My mouth went dry, and my heart pounded so hard I was afraid they would hear it. Thoughts of what would happen to me if I were caught stealing the ke’tain made my stomach roil.
The guards reached the ward and spread out, but their eyes remained focused on the ke’tain. One of the Unseelie guards lifted his eyes and stared right at the spot where I stood. Could he see me?
He turned his head toward the Seelie guard who’d spoken first. “I see nothing out of place, and the wards are working.”
The Seelie guard scowled but kept his eyes on the altar. “I know what I saw.”
“It looks normal to me as well,” said the second Unseelie guard. “But if you are certain, it is protocol to send for our heads of security.”
I bit my inner cheek so hard I tasted copper. I was as good as dead if they sent for reinforcements. My only option was to try to slip past them and pray to the goddess that the fake ke’tain held up under scrutiny until I could return the real thing.
The first Unseelie guard shifted his stance. “Korrigan is attending the conference with the king today. I do not think it would be wise to interrupt them unless we are sure there is a problem.”
The two Seelie guards exchanged a fearful look. The one who hadn’t sounded the alarm said, “Bauchan is with the queen as well. Do you want to send for him?”
“No.” The first guard glanced from his partner to the Unseelie guards and back again. “The wards are up, and no one but the goddess could walk through them. It must have been a trick of the light.”
I let out a breath. It was evident by the guards’ expressions that no one in the room wanted the heads of security coming to the island. Now, if these guys would return to their stations, I could get out of here. The illusion made me invisible, but it wouldn’t hide me if I brushed up against someone.
As if by mutual silent agreement, the four guards turned and walked back to their spots at the wall. They looked more alert than earlier, but as long as they stayed there, I should be okay.
I stepped back and moved slowly around the altar. On shaky legs, I crossed the room and ascended the stairs. I didn’t breathe until I stepped out of the building into the bright sunlight. Bending over, I braced my hands on my knees and took a few deep breaths. I was too shaken by my close call to revel in what I’d done. And this job was far from over.
I straightened and hurried over to Gus who lay waiting for me. His head came up as I approached, reminding me he could see through my glamour. I stopped in front of him and pulled out the sack containing the ke’tain. His nostrils flared, and he lowered his head to sniff at the sack.
“You remember the ke’tain, don’t you?” I whispered. “There’s another one like this far away in the Duergar Mountains. I need you to take me there.”
Gus stood, and I tucked the ke’tain away. He picked me up, and we were off.
He flew back the way we’d come, but when land came into view, he veered north and flew along the coast. Small towns were scattered here and there, but we were too high for me to make out any of the details. Maybe someday, when I wasn’t busy trying to save the world, I’d come back for a closer look.
Hours passed, and the terrain changed, slowly rising to form a mountain range that stretched as far as I could see. Gus turned inland, and the temperature dropped. I was warm tucked against his belly, but I could feel the bite of cold air on my face when I lifted my head to look around.
We dropped lower as we flew over the foothills that were covered in dense forests. It was a little warmer down here, and I enjoyed the myriad of colors from the green valleys dotted with wildflowers and lakes so blue they didn’t look real. A few times, we passed other drakkans, but they kept their distance from us. One thing I didn’t see was signs of civilization, and it started to feel like I was the only person left in the world.
The hills became steeper and the vegetation sparse. The air stung my face as Gus crested mountains that got higher and higher the farther we went. We passed several crags with families of drakkans, and I noticed that the mountain drakkans were smaller than the ones that lived on the cliffs in Unseelie. A pair of them flew out to snap and growl at us for being in their territory, but they kept their distance from Gus who was twice their size.
We climbed above the snowline where the air was thinner and so cold it burned when I took a deep breath. I had to cover my face to protect it, and the next time I peeked out, I was shocked to see nothing below me but clouds.
Gus suddenly changed course and headed for one of the snow-covered peaks. I thought he was going to land on the summit until he dipped at the last minute, and I saw the dark spot in the face of the rock. The cave.
He landed lightly on the wide ledge at the mouth of the cave and carefully set me on my feet. My legs wobbled, and my feet felt numb after so many hours in the air. I leaned against his foreleg to steady myself until I could stand on my own.
“Oh, my God,” I said through chattering teeth when I stepped away from Gus’s warmth. The cold didn’t seem to bother him, but I was shivering so hard my bones ached.
Gus nudged me with his snout, a not so gentle reminder that I was here for a reason. The sooner I did what I came to do, we could leave this frozen place.
