Page 196 of Burn Her They Said
He holds tight to my back as he angles us properly. “Are you ready to begin?”
I swallow my honest answer and force a smile, wishing I could get lost in his eyes, needing something to distract from my Lead Guard.
A soft trilling melody plays, and my skin sings with sensitivity as Prince Auden leads us through simpler moves than the first time we danced together. The Prince and I glide over the floor with ease, despite the distinct heat of Varic’s gaze searing a trail over my body.
Muffled commentary becomes a near-constant murmur around us?—
“So good together.”
“They move as one.”
“So tragically beautiful, that one.”
Prince Auden looks down on me and sighs. “Ignore them.”
I nod, then a high-pitched ringing fills my ears.
Bright white fills my vision.
Then heat of a different kind stings my skin when Varic’s shield vanishes.
The Prince’s hands wrap around my arms as we rise from the ground—catapulted by a blast of force propelling us sideways.
“Varic!” I scream.
Pain pierces my side, along with splintered wood as we land, hard and fast.
Smoke and dust are so thick I cannot make out the Prince before me.
“Varic!” I scream again. Needing him. Here. Now. Fast. Please.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I blink, while the high-pitched ringing fully obscures my hearing.
I scan the area as well as I can through pillars of billowing smoke. But the thick haze of dust darkens everything, and the fairy lights no longer shine from under the tent’s cover.
One of my Guards should have found me by now.
“Varic!” I barely croak, throat tightening with terror.
I feel along the Prince’s chest and can’t tell if he’s still breathing. I press my fingers to his pulse point, and my heart hammers with the expectation someone will find us. I send tendrils of curiosity to try to recognize the signature of someone’s panic or confusion. Needing to know my Guards still live.
Lars should have been able to run to me without anyone seeing.
Stars crowd my vision, and my head grows heavier the longer I seek them. So I retract my magic, unable to chance losing consciousness with an unknown threat. Which could be anyone, anywhere, because of the thick blanket of gray and white surrounding us.
Fray should be grabbing me to fly away.
My hands quiver as I grab hold of the Prince’s shoulders and shake him.
“Auden!” I whisper while trying not to draw notice.
Because whoever set off the blast could be near. They could mean to take or kill me and the other Anomalies.
The coolness of Cirrin’s magic should be creeping over my skin, healing me after the explosion.
The air isn’t clearing, and I can’t feel my Guards with my magic, nor can I hear anything other than this incessant ringing. I jostle the Prince harder to no avail, yet the fox mask slips from his face, and I rear my hand back and smack his cheek. The quick movement disperses the dust enough that I see his eyes fly open, and he coughs so loudly I can hear it—and hope it doesn’t attract those who planted the bomb.
“What happened?” Prince Auden asks.
