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“I have to add a circle.” He lifts his tunic over his head, revealing the hard planes of his muscles.
I hate how he makes me feel every time he takes his shirt off. It’s as if the gods formed him from their most perfect mold, making the rest of us feel extremely inadequate in his presence. And yet, I can’t look away. I tear my eyes away to study the glass jars on Reviva’s shelves, chancing small peeks every once in a while.
When the tattoo is complete, Bastian hands Reviva a bag of coins.
She jangles it in her palm, seeming to contemplate something. “What of the three of swords?”
Bastian’s face darkens, his lips pull into a pout. “I don’t want to discuss that. Leave it be.” He snatches my hand, and we’re out the door, bombarded by the clean air of the wilderness.
I know better than to question. Instead, I’ll tuck the comment away for our uncertain future.
We climb down the stairs to the river. The party on the wooden platform is as lively as the one in the square, but when we step onto the dance floor, the music slows to a haunting melody. I’m in his arms, his hand dangerously low on my back. The hypnotic sway of his hips is like a drug I can’t get enough of. I stare into his eyes, lost in the way they catch the torchlight.
He dips his head, and his lips touch my ear, grazing the lobe and making me shiver. “Have I told you that you look amazing tonight? You make me forget there’s anyone else here.”
I shift away from him, furrow my brow, and cover my mouth to feign shock. “Commander Hale always has one eye on his surroundings.”
“Like I said.” His lips move along my jawline. “I can’t take my eyes from you.” He draws me closer, pressing his mouth to mine. We’re barely moving now, only swaying to the music drifting over the dance floor.
His hands drift over the silken material of my dress as he deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring mine. Steady palms grip my hips before slipping behind my back to explore my bare skin, all while never breaking the tangle of our mouths. My fingers tug on the tie in his hair, letting the elastic fall to the ground so I can bury my hands in his long strands.
The floor beneath my feet suddenly gives way, and screams rise around us. A splash, followed by more, tells me people are falling into the river. As the entire dance floor rises vertically into the air, I release Bastian and grab onto a railing, hoping he’ll do the same. I watch him slide down the planks and into the water below. My fingers ache, struggling to hold onto the wooden slat.
Screeches rise from the shoreline as humanlike creatures search the banks of the waterway. From my brief glance, I see they have hunched backs, long greasy hair, and ashen gray skin.
Miscretes.
“Mari.” Bastian cups his mouth. “Hold on!” His weapons cloak is back in the room where we’re staying. He swims to the base of the platform, which now teeters back and forth, stuck on two boulders. “If you drop, I’ll catch you.”
I glance at the creatures sniffing along the riverbank. One catches me looking. The humanness in its eyes makes me turn away. Did they cause this?
A deafening creak shakes the entire structure, and I pitch forward as the railing cracks, my feet dangling above the rapids.
“The whole thing’s going to break in half!” Bastian shouts. “Drop!”
My body trembles, my fingers growing numb as I look over my shoulder at the water below. The creatures still scour the riverbank, seeming afraid to go into the water after the humans. Or are they after something else?
Bastian lifts a rock from the bottom of the river, holds it over his head, and throws it at a Miscrete getting too close to a woman and little girl. The creature dodges it and hisses at the commander.
“Mari! You need to drop,” Bastian pleads.
I close my eyes, draw in a breath, and let my hands do the thing they’ve wanted to do for the last minute—release. Screaming, I fall to the water below.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Bastian is there to pull me up from the rapids before I get swept away. Clumps of hair stick to my face. Exhausted, I wipe them away to get a closer look at the enemy.
“What do you think they want?” I clutch my arms as a horde of Miscretes approach the bank, one dipping its toe into the water.
Bastian trudges through the water to assist a woman to the opposite shore from the creatures. “At first I thought the aim was more recruits, but based on their actions, it appears they have orders to find a specific person.”
Two dozen eyes watch us from the edge of the river, seemingly waiting for us to exit. They growl and bark commands at each other as if hoping for the most daring to take the lead.
“What does Arazian want with us?” My legs grow numb in the cold water, and I long for nothing more than to get back to the inn and sleep.
He catches a rope from someone on the shore and hands it to an older-looking man. He lays a hand on the man’s back. “Don’t worry. It’s only about five steps to the shore. They will pull you out when you get there.” Turning to me, he wraps an arm around my waist to pull me close to his side. “Probably the same thing the fae king wants with you. To use you as a weapon against everyone else. We need a plan for when we exit the water. It won’t take them long to find the bridge. The armory is along the riverbank. If I can get a sword, I can make quick work of them.”
“Like you did when you went to rescue Lyden?” I regret the words as they leave my mouth, but the scar on Bastian’s face serves as a living testament to the viciousness of the beasts.
