rake across my back as I run, and as I get closer, I swear I feel the beat of wings behind me. But even worse than fearing the gloartawks above? The eerie sense that Renton watches me the entire time. It motivates me to run faster.
It’s too dark to trulyseeanything, and it’s impossible to dodge the bare, dead tree branches that scrape at my face and arms. So I run recklessly, as fast as I can, keeping up with Rupi who darts and swoops around branches and trees alongside me, uncaring about the lack of grace in my movements. Until, suddenly, I smash into something hard and scream before a hand claps over my mouth, and I’m pulled back against the solid chest of my captor.Renton found me.
“It’s me,” Ikar whispers in my ear.
Immediately, I freeze, my hands clutching at his arm around me like a literal lifeline, as I feel my magic react to his proximity, and my knees go weak. Shock vibrates through my body.He’s alive? He’s here?I worry I’m dreaming again. Panic-induced, maybe? Or the excitement and stress of my escape has created a brilliant hallucination that will ruin me when it’s past. All I know is that for the first time in days, I feelwarmthat my back. My magic bursts with pleasure, and tears burn my eyes as I grip his arm tighter.
When he loosens his hold, I spin and wrap my arms around his waist, holding him tighter than I’ve ever held anyone in my life. The force of my affection seems to catch him off guard, but after only a moment his arms come around me. I press my cheek against his chest and nearly sob when I hear how strong his heart beats, even from beneath the leather of his armor that smells so familiar.And it’s not a dream.
The dark forest around us disappears, the horrid memories from the past week fade away, the cold thaws.No more secrets.I won’t waste the chance to be with him again. I begin to formulate the words. Nerves, or maybe shock, have my hands and feet tingling. How do I say it?
