Page 140 of To Kill a King
Bracing one hand on the edge of the roof, Elessan vaulted over the side.
He landed on the street and immediately rolled to dodge various bodies as he was carried by the tide surging toward the castle. Dwarves and ponies pressed in from all sides. Someone’s elbow slammed into his gut, forcing the air from his lungs. His vision went dim around the edges.
With an inaudible sigh, the pressure released as he made it under the twisted portcullis and the crowd expelled him into the courtyard. The Dragon Sticks were nowhere in sight.
Thane Hedul, nursing a bloody shoulder and a black eye, raised his hammer. “To the throne room!”
The humans retreated before the dwarven onslaught, calling out, “To the King! To the King!”
Elessan smiled. It seemed all they had to do was follow the retreating guards to Malkov. He met Hedul’s gaze. The dwarf must have had the same thought. Elessan flashed his fangs and took off in pursuit.
He’d been wanting to kill the human king since long before he’d met Aliya.
The bodies of soldiers littered the hallway, painting the smooth marble with shiny pools of red. This far back in the ranks, there wasn’t much fighting to be done. Despite himself, Elessan searched the face of each mutilated body, hoping against hope not to find who he sought.
Aliya was somewhere in the castle. She had to be.
If she died, would she look the same? Or would she change to something completely different? He’d never thought to ask her if she had an original shape.
He shook his head. He couldn’t think about that. Not now. He’d find her, while she still lived.
The halls twisted one way and another. Smart soldiers would try to confuse them by taking the most circuitous route possible, but by the panic and confusion in their scent, they had no such forethought.
He passed corridor after corridor. It would take a long time to clear this castle of threats once they eliminated Malkov. Fortunately, the cleanup wouldn’t be his problem. Tsara and Hedul could sort it out.
Huge double doors swung open with a thundering crack ahead of him. Shouts of disbelief floated back to his ears.
The dwarves surged forward, pushing Elessan into a cavernous room. At the opposite end of the chamber, on a raised dais, sat a throne of black glass. The air smelled of old and fresh blood.
Malkov was nowhere to be seen.
The human guards they’d been chasing backed against the far wall, swords held out toward the dwarves.
Thane Hedul took a breath. Elessan cut in before the Thane could give the order.
“Surrender, and we’ll let Queen Aliya decide your fates.”
Hedul glared at him.
Elessan stared back. “These are Aliya’s people. The decision should be hers.”
Several tense heartbeats later, the thane nodded.
The soldiers’ throats bobbed as they glanced around the room, doubtlessly weighing their odds against overwhelming numbers. As one, their swords cascaded to the ground in a metallic peal of bells as they fell to their knees.
“Push your blades to me and sit by the wall,” Hedul ordered. The weapons screeched across the floor in his general direction. “Harnek, Gitil. Keep an eye on them.”
The two dwarves stepped forward, further kicking the prisoners’ weaponry out of reach.
“Where’s Malkov?” Elessan asked.
The prisoners stared back at him with round eyes.
Elessan pushed his blade to the throat of the youngest guard hard enough to draw blood. “Am I not speaking your language? Where is he?”
“Stop!” A gray-haired officer leaned forward. “We don’t know. The king was supposed to be here. Please, don’t hurt the boy.”
Elessan frowned, frustrated at the lack of answers.