Kiva shook her head and waded through the crowd, her view finally clearing enough to watch Jaren approach the far corner. Seated there was a small group of people, none of whom seemed the slightest bit interested in what was happening all around them.
No, Kiva thought, her breath catching. Zuleeka was meant to have told the city rebels to find a new meeting place, to not meet at all, anything that would keep them from discovery.
Jaren was no fool. If he’d infiltrated Zalindov, he could surely convince a small group of rebels that he was one of them. Kiva had to warn them.
Or . . . maybe warn him.
Because as another dancing couple shifted out of her way, and another wispy sheet rippled with movement, Kiva could see what she’d missed upon her first perusal: one of the figures was wearing a silver mask made of coiled serpents.
The Viper was here.
Zuleeka was here.
And from one breath to the next, she was on her feet, her sword slicing through the air toward the crown prince of Evalon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
All the air expelled from Kiva’s lungs as she watched the blade slash toward Jaren.
“NO!” she screamed, but only those nearest to her heard, the music too loud, the crowd too thick. She was too far away to do anything other than stare in horror at what was about to happen.
Zuleeka was fast, her sword streaming through the air.
But Jaren was faster.
Kiva didn’t even see him draw his weapon, but instead of Zuleeka slicing open his torso, there was a shriek of steel as their blades met, the sound loud enough to gather significantly more attention than Kiva’s shout.
Hazy-eyed patrons turned to watch as the rest of the rebels leapt to their feet, all of them unsheathing swords and rushing at Jaren.
He was vastly outnumbered —
And then he wasn’t.
Because suddenly Naari was there, her hood flying back to reveal her ferocious expression as she appeared out of the shadows, her two swords blurring through the air.
The Viper — Zuleeka — immediately switched her focus to Naari, as if seeing the Golden Shield as the greater threat. The two of them spun violently around each other while Jaren fought the other rebels, defending not only himself but also the nearest civilians who had begun to realize the danger and were scrambling away. Screams met Kiva’s ears as they panicked, tripping over each other in their haste to get to safety — and those screams only grew when the front door crashed open and a contingent of silver-armored Royal Guards burst into the Red House, led by Captain Veris.
Even the most drug-addled of patrons sobered at the sight, those who were scantily clad reaching for their clothes, and those who were still disguised lowering their hoods further — Kiva included.
She needed to leave, right now.
But before she could blend into the flow of bodies, she saw her sister notice the guards streaming her way. Zuleeka gave a quick signal to someone out of sight, and in the space of a blink, all the lights went out.
The screams of the patrons became earsplitting, elbows and shoulders smacking into Kiva as they blindly rushed by her. It was only seconds before the luminium was reignited, the room returned to its crimson shade, but Kiva already knew what she would see.
Zuleeka and the rebels were gone.
Kiva used the pandemonium inside the Red House to her advantage, hurrying out with the panicked patrons and dissolving into the darkness of the alley before anyone could recognize her. She cringed at the thought of how much trouble Jaren must be in, certain Naari had to be apoplectic.
Tonight had been close — too close. If Naari hadn’t appeared when she had, Jaren would have been left to face the entire rebel group, including Zuleeka, on his own. And if the Royal Guard hadn’t stormed in, then the rebels might not have fled. Someone could have been hurt. Someone could have been killed.
And it would have been Kiva’s fault — because she’d been played. Walking slowly back along the river, Kiva realized Zuleeka had never intended to warn the rebels that their meeting place had been compromised. She’d instead used them to set up a trap.
It was clever, Kiva had to give her that. And if it had worked —
She didn’t finish her train of thought, unable to stomach where it led.
The entire journey back to the palace, Kiva couldn’t figure out who she was angrier with: Zuleeka, Jaren, or herself. Zuleeka had taken a risk by coming to the city tonight, and she’d taken a greater risk by orchestrating an attack on the crown prince. But Jaren had fallen right into her hands by acting impulsively, following a dangerous lead without any backup.
As for herself, Kiva was more frustrated than ever by her dual mentality, unsure who she’d been fearing for most during the fight: Zuleeka or Jaren. If her sister had been hurt — or caught — then Kiva didn’t know what she would have done. But the same was also true for Jaren, who had been in just as much peril, perhaps more.