Several guards held Rosie back as she screamed and thrashed against them.
“Killian!” I heard myself scream out, though no one could hear me except Scorpion.
Something was really wrong with the sentinels. They howled like hyenas and chimpanzees, hitting and wailing their arms, dropping the spiked clubs on the two men over and over, with no restraint or skill.
“No! Stop!” Aggravation and fear boomed through me, knowing there was nothing I could do.
A soldier struck Killian on the back with the spiked club, curving Killian’s spine. A cry he couldn’t stop barked from his lips. Blood colored his yellow uniform brown.
The guard lifted the baton over his head. A gasp spiked in my throat as I recognized Samu. His features were contorted, almost inhuman.
“No! Stop!” Sloane roared, leaping for Killian.
“Sloane, no!” Killian bellowed as Sloane landed over him right as the club came down.
The crunch echoed through the mess hall. The sound of crushing bone and torn flesh.
I heard my scream shredding through my body as I watched blood and gore spray from Sloane’s head, his skull caving in.
Denial of what I was seeing kicked me in the stomach, burning acid up my esophagus. Staring numbly in disbelief, my eyes locked on Sloane’s unmoving body. The stoic soldier who had taken me to Halálház, whose faithfulness and respect for Killian turned him into my ally. I couldn’t call us friends, but I could no longer say we were enemies. Not by a long shot.
Whimpers and cries of horror sprinkled the room.
All I could do was stare, my mind not wanting to register what I just saw.
“Enough!” Boyd’s voice cut through the mess hall. “What is our rule about the next fighters who are battling in the upcoming Games?” Boyd spoke to them as though they were imbeciles. “Your master won’t be pleased!”
“Kovacs.” Both Scorpion and I twisted to see Warwick behind us in the prison, his attention jumping from the spectacle in the middle to me. I knew I could pull them both in together at once, especially when my emotions were high.
“Go.” Scorpion whispered to me, nodding his head to him.
Tears clotted my throat, my head shaking. “No.”
Scorpion stood at the end of the bed, looking between Warwick and me. “Get us the fuck out of here.”
Then the connection was cut.
My body moved before I even could think, like I could crawl back into the scene and be back in the prison. I frantically tried to connect back to Scorpion, but he had blocked the bond, not letting me in.
“Stop.” Warwick grabbed me. “You can’t help them that way.” He yanked me back into him. Holding my jaw, he forced me to look at him. “You can’t help them being there right now. We help them by getting them out.”
Tears of fury and sorrow filled my eyes. “Warwick.” My voice cracked, the images raw and brutal in my mind.
“I know.” His eyes darted between mine, already knowing what I was going to say, but the words still came out in desperation.
“We have to get them. I can’t lose anyone else.”
“And we will.” His hands moved into my hair, cupping the back of my head, his determination set on his face. “We. Will.”
His strength dried up my tears and swallowed my grief. Tilting my chin up high, I stared into his powerful aqua eyes, determination set. Failure was not an option.
There was no limit for us.
We would walk into the valley of the shadow and death.
And they would fear us.
Chapter 20
“Our plan is to leave when the sun sets and reach Kutná Hora well before midnight.” Warwick sat at the table, Simon munching on a túróstáska next to him, sweet cottage cheese smearing over his face. “Hopefully be back here with an army by the next nightfall.”
“You think your uncle will help?” Eliza leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee. The early morning light cast the room in a foggy glow. Zander and Tad sat at the other end of the table, drinking tea and eating their own filled pastries.
I nodded, my feet moving back and forth across the kitchen. Mykel had to know the stakes; even his own prime minister was part of this. And to be honest, we couldn’t fight or get our friends out of Věrhăza without him. I still feared he would turn me down, saying it was too much of a risk for his people. He already lost four top soldiers and a powerful demon because of me. One of them permanently.
“Kovacs,” Warwick grumbled under his breath, his hand reaching out to stop me.
Agitation was making me want to tear out of my skin, my feet pacing relentlessly. I couldn’t sit still, and knowing we had hours before we left was even more aggravating. Every second we waited was torture. The images of what happened in the prison made me want to shred through Věrhăza and kill every soldier there.
Warwick gripped the outside of my thigh, his eyes meeting mine. “Breathe,” his shadow spoke against my neck. I tried, but it wasn’t helping.
“No. You can’t. It’s too dangerous.” Zander stood up, strolling back to the counter to pour more hot water into his cup, the side of his body fully touching Eliza’s. She didn’t move away. “Things have changed really fast in the last few weeks. The roads out of the city are being watched by soldiers.”
Warwick’s chest puffed; his lids narrowed on them. “Excuse me, pony-boy?” His tone vibrated with ire. “Roads were always dangerous with bandits and fae soldiers. They have never caught me yet.”
“It’s no longer fae soldiers out there, but HDF.”
My boots came to an actual stop. “What? HDF on the fae side?”
Zander bobbed his head, leaning on the counter next to Eliza.
This country was no stranger to fascism, but it was always crazy how quietly and fast it happened. While ordinary people were just trying to get through the day and survive, it was occurring right under their noses. Istvan was hiding in plain sight and fully taking over. Inch by inch, he was declaring his authoritarianism rule, and it would get to the point there would be no way of stopping it.
“What about the side roads?” I asked. “At least until we hit the border.”
“I don’t know now, but they still seemed unguarded when I checked around last week. It will add at least two more hours and a lot more danger from bandits.”
“We’ll take our chances.” Warwick glared at Zander.
Zander pressed his lips together but relented. “Okay, but I’m going with you. It’s far too dangerous to be alone on those roads.”
I couldn’t disagree. The trouble awaiting us on those roads was probably only getting worse, and being on a single bike was begging for trouble. Two bikes still were easy prey, but we didn’t have a lot of options until we reached Povstat.
“Then, I’m going too,” Eliza stated, setting down her cup firmly.
“What?” Warwick and Zander exclaimed in unison.
“Fuck, no.”
“Absolutely not.”
Eliza’s jaw rolled, shooting a look at each man.
“Do not treat me as if I were some helpless girl. Especially you.” She pointed at her brother. “You were the one who taught me to fight. You know what I am capable of.”