Page 22 of Thief of Hearts

Thrax’s attention was on the army below, and he didn’t see the fighter who had climbed the wall to attack us.

“In front of you! Down!” I yelled.

He immediately dropped into a crouch and I leapt over him, keeping my balance as I landed. We had trained together for many years and had easily fallen back into our old and familiar routine of having each other’s backs.

With a yell I ran at the attacker with my sword drawn. He waited for me and was so distracted by the noise I made that he didn’t notice when I pulled a knife from my belt and threw it straight into his neck. He fell off the wall, landing on his countrymen.

I spotted the ladder that soldier had used and saw other Carians climbing it. I kicked it off the wall and watched as it fell.

Then I heard an unmistakable sound—a child was crying.

I whirled around, scanning the area. Why was there a child out there? Xander and his men had gathered all the citizens in the cavern under the palace to keep them safe.

There.

My heart dropped.

There was a family and they were completely surrounded by the enemy. Why weren’t they in the cavern? I saw a rope on the wall and headed for it.

A hand clamped around my upper arm. I turned to fight but saw it was my brother.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” I demanded.

“There’s too many of them! You won’t survive! You are not allowed to throw your life away. You are needed here. If you run to your death, who will avenge that family? We can’t save everyone! Be smart, Bas!”

I watched as they were cut down, Thrax still holding on to me. I owed them that. To witness what was done to them. When the last family member died, fury and despair ignited inside me and I screamed and screamed.

“Basileia!”

Before I even knew what was happening, I had my knife out and felt it meet flesh.

Chapter Eight

“Basileia, it’s me.”

Where was I? I felt completely disoriented.

“You were having a nightmare.”

Zain. His voice was calm, soothing. I released my grip and let the knife drop. “Did I cut you?” I asked, my voice rough with sleep.

“No.”

Dagger licked the side of my face, his foul breath making me want to gag. Zain nudged his dog aside.

“What happened?” he asked me. “You were screaming.”

The explanation unintentionally fell out of my mouth. I had never told anyone about my recurring nightmare, but I found myself sharing every horrible detail, reliving it even though I was awake.

He didn’t say anything, he just listened. It made no sense that I would confide in him. He was a liar and a thief. But his reaction felt sincere—as if he was worried about me.

“It was the first time I didn’t enjoy fighting. I didn’t mark the lives I had taken.” The lives I hadn’t saved prevented me from doing so.

“Had you ever seen innocents die like that before?”

I shook my head. All my fights had taken place on battlefields. It was always warrior against warrior. I’d never had to watch noncombatant women and innocent children die. “I should have done something. I have replayed that moment in my head so many times, thinking of all the things I would do differently if I got the chance to do it again.” I would ignore Thrax. I would save those people.

And if I died in the process? As far as I was concerned, that would be the best possible way to die. Protecting those who could not protect themselves.