I pulled out the laevik crystal I’d brought with me, and it illuminated the cave that was roughly twenty feet deep. Walking to the back of the cave, I found a tunnel opening hidden from view by a protruding slab of rock. I held the crystal in front of me and entered the narrow tunnel.
A few feet in, the tunnel branched into two directions. I paused and frowned at them. I’d dreamed of this place. Just like that, I knew exactly where I was going.
I took the left tunnel, not surprised when it began to slope downward. It was as quiet as a tomb inside the mountain, and even my footsteps sounded muffled. At times, the tunnel was so narrow I had to turn sideways and suck in my stomach to squeeze through. I had never been spelunking, and until now, I hadn’t known how much I disliked enclosed spaces.
Aedhna had hidden this ke’tain well. If by a remote chance someone ever managed to find the cave, they’d have a lot of trouble fitting through some of the tight spots in the tunnel unless they were my size. No adult faerie I’d seen could make it.
I was questioning my sanity for being here when I noticed a change in the air. It was charged with electricity, and I felt a strong compulsion to keep moving. I didn’t know if it was Aedhna telling me I was close, or if it was the two ke’tains sensing each other.
I came to a spot where the ceiling was so low I had to crawl. On the other side, the ceiling leveled out, and I found myself at a dead end.
I laid my palm against the cold wall. Immediately, the ke’tain in my pocket thrummed with energy, and the hairs on my body stood on end. From deep within the rock, I felt an answering pulse, and the wall grew warmer. I withdrew the sack from my pocket and tipped the ke’tain onto my hand. I pressed the stone against the wall and waited.
Ripples spread across the wall like tiny waves on the surface of a lake. When the disturbance subsided, the rock was crystalline, and deep in its depths was a small glowing object. The object rose slowly to the surface, until finally I could make out a luminescent green stone the same size as the one in my hand.
The two ke’tains made contact, and my body jolted like I’d been struck by lightning. Every cell ignited, my vision turned white, and pain lanced through my chest. I would have fallen, but my hand was fused to the wall.
In seconds, the pain vanished, and my sight returned. Beneath my hand, the ke’tains pulsed and I could feel the one from the cave feeding the one from the temple. The energy was pure and immeasurable, and its divine beauty made tears spill down my cheeks. It should have reduced me to ashes, but my goddess stone protected me as Aedhna had promised it would.
I didn’t know how long I stood there like that before the ke’tains separated. I stayed where I was, watching the green stone recede until it disappeared, and the wall was plain gray rock again. It was done.
I secured the ke’tain in my pocket and wiped my wet cheeks with my sleeve. Then I made my way back to the main cave, knowing I would never be the same after this experience.
Gus’s head swung toward me when I climbed out of the tunnel and came into view. I smiled and walked over to stand beside him in the mouth of the cave.
“Have you ever seen anything like that?” I gazed at the snow-capped peaks that resembled islands in a sea of clouds. It was breathtaking and frightening at the same time, and I’d never felt so alone, even with Gus at my side.
An icy wind stole my breath, and I shivered. “Let’s go home, Gus.”
I fell asleep before we reached the foothills and didn’t wake until Gus growled to let me know we were approaching the island. The same four guards were on duty when I entered the temple, but they were more relaxed than when I’d left them. I was ready for this day to be over, but I took my time exchanging the fake ke’tain for the real one. Another misstep like the last one and the guards would call in backup for sure.
It was dusk when Gus set me down on the road near the forest. If I’d thought the place was creepy during the day, it was ten times worse in the near dark. I was too tired to create another invisibility illusion, but I had enough energy to run to the main road.
I was rounding the curve near the mountain when Iian and Kerr came into view riding tarrans. The moment they saw me, they dismounted and waited for me to reach them.
“We were coming to look for you,” Iian said. “Vaerik found the note you left in your room, but he thought you would be back from town by now.”
“You know me. There’s so much to see and do, and I have to look at everything,” I answered. Hearing that Lukas had taken time out of the meetings with Seelie to visit me made my weary body feel lighter. Combined with the exhilaration over what I’d done today, it was a heady sensation.
“You look tired,” Iian said.
I rolled my eyes. “Just what every girl wants to hear.”
They chuckled as we started toward home. Kerr looked at my empty hands. “You did not buy anything?”
“Maybe next time.”
“Did you see anything interesting in your exploring?” Iian asked.
