Page 106 of This Dark Descent
“Never,” he promised, and she set him free.
PART 4
But the Harbingers could not stop what they had set in motion,
and humanity’s hunger grew insatiable.
Then came the Heretics.
CHAPTER 38
MIKIRA
MIKIRA DRESSED FORwar.
At least, that was how it felt wearing the crisp black and silver linen shirt she’d been sent, her riding pants supple leather, her boots polished to shine. She removed the bandages on her arm, bearing angry scabbed skin, and slid her knife sheaths into place, studying the worn handles. Ari hadn’t been able to tell her anything more about their enchantment since the discovery of the bloodstone’s linking properties, but even without knowledge of their power, the blades made her feel invincible.
A note had come with the uniform yesterday morning, informing her that Damien had been released, and though she recognized Reid’s handwriting, he hadn’t signed it.
Had he told Damien what she’d done?
She hadn’t been able to bring herself to visit the manor since the Kelbra ball. Reid didn’t want to see her, and no last day of training would make a difference in the race.
This ended today, one way or another.
An enchanted coach arrived empty at her house that morning, and she felt the extra space inside it as it trundled up the King’s Road toward the castle. First Reid, then Talyana—she’d managed to drive a wedge betweenherself and them both. Now she hurtled toward one of the most important days of her life, and she did it very much alone.
The castle’s central courtyard was larger than half a city block and filled to the brim with horses and people. One area had been cordoned off for vendors, another occupied by canopied wooden viewing platforms for the nobility. The clouded sky threatened rain.
Thankfully, most of today’s race would be underground.
The tunnels that snaked beneath Veradell began near the castle and emptied onto the Traveler’s Road at the edge of the city. They would be dark, lending advantage to horses with ethereal enchantments, like the ability to never get lost or to sense danger. She had no idea what kind of charms they’d experience inside, only that once they escaped the tunnels, they would follow the Traveler’s Road toward the finish line some three miles away at Kelbra Manor.
Mikira made her way to the saddling area, at once desperate for a glimpse of Iri and terrified of it. She desperately hoped the prince had changed his mind, deciding the horse was too valuable to risk, but she knew Rezek wouldn’t let that happen. The stallion was here, somewhere. She could feel it.
So close to the start of the race, most everyone was already packing up and preparing to relocate to the finish line. Most of the spectators would watch the start, then take a coach to the Kelbras’ estate to await the riders, who had already begun to gather by the starting gate.
“There you are.”
She started at Damien’s voice, whirling to find his arm linked with Ari’s.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
Her heart scrambled. “No—I just, you scared me.” She searched his face for signs of anger and found none. That meant nothing. Damien could be plotting her death this very moment, and she wouldn’t know it. He regarded her with a shrewd tilt of his head. Like the day they’d met all those weeks ago, she felt cut open by the steel of his eyes.
“Where’s Reid?” she asked.
“Late.” Damien said the word as if it’d personally offended him. Mikira knew exactly why Reid wasn’t here yet—he couldn’t look her in the eye.
Ari lifted her elbow, and a copper hawk alighted on her leather-gloved forearm. Its wide amber eyes showed no hints of the gold that indicated an enchant—a golem.
“Mazal is charmed to never lose a scent,” Ari explained. “She’ll keep an eye on you during the race, and Reid will follow from a distance.”
Mikira nodded, gaze sliding over the other racers, many of them pulled in tight groups of friends or family. She felt every inch of space around her.
Ari stepped forward. “Come here. Your hair’s a mess.”
Mikira turned obediently as Ari guided the hawk onto her shoulder before undoing her sloppy braid and weaving it into something far more secure. By the time she finished, Mikira felt less like a pup nipping at the heels of a wolf and more like the girl that was going to help ruin House Kelbra.
