by Eva Muñoz
I wanted to take a sword from one of my guards and stab him with it.
“Yaris, our exiled Excelsior, once declared we must refrain from consuming flesh. He did this to save us. We must thank him for his thoughtfulness. I regret that he needed to be exiled. And because of this, his son abdicated. As replacement, we were given someone who cares more about progress than the welfare of our people.” Vladimir pointed at Darius. “The plague among the humans is no more. We no longer need to consume synthetic flesh when we have an abundant source of the real thing. This is why I have fought long and hard for us to return to the old ways. Humans have multiplied in number since the days of the Black Death. We can have our fill, yet we continue to waste away eating yusha.” He placed his hand over his heart. “On this day, when we celebrate our abstinence from human livestock, I bring you a secret the Preferiti Regalia has been keeping from all of us. The royal family have lied.”
Rapid questions of “what” and “how” filled the air from the increasingly agitated crowd.
“Sources close to me say the experiments Effendi Gaige is conducting are actually making us sick.” Vladimir pointed his finger at Gaige, who sat between his father and Perrin. “That the plague outbreak a few years ago was caused by him.”
Vladimir paused as gasps spread through the crowd.
“And the miscarriages,” he began again. “It has been decades since we have had young ones running around. I am told that we can no longer reproduce because of yusha. And those biyearly injections. What could they be doing to our bodies? We should not stand for what he does to us, using us as his experimental subjects.”
With every word that came out of Vladimir’s mouth, everyone in the private box became paler and paler. Darius glanced at Gaige with an incredulous expression while Yalena covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. Zaire kept his face blank while Troyan stared up at me with hurt and panic on his handsome face. I remained strong against the weight of his stare. What Zaire and I were doing was the right thing, regardless of what Troyan might think. I was dying anyway. It might as well be for the good of the Inshari.
“The worst has yet to be revealed,” Vladimir said.
Someone from the crowd shouted, “What could be worse?”
“I, as a loyal citizen of this great colony, cannot condone what has happened. Imagine a human being turned into one of us.”
The cries of horror reverberated from the masses.
“You see, among us is an imposter,” Vladimir said, raising his voice. “For whatever reason, Effendi Gaige was able to turn a human into Inshari. What could this mean for our future? What could he be planning?” He punctuated his words by slapping the balcony balustrade.
The crowd shifted in growing panic.
“What proof do you have?” This question sent a chorus of others like it.
Vladimir savored every second.
“Proof?” He scanned the throng. “I have proof right here.”
On cue the Bogatyr released me into Vladimir’s hold. His death grip on my hair threatened to pull out several clumps if I struggled. I didn’t care. I squirmed, clawing at his hand, trying to break free using what little Inshari strength I had left.
“You want proof?” Vladimir goaded, and the crowd responded with angry jeers.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed Perrin melting into the crowd, leaving a wide-eyed Gaige behind. One of my guards handed Vladimir a dagger.
“What does this boy look like to you?” Vladimir wiggled his grip on my hair, causing me to cry out.
“One of us!” they shouted.
An ugly shiver crawled down my body. I wasn’t one of them. Not by a long shot.
Vladimir scoffed and said, “That’s where you’re all wrong—”
And with his words, pain exploded along my collarbone.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Flight
CHAOS.
Utter confusion.
The world around me shifted into complete disarray.
Black and blue spots exploded before my eyes from the pain on my collarbone. The front of my T-shirt felt wet. Vladimir shouted something, but the crowd didn’t pay him any attention. Screams rang in my ears. So much movement. Lacquered armor closed in on the Inshari surrounding me. Troyan and Zaire had disappeared.
“Time to let him go, Imperator. He’s no longer of use to you.”
“Ah, Farindi Demarcus, so nice of you to join us,” Vladimir said as he spun us away from the balcony’s edge to face Perrin. “You don’t mind if I hold on to him a little longer, do you?”
My head swam at the sudden movement. My stomach roiled, wanting to unload its meager contents onto a floor that seemed to melt and swirl beneath us. I lifted my head and saw two Perrins standing by the balcony entrance.
“I’m afraid I mind very much. I believe you’ve made your point.” Perrin gestured at the mayhem.
“You’re wrong, Farindi. He’s valuable to my bid for the throne.”
“I command you, as a Superiori, to hand him over.”
Vladimir laughed. “I believe I’ll have to decline.”
