More attackers. Had to be.
Stashing the orrery back in my cleavage, I searched left and right. The nearest door was locked when I tried it. I hurried to the next. Also locked.
Distrustful lot, these Dawn fae.
Lungs begging me to gasp for air, even though it would be noisy and undoubtedly heard by keen fae ears, I tried another door and another. No fucking luck.
Shit.
“Kat?”
I blinked.
“Kat?”
Wait, I knew—
Around the corner bounded a white hound, ears, eyes and paws wreathed in red flame.
“Fluffy.” Followed a moment later by Rose, peering around the corner. I sagged as Fluffy circled me, rubbing against my legs, her tail wagging.
Soon Rose, Ari, Ella, and Perry surrounded me. With brief hugs, I assured them I was all right and they reassured me of the same. That was a start.
“Bastian?” I glanced at Perry and Ari. “And the others?”
Their gazes dropped.
Ella pursed her lips, a smear of blood on her cheek, which I hastily wiped away for her. “We haven’t seen them.”
“We were separated when the attack started.” Rose frowned back the way they’d come. “But I know Faolán snuck a knife in, so they’re in a better position than we were.” She had no weapon, but had shifted her fingers to make them long and clawed. “Looks like you’re doing all right though.” She nodded at the sword.
“Not that I know how to use it. But I think a former pirate might.” I offered it to Perry. “Think Bastian snuck a blade in, too.”
“And last time I saw them, they were together.” Perry nodded as she took the sword. “Plus I think Asher and Lysander were talking.”
“Fingers crossed, that means no one’s alone.” Rose smiled and reached for my shoulder. She hesitated.
“It’s all right—I’m safe to touch.”
She huffed and squeezed my shoulder. “Now we’ve found you, no one’s alone. So, what now?”
Ari glanced back the way they’d come. “Do we go back to the ballroom?”
“There may still be fighting back there.” Perry shook her head. “If the attackers get bedded in, the guards could take hours to get past their lines. We’re better off steering clear.”
I ran my thumb over the unfamiliar leather-wrapped hilt. “Do we know if there’s fighting in Dusk’s side, too?”
Ella shook her head. “We haven’t got much sense out of anyone since it all broke out. The crowd went a bit…” She shuddered, and I understood.
“All the more reason to steer clear.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “In that case, let’s try to find a lodestone and get back to Dusk. Once we’re there, we’ll be safer—or with our own people, at least. And maybe there’ll be word of the others.”
Four pairs of eyes turned to me, and one by one, my friends nodded as though relieved to have a plan.
Action was always better.
And my plan might not be the most intricate or even the best, but with the information and resources we had, it seemed the right choice.
Perry checked out a window, confirming the sun’s position, and made her best guess of which way was south—the southernmost part of the palace was the grand hall, and it would give us a route back to Dusk.
We set off, watchful and tense, Fluffy at my side. It was long minutes before we hit another major corridor and she whined softly, ears pricking.
Rose cocked her head and raised her hand, calling us to a halt. “There’s someone ahead,” she breathed.
I swallowed and nodded back the way we’d come, but as we turned, her hand flew up again. “And that way.”
Cornered.
Shit.
87
Bastian
I should go to the queen. I should ensure her rooms were secure. I should check whether they’d also attacked our side of the palace.
Should. Should. Should.
But I wanted to find Kat. I needed to know she was safe.
“Grab weapons, if you need them.” I nodded as Lysander returned to us. “I’ll be back in a second.”
I slipped into a side room and ensured I was out of sight. Only Kat, Faolán, my fathers, and a few lovers had known about my ability, and I planned to keep it that way. Thank the Stars, it was a couple of weeks since one half of me had died fighting Sura’s soldiers, and I’d regained my strength enough to split in two.
We nodded at each other in perfect unison. Unlike my Shadowblade, which was linked to me, these mundane weapons didn’t double when I split in two. We’d need to find another weapon once we left this room.
One of us stayed in the side room, while the other returned to the ballroom and rejoined the others. As Asher and Lysander buckled on belts with scabbards, I noted where a sword remained so my other self could pick it up when he emerged.
“Hmm.” Faolán scowled, turning over a long knife he took from one of the fallen attackers. “Guard issue.”
Eyes narrowing, I scrutinised my sword. The same leather wrapped hilt. The same stamp on the blade. I clenched my jaw and nodded. “Like those the Ascendants took in their raids.”
“And…” Asher pulled the damaged leather cuirass from one of the attackers, revealing an insignia on the shirt beneath.
A three-headed hydra.
Both in the ballroom and in the side room, my blood boiled. I should’ve killed Sura. I’d spent the past fifteen years dealing with that guilt—I might as well feel it for something I’d actually done.
Then she wouldn’t have been able to do this. A dozen wedding guests wouldn’t be lying on a blood-soaked dance floor.
She had to be behind the Solstice attack too.
But there wasn’t time for blame—of her or myself. We had work to do.
I jerked my chin towards the doors, keen to give myself a chance to creep out of the side room without two Bastians being spotted at the same time. “Come on. Let’s find the others.”
From a crack in the door, I could see through my own eyes as I crossed the floor.
With a deep breath, I pushed that side of my awareness away, making it as dim as my peripheral vision. Two awarenesses, we both saw and felt equally, but one of us focused here.
And one of us focused here.
I watched myself leave before removing my black jacket and replacing it with a blue one I found on the back of a chair. I pulled my hair into my face. Not a great disguise, but it would have to do—it should be enough to make anyone who caught a glimpse of me leaving assume that I wasn’t Bastian but some other Dusk guest.
As soon as the guard who’d watched me leave turned away, I slipped into the ballroom and hurried out to the corridor.
With one side of me searching for Kat, the other could go after the queen.
Alone, I moved quickly along the corridors, aiming for the nearest lodestone—the shared dining room. Rarely used now, it had once been a space for feasts, back when Dusk and Dawn had been more closely allied.
I passed guards who nodded when they recognised me and came across several skirmishes. Each fight broke up once I joined in and the palace guards got the upper hand, sending Ascendants scattering.
It felt like a distraction.