Images of my day flashed through my mind. “Oh, you know. The usual stuff.”
“Looks like it’s you and me tonight,” I said the following evening to Kaia, who was curled up on the other end of the couch with her head on my feet.
She cracked an eye to look at me and closed it. Her loud purrs filled the room.
I sighed. As much as I loved her company, I wished I had a companion who could talk to me.
Tonight, the king was hosting a lavish dinner in honor of the queen’s visit, after which she and her people would return to Seelie. Tomorrow, the court would go back to normal, and I’d see Lukas, Roswen, and the others again. For now, I was on my own.
The bell rang, signaling someone was at the door. Kaia leaped off the couch and padded ahead of me when I went to see who was visiting. I was surprised to find Gelsey, Roswen’s personal tailor who had made all my wonderful new clothes. Gelsey’s arms were laden with dresses, shoes, and other items, and I rushed to relieve her of some of her burden.
“Did we have a fitting I forgot about?” I asked as I draped the clothes over a chair. I eyed the long dresses in confusion. We hadn’t discussed her making formal clothes for me.
She set the rest of it on the couch. “I have been instructed to help you dress for the queen’s dinner. I’ve brought some gowns I have been working on for Princess Roswen. A few adjustments and one of them will be perfect for you.”
I held up a hand. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not going to the dinner.”
Gelsey’s brow furrowed. “Oh, but you must. Prince Vaerik himself asked me to tend to you.”
Lukas wanted me to go to the dinner with him? Warmth rushed through me, and I gave her a wide smile, brushing aside the fact that I had never been to a formal Fae affair and I had no clue what to do at one. I’d be with Lukas, and he would guide me through it.
I touched one of the dresses, a deep green one that felt like silk in my fingers. “Roswen won’t mind you trimming her dress for me?”
“It was her idea to use one of these.” Gelsey arranged the three floor-length dresses so we could see them better. In addition to the green one, there was a pale blue one, and one in midnight blue, all in different styles. They were beautiful, and any of them would work with my coloring and hair.
She picked up the green dress. “Why don’t you try on each of them, and we’ll see which one suits you best.”
Two hours later, I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom, hardly able to believe I was looking at my own reflection. After some deliberation, Gelsey had decided on the dark blue gown, and I could see why Roswen would have no one else make her clothes.
The off-the-shoulder sheath dress fit like it had been made for me. The form-fitting bodice adorned with lace and tiny blue crystals tapered down to a skirt that hugged my hips and fell gracefully to my feet. The skirt was overlaid with a gossamer veil that trailed a foot behind me. It was open at the front and flared out gently from the sides when I walked.
On my feet were low-heeled shoes the same color as the dress and trimmed with blue crystals that winked in the light. Gelsey had arranged my hair into an elaborate loose braid adorned with tiny white and blue flowers that draped over one shoulder, leaving the other shoulder bare.
“You are breathtaking,” Gelsey said from behind me, her eyes glistening with the sheen of tears.
I smiled at her. “Thanks to you.”
She shook her head. “I merely framed your natural beauty. With your unique hair and coloring, you are incomparable, and I am honored to be the one to dress you.”
I dabbed at my eyes. “It’s a good thing faeries don’t wear mascara, or I’d be a mess now.”
Gelsey laughed. “I have heard about the colored powders and creams humans put on their faces. Is it true they also wear false lashes and change their hair color?”
“Mostly women wear makeup and false eyelashes, but some men do, too.” I grinned at her shocked expression. “And both men and women dye their hair.”
“It is a very different world you come from,” she said as she adjusted the back of my dress. “I think I would like to see it someday.”
I turned to face her. “I’ll be happy to show you around when you decide to go.”
The bell rang, and her eyes lit up as she ran to answer the door. I took one last glance at the mirror and pressed a hand to my stomach to calm the butterflies there. Then I followed Gelsey to the living room to greet Lukas.
I came up short when I saw the unfamiliar dark-haired male standing in the entranceway with Gelsey. He was dressed formally in cream pants and a matching tunic with dark blue trim, and his eyes widened in appreciation when he saw me.
“Can I help you?” I asked him.
He gave a small bow. “I am Joreth. King Oseron sent me to escort you to dinner.”
“But…”
Joreth came over and took my limp hand in his. “I heard about our lovely new faerie, but the stories do not do you justice. You are a vision, and I will be the envy of every male there tonight.”