Perrin’s eyes grew wide. “How dare you disobey!”
“Oh, just for now,” Vladimir responded dismissively. “You won’t be alive long enough to be obeyed anyway.”
The two Bogatyr who previously stood as my guard lunged at Perrin, swords drawn.
“No,” I mumbled, feeling woozy.
“Don’t fret, Camron. It will be over soon.”
I cringed at Vladimir’s breath on my ear. My chin dropped, and I finally noticed the bleeding gash along the line of my collarbone. I no longer healed fast enough. The blood gushing out of my body had a strange euphoric effect. I shook my head to try and clear it, but only managed to make myself dizzier.
The scuffle between Perrin and the Bogatyr distracted me. They were a whirl of lace and ribbons versus a tangle of armor and swords. Perrin had something sharp in her hands. A dagger, maybe. It flashed, catching the light.
With my rescue party preoccupied, Vladimir bolted, dragging me along. I struggled, but my head refused to communicate with my arms and legs. I flailed helplessly instead. My fingers felt like rubber and my blood like oil, weighing me down.
“Stop moving or I’ll drop you,” Vladimir said.
“Drop me and go, you scum,” I snapped back.
“It’s not that easy.” He stopped, which sent a new wave of nausea through me.
“Let him go, Vladimir.”
I concentrated so hard on not puking that I failed to recognize who spoke at first. Purple joined the blue and black fireworks exploding before my eyes, magnified by the white walls that surrounded us on all sides. I couldn’t tell which route Vladimir had taken, and at the moment, I hardly cared. I just wanted him to put me down so I could close my eyes and sleep for a year.
“Glad you could join us, Demarcus Majesty,” Vladimir said.
“Give him to me,” Zaire commanded.
“As I explained to your sister, I think not.”
“Zaire,” I called out, voice weak.
“Everything’s going to be fine, Camron,” he reassured. “Hang in there.”
“How touching.” Vladimir tsked. “The reluctant ruler caring for an abomination.”
Rage colored Zaire’s features before he charged, sword in hand. Vladimir raised his dagger in time to block the coming blow. I flinched at the clash of steel against steel. It grated on my nerves like teeth on stone.
Vladimir dropped me to better defend himself against Zaire’s fierce attack.
My knees and palms cushioned my fall badly, sending rattling pain up my arms and legs. My stomach protested again. The floor beneath me felt like jelly as I clutched my wound. The blood only trickled. The formula still had some healing effects.
“Camron, run!” Zaire yelled. He managed to get between Vladimir and me.
“No,” I mumbled.
“This isn’t the time to be stubborn. You’ve done your part, now let us do
ours.” He grunted as he pushed Vladimir against a wall. He aimed his blade at the throat of the other Inshari, but Vladimir lifted his dagger and barred the blow. “Perrin, a little help here, please!”
“You’re going to have to do better than that to stop me,” Vladimir spat.
Small hands gripped my arms.
“Get up,” Perrin urged. “Come on, Camron! We need to get you out of here.”
I scrambled and lost my footing, unable to keep my eyes on Zaire and Vladimir.
“I can’t,” I muttered. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m injured here.”
“We don’t have time for this. Would you rather be alive and injured or dead?”
She had a point. “Alive.”
“Then get up!”
She tugged at me, sending a jolt of pain all the way to my open wound. I yelped, which Perrin ignored. She was too busy leading us down the hall. I glanced over my shoulder, and the last image I saw was of Vladimir’s dagger slipping between the metal plates of Zaire’s armor.
“Zaire!” I stopped and turned.
“Camron, no!” Perrin grabbed my arm and propelled me onward.
“We can’t just leave him,” I yelled.
“He’s a big boy,” she said, then cursed.
Slamming into her, I stumbled. “What the—oh no!”
At the end of the hall, Beatrix blocked our way, like the hounds of hell in a shift dress and high heels. If I ever had a better reason to run, I couldn’t think of one. And yet, the urge to pound Beatrix to the ground kept me in place.
“I trust you’ll let us through?” Perrin lifted her dagger, blade at the ready.
“Good luck with that.” Beatrix smirked.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Perrin stepped forward, chin tilted up, and said, “Follow my command. Kneel.”
Beatrix trembled. Her fingers curled into tight fists until her knuckles lost all their color.
Perrin repeated the command.
