Page 70 of Ash and Roses

It doesn’t take long to find her with her screams leading me down a familiar corridor. The hulking Guardian has her cornered, with her back pressed up against a set of ornately carved doors. “Hey!” I shout, and he spins around to face me. “What kind of coward runs from a fight to pick on little girls?”

“What’s it to you?” he spits and then swings his long broad sword towards me. The only thing I have going for me is that this corridor is narrow, and swords require range. When I dodge another attack, his sword gets wedged into a decorative credenza.

“Fern, run!” I tell her while he’s distracted. She doesn’t need to see me kill this fool. At the same moment I turn back to him, he dislodges his sword. I take a step back before he can swing for me again. “Who sent you?”

He laughs. “What business is that of yours?”

“Don’t you recognize me?” I ask, pulling the cloak from myself and tossing it to the floor. I may be dressed like a man, but he can’t be that stupid.

His eyes widen for only a flash, and a grin spreads across his face. He’s missing at least three teeth, and I wonder if that’s further evidence of a few damaging blows to the head. “He said you’d be here.”

“Who?”

“The Commander.”

No. That’s not possible. “The Commander is dead.”

The man sighs and sheaths his sword. “This is disappointing. We have orders to take you alive.”

He steps towards me, and I raise my bloody knife in warning. “I’m not going anywhere.” He laughs me off and the second his hand clasps my shoulder, I drive my knee into him as hard as I can. He crumples in front of me with a huff, and without even the thought of hesitation, I drive the blade into the side of his neck. Blood sprays when I pull it from the gash, and even his massive hand can do nothing to stop the flow.

‘I saw Fern. Are you okay?’Quinn’s voice flits through my mind, and it’s strange how natural this seems now.

‘I’m fine. You were wrong, by the way.’

‘About?’There’s a tiredness behind the question, and I can’t blame him. There’s no telling how the fight downstairs is raging on, but Quinn is no doubt still in the thick of it.

‘The neck is a perfectly good place to stab someone.’

I feel his ghostly chuckle as much as I hear it.‘You never cease to amaze me, Stabby. Get back here so we can finish this.’

‘Patience is a virtue.’I push open the doors that lead out to the garden and step out into the night. The frosty air is fresh, and the bite of small snowflakes is a surprising comfort against the heat of my skin. There’s a fresh powdering of snow blanketing the roses in the spiral garden, and my feet crunch as I leave perfect footprints on the untouched balcony. The fire from below provides enough light against the backdrop of freshly fallen snow to see clearly as I race to the wall and stare out over the valley.

I don’t see any groups of waiting Guardians, and the relief that fact brings with it has me expelling all the air from my lungs. That is, until I see him. A lone man adorned in a silver mask and a cloak of red and black.

The Commander. Here.Alive.

Rage fills me to an extreme that I’ve never felt before. The years of abuse I’ve taken from that man compile into a mass of pure hate. I was defenceless then, but not anymore. The bloodied blade in my hand quavers with want as thoughts of driving it into him fill my mind.‘The Commander is my kill,’I inform Quinn, not leaving any room for argument.

I expect him to agree without hesitation, but a wave of confusion that isn’t mine washes over me.‘What Commander?’

I scan the valley again, and my heart quickens when I realize he’s vanished. That’s not possible. I know I saw him there. I lean too far over the edge, my feet nearly slipping on the thin layer of snow.

I startle when a thud sounds from behind me, and I spin toward the center of the garden… To where the Commander stands. I want to scream, but before I can, he pulls the silver mask from his face and tosses it away. It skids across the single trail of footprints, but I don’t see where it ends up because I can’t take my eyes off the man.

I can’t take my eyes offJade.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN

ABBY

Jade’s eyes meet mine, and a rush of heat runs through me. “I knew that bastard was lying.”

“How did you—” I can’t finish my question, too distracted by the strange red and black cape billowing behind his bare chest. No… Not a cape.Wings. “W-what are you?” I stutter the question as fear and disbelief consume me.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he launches himself towards me, and presses his lips firmly against mine. His leathery wings curl forward, wrapping me in an unnatural embrace that makes my blood run cold. Whether it’s the shock or the fact that he’s holding me so tight, I can’t be sure, but I can’t breathe.

“I believe the lady asked you a question.”