Page 112 of Never Ever After

He speaks smoothly like he’s already planned this, just waiting for the right opportunity. Dian was right; he did want something from me—and this time, he’ll collect in full. But I won’t worry about this now; tomorrow feels too distant when I can’t even see the end of today.

“Do you agree?” he asks.

“I do.” I don’t hesitate; there’s no time… though I hate accepting a first offer.

“If your family learns about this, they will object; your people may shun you.”

“Then we won’t tell them anything. We’re both good at telling lies.”

Jin yanks the reins of his horse abruptly, swinging around to gallop back to the center of the hall where Prince Zixin is surrounded by General Xilu’s soldiers. A group of Thorn Valley warriors breaks away to follow us. Though they are the stronger fighters, we’re greatly outnumbered.

“We must rescue the Prince of the Iron Mountains,” Jin tells them, nodding at a gray-eyed woman. “Shiji, you’ll bear the prince.”

“A hostage?” Scorn laces her voice.

“We need him,” he says firmly. “We’ll guard you.”

Shiji sighs, then rides toward Prince Zixin. He’s cornered by soldiers, blood spilling from his wounds. Queen Chunlei and General Xilu stand a little way behind. Their heads snap up as we approach, the general ordering his warriors to attack us. Archers rush into the fray, aiming arrows our way. If this fails, the only way we’ll be escaping is in a coffin.

“Take my hand. We must protect my soldiers.” Jin’s tone is one of command, not the teasing or intimate one I’ve grown used to.

He wraps the reins around his palm as I place my hand in his—his fingers locking around mine. An icy chill jolts me, spreading through my body, almost numbed from the cold.

“I’m shielding you. Release your magic,” he tells me. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I reach for my power, grasping it more easily now. As the force builds, the familiar tension coils within, winding tighter—I don’t flinch from it this time, plunging onward until it snaps, the power surging through my body. It feels like drowning, being swept away. I should be afraid, yet Jin’s cool energy sheathes me, tempering the heat until it calms to a steady current.

Jin’s eyes are piercingly bright, his mouth curved. My body is feverish, running hot and cold, as my strength continues to flow in a glittering rush. As the cold sharpens inside me—Jin’s shield strengthening—so does the flow of my magic channeled through it. Light flickers from my palms, flames erupting forth, sweeping across the Iron Mountains soldiers, hurling them back. Ash and soot swirl high, gritty and dense.

A dank chill pierces the air, thick with foreboding. Queen Chunlei steps forward, the starfire in her crown shimmering as she raises her hand. Ice glistens along her fingertips, forming sharp spears—breaking free to hurtle into our warriors around her, even her own people. Blood spills from the gashes across their arms and faces. The power… she’s learned to wield it. Rage mounts that she’s getting everything she’s schemed for, paid with my family’s suffering.

I spin toward her, eager to strike—but she’s quicker. More spears of ice dart toward me, one scraping my forehead. As the queen’s hand fists, the gem on her crown flares brighter. The floor shudders, then cracks apart—tiles splintering, jagged fragments flying wide as the soldiers cry out and stumble back. A Thorn Valley horse rears, its rider falling, but he’s swiftly helped to safety by his comrades.

As Shiji reaches Prince Zixin, she extends her hand to him. He takes it without pause, leaping upon her horse, blood streaming down his face.

“Fall back! Flee!” Jin calls out to his soldiers.

I don’t think, unleashing another wave of fire, carving a path through the soldiers and archers clustered around the entrance. Jin’s hand tightens around mine, his other guiding the horse between the soldiers as we gallop to the doorway. He’s leaning down, his body pressed to mine—so close it’s like we’re one.

A sudden wave of fatigue crashes over me, more startling because of how effortless channeling the magic felt. I sag, slipping a little, but Jin’s arm closes tighter around me as his mount bolts through the rubble of the entrance of the Grand Hall.

“Where are Dian and Ruilin?” My words fracture as the wind rushes against my face.

“Gone ahead. They will meet us by the entrance.”

My heart sinks at the sight of the wall in the distance, snaking around the grounds. The closer we get, the heavier I feel, almost struggling to breathe. It’s harder to grasp my power, slipping away, elusive and weak. Is this how iron suppresses our magic?

Clusters of Thorn Valley soldiers are already battling the guards by the palace entrance, Dian and Ruilin among them. More of the queen’s soldiers stream forward to block our path, archers lining the top of the wall. Memories flash—of the prince staring at me from there as I’d stolen an invitation to enter the palace. I cast them aside, the shadow of emotions they evoke, a ruin of dreams.

The walls are intact, just the entrance door broken and hastily barricaded—signs of how Jin’s soldiers forced their way in. As the archers aim their arrows at us, Jin tenses behind me, a coolness surging around us—though weaker than before. He’s tired too, or suppressed by the iron wall—yet gleaming shields surround the Thorn Valley soldiers now. As the arrows fly, I recoil, unsure how long Jin’s barriers can hold.

His jaw is clenched, his breathing labored. “Let me help,” I whisper, still struggling to grasp my magic, our hands still joined. “But I need you.”

The answering rush of his magic sweeps through my body once more, enveloping the raw power that courses inside me. I seize it, releasing it into the earth—into the trees surrounding the palace. The ground shakes, roots erupting from beneath. As they lash wide, the soldiers around the entrance tumble over, the barricades on the doors falling apart. Our mounts gallop through the cleared path, leaping swiftly through the opening, their hooves a blur as they cover vast stretches of ground.

And then we’re out of the Palace of Nine Hills.

CHAPTER FIFTY