Page 7 of The Throne's Undoing
Once the dress was unlaced, Medenia stepped out of it, leaving her in nothing but a black slip that hit her mid-thigh. She bent over and swept the dress off the ground, then held it out to Dani. "Here. Put her in this, and let's go."
Dani turned to Kalisandre and began shifting her out of the shredded dress.
Cheeks aflame, Graeson swallowed and turned away. His attention quickly snapped to Emmett, who was still looking in the women's direction, and he snatched the man by the collar and spun him around.
"Hey!" Emmett shouted.
Graeson growled as fabric rustled behind them. With one seething glare from Graeson, Emmett quickly snapped his mouth shut.
As Graeson tapped his foot against the ground, the Frenzian armor he still wore grew increasingly uncomfortable and tight around his body. When he was about to say something, his patience waning, Dani said, "Let's go."
When Graeson spun around, a heaping pile of fabric covered in blood and soot lay across the floor. The extravagant wedding dress was unrecognizable with its edges torn and battered. Kalisandre now wore a simple sage green dress, which hung over her feet when Terin lifted her into his arms once more.
The door creaked open, calling Graeson's attention away from Kalisandre.
Ellie held up a finger as she peered out. "All clear," she said a moment later.
They filtered through the door and into a shaded alleyway. Smoke filled the air, tainting their lungs and coating their skinin ash. Somewhere nearby glass shattered, and people screamed. Timber burned as destruction besieged the kingdom.
As Dani stepped beside Graeson, she looked around and asked, "Where's--"
"Here!" a voice said down the alley. Sylvia's freckled face appeared, their auburn hair flying behind them as they rushed toward the group, waving a hand. Excitement twisted their mouth into a wicked smile. "Took you all long enough."
"We ran into some trouble," Dani admitted, walking to her friend.
Sylvia grabbed Dani's arm, their amber eyes widening at the sight of the binding wrapped around it. "Are you all right?"
Instead of answering, Dani snatched her arm from Sylvia's grasp. "What's the outlook, Sylv?"
Concern drew Sylvia's brows together, but they didn't question Dani's change of subject. Instead, they sighed and said, "Not great. It's going to be tricky getting out to the horses. More and more soldiers are crowding the streets. They're all searching for the lost bride while struggling to maintain some semblance of order as they try to usher the crowd away from the spreading fire."
"Just what we need," Dani grumbled, face twisted in a scowl.
"Bright side? The streets are fucking crazy. Everyone's panicking and running around like their heads have been cut off." Sylvia raised a brow, shifting on their feet. "Speaking of, were you able to...?"
Dani shook her head. "The bull king lives."
Sylvia bit down on their lip but nodded. They scanned the group, and their brows twisted. "Where are Moris and Armen?" they asked.
Graeson brushed his fingers through his hair. "Armen ran when things started going south."
"Heran?" Dani spat, spinning around. "You didn't tell me that!"
Graeson's hand fell, slapping his thigh. "When did I have the time, Dani?"
"That fucking bastard." Dani spat on the ground. "I knew he was no good."
"And Moris?" Sylvia pressed, quieter this time with more hesitancy filling their voice.
Graeson and Terin exchanged uneasy glances, and the truth hung heavy in the space between them.
Finally, Graeson shook his head. "He didn't make it," he said quietly.
Dani squeezed Sylvia's hand, and a moment of grief passed between the pair.
When Graeson and the twins decided to come to Pontia months ago, the first people Dani wanted to join them were the two soldiers who had been at her side since she was a private in the military. Moris, Sylvia, and Dani had been in the same squadron when they initially enlisted.
Outside of Graeson and the twins, Sylvia and Moris were Dani's closest friends. They were strong-willed and good company.