Page 165 of Shadow's Raven

Her pupils dilated. "It's not working."

"You can't leave," Malcolm taunted. "The magic won't let you."

"Kree, ignore that asshole. Keep trying," I encouraged, then turned to Cash. "Check the exits and make sure we can get out."

Cash flew away without question. There were only two ways in and out so he was back in under a minute.

Jaw tight, the Shadow shook his head. "It's like there's a layer of power now covering the walls. I couldn't even get close enough to try to ghost through cracks."

Fuck!"Find a way out, Cash."

He was gone in a blink.

Malcolm laughed and then started coughing. He laughed between each fit, a perverse and crazed noise.

"No way out," he giggled. "It's over. For all of us. Well, the fae inside here. But don't worry, one of the blood will live to rise to the throne."

Shoving Kol up close to Nik, Brokk grabbed Malcolm by his shirt and drug him to his feet. "Explain," he ordered.

The consort coughed again, blinked sleepily, and said, "The end draws near, for land and king, when the sovereign dies in the Faelands' ring."

The nut job giggled again, then choked, hacking dramatically. Sputum and blood landed on Brokk's face. His lip curled in a disgusted snarl and his skin sizzled. Brokk wiped his cheek and studied the smear on his fingers.

"Why is there iron in your blood, Consort?"

Raven cringed. I extended a protective arm around her.

Malcolm leaned close to The Navita's face and whispered, "Because this is how we die. Sersha's almost dead. Any moment now. Since you'll likely perish with me, I'll tell you a secret. You shouldn't kill a sovereign in the ring who hasn't chosen a successor."

We knew there was a ceremony performed when an heir was either born or chosen. We also knew Sersha had neither selected her successor nor did she have any offspring.

Ignoring Malcolm, I tried to locate Sersha. The fog furling under the transparent dome was too thick. "Does anyone see her?"

"Shit, Raven. Here." Phalen handed her the handkerchief from his pocket.

She wiped her nose. It came away bloody. A river of ice numbed my muscles and slowed my pulse. A glacier sat on top of me, freezing me to the bone.

"Father?" Kol cried.

Brokk threw Malcolm to the ground and went to his son, kneeling before him. He dipped his finger into the blood dripping from Kol's nose.

"Fucking iron," he denigrated, wiping it off on his leg.

The Consort cackled. Red was now spilling from his eyes and ears. "The male witch has ousted the Queen! Now we get to die!”

Malcolm cackled again, silenced instantly by Brokk's dagger buried in his eye socket.

A mercy killing, really. More than the piece of shit deserved.

Raven's legs gave out and I pulled her up into my arms. "Kree?" I urged. "Can you help?"

The female was trembling. "Nothing is working. It's like my power well is empty. I–I'm trying to call my wings to recharge so I can heal them and it's not working!"

Phalen hugged Lyric's sister and looked at me overtop her golden head. Fear and uncertainty etched onto his face. We needed to act fast.

An electric crackle came from below. The barrier vanished and the haze was sucked into the ground by an unnamed force.

Sersha's body lay crumpled with Henderson standing over it. His clothing was torn, skin covered in burns and bruises. A nasty cut was hanging open over his left eye.

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