Page 131 of A Crown of Lies

Saya grinned into the dark and kissed the top of her head. “Of course. We’re only getting started.”

Theskywasbrighteningtoward dawn when Mercia felt Saya shift next to her. She reached for Saya, half asleep, only to freeze in place when a hand closed over her mouth. Mercia’s eyes snapped open and quickly adjusted to the dark.

Saya had been pulled from beneath the sheet and stood beside the bed naked, a gleaming blade at her throat. An elf in familiar black clothing held the dagger to Saya, and another one held Mercia from behind.

“What do we do?” hissed the one holding Mercia in Elvish. “There was only supposed to be one.”

“The human’s expendable,” said the other. “Kill her. We only need this one.”

Mercia’s blood ran cold. Shikami, and they had Saya. She had to do something.

She threw her shoulder forward, shoving the knife away from her throat. The Shikami must not have been expecting her to do anything because her eyes flared wide with surprise. With a shout, Mercia drove her elbow into the Shikami’s ribs. She doubled over, falling on top of Mercia’s legs. Mercia lifted a fist and brought it down on the back of the Shikami’s neck before she even had time to think. There was a sickening crunch and the Shikami’s limbs jerked.

“Stop!” shouted the other Shikami. She brought the blade tighter against Saya’s throat until Saya gasped. “Stay where you are, or she dies.”

Mercia clenched her jaw and searched for something, anything, she could do, but there was nothing. They were too far away, and she wasn’t trained to fight Shikami. Dammit, where was Aryn when she needed him?

Her eyes locked on Saya’s. Inside, she was panicking, but her voice came out even and calm. “Stay alive,” she said.

“Mercia!” Saya sobbed as the Shikami dragged her toward the open window. “Mercia, please!” She stretched out a hand.

It took every ounce of restraint in Mercia to stay where she was instead of going after her. Her fingers flexed into fists. “We’ll come for you! I swear it!”

With a sobbing Saya in her arms, the Shikami climbed out the window.

Mercia rushed over in hopes of spotting which direction they went, but it was a hopeless endeavor. By the time she made it to the window, both Saya and the Shikami were gone.

Thirty-Nine

Katyrcrossedhisarmsand stared at the baby Isaac had placed on their bed. The infant prince chewed on his fist and kicked his feet, drooling everywhere. Behind him, Isaac furiously threw gear into a bag, expecting Kat to ride out of Ostovan before the sun ever came up.

Kat didn’t think he’d ever been so furious with Isaac as he was in that moment.

When Isaac walked into their room, blood spatter coating his clothes and face, Kat had been worried until he saw the squirming bundle in his arms. Even after Isaac explained everything, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to ride out with a baby. He didn’t even want to pick it up.

“Can’t someone else do this?” Kat asked. “Send a guard.”

“The fewer people we can have involved, the better.”

Kat turned his head away and mumbled, “Weshouldn’t even be involved.”

Isaac paused his packing and stood. “You would rather I let him die?”

Kat didn’t answer. He was a whirlwind of emotion. Of course he wouldn’t want an innocent child to die. But if he’d never known, if Isaac had never gotten involved, then he wouldn’t be saddled with guilt that never belonged to him in the first place. Why was it always their job to save people? Why at the expense of their own happiness and comfort?

Whyhim?

Isaac stepped away from their things and gripped Kat firmly by the back of his head, drawing the mage’s attention back to him. “I love you, but you can be such a selfish brat sometimes.”

Kat pulled away. “You think I’m selfish because I don’t want to be saddled with a child that isn’t mine? That I have absolutely no connection to?”

“I think your own trauma is making you seem like a heartless jerk.” Isaac stepped in. “That baby did nothing to you, and yet you’ve all but admitted you would’ve let Michal kill him! All to avoid a few weeks of bottle feeding and diaper changes?”

“It isn’t that, Isaac, and you know it.”

“Ever since I’ve known you, all you want to talk about is freedom for mages, helping people. Making the world a better place for others who follow behind. Well, here’s your opportunity. I’ve brought it to you, and you want to turn your nose up at it?” Isaac shook his head. “Why? Because you’re afraid?”

Kat turned away. “You don’t know that he’s a mage.”

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