That seems to bring forth a piece of Roy’s identity, the energy within him starting to even out in its collection of broken pieces.Once we’re through all the gates, I motion for the Cinder. “Take it, in case it burns us.”
He seems to want to question it, only for a moment, but this man is so desperate to get out of here, all concern flees with his common sense. With hesitant hands, he grips it as his body is flooded with apprehension—nothing happens. “It’s hot, but I can hold it,” he says, breathing quickly.
“Then we start rounding up the mages, and you hold those tears near the flame and tell them they choose their god, or Jesper.”
Roy is more than helpful, and the mages are like attracting a moth to flame, so careless in the way they enter this space as if it’snevercrossed their minds that they need to be careful. As soon as they witness what Roy carries, they all nearly crumble to their knees and beg for him to be careful, that he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Every one of them denies to aid in the razing of this city, which doesn’t matter to me. I just need them to be compliant, or dead. And if we can get at leastoneto help? It’ll save all our energy for battle.
If not, their bodies can burn in the fires we start.
One by one, they all return to this building to investigate the flashing of defiant flames that periodically occur as they’re snuffed out; some fire even grazes against my armor, but Donna was quick to ensure they didn’t live long.
A woman slowly approaches, her head shaved like the rest. She sees the bodies of her comrades, inhaling deeply as if confirming the most dreadful assumption. “What—I don’t. How did Misery not see this? Please, do not kill me. That would extinguish that flame,” she manages out, her nostrils flaring as her jaw trembles.
Already, I can tell she is more of a fanatic than the rest, some part of her even resembling Cypress in that way. “I’m the onlyone left. The others are on Darkwater. Please, donotput out that flame. No one will be able to replenish it.”
Darkwater? So they’re all heading to Blackwell’s ship already?
My heart races, my gaze moving to the windows to see the statue is no longer burning.We need to fucking move.“We want you to raze the city,” I tell her. “Either agree, or we’ll make it quick.”
She looks crestfallen. “There are families here.”
“That didn’t stop your kind from ruiningmine,” I say, thinking of Jane and her mother. Of the people she cared about in Coalfell.
Roy seems as if he’s about to pour water onto the heartbeat flame, and I have no intention to stop him. Fuck it. This is the last one relevant to us, and if he’s a sellsword, he can take care of any others we come across.
“Please!” she shrieks, her palms flat out as she shows up her empty hands. “I’ll burn the castle. I’ll burn the homes, as long as we can warn the families to leave.”
“You will target the stables, the stockhouses, the soldiers, and the entirety of the castle, except for anywhere that might contain a vault or treasure. If anything falls in its way, you do not stop,” I press.
All she gives is a series of nods, the flame of her god reflecting against her eyes?—
Jane.
My attention snaps in the direction of where shehasto be, her energy morphing quickly like she’s enduring something she’d rather not.
“Burn everything down to the harbor, then we target the castle,” I command, knowing Jane can move through the flames to reach the ocean—the perfect cover for her. “Let’smove!”
J A N E
Moments earlier…
Frigid air washes over my skin as I’m yanked from a lovely dream where it was just Kathleen and me, having drinks by the river.
The very one that I hated taking cold baths out of.
Bringing my knees to my chest, I’m so out of it that it takes a while to process what in the hells is going on, and why this bed is suddenly so cold.
“Get up,” says a voice that sounds familiar but I have no recollection of.
Opening my eyes reveals it’s dark in here, and as I sit up, it slowly pieces back—imprisoned in a tower.Anya is gone…oh, fuck. It’s like waking upintoa nightmare.
Dread sours my stomach as I can’t take waking up here much longer, realizing the blanket has been ripped off of me.
“Put on clothes. Hurry,” Iris hisses.
I don’t question and just do it, because if I have to hear her bitch one more time… plus, it’s not like I have anything to be afraid of. Enemies in the distance? Perfect—I need the chaos if I’m to try and run for it. “Something interesting happening?” I ask as I lazily put on pants in the dark, the light of her lantern mixing with the moon’s glow. “The sun isn’t even out.”