“Thank you.” I shot a helpless look at Gelsey, who seemed to be as surprised as I was by his arrival.
A growl came from behind me, and Joreth dropped my hand. He took a few steps back as Kaia came to stand between us.
I stroked her head. “Kaia, be nice.”
She stopped growling but continued to stare at him. I remembered that look from my first encounter with her.
Joreth cleared his throat. “We should go. We cannot be late for the dinner.”
I stepped around Kaia and walked with him to the door. Gelsey smiled weakly as we approached her. “I will collect the other dresses before I go. Have a wonderful time tonight.”
“We will,” Joreth answered for me.
“Can you let Kaia out when you leave?” I asked Gelsey, who nodded.
Outside, Joreth tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow, and I let him escort me to the lift. It wasn’t his fault I’d been expecting someone else as my date, and there had to be a good reason why Lukas didn’t come for me.
The few people we passed eyed us enviously. When we stepped onto the lift, Joreth happily confided that tonight’s dinner was a big deal, and invitations were highly coveted. Dressed as we were, it was no secret to anyone where we were going.
The lift stopped on the top level, and we were met by six guards. A male in court livery directed us where to go, and we walked down a long hallway until we came to an open archway guarded by two more guards. Passing through it, we entered a large terrace. Half the terrace was enclosed by walls and a ceiling, and the other half was open to the night sky. The entire space was laid out like a formal dining room.
At the back of the terrace, tables were arranged in a semicircle on a low dais. Smaller four-person tables were placed around the room to allow every occupant a view of the main table. The overhead lights had been dimmed, and on every elegantly set table was a small dish of laevik crystals that gave off a soft warm light.
A female in livery took us to our table on the other side of the terrace near the rail. We were as far from the dais as you could get; however, the location offered us an unobstructed view of everyone entering the room. Joreth looked a little put out by our seating arrangement, but I was content to sip the juice brought to me and watch the other guests arrive.
It was like watching the red-carpet event at the Oscars as elegantly-dressed couples entered and were shown to their seats. Rashari and Delphine were among them, and I felt a surge of relief that neither of them was Lukas’s date. It was going to be hard enough to see him with someone else without it being one of those two.
Before long, the smaller tables were full, and another couple named Fayette and Cleon had joined us at our table. Joreth made introductions, but our table companions were more interested in watching the room than talking to us.
A murmur went through the room, and I looked up as King Oseron entered with Queen Anwyn, and they walked to the dais together. Before I could wonder where their consorts were, Lukas’s mother entered on the arm of Queen Anwyn’s consort. All eyes were on the Unseelie king and the Seelie queen as they sat in the two large chairs at the center of the dais with their consorts on either side of them.
Queen Anwyn was resplendent in an ice blue dress and a crown that was bigger than the one she’d worn to the meeting. When she smiled at something the king said, it was almost hard to believe that a cold, vile heart beat inside such a delicate, beautiful person.
“I am not surprised Dariyah is on his arm tonight,” said Fayette, who was seated across from me. “Her father is one of the king’s advisors after all.”
I followed Fayette’s gaze to the entrance, and my gut hardened when I saw Lukas with Dariyah at his side. She was radiant in a white form-fitting dress, and her haughty smile told every female in the room that Lukas was hers. We’d see about that.
My gaze moved to Lukas, who paid no attention to his date as he scanned the terrace. When his eyes locked with mine, he smiled. For a few seconds, no one else in the room existed. With one look, he said it was me he wanted by his side, and he didn’t care if the whole room saw it.
He shifted his stare to Joreth, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Warmth burst in my chest, and I had to bite back a stupid grin. Lukas was jealous of my date.
Dariyah tugged on his arm, and he turned his head to look at her as they continued to their table. I wondered if she had seen our silent exchange, and I got my answer when they took their seats at the head table beside his mother. Dariyah’s smile was a lot less smug, but the glare she shot me promised I hadn’t won, not by a long shot.
I smiled at her. Bring it.
Someone took the seat on Dariyah’s other side. I slid my gaze to them and saw Roswen with a dark-haired male, who, based on the resemblance, had to be her brother Kellen. A few seats down from them, I was surprised to see Faolin and Faris. I knew they were princes in their own right, but I’d had no idea their blood was blue enough to place them at the head table.
I looked around for Conlan, Iian, and Kerr and found them at tables near the dais. They were dressed formally and had dates, but they were also close enough to Lukas to protect him should the need arise.
