The one in the middle was the first to be snuffed, sending my heart slamming against my ribs. The others rapidly followed, pitching the land beyond the Rise into sudden darkness.
I took a step back from the window.
Dozens of fiery arrows shot into the air, arcing high above the Rise and then racing downward, slamming into the tinder-filled trenches. A wall of fire erupted, running the entire length of the Rise. The flames were no defense against the mist or what came with it.
The fire made what was in the fog visible.
Returning to the window, I threw the latch and flung it open. Cold air and a kind of unearthly silence poured into the chamber as I gripped the stone ledge and leaned out, squinting.
Smoke wafted up and weaved through the flames, spilling into the air and onto the ground.
Smoke didn’t move like that.
Smoke didn’t creep under the tinder, a thick, murky white against the black of night. Smoke didn’t blanket flames, suffocating them until they were extinguished and all that remained was a heavy, unnatural mist.
The mist wasn’t empty.
It was full of twisted shapes that had once been mortal.
Horns blared from all four corners of the Rise, shattering the tense quiet. Within seconds, what few lights had shone through windows went dark. A second call of warning went out, and the entire castle seemed to shudder.
Snapping into action, I grabbed the window and latched it into place before I spun around. I’d have roughly three minutes, possibly less, before all exits were sealed. I started forward—
A moment later, the adjoining door swung open, and Tawny burst in, her white nightgown flowing around her and the mass of brown and gold curls spilling over her shoulders.
“No.” Tawny stumbled to a halt, the whites of her wide eyes a stark contrast to her brown skin. “No, Poppy.”
Ignoring her, I raced over to the chest, throwing open the heavy lid and rooting around until I found the bow. Rising, I tossed it onto the bed.
“You cannot be planning to go out there,” she exclaimed.
“I am.”
“Poppy!”
“I will be fine.” I situated the quiver along my spine.
“Fine?” She gaped at me as I turned to her. “I can’t believe I have to point out the obvious, but here I am. You’re the Maiden. The Chosen. You cannot go out there. If they don’t kill you, His Grace will if he catches you.”
“He won’t catch me.” I snatched up a black, hooded cloak and shrugged it on, securing it at my neck and breast. “The Duke will be hiding in his room behind a dozen Royal Guards if not more, right alongside the Duchess.”
“The Royal Guards will come for you.”
I retrieved the curved bow by the grip. “I’m positive Vikter left for the Rise the moment he heard the horns.”
“And Hawke? Their duty is to protect you.”
“Vikter knows I can protect myself, and Hawke won’t even know I’ve left my room.” I paused. “He doesn’t know about the servants’ entrance.”
“You’re injured, Poppy. Your back—”
“My back is almost completely healed. You know that.”
“And what of the Dark One? What if this is a ploy—？”
“This is no ploy, Tawny. I saw them in the mist,” I told her, and her face grayed. “And if the Dark One tries to come for me, I will be ready for him, too.”
She followed me as I crossed the room. “Penellaphe Balfour, stop!”
Surprised, I spun around and found her standing right behind me. “I have less than two minutes, Tawny. I will be trapped in here—”
“Where it’s safe,” she reasoned.
I grasped her shoulder with my free hand. “If they breach the walls, they will take the city, and they will find a way into the castle. And then there will be no stopping them. That, I know. They got to my family. They got to me. I will not sit and wait for that to happen once more.”
Her eyes frantically searched mine. “But you didn’t have the Rise to protect you then.”
That was true, but… “Nothing is infallible, Tawny. Not even the Rise.”
“And neither are you,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling.
“I know.”
She drew in a deep breath, her shoulder sagging under my hand. “All right. If anyone comes, I’ll tell them you’re ill with fright and have locked yourself in the bathing chamber.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course, you will.” I let go of her shoulder. “There are several bloodstone daggers in the chest, and a sword under the pillows—”