Rise of the Seven (The Frey Saga, #3)(22)

I would have to do the same. It was my only option.

The others deserved to know my motivations, I would have to make them understand. I opened my mouth to speak, but they all froze. They’d heard something I hadn’t... or maybe something I’d ignored. The pat of boots against stone grew louder.

My guard were on their feet. Grey was at the door first. At the sight of him, the watchman yelled, “Rogues, south gate.”

I gritted my teeth and ran. I wasn’t as fast as the others, but I’d been running these corridors since I was a child.

We burst from the castle as one, and the seven formed up around me as if they’d been doing it for years. The yard was bloody, the rogues had worked fast. There were twenty of them, a ragtag band of thugs with greased hair and spiked armor. I scanned the faces and found Vandrell, son of Stryder.

He was huge, fists as large as my head, and he was ugly. His jaw misshapen and scarred from fighting, his cheeks stained with animal blood. War paint. They used it when raiding the villages. His hair was tied back, too high on his head, and the front of it stood in pointy tufts.

He was staring at Ruby.

“Reform,” I yelled, and they followed without question. They had seen.

Now Steed and Grey stood before Ruby, Rhys and Rider at her sides. Anvil and Chevelle had stayed in position, but I stepped through them to the front of the line.

The rogues came to rest, waiting for my reaction. They were enjoying their little outing, they wanted to drag it out, revel in their triumph. They were fools. I let my eyes roam the line, falling on each of them. Their leather was worn black, their armor dented from battle. A few wore mail. All carried hammers.

“You raid my castle as if it were a village,” I accused.

“You will fall, halfbreed,” Vandrell answered. “And the fey whore will decorate my pike.” With that, he raised the weapon in the air, hammer still at the ready in the other hand.

“Save the pike,” I said levelly to the seven behind me.

Vandrell roared and the twenty rushed forward, joining in the battle cry.

I didn’t take time to wonder how many of our people they had killed, to worry whose blood covered their hammers or splattered the yard, it didn’t matter now. There was only one way, only one justice. I raised my hand and Vandrell was silenced first. Power shot from my palm and shattered his heart. Fire erupted beside him, lightning burst from behind. There was a flash as two more collapsed, all before I’d focused a second attack. A crunch of bone, the thick wetness exploding flesh.

Twenty men, twenty warriors fell on the stone without so much as a weapon being raised by my guard.

I walked forward, among the bodies of the fallen, and reached down for the pike. When I turned, my guard remained motionless in their formation. I moved to Ruby, and placed the pike in her hand.

“Tomorrow,” I said, looking over my shoulder to Anvil. “Congress.”





I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten blood on myself. I couldn’t remember being close enough. I scrubbed at it, thinking of the stares I’d received on the way back to my room. Everyone had been watching. It had happened so fast, I wasn’t sure how, but they had all found a window to lean out, a doorway to peek around, some way to watch. I hadn’t wanted to leave the others to clean up the mess, but I couldn’t stay when I’d realized the size of our audience.

I knew they would take care of it. They would honor those of our people who were killed before we arrived. They would report to me who had been taken and I would pay tribute to them, show my respect to their families. And Ruby would spike that damned Vandrell’s head.

I stopped scrubbing. My skin was raw.

I dressed in clean pants and a loose tunic and returned to my room. I heard a shuffle outside, but didn’t go to check who was on duty. I stared out the window, into the empty darkness of night, and then closed my eyes, searching for the wolves. I hadn’t felt them since I’d returned from our journey. They must have left while I slept.

I wondered where they were. I wondered if they knew about Junnie. I wondered what I was supposed to do with all this power, why they’d brought Rhys and Rider, whether they’d known about Asher, why the rogues chose today to attack, and who else wanted me dead. I wondered when I’d get some sleep.





Late the next morning, a light knock sounded at my door. I was already awake, but my voice was still hoarse when I answered. “Yes?”

Ruby poked her head in.

“You’re knocking now?” I asked.

She pushed the door open and shrugged. “I brought you some bread.”

She sat it on the table by the door, whether because she could tell I wasn’t interested or because it had only been an excuse to see me I wasn’t sure.

“I stood the pike by the gate,” she said. “For our guests.”

A flicker of concern that I’d given Ruby too much authority edged out my other worries for a moment, but when I looked up at her, it appeared she’d simply done what she thought I’d have wanted. I nodded. “I suppose that’s for the best. I’m sure they’ve all heard by now.”

“The others are still hunting down the clan leaders for tonight,” she offered.

“So you are my guard.”

She nodded. “And Grey.” She paused, looked a little guilty, and added, “And Rhys.”