“So, it is true that you and Prince Vaerik are close friends,” Joreth said in my ear, startling me by his nearness. “He rarely befriends anyone outside his close circle.”
At first, I thought he was insinuating something sordid between Lukas and me, but there was nothing sly or suggestive in his expression.
“We are.” I noticed Fayette and Cleon listening to us and didn’t elaborate.
Joreth took my reply as an invitation to delve further. “Before your conversion you were one of those hunters I’ve heard about? You hunted down faeries who broke the law in your world?”
“Yes.” Unless they were above the law. I looked to where Queen Anwyn was speaking to King Oseron. She and her personal guard would never pay for the terrible crimes they had committed.
“Fascinating.” Joreth slid his chair a little closer. “Is that how you met the prince?”
“You could say that. I was looking for someone, and he offered to help me find them.”
“Did you find them?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I did.”
“Then you returned the ke’tain to us,” Joreth said in wonder. “And to reward you, the crown prince made you Fae.”
I stared at him at a temporary loss for words. Good God, was that what people here thought? If so, I needed to set the record straight.
“It wasn’t a reward. I nearly died, and he did the conversion to save my life.”
“And here you are now, a guest at the king’s party,” Joreth replied cheerfully, oblivious to the edge of annoyance in my voice. “I am fortunate enough to be your escort. I hope that by the time this night is done, you and I will be friends, too.” He gave me a secretive smile and lowered his voice. “Or maybe more.”
I had no response to that, so I took a sip from my glass instead. Thankfully, servers chose that moment to arrive with our first course, and I was saved from having to reply.
Talk was sparse and light through the five-course meal. Even Fayette and Cleon joined in at times, mostly to talk about who was seated with whom and what they were wearing. The conversation was so shallow I was bored nearly to tears by the time dessert arrived.
I tried not to stare at Lukas and Dariyah, but I couldn’t help myself. I wished I hadn’t whenever I saw her smile and lean in close to say something to him. It killed me to admit it, but she looked like she belonged there with the royal family. And she knew it.
At one point, she had looked straight at me as if she’d known I would be watching. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile, and she’d laid a hand on Lukas’s shoulder in a way that suggested they were more intimate than dinner dates. Lukas had been talking to his mother and hadn’t reacted to her touch, but it bothered me all the same.
I wasn’t the only one unhappy with Dariyah’s display. The few times I glanced at Rashari and Delphine, the pair looked like they were plotting her demise. Dariyah seemed to revel in her competition’s jealousy, which only riled them up more. If I were her, I wouldn’t be taking strolls down any dark hallways after this.
Servers came to clear away the last of the meal, and people at the small tables began to leave their seats to mingle around the room. As soon as Fayette and Cleon left us, Joreth placed a hand over mine on the table. “I hear there is going to be a special light display after dinner. Why don’t we take to the gardens and watch it together?”
I had to stop myself from jerking my hand away when his thumb stroked it. Smiling, I eased it from under his and rested it in my lap. “I think the view would be so much better up here. Don’t you agree?”
He leaned in so close our heads touched, and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. “It will be crowded here, and we can spend some time getting to know each other better. I would love to hear more about your life before you came to Faerie.”
I laughed. “You’d be better off taking a trip to my world and seeing it for yourself.”
“Is this not your world now?”
“I haven’t been here long enough for it to feel like home,” I replied honestly.
“Then we shall have to make you feel at home here,” he persisted, clearly not getting the message.
I picked up my glass and took a sip, scanning the room for an escape. I caught Faris’s eye, and the look he gave me said he wanted to help but couldn’t. My gaze slid down the table to the spot I’d been avoiding for the last half hour, and my pulse jumped when I found Lukas staring in my direction. His eyes and jaw were hard, and my breath caught before I realized his glower was not directed at me.
Joreth pulled away from me as if I’d burned him. I didn’t need to look at his face to guess he had also seen Lukas.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to say hello to some friends of mine,” he said, already half out of his chair.
“I don’t mind at all.” I waited until he left to return my gaze to Lukas, who looked slightly appeased. I smiled and gave him a tiny shrug, and his answering smile sent a delicious shiver through me. Even with a room and a hundred people between us, I could feel his presence as if he was beside me.
His mother said something to him, and he looked at her, breaking the spell between us. I stood and walked to the rail, wondering what the proper etiquette was for these dinners. How long was I expected to stay here? Was it rude to leave before the king did?
