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“It’s very nice to meet you, Vivian,” she said, breathlessly. The street was warm and sunny, and suddenly her feet didn’t hurt much at all.
Vivian pulled her closer and glanced sideways at her with sparkling eyes. “You’re so formal. It’s cute.”
Cute? A blush rose on Amalia’s cheeks.
“But you can call me Vee. That’s what all my friends call me.”
Vee smiled at her wide enough that her sharp canines flashed in the sunlight. “And I can tell we’re going to be very, very good friends, Princess.”
Part Two
Chapter 21
FEY
Fey’s shoes patted rhythmically on the rough cobblestones as she ran through her neighborhood. It was just past dawn, and the early morning air held a pleasant chill, cooling the sweat that coated her skin. But the cold air could only do so much, and by the time she reached the park, a thin line of sweat had collected on her back and ran down her spine.
This was Fey’s favorite trail to run in the mornings—through her neighborhood, past Regina’s shop, and up through Goddess Park. It was early enough that no one was out, early enough that the only sounds around her were the chattering and singing of birds as they heralded the coming day.
Today, Fey felt at peace.
Once, she could only achieve this level of calm after spending hours in the training gym. Back then, she would push herself far past her limits, almost to the point of collapse, to feel like this. But something was changing.Shewas changing. Now, she let herself relax as she ran, losing herself in the rhythm of her breath and the repetitive sounds of her feet hitting the pavement.
She didn’t see the posters until she reached the midpoint of hermorning run—the Dual-faced Goddess statue. Stopping near the base, Fey took a moment to catch her breath and stretch out her legs.
That’s when she saw it.
Someone had taped it to the base of the statue, as if they had put it there just for her. Frowning, Fey stepped closer, and when she saw the image on the notice there, all the calm of her morning run vanished.
It was the same posters she’d seen before, the same image of her face. But the words written over it no longer readOUR TRUE QUEEN.
No. This message was different. Written in a different hand.
DEATH TO THE COUNCIL.
DEATH TO THE ROYAL FAMILY.
Fey’s hands shook as she took the poster from the statue and held it tight between her fingers.
There were more. Now that she’d noticed, she saw them everywhere. Nailed to power lines, taped to shop windows, they were all around her—Fey’s own face looking back at her under a hand scrawled message.
KILL THEM ALL.
Fey collected all the posters she could find, but even after she’d burned each and every one, she couldn’t erase that image of her own face from her mind. Couldn’t keep the taste of ash from her mouth, as that inferno of rage burned inside of her.
BANG,BANG, BANG
Alice sat bolt upright at the knock, fumbling for the blades she kept next to the bed—the only memento she kept from her life under the Queen’s reign. Lying next to her, Joy groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over her face.
“You deal with it,” Joy said, voice sleepy and muffled from under the blankets. “Whatever it is, you deal with it.”
In the few seconds it took Alice to climb out of bed, grab one of her twin blades, and pull on a pair of pants, Joy had already fallen back asleep. Her soft, rhythmic breathing reminded Alice why she was so jumpy. Reminded her of all the things she needed to protect.
She had lost Joy once, for the good of the realm, and it had almost killed her. She wouldn’t risk losing her again. Not for anything.
BANG, BANG, BANG
Blade ready at her side, Alice snuck quietly to the front door and opened it, ready for whatever monster awaited her on the other side.
