Page 25 of Archlord of Exile

“Deal.”

The room faded to black instantly, the window and chairs and drinks disappearing. All that remained was glowing blue eyes. He had given Eliaz exactly what he wanted.

But Rylec would get what he wanted too.

In the space of a blink, Rylec returned to his body standing in the hall. Eliaz had dusted himself off the wall but hadn’t approached. Startling an archlord was never a healthy decision.

Rylec stepped over the dead guards, back in the direction of his mate. “I’m getting my wife.”

Eliaz sighed. “Don’t be reckless, Rylec. You’re making me regret my life choices already.”

“I’m not leaving her with Calanthe.”

“How about we make a plan—”

Two guards wearing the imperial crest rounded the corner.

Everyone froze. Rylec and Eliaz eyed the guards. The guards eyed the bodies. Rylec and Eliaz eyed the bodies. The guards eyed Rylec and Eliaz. After five seconds of intense staring, the guards pulled their swords in an arch of electrified silver.

But they didn’t charge straight away. Idiots. One yelled out, “Archlord Eliaz, is there a problem?”

Eliaz hooked a thumb into his pockets. “No, not at all.”

“You—” the guard choked on the rest of his sentence.

Eliaz sighed rather dramatically. Both guards were caught in the web of those bright eyes. “Unfortunately, I won’t be bringing Rylec to the square for execution. Not today at least.”

Both guards spun around with their swords out. Their blades cut into each other with a wet splat, pulsing multi-colored blood out onto the palace’s floors. With a few twitches, the guards tumbled to the ground, joining their comrades in death.

Eliaz sighed again. “I just had these floors polished.”

“If we don’t save my wife, that will be the least of your concerns.”

“Was that a threat, Rylec?”

Before Rylec replied, two more guards rounded the corner. Gods have mercy. Rylec flung out a hand and pasted them to the far wall. Better to be safe.

But no imperial crest lined the sleek uniforms.

“Those are mine,” Eliaz said.

“Are you sure?”

Eliaz glanced into both their eyes. “Yes.”

Rylec dropped them.

Eliaz gestured to the hallway’s multiple bleeding corpses. “Clean up the mess, will you? Lord Rylec and I have business to attend to.”

One of the guards nervously licked her lips. “My lord, we come with news. It’s the empress. We think… we think she’s dead.”

Chapter 14

Inez stared at Calanthe’s body for a thousand years.

In reality, it wasn’t more than a minute. But her brain couldn’t process the sight in front of her. Calanthe, still and solid, the blood pouring from her head wound slowing to a trickle.

Inez had meant to kill her, but she had always imagined the monster’s death as more dramatic.

---