Page 79 of Beauty

“She is not lying, and I am no dumb animal.” Kaja takes herhuman form. She also proves she can fight on two feet. She rears her fist backand slams it into Niall’s nose, blood splattering in an arc. Niall’s head snapsback, and he drops to the ground with a thud, unconscious. Kaja stands overhim. “He is not a smart man.”

But he is an armed man. I take the knife off his belt. Asmall guilt assails me, but it isn’t like I’m leaving him unarmed. He seems tohave a blade strapped to every inch of his body. I think about taking thesword, but I’m better with a knife, and the sword is heavy. I hold out thesword to Kaja, who stares at it like she’s not sure what to do with it.

“You don’t use weapons, do you?”

Kaja shrugs, one shoulder moving up and down as she easesthe pack off Niall’s back. She rifles through it, coming back with yet anotherblade.

“I fight with tooth and claw. It’s the way of my people. Andmy main person is about to be in trouble. Dante is fighting. They’re allfighting, and there are so many of them. He’s telling me to get you someplacesafe and then hide with you. He’s being quite loud about it. Does he have toscream at me like that? Doesn’t he know I can hear him?”

It strikes me suddenly that Kaja really is my family. She’sDante’s true consort if they can speak to each other like this. My cos is here.He came for me. And if he’s come for me then it’s because Beckett and Cian senthim. My brothers.

Dear goddess, I have a family again.

“Do you know how to use that thing?” Kaja asks, pointing tothe knife.

It isn’t my father’s knife, but it will do. And I’m runningout of time. Niall probably has it hidden on his person.

My husbands or my knife? It’s an easy choice to make.

I feel so much better with two knives in my hands. I wastrained to use two, my body moving in a deadly dance. Never stop moving,the goblins told me. “I can use it. And I’m not hiding.”

I don’t want to admit it to myself, but Lach and Shim arethere. It was easy to walk away before, but now I can’t, not when I’m not surethey’re safe. Niall lies in the dirt, his chest moving but his eyes closed. Ican’t help him. Not if I want to help Lach and Shim.

I keep my mental shields in place. It’s becoming an easierthing to do. I have to keep them up. If they know I’m coming, they’ll stop mefrom fighting, and from the sounds ahead, every fighter is needed.

Kaja shifts again. I nod down at her and run for thevillage, my heart in my throat.

Chaos reigns. I turn down the street that leads to thesquare. The eddy cloud hangs over the square making it a damn fine bet that theworst of the fighting will happen there.

I stop as the door to one of the shops flies open andscreams ring through the empty street. I watch as two guards start hauling ayoung woman out of her home. The woman isn’t going quietly. She screams herhusband’s name and tries to fight, but the guards have her firmly in hand.

I went to her wedding. It was over a year ago, held right inthe square. Gillian and I walked with the bride through the very street whereshe is now being dragged. Litha is a sweet woman who recently gave birth to adaughter. She and her husband make candles and sell them at market. She’s beinghauled down the street, her face streaked with tears and her legs dragging. Herblonde hair hangs in her face.

Kaja’s tail thumps and her graceful face is turned up asthough waiting for the command. Kaja is acknowledging that I have more atstake. I’m so grateful to her. “Go.”

Kaja jumps the first guard from behind, her predatory graceand speed on full display. The guard doesn’t stand a chance. He lets loose astrangled scream before Kaja bites into his neck. There’s a loud crackingsound.

The second guard turns and hoists his sword to bring it downon the wolf. I rear back and visualize my target. My peripheral vision flees,so the whole world narrows to one point on the guard’s vulnerable neck. Therest of him is covered with thick armor, but he still has to move, and there’sa nice white patch of skin, the right size for a blade to bury itself in.

I let the knife fly, sending the power of my throw throughmy whole body as the man in the wine-making district taught me.

My aim proves true. Before the guard can start his sword’sdescent toward Kaja, the knife finds purchase. The sword falls from his hands,and the guard’s body hits the ground.

Litha looks up, her eyes wide with fear. “Isolde?”

It’s time to begin to reclaim my true identity. Niall isright about one thing. I can be a figurehead, but that isn’t all I intend tobe. “That’s the name I gave you, Litha, but it is not my own. I have kept asecret from you.”

Litha stares for a moment and then gets to one knee.“Princess Bronwyn. You’re the one they’re looking for. The guards came into myhome and beat my husband. They mentioned the Princess Bronwyn and that they’rerounding up anyone who could possibly be you. I fear they intend to slaughterus all in the hopes that one of us will be you. Just last night as you were inyour cell, Gillian told us the secret. We were ready to attack the guard tofree you when the dark man came. The necromancer killed them all. Will he saveus now? Where is he?”

I take a long breath. At least I won’t have to prove who Iam to the villagers. It seems Gillian convinced them.

“She’s right. Those guards intend to kill everyone who couldpossibly be you.” Kaja stands over her victim, heedless to her nude state.“They won’t settle for the ones who look like you as you could easily changeyour appearance.”

Litha screams and runs, hiding behind me, though she hasfour inches and twenty pounds on me. Litha is a muscular woman, but the screamthat comes from her throat is pure girl. “It was a wolf! Kill it, YourHighness. It must be the hag the guards spoke of.”

A hag is here? How many? The rumor is Torin has three in hisemploy, but one is off plane seeking my brothers. If the hags are here, thenthey will be the ones in charge. “She isn’t a hag. She’s my cousin. She’s anally.”

Kaja grins as though the very act of being called familybrings her enormous pleasure. “I am Kaja. I am a wolf sometimes and always awoman.”