Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
I averted my gaze. For the first time in my life, I was ashamed.
Truly ashamed.
We were escorted back to the castle, which was now fully under Necrosis rule.
Queen Rolfe was still on her knees with the blade held to her throat, her eyes now glazed over in defeat. She didn’t look at us as we entered, like she really didn’t care whether she lived or died at this point.
Bastian was there, speaking to the other king. “Haldir has left Necrosis with the army. They’ll be here shortly, Kronos.”
Kronos, the second king, nodded. “They’ll walk through the open gates and have their feast.”
Unable to mobilize against the enemy, the Runes would have no choice but to fend for themselves. But that wouldn’t last long, not when they were overrun and cornered with nowhere to go.
Gods…please help us.
Queen Rolfe cringed on her knees, feeling the pain of her own people.
Ian stepped forward. “You said you would let her go.”
The king holding the knife to her throat stared at Ian for a few seconds. He was the Third King, a king that hadn’t been named yet. He gave a slight smile before he removed the blade from her throat and kicked her in the back.
The queen fell forward and didn’t catch herself.
“You’ll watch HeartHolme fall—and then we’ll eat each one of you.”
My eyes flicked to Bastian, although he didn’t deserve my stare.
His look was elsewhere, pretending I wasn’t in the room even though I was just a few feet away.
Queen Rolfe got to her feet, and the first thing she did was slap Ian across the face. There was enough force in her hit that his head turned with it. “How dare you?”
Ian kept his head turned as he breathed hard, as if he couldn’t look at her.
“I’d rather die a million times for HeartHolme than betray it.” She slapped him again. “How dare you take that away from me? How dare you do this to our people?”
The fallout took the attention of everyone in the room, including Bastian. It gave me a moment to pull out my dagger and tuck it into my sleeve near my wrist. The only way to save HeartHolme was to kill every person in this room—including Bastian. The dagger was reinforced with a concentrated dose of Ice. It would take out Bastian and the others in a single strike, but I wasn’t sure about Kronos and the Third King.
I was going for it.
Kronos issued his orders. “Secure them in the castle grounds. I want them to watch.”
The Third King moved forward and grabbed Queen Rolfe again, restraining her arms behind her back. Another Necrosis moved for Ian. Thankfully, Bastian stayed with Kronos, and another Necrosis moved for me, his skin dark with hunger.
I ignored him and moved for the Third King because his death was more important than the other two Necrosis. I gripped the hilt and stabbed the dagger deep into his flesh, right in his torso where it would pierce him the easiest.
There was a collective pause in the room, as if no one could believe what had just happened.
I didn’t hesitate before I stabbed him again.
He still stood—and released an angry breath.
That was when chaos broke out.
Ian took out the Necrosis on him with his sword, and Queen Rolfe broke free from the Third King’s hold. She was weaponless, so she attacked the Necrosis that came after me with her bare fists.
I stabbed the Third King again, hoping he would die this time.
He went weak, his knees collapsing.
Yes.
I stabbed him again, and that was when he fell.
One down. Two to go.
Kronos was on me, moving so swiftly my eyes couldn’t even follow him. His face came into my vision—and then everything went dark. I felt no pain, but I knew he’d hit me so hard that the world turned black.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Ian
The chairs were anchored in place with heavy pieces of stone, and our wrists were bound to the armrests with chains that wouldn’t break. Our ankles were locked together too, making us completely immobile.
Bastian had been the one to do it.
While Necrosis held us down, he secured each of us in place, giving us no wiggle room at all.
I’d never felt more hatred for someone in my life. I hated him more than Kronos somehow. I hated him more than every Necrosis combined. “I knew I was right about you, motherfucker.”
He ignored me and checked my mother’s restraints.
“I may die, but my brother will come for you.”
He walked off without looking back, leaving me to simmer in my rage. Kronos had taken Elora’s unconscious body into another room, and then we were escorted outside the castle. I didn’t know what he was going to do to her…and I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about anything. Reality was just too much.