I became aware of the whispers nearby just as a voice said, “Jesse James, I hoped I would have an opportunity to talk to you during our visit.”
I turned to face Prince Rhys, who stood a few feet away with Bayard and another of his personal guards. The prince was smiling, but his two guards looked none too happy to be there.
“Prince Rhys… how nice to see you,” I stammered.
“I thought you agreed to call me Rhys,” he said in a teasing voice.
I smiled. “Rhys, how are you enjoying your visit to Unseelie?”
“It’s been rather dull until now,” he confessed.
I gave him a disbelieving look. “I spent an hour in the first meeting, and it was anything but dull.”
His mouth turned down. “It is when you sit in them for three days and are not permitted to participate. My mother believes I am too young and inexperienced to contribute.”
His frankness was unexpected. “Why did she bring you if you can’t take part in the discussions?”
He leaned in conspiratorially. “Appearances. It’s a show of strength. Where one crown prince goes, so does the other.”
Bayard made a disapproving sound, but as usual, Rhys ignored him. I sensed something was off between Rhys and the queen. When he’d talked about her the day we went to lunch, his tone was affectionate. Tonight, there was a note of aggravation in his voice.
They were blocking my view of Queen Anwyn, but I knew she would not be happy to see the prince talking to me of all people. I was safe from her in Unseelie, but that fact did not stop a chill from slithering down my spine.
“What do you think of Faerie so far?” he asked me. “I see you have mastered the language already.”
“I’m a quick study. What I’ve seen of Faerie so far is beautiful, although it’s definitely an adjustment after living in New York my whole life.”
“Yes, it’s nothing like the human cities. I have not been home long, and I miss that world already.” He stared thoughtfully at the darkened valley. “I have realized during this visit that there is so much of Faerie I have not seen. The Unseelie court is very different from ours. This mountain is quite large, but I cannot imagine living in close quarters with so many others.”
“You call this close quarters? You’ve never been inside my apartment in Brooklyn.”
Rhys laughed. “In Seelie, only the royal family and their guards live in the palace. We have servants as well, but everyone else lives in nearby estates or in the town.”
I tried to imagine what it must have been like for him living in a palace with only his parents and guards for company. It sounded like a very sad and lonely way to grow up.
Bayard stepped closer to the prince. “Rhys, the queen is signaling for you to rejoin her.”
“I am surprised she waited this long.” Rhys released an inaudible sigh. “It was good to see you again, Jesse.”
“It was great to see you, too,” I said and realized I meant it. Despite being raised by Queen Anwyn, he was a genuinely nice person. As he walked away, I wondered what it would have been like if we’d grown up together as brother and sister. I felt a pang of sorrow for what we’d lost.
I glanced around the room, ignoring the people still staring at me after my encounter with the Seelie prince. The diners, except for most of those on the dais, were walking around the room and engaged in conversations. It was as good a time as any to slip out without anyone noticing my departure.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when I caught sight of Rashari and Delphine headed in my direction. Their intentions were written all over their faces. They couldn’t rip into Dariyah while she was with Lukas, so they thought they could take out their spite on me.
I groaned inwardly. Aedhna, you’re testing me, aren’t you? You couldn’t let me make my getaway?
A flash lit up the sky. I looked out, expecting to see the king’s light display, but I was greeted by the sight of purple lightning streaking through the sky toward the mountain. A deafening boom sounded directly overhead, and my ears hurt from the sudden change in air pressure.
Then the mountain shook.
I stumbled back from the rail as a basketball-sized rock struck the floor a foot away. I looked up in time to see more rocks break off from the side of the mountain and tumble toward us.
People screamed and pushed at each other to get away from the open section of the terrace. I whirled to run to the nearest wall and spotted Delphine frozen like a deer in headlights. Rashari was nowhere to be seen.
Changing direction, I raced to Delphine, dodging the smaller rocks coming down around me. I plowed into her and shoved her forward with all my strength. Seconds later, something big crashed into the floor behind me.
I pushed at Delphine’s back, yelling for her to keep moving. But when I tried to follow, I couldn’t. I looked back at the boulder pinning my train to the floor and gulped at how close it had come to flattening me. Gripping the material, I yanked hard, and it tore free.
Pain lanced through my skull. I staggered as something warm ran down my temple, and the room dimmed. My knees gave out, and I heard someone shout my name before the noise faded to a dull buzz. Then everything went black.