Seven Black Diamonds (Seven Black Diamonds #1)(86)

At first Lily thought it was Torquil or Violet, but as the flames retracted into Nacton’s body with barely a blink, she realized what his primary affinity was. “You could’ve done that before I disarmed you.”

“I have honor.”

Lily lifted her sword and slashed at him. “Honor? Seriously? You are trying to marry me.”

Nacton’s fire extended toward his fallen sword, much as Violet’s had done earlier. “The girl is from a strong bloodline,” he said calmly as his sword returned to his hand.

When his gaze drifted to Violet, who had pinned Calder to the ground with a net of fire, Lily pulled water from the ground in a giant gush. She soaked all of them in the process, dowsing the fire on Calder, dowsing the remaining flickers in Nacton’s hands.

He aimed his hands toward the ground, and fire raced down his sword to touch the earth. It ran along the ground until it had encircled them.

“Earth and water. A good pair.” Nacton inclined his head toward his brother, who was motionless on the ground. “He’s air. I taught him years ago that it was useless against fire, but”—he raised his voice—“added to fire, air can be quite . . . useful.”

Calder might be injured but he still heeded his brother’s order. The flames that Nacton had used to create a circle around them, entrapping her with him, rushed toward the sky.

Lily clutched her sword. Fire was the least of her affinities. She couldn’t draw it to her as Violet and Nacton had both done. The earth roiled around her feet as she tried to call both earth and water again. Maybe she could smother the flames.

She tried, pushing mud toward the wall.

Nacton merely smiled and reinforced the fire as he knocked her sword through the wall of flames.

Once again, Nacton was setting the rules. That wasn’t going to work, not if Lily had any chance of winning. Abernathy Commandment #5: Be bold. She didn’t want to kill, but she wasn’t willing to be taken captive again.

Lily drew what water she could to herself, letting mud coat her legs, drawing it up her body like a cloak. Then she threw herself across the fire and rolled to grab her sword.

As Nacton dropped the fire and stepped toward her, she lunged forward and started to sink her blade into his stomach.

“Please do not kill my son, Lilywhite,” a man’s voice said from behind her. “I have two, but I would rather they both live.”

Lily faltered slightly.

Nacton was motionless. The tip of her blade was still in his stomach. He didn’t withdraw or move.

“And you, young lady,” Leith said to Violet. “You might want to return that fire to your father. He looks weaker than I would like.”

Violet stared at Leith, not reacting.

Creed hobbled over to her. “Vi?”

She looked away from Calder, but said nothing.

“Come with me,” Creed urged gently. “We’re safe now.”

For several tense moments, Violet was motionless, flames danced over her entire body. She glanced at Lily, asking questions Lily wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. Unlike Creed, she couldn’t force her lips to say that they were safe yet.

“Lily?” Creed prompted. “Let him go. Tell Vi to do the same.”

Slowly, Lily drew her sword out of Nacton’s stomach. She didn’t lower it, but she pulled back until it was no longer piercing him.

“Vi, go with Creed,” Lily said levelly.

Then she moved to the side so she could keep her eyes on Nacton but still see Violet and Creed.

Violet walked away from Calder. With Creed at her side—but not touching her—she went to Torquil and kneeled beside him.

Lily watched Violet’s hand shake as she took Torquil’s limp hand in her grasp, and for a moment they were both illuminated by fire. Then, it blinked out, and Violet swayed to the side. Creed caught her with a loud grunt of pain, and they both stood beside Torquil’s prone body.

“Your sons really need to be leashed, husband,” Endellion remarked in a deceptively casual tone, drawing Lily’s attention to the queen. “My granddaughter—”

“Our granddaughter, Dell,” he corrected Endellion. “The child is as much my family as yours, and you would be wise to remember it.”

“Don’t think I am soft suddenly, husband,” Endellion said warningly. “I won’t see her treated as your sons just did.”

“She handled herself admirably.” The king graced Lily with an approving smile.

“No thanks to you!” Endellion dropped her hand to her sword. “She isn’t trained for—”

“But look how well she did,” Leith interrupted. “Look at both of them.”

Lily wasn’t sure what they were on about, but she didn’t particularly like it. Worse still, behind the King and Queen of the Hidden Throne were throngs of faeries. Rhys and Eilidh were there. He was holding Eilidh by her arm, as if preventing her from movement, and she was clearly arguing about it.

Violet walked back over to join Lily. “Now what?”

Lily frowned. She had no idea. “Excuse me?” she called.

There was a bleeding Seelie prince in front of her, and another Seelie prince burned and lying on the ground. A third Seelie—one injured in Lily’s defense—was motionless beside the cave.

And the regents were speaking together in low tones. Everyone else simply waited on what they would say next.