Page 37 of Broken Kingdom

The trembling girl beside me—Ophelia, my stepsister, apparently—sucks in a soft breath. “I d-d-don’t need to b-be c-carried, I c-can—”

“Quiet, honey, Daddy’s busy,” Hammer says, cutting her off. Shifting his attention to me, he smiles. “And what about you, Ford? You ready to rejoin the fold? I could use an heir who doesn’t stammer like an idiot every time he opens his mouth.”

“I’d rather cut off my own hands,” I say pleasantly, grateful when another guard pushes a bound Catherine down beside me. I’m not leaving here without her and Juliet. I intend to keep both of them in my line of sight until a chance to get the hell out of dodge presents itself.

“I can arrange that for you,” Hammer says, his eyes cold though his smile stays firmly in place. “But it would be a shame to hobble such a fine fighter. I’m impressed, son. Surviving for years in the fight pits is no mean feat. You’ve got gumption. I could use more men like you. I think I’ll bring you home, toss you in a cell for a while to think things over, and see if you don’t come around.”

Before I can reply, he’s turned away, conferring with Abraham as they move back toward the platform. There, Juliet lies unconscious in her phoenix form with President Benoit bound and gagged beside her.

I start to turn to Catherine, to ask if she’s okay, when the girl beside me stammers, “You’re F-Ford? Ford Z-Zion?”

“I am,” I confirm. “And you’re Ophelia, Hammer’s daughter from the Parallel.”

She nods, her nervous gaze shifting to follow Hammer and Abraham before returning to my face. “I’ve heard things about you. From the p-people of Zion. They kept s-saying you were c-coming back to s-save them.”

“Juliet and I are giving it our best shot,” I say, glancing at Catherine. “And this is Catherine, one of our friends.”

“Hey there,” Catherine whispers softly. “So, there are people who might be willing to help us here? Is that what you’re saying?”

Ophelia nods, her already wide eyes stretching even wider. “Y-yes. M-most of them, I think. Except the g-guards and the priests and my m-mother. But Mom will come around if Hammer’s gone. She just wants to be on the w-winning side, she doesn’t l-love him. Not really.”

“Does that mean you’re willing to help untie us?” I ask, even though I seriously doubt this frail, trembling girl has it in her to defy Hammer out in the open.

But she surprises me, nodding swiftly before casting another glance at the platform. “I’ll t-try. He should be distracted for a few minutes, at least. As long as you p-promise I don’t have to marry Abraham when you’re in charge. I c-can’t do it. I h-hate him. I’d r-rather die first.”

I nod and assure her, “When Juliet is in charge, no one’s marrying anyone they don’t want to marry.”

Ophelia’s lips twitch. “She’s going to be Alpha? A w-woman? That’s cool.”

“Juliet’s as fierce and fair as they come,” Catherine whispers. “If we can get her on the throne, she’ll do great things for this pack.”

“I b-believe you. Count me in,” Ophelia says.

As she discreetly starts working at the knots binding my arms to my sides and my hands to the small of my back, I keep my gaze locked on Hammer’s wide shoulders as he hauls Coralie to her feet. He bends his face closer to hers, saying something that makes a shudder run through her slim form.

He rips the gag from her mouth, laughing as he turns to shout, “We’re back in business, Zion. You’re about to become gods among men!”

A cheer rises from the crowd, but it’s half-hearted at best, and the sound of children crying quickly fills the silence after.

The people of Zion are scared and not on board with what’s going down here, a fact proven when none of the people near our place on the grass say a word to alert Hammer to Ophelia’s work on my bonds. By the time Coralie motions for the priests to hold Juliet’s phoenix between them and begins chanting over her limp body, if I wanted to, I could rip through the rest of the fabric.

Instead, I sit tight, waiting for the right moment to rush the stage, while Ophelia shifts over to work on freeing Catherine’s hands.

I clench my fingers into fists and wait as Coralie removes the zip tie from Juliet’s beak and gently unravels the fabric holding her wings to her sides. She continues to chant, and Juliet’s feathers begin to glow, drawing the full attention of both Hammer and Abraham, who I doubt have ever seen a phoenix shine before.

I’m about to sprint for the platform and do my best to take Hammer down before Abraham or anyone else can stop me, when I hear a whisper between my ears.

Wait, Ford. Just a few more seconds. When I throw her into the air, come for Hammer then. He has a gun tucked into the back of his pants.

It’s President Benoit’s voice, and it seems she’s on our side.

Or this is a trick to keep me where I am until it’s too late to save Juliet.

Before I can decide what to believe, President Benoit reaches for Juliet’s limp body and one of Juliet’s eyes cracks open, locking on mine as Coralie bends her knees and hurls her daughter’s now unbound body into the air.

At the apex of her rise, Juliet’s wings unfurl with a blinding flash of light.

I lift my hand to shield my eyes. By the time I lower it a beat later, the entire platform is on fire and President Benoit is running our way.

---