My eyes flash to Eogan. My throat goes dry.
“Oh, don’t worry,” she soothes. “He didn’t rat on you. I already knew what you were the moment I saw you. Eogan always was the best at training others to do the dirty work for him, weren’t you, darling? Although . . .” She climbs her fingers up his chest, and a pang of jealousy shoves against my ribs. “It’s only recently I heard you’d surfaced to trade in real soldiers to train Uathúils.” She looks back at me. “Which begs the question, what kind are you?”
Eogan pulls her hand off him. “That’s enough, Isobel.”
The lady laughs. “Oh come now. Surely the girl can speak for herself. Or has King Odion’s twin lost his sense of patience?”
My gaze darts to Eogan’s face, and I’m abruptly coughing on my own air as I take a step back from both of them. King Odion’s twin? Is she jesting? But no, she’s not. Suddenly my tongue’s forgotten how to move and my head’s reeling like a swing because that blasted spasm of jealousy has been joined by confusion and pain gouging my gut. What the hulls, Eogan? I can’t speak even if I wanted to.
His expression is furious and he’s abruptly peeling himself from her. “Isobel, enough. Nym, go inside.”
“Well now, you’ve just made it awkward.” She pouts. “Is it because I spilled your little secret, Ezeoha? It’s not as if they won’t find out once Odion comes tromping through. And look at her—she won’t tell anyone. I’m sure the poor thing’s got secrets of her own. Anyway, someone in her position’s just grateful to be alive, aren’t you, dear? From the looks of it, she’s far too weak-minded to consider betraying an heir to the throne.”
“Eogan—”
“Eogan, is it?” The woman’s lips curl. “On a first-name basis, I see. How interesting.” She sharpens her gaze, giving me a once-over through the lantern-lit dark. She puts a hand on his shoulder and leans up to his ear, watching my reaction. I steady my chin and hope the rising anger hides the raw jealousy now eating its way through my skin.
She steps forward but pauses when I square my shoulders and glare.
“Oh Ezeoha,” she purrs, “I do believe her secrets are even more entertaining than I thought. This Uathúil has a thing for you.” She reaches toward me, but Eogan’s hand is swift as he pulls her back. Her tone twists clear as death. “Trust me, sweetie, he’s only capable of one love interest, and you’re not his type.”
If I strike her with lightning, can I take them both out? I let the sky overhead rumble as Eogan issues a warning, but, abruptly, Colin’s running over, waving his arm. He stops when he sees Lady Isobel, then blurts out, “A messenger just told King Sedric that the Barren Cliffs have been breache—”
His sentence is cut off by a deafening explosion.
It sounds exactly as if the sky’s falling.
Eogan grabs Colin and me and shoves us down as the ground shivers. The air fills with roaring and my gut drops into my knees. The sound keeps going, rattling my teeth, my head, my fingers. Isobel also stoops just as another eruption hits and my eardrums nearly burst.
Then Colin’s shoving Eogan off of us, yelling something. We follow his pointing finger toward the valley between us and the High Court.
It’s bathed in orange flames.
I start running, but Eogan lashes out for my hand. It takes a moment before I stop fighting him long enough to decipher his moving lips. “Go inside!”
I shake my head just as more mini-explosions catch my attention, farther off along the mountains. They’re travelling down the entire Hythra Crescent. A chain of tangerine glows spark up in the distance, and my heart ignites with grief and fury all in one beat.
Eogan’s grip firms as he turns to Colin. “Both of you go change into your leathers.” He presses us toward the house as Adora’s guests spill out in a scene identical to the one my first night here.
Except this time the bombs aren’t trial runs.
Abruptly, Adora is beside us, yelling commands before turning and saying, “Eogan, please join me in my chambers. The High Council wishes your presence. Colin and Nym, go to your rooms. Lady Isobel, you’ll understand if I graciously ask that you get comfortable in your room until we have an assessment on the situation. After that, we’d appreciate your presence and input as well.”
Isobel smiles. “Of course. I suddenly feel a headache coming on anyway. You’ll send the blind servant up with tea, I expect.” She presses fingers to her temple and, shooting a seductive smile at Eogan, struts through the excited crowd to the house. From the corner of my eye, I catch Myles standing in the center of the frenzy, staring up at the blaze with a twisted grin on his face. Then Colin and Adora are following Isobel. Eogan clamps a hand on my shoulder to push me after them.
“The world’s going to hulls and she needs a cup of tea?” I say in a withering tone. “Nice girlfriend you’ve got there.”