Page 32 of The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom 2)

The King of Maridrina gave her a sour smile. “Wonderful, if somewhat overloud.” Then he waved a dismissive hand, and the young women backed into the shadows of the walls, heads lowered.

All, that is, but one.

Lara took three quick steps and jumped, landing on the center of the table like a cat and rattling the glassware.

“What are you doing, woman?” Silas demanded. “Get down and get out before I have you whipped.”

“Now, now, Father,” Lara purred, walking down the table and kicking over glasses of wine with every step, nobleman and ambassadors pulling back in alarm. “Is that any way to greet your mostfavoredof children?”

Silas’s eyes widened as she pulled away the veil concealing her face, allowing it to flutter down onto a plate. Gasps filled the air, but no one spoke. No one dared.

“You little fool.” Silas rose to his feet and pulled out his sword. “Just what did you think to accomplish by coming here tonight?”

“I intend to take back what’s mine.”

I am not yours,Aren wanted to scream at her, but Coralyn pressed a hand against his arm.

Lara stopped in her tracks, one hip jutting out as she tapped a slender finger against her lips. “You lied to me. Manipulated me. Used me—not for the benefit of our people, but for your own benefit. To satisfy your own greed. For that, I think punishment is in order.”

Silas pointed the tip of his sword at her. “I admire your confidence that you can accomplish such a feat on your own, Daughter.”

Laughing, Lara tipped back her head. “Do you really think that I’m such a fool as to come alone?”

The air was split by distinct gurgles, bodies thudding to the ground.

Aren’s attention jerked from Lara to the five other dancers, all of whom now held weapons glistening with the blood of the guards they’d just dispatched. As one, they removed their veils and smiled as they said, “Hello, Father.”

The room erupted into chaos.

Guests screamed as they tried to scramble to safety, colliding with Silas’s guards as they rushed the dancers. But the young women only picked up the weapons of their victims and slaughtered the soldiers with ease.

“Never mindthem—gether!” Silas shrieked, and two soldiers charged toward the table, naked blades in hand and their eyes on Lara. Who was unarmed.

Aren jerked upright, but his wrists and ankles were bound to the table, rendering him helpless to do anything but watch as the soldiers moved in for the kill.

But Lara didn’t need his help. Or anyone else’s.

Snatching up a glass, she threw it in one guard’s face, using the distraction to kick him in the wrist, sending his blade flying.

The other guard swung his weapon, but she leapt, the blade whistling under her, one leg striking out and catching the man in the face. He fell back, clutching a shattered nose.

The first guard recovered, snatching hold of her ankles. Before he could jerk her legs out from under her, Lara dived onto him, both of them falling out of sight behind the table.

Aren heard the snap of a breaking neck, then Lara appeared, sword in hand. With a ruthless slice, she cut the throat of the guard with the broken nose, then whirled to engage another, parrying the large man’s blows, her shoulders shuddering from the impact of the weapons.

Once, twice, she blocked his blows, but on the third, the force knocked the sword from her hand.

“No!” Aren tried to lunge forward, fighting against his restraints, but the table barely shifted.

With a guttural roar, the man swung at her neck.

Lara ducked under the blow while catching hold of a broken wine glass, which she stabbed into his shoulder as she rotated, heel flying out to shatter the man’s kneecap.

“I suppose we should take care of those chains, shouldn’t we.” Coralyn rose from where she’d sat serenely watching the carnage. Extracting a key, she unlocked the manacles on Aren’s wrists before bending to do the same to his ankles. From across the room, shielded by eight of his guards, Silas saw her do it.

“Kill him!” the king shouted. “Kill the Ithicanian!”

A guard broke away, running in Aren’s direction, but Aren whipped one of his chains, the links wrapping around the man’s sword. A hard jerk sent the blade flying. The man stumbled, reaching for another weapon, but Coralyn freed Aren’s ankles in time for him to lunge, tackling the soldier to the ground.

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