Page 43 of Adversary to the Villain

Roland shoved Walter up, dragging him down the hall to where she’d pointed. Clutching the knob, he opened the door.

Someone gasped, and then a twinkling sound sprinkled like dust over the two men standing there.

When the sparkling mist cleared, only Roland remained, looking befuddled at what lay beyond the cartography closet doors. “Rebecka. I believe you have an enchantress in your closet.”

With a hammering heart, Rebecka sprinted over, Blade following close behind. And skidded to a halt when they spotted the panicked young woman.

Winnifred Erodina, the daughter of Kingsley’s magical curse “jailer,” was sitting on the ground, her borrowed dress spread around her, mousy brown locks brighter, drifting up around her as if blown by some invisible wind. Appearing fairly calm, all things considered, seeing as she’d just changed Lord Walter…into a snail.

Chapter 20

Evie

“I don’t know what Lyssa was thinking!” Evie gritted out, shoving her dagger into another Valiant Guard who had rounded a corner of the hallway with a battle cry.

The sound of wet flesh being sliced was one she was trying to ignore. There was no glamour in death, she supposed, but by the gods, if it could be a touch less gross, she might not mind murder so much.

“Barreling into a dangerous situation with no thought for her own safety?” Trystan grabbed the man reaching for her and snapped his neck. “How frustrating for you.” The wry sarcasm was evident in his tone, visible in the arch of his brow when he looked at her.

“I think about my safety,” she objected.

Trystan glared, snapping the neck of another guard. “When?”

She contemplated, angling her head. “When I eat dairy.”

“Sage!”

“Fine! I am irresponsible with my well-being, and it runs in the family. What do you want, a medal?” She rolled her eyes as she buried her dagger in a knight’s shoulder.

“I want you to—” Trystan grabbed a man by the throat, knocking him unconscious with a slam of his elbow, then looking up with a frantic yell. “Behind you!”

She gasped when she was picked up from behind, then thrown into the wall with brute force. Pain vibrated down her shoulder where she had fallen, her vision going dark for a moment. All she could hear next was an inhuman sound of rage. When her eyes blinked open, she saw fist meeting flesh, hard punches, and then stillness.

“Evangelina,” Trystan’s voice murmured near her, his lips against her hair as she breathed hard. “Your head?”

“It was my shoulder, but I’m all right, just a bit bruised. Are we nearing the end of these people?” She paused, looking down at his palm with a blank expression. “Are you holding an eyeball right now?”

“I didn’t want you to step on it,” he said gruffly.

Gideon turned the corner right then, appearing unscathed. Looking between her and Trystan with a frown aimed at the eyeball now in Trystan’s hands, he said, “Maverine. Generally speaking, most women prefer flowers.”

“Not me.” Keeley smirked beside him.

“Give me the eyeball,” Gideon demanded. Then yelped and dove out of the way when Trystan launched it at him.

“Report, Keeley,” Trystan said, putting an arm around Evie’s waist and pulling her to her feet.

“East perimeter is clear. Several guards are posted at the dungeon entrance and throughout the offices, which have been evacuated with no serious injuries. The Silk escaped, though. Turned into a raven and flew off.”

Gideon touched Evie’s arm. “Lyssa?”

“Safely tucked into our chambers. And grounded for the next twenty years,” Evie grumbled.

“I’ll go check on her,” Gideon offered. “Captain? Care to escort me?”

Keeley rolled her eyes, but Evie noticed a slight smirk on her mouth as the two of them headed toward Lyssa’s bedchamber. Then she jumped when another body barreled into her. “Tatianna!” Her friend looked a bit dazed and confused. “Are you well, Tati?”

“She’s fine,” Clare answered. “Just shaken. We ran into a few escaped prisoners on our way to you.”