Page 143 of Fate's Wicked Oath

“Go, go, go!” A voice echoed from one of the servants’ corridors up ahead.

The crowd of nobles began bottlenecking and clearing through one of the exits. Faren’s family hurried out from behind their table, heads bowed as they raced for their escape. His parents, Rown, Kate, Beatrice, and Persephone all cleared the doorway, disappearing to what Faren hoped was safety. But Eva—Eva tripped on her dress. She went down, disappearing among the throng.

Faren’s chest seized, and he ran harder, calling her name. He could see her pale green form crumpled on the marble, scrambling to stand and failing as other guests clambered past her. Over her.

Warner made a beeline for the ledgermasters while Faren redirected toward the panicked nobles—toward his baby sister. But before he could get there, he spotted another figure in the crowd, fighting against the stampede to help Eva.

A black breastplate.

A mass of dark hair.

Mariana, at last.

50

The Valiant Rebellion

Mariana

Bodies jostled me to and fro, with jabbing elbows and rough shoves. Each point of contact was a strike of lightning to my magic, filling me with an edgy, electric energy as I forced my way through the crowd. Up ahead, the young Lothgaimian noblewoman was curled on the tile, cradling her head protectively in her arms as people clambered, kicked, and tripped over her as they fled the clash of monsters and knights. It took considerable effort for me to get to her, pushing my way through as if I were wading through whitewater.

When finally, I reached her, I hauled her roughly to her feet. Her cheeks were pink, and a bruise was already swelling on her forehead.

“Are you dizzy?” I asked.

She blinked at me, rocking on her feet as people continued to knock into us—two stones in a raging river.

“Are. You. Dizzy?”

“No, but…” Her light brown eyes widened as she trailed off, glancing at the battle with a sob.

“Focus on what’s ahead.” I grabbed the pale green fabric of her skirts mid-thigh and forced them into one of her shaking hands. “And try not to trip on your hem. Hurry, now.”

Her mouth dropped open, but then she was caught in the current of the crowd, swept through the door and out into the hallway from which I’d come.

I continued forward, forcing my way against the flow of frantic nobility and into the Great Hall. When I broke free from the masses, I barely had a chance to take in the combat before I collided with a wall of golden armor.

Steadying hands found my upper arms, firm and warm even through the fabric of my shirt. “Ana.” Before I could react, Faren cupped my face in his palms. The kiss was hard and fast, and then he was looking into my eyes. “Are you harmed?”

Stunned, I quickly took him in. He stood squarely, not favoring his injured leg—though I wondered how much he was dulling the pain of it, as it must still be healing. His breastplate had new etchings around the edges and was draped with a ceremonial sash. His face was clean-shaven, hair messy, skin flushed with adrenaline. Compared to the last time I’d seen him…Fates, he was alright.

The knots in my stomach slackened—

—then pulled taut again. I needed to get far away from him.

Belatedly, breathlessly, I confirmed, “I’m unharmed.”

The set of his shoulders dropped an inch. “I was beginning to fear something had happened to you,” he continued in a rush, giving me another quick peck. “But you’re here now. And you saved Eva—thank you.”

“Eva?” I realized he meant the noblewoman. “That was your sister?”

A quick smile. “Listen, the plan—”

I was already shaking my head. “Faren, I can’t. I—”

“We can still thwart them,” he insisted. “Heris and the Lord. Together, we can—”

“No. Listen.” Emotion clogged my throat. The metal of his breastplate was cool beneath my hand. “I won’t put you at risk.”