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The helicopter landed on the same rooftop where we had raced from — when was that, yesterday? There had been a pile of bodies, but it was all cleaned up now.

Magnus was yanked from the helicopter first, then the rest of the men climbed out, the last one unbolted me from the floor and pushed me from the helicopter. I was shoved into Magnus, but though our shoulders met, we couldn’t touch or even hear each other over the roar of the rotors.

We were forced across the rooftop and through a door to an interior hallway.

“Tis much more dangerous than we suspected, I daena ken if they are plannin’ a⁠—”

“Shut up,” said one of the guards pushing Magnus to walk faster.

The hallway was tightly packed with artifacts, much like Mairead’s coffers, and I vaguely recognized being here before. Our shoulders jostled together. Three more steps and he tried again.

“Tyler isna here.”

I glanced around. “Or Mairead.” A guard shoved me so hard I stumbled into the wall, banging my cheek. Tears sprang into my eyes.

Magnus swung his elbow back, hard, right into the guard’s face and then three men descended on him, punching and kicking him to the ground.

I pressed to the wall to get away from the fists and boots. “Stop! Stop please. Don’t hurt him.”

A guard said, “Shut your mouth or you’ll be next.”

I clamped my eyes shut and cowered against the wall.

They finished beating Magnus and jerked him to standing. His face was swollen. Blood streamed from his nose. “Kaitlyn, daena provoke them.”

One of the guards said, “I didn’t say you could speak to her.”

“I will speak tae her, she is my wife. And I am yer king. You best nae harm her.”

The man sneered. “Your wife, huh? Well she’s a murderer. And you’re no king of mine. Samuel is my king.”

“You will live tae regret⁠—”

‘What — this?” He pressed me up against the wall. Men were laughing. Hands were on me.

Magnus roared and charged. He shouldered the guard off me before he was wrestled to the ground. Men kicked and punched him again and I couldn’t bear it, the sound was gruesome and⁠—

Behind us, down the hallway, a door slammed and someone was running, charging, footsteps clomping, echoing through the halls. Tyler with guns drawn. He charged into the space, red in the face. “Give me the girl!”

His guns, one in each hand were aimed at all the men.

“Get behind me.”

I tried, but a guard held fast to my skirts. Tyler said, “Let go of her, don’t make me shoot you man, let go.” He was pointing at each man there. “Toss your weapons, then hands up.” He looked at the next man. “Your weapon on the ground, your hands up too, do it, now.”

Two men tossed their guns to the ground and put their hands up, one tried to aim it. Tyler fired.

I shrieked.

The man was set off balance, a bloom of blood on his shoulder.

The fourth man pulled Magnus up by the hair and held a gun to his head.

I begged, “No, please!”

Tyler said, “You don’t want to do that man. That’s your king.”

“Not if I kill him first. Give us back the girl.”