Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“So decisive,” Minos commented. “Why no hesitation?”
“I’m content with the life I have now,” I replied. “Why would I want it to pass me by quickly?”
Beside me, Talon stiffened … and I realized what I might have implied with my answer. Crap.
Minos briefly slid an amused look at the Cardinal. “Why indeed.” He straightened in his seat and flapped a hand. “You may both go. And Talon, be sure to keep us better informed.”
Hmm, it was looking like the Cardinal wasn’t giving them as regular reports as I’d expected. Then again, he was a busy person. Going back and forth to the Sovereigns with little anecdotes about me was probably the last thing he needed or wanted to do.
No wonder he was always scowling at me.
As he and I left the audience chamber, the power purring beneath my skin came back to the forefront. Which was plain weird.
Or was it?
Maybe this happened to everyone. Maybe it was a natural thing. I was tempted to ask Talon, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to share this little phenomenon with anyone yet. Besides, I had something else I wished to say to him.
Once we’d exited the tower, I turned to him. “What I said in there about why I’d say yes to longevity … I didn’t mean to imply that Eva isn’t content with you. I realized how it sounded after I said it, and I just wanted—” Cutting off my ramble, I shook my head. “Never mind.”
He stared down at me, so many emotions flickering across his features. All were there and gone too fast for me to identify them.
His eyes dropped to my mouth. Hovered there for a few moments. When they shot back up to meet mine, there was a gleam of need in their depths that almost stole my breath.
Something built in the air. Something warm and muggy. Something with enough umph it could zap my body as effectively as the cuff I’d thankfully had removed from my wrist. I swallowed hard, feeling—
An alarm rang out. Loud. Piercing. Incessant.
It was the same alarm that had sounded when the hounds and lamiae attacked.
Shit.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I let my gaze zip around, looking—
There.
The torches on the front of the rise were lit, signaling that intruders were heading right for the city doors. My stomach sank. “We—”
Talon whooshed by me so fast I felt a brush of air across my face and hair.
All right.
Swearing, I made a mad dash for the garrison just as armed officiates began pouring out of it. I boxed away the dread that tried gripping my gut and stilling my thoughts. There was no time to panic, no time to worry; I had to reach for that battle-state of mind I’d learned to adopt since being plunged into Xalbia.
Inside the garrison, I joined the fast-moving line of people who were taking weapons from the armory. A sense of battle-readiness rolled off the officiates and even some of the candidates. Others were a mass of anxiety.
Just in case the intruders managed to scale the walls, I nabbed a scythe as well as a bow and quiver of arrows, just as I had last time. Falling into the line of people rushing out of the garrison, I joined them in tearing across the bailey to the staircase near the front wall. Boots hammered on the stone steps as we raced up to the battlements.
Reaching the top, I frowned in surprise. “They’re not here yet?” I asked the person closest to me.
Keyes’ eyes met mine. “No. This is possibly the worst route they could have taken. There are more beasts guarding this part of the Pines—they’re already attacking, picking off numbers.”
Yes, I could hear them. Hear growls, roars, snarls, and the avian-like shrieks. It all made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “Whoever sent them would have anticipated this, so why go for a frontal attack?”
Keyes pursed his lips. “My guess? They thought all the trees would provide them with so much cover that their presence wouldn’t be noted until it was too late.”
As Ajax ordered us all into position on the battlements, I balanced the scythe against the short wall in front of me and then reached back to swipe an arrow from the quiver. A little out of breath from all the dashing around, I dragged in a long, centering inhale as I made an effort to steady my breathing.
I strained to see beyond the tree canopies to get a glimpse of what we were facing. More hounds? More lamiae? Something else?
It was impossible to tell.
Urgency pounding through my system, I angled my bow downwards, attached the arrow to the string, and then pointed the bow toward the enemies I couldn’t yet see. I didn’t release the arrow, though. Like everyone else, I waited for the signal from Talon.