The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash 4)

At the sound of his ancestor’s name, Casteel shot Malik a look and then stepped forward, clasping Blaz’s shoulder. “Thank you—thank you both for your aid.”

Clariza bowed as I slipped the cloak on. “It’s our honor.”

A knock sounded from the front of the house, and Casteel turned, grasping my cheeks. His touch calmed my nerves. “My Queen?”

“Yes?”

“I think you’ll be happy to know,” he said, sliding his hands to the edges of the hood as he lifted it, “that you’re about to crack some faces.”

A rough, shaky laugh left me, and my heart calmed. I twisted toward Clariza and Blaz as Reaver and Malik moved to the back of the house. “Be safe.”

“We need to be on our way,” Malik said, lifting the hood of the cloak he’d donned as another knock came from the front.

Clariza lifted her chin as she placed her curled fist over her heart. “From blood and ash,” she said as Blaz did the same.

“We will rise,” Casteel finished, hand over his heart as he, the King, bowed to them.

I stepped behind Kieran, looking up at Malik as Blaz went down the hall. “Will they be safe when the guards come?”

“Possibly,” he answered.

That wasn’t exactly reassuring.

“You and I aren’t done with our conversation either.” Casteel stepped in front of me, his cloak hood shielding his face.

That also wasn’t reassuring.

“That’ll have to wait,” Kieran said, his hand on my lower back.

“Where to?” Reaver reached for the back door.

“The harbor,” Malik answered. “Lower Town.”

Nodding, the draken opened—

Four Royal Guards stood there, their white mantles rippling in the wind.

“Where do you think you’re all going?” an older guard asked.

Only Reaver was uncloaked, but the guard took one look at the rest of us, hooded with our identities hidden, and withdrew his sword. “Step back,” he ordered.

I didn’t have a chance to even summon the eather.

Reaver snapped forward, grasping the guard’s sword arm as he stretched out his neck. His jaw loosened, and his mouth gaped wide. A low rumble came from his chest as a stream of silvery fire rippled out from his mouth.

My eyes went wide.

“Holy shit,” Casteel murmured, stiffening in front of me as silvery flames rippled over the guard.

“Yeah,” Kieran remarked.

Reaver shoved the screaming guard back into another, and the unnatural fire swept over the other man. Turning, Reaver let out another powerful stream of flames, quickly laying waste to the guards at the back door.

The scent of charred flesh rose on the wind, turning my stomach as Reaver straightened. “Path is clear.”

Casteel turned to the draken. “Yeah, it sure is.”

A sharp yelp of pain sounded from the house, spinning me around. Clariza cried out in alarm.

“We need to leave,” Malik insisted, toeing aside burnt remains.

We needed to, but…

“They aided us,” I said.

“And they knew the cost,” Malik argued as rough shouts echoed from the front of the house.

“As did we when we came to their door.” I stepped forward. Kieran’s hand tightened briefly on my cloak and then relaxed.

“Agreed,” Casteel said, his grip firming on the sword.

“For godssake,” Malik muttered. “This isn’t the time to be heroes. If you’re caught—”

“We won’t be.” Casteel’s cloaked head turned to me.

I nodded, letting the essence rush to the surface as heavy footsteps bounded down the hall. Several Royal Guards raced forward. The throbbing eather lit across my skin as my will merged with the essence. A faint, silvery webbing spilled out from me as it sparked across my hand, the shadows twining with the glow thicker now.

“That’s new,” Casteel commented.

“Started a couple of weeks back,” Kieran told him as the guards jerked to a halt.

The swords dropped from the guards’ hands, clattering off the floor as their necks twisted to the sides, cracking.

“You’ll probably be concerned to hear this, but also not surprised,” Casteel said, and the smoky, spicy flavor in my mouth crowded out the taste of death. “But I found that wildly…hot.”

“There’s something wrong with him,” Reaver muttered from behind us. “Isn’t there?”

There most definitely was, but I loved him for it.

Kieran snorted as another Royal Guard entered. The essence stretched out from me as my chin lowered. The webbing pulsed and then recoiled—

“Revenant,” I spat.

The bare-faced, unmasked guard smirked. It was then that I saw his eyes. Pale blue.

Casteel twisted sharply, grabbing a dagger from the table as he threw it in one smooth motion. The blade struck true, striking the Revenant between the eyes. “Let’s see how long it takes for you to get up from that.”

“As long as it takes for the blade to be removed,” came a voice. The golden Revenant strolled out from the shadows of the hall. Callum.

“You,” Casteel seethed.

“I imagine you’re faring much better than the last time I saw you,” Callum replied as fury whipped through me. He wasn’t alone. A quick glance showed at least half of dozen guards with him. All pale-eyed.