Windburn (The Elemental Series #4)(53)

“Don’t, Lark. They’ll kill all three of you.”

“Not if you can get Ash and Peta away.” I looked at her and saw a kindred spirit. A child like me who’d been broken and found a way to put herself back together. “I trust you to get them away, Samara.”

Her jaw ticked and she nodded. “And what about you?”

The ground under us heaved. From behind us, Vetch laughed his donkey-braying laugh. We landed apart. “Get them!” I yelled at her. She stood and the wind picked her and Ash up. Peta, though, was tangled in Blackbird’s hands. My cat twisted and bit him on the wrist and he dropped her with a curse. She ran to me, not to Samara. I caught her up in my arms and clutched her to me. “You have to go.”

“No. I will not leave you.”

I looked up at Samara and nodded. At least Ash would be safe. Blossom would look after Bella. It was all I could do.

The sound of footsteps, the whistle of a weapon slicing through the air; those were the only sounds of warning I had. A sword pierced my back, right under my heart.

I arched backward as blood bubbled up my throat and trickled out my mouth. Peta let out a screech that turned into a snarl as she shifted into her leopard form. Hanging onto the power of the earth, I pulled a creeping vine forward and wrapped it around her back legs, yanking her out of the circle that tightened around me. I caught a glimpse of Samara and she gave me a nod as she swept Peta away.

“NO, NO!” Peta screamed, her voice breaking on the one word.

The sword was yanked from my back and I slumped forward onto my knees. My siblings, minus Bella and Raven—my only supporters—surrounded me.

There would be no escaping this time. All those who could have saved me were far away; and I wouldn’t have wanted them to trade their lives for me. Not even Peta. Maybe most especially not my Peta.

“Little Larkspur. Your time has finally come.” Cassava knelt in front of me, cupping my face in her hands. “Do you want to know why I left you alive so long?”

I blinked up at her.

“Yes.”





CHAPTER 18





“ou were to be a part of the new order, Lark.” Cassava stroked my face. “Spirit is such a rare element, and to have a child with all five elements . . . is difficult. I’d hoped you would remain biddable enough. But, so be it.”

“You wanted a child from me?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Why not keep Bramley alive then?”

“He was named as heir. I couldn’t have that. He had to die.” She tapped my nose with a finger, and in her eyes I saw the broken mind behind them. “You were nothing to your father even then. I knew I could control you. I promised you to Requiem.”

To Requiem . . . “I’d rather die than be your breeding bitch.”

“Yes, I realize that now. Which is why I will waste no more time with you. Vetch, take her to the oubliette. I don’t want anyone finding her body. Ever.”

I caught Briar’s eyes as Vetch threw me over his shoulder. “Briar, run away,” I whispered.

She blinked back tears and turned her back on me, fear making her biddable. Raven . . . I had to believe he’d at least gotten away. Blackbird fell in behind Vetch as we walked to the barracks and the Traveling room. Vetch set up the globe. I couldn’t tell where he was taking me, upside down and dying as I was. Dying. Yes, that was what was happening. I probably should have been more afraid, but there was no strength left in me.

Distantly I recognized that Blackbird could be suppressing my desire to live, using Spirit to control me.

Blackbird faced me, but I had no idea of what was going on with him. “Why did you want Giselle?”

“Even now when you lie on death’s cusp you want answers?” He seemed genuinely surprised.

“Yes.” Why the hell it mattered to me, I truly did not know. But in this small way, I fought to stay awake, to keep my mind together.

“Giselle would have helped us to be sure of our steps. To be sure it was the right time to kill you and the king. A safety measure. But as you can see, we didn’t really need her after all.”

The world swirled, and I fell into Vetch’s memories.

I struggled at first to understand what I was seeing.

Briar cringed away from Vetch, her hands up, and her clothing torn.

“Mother said we must, so stop your crying.”

“I don’t want to,” she whimpered, clutching her hands around her naked torso.

“Not up to you, Briar. Not up to me.” Vetch stripped off his clothes and stalked toward his youngest sister.

A flicker of rage snapped through me as the air popped around us and we were through to somewhere humid and hot. The brush and swirl of a heated wind did nothing to cool the sweat on my brow.

A few seconds later, Blackbird appeared and stepped up beside Vetch as my brother packed me on his shoulder with the indifference of a mindless creature. “Did you break Vetch?”

“Worried about your brother?”

“Tell me. He deserves to be broken.” I breathed out, coughed and fought the wave of darkness that flowed over me.

Vetch flipped me off his shoulder. I landed on my back, on the hard ground. The world faded and I fought the desire to close my eyes and let death take me. “Tell me everything.”