At first Beatrix fought the urge, scowling at the both of us. She shook like a minutes-old colt. But, eventually, her knees bent. Perrin relaxed, flipping the knife so the blade didn’t point at Beatrix anymore.
Beatrix glared and ground out, “This all happened because of you. If you hadn’t come along, our lives would never have been disturbed.”
“Then you’re naïve,” I said.
Beatrix frowned. “What are you trying to say?”
“That you don’t know Vladimir well if you think I caused all of this.”
An arm wrapped around my waist and carried me away just as Beatrix lunged at Perrin. The jolt sent my stomach reeling. I swallowed the bile that climbed up my throat. Everything was a blur around me. Whoever had me ran fast. I looked up to see who was stealing me, and my blood froze.
If I’d thought I’d never encounter Eli again, I was wrong. He held a broad sword in one hand, poised for attack should anyone or anything stand in his way, and me in the other. How could I have thought of him as handsome the first time I saw him? He looked sinister. His face was a mix of concentration and giddy anticipation. Periodically, he licked his lips. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking about. Dread filled my lungs when I realized what was happening.
I slammed an elbow on Eli’s cheek. He barely tilted his head from the blow. I had no strength left.
“Vladimir’s been looking for you,” Eli said.
“We’ll have to see about that,” I said, but all my bravado had no basis now. I couldn’t lift my arms anymore and I couldn’t feel my legs.
Eli moved so fast that I had no idea where we were. Then a clash of steel jarred any thoughts of escape. He cursed and let me go. The floor broke my fall and stole all the air from my lungs. I shifted to my side, coughing to catch my breath.
I looked up and recognized the suit.
“Lev?” I croaked.
Lev didn’t acknowledge my presence and instead focused all his attention on Eli.
A new set of hands grabbed my shoulders. I flailed but stopped the moment I recognized Desra, the maid Troyan introduced me to. She hooked her hands under my armpits and pulled me away from the fighting. She pushed curtains aside and settled me into one of those niches Zaire had hidden me in during our sneaky tour of the castle. I wanted to thank her, but I didn’t have enough strength to speak again. She knelt down and raised her finger to her lips before shutting the curtain.
I breathed in and out, in and out, working to get my heart rate to settle. Thankfully, the nausea had left, and the blood from my wound slowed to a trickle. My T-shirt was no longer white. I blinked once, twice, and by the third time, my eyes refused to open. I drifted. The sounds of clashing swords, screaming Inshari, and slamming bodies faded into muffled twangs and grunts.
A strange heat pulsed from my heart and burned throughout my body. Sweat beaded my forehead. I grit my teeth against crying out and grabbed fistfuls of my shirt. My feet kicked out, pushing me farther into the alcove.
My skin sizzled. I clawed at my chest, smoldering from the inside out. Every beat of my heart sent a new jolt of pain. Powerful shivers racked my body. My lips and tongue went numb. I couldn’t call out for help.
Even if I could call for help, the fighting just beyond where I hid didn’t make me feel like I would be safe if discovered.
“Camron!”
Troyan’s voice.
But as soon as I took a deep breath to answer him, the heat turned into ice. My teeth chattered so badly I thought they would fall out. Speaking wasn’t happening anytime soon. I couldn’t even move from the intense shivering rolling through my body.
“Where is he?” Perrin asked, panic in her voice.
I wanted to say I was in the niche, but I couldn’t. My voice box wasn’t functioning.
“His last booster must be wearing off by now,” Gaige said, anxious.
By sheer force of will, I managed a small whimper.
The navy curtains were yanked aside. Troyan, with an expression of panic and relief, fell to his knees in front of my shaking body. He was still in full armor. He cast aside his sword and reached out, gathering me into his arms. I willingly let him take me, even if every movement shot pain everywhere.
I whimpered the moment my skin touched his armor.
“What is the matter with him?” Troyan spat at Gaige.
Hardly flinching from Troyan’s venom, Gaige bent over me and touched my forehead. “The formula is ravaging his system. His body is entering a hypothermic state to stabilize his core temperature. I need to inject him with the plague now or risk the formula killing him.”
“Is there another way?” Troyan asked, a slight tremor in his voice. He settled his eyes on me, gentleness instead of intensity within them. He reached out and rubbed my arms, doing his best to transfer some of his body heat to me. “The plague might kill him, Gaige.”
“He dies anyway if we don’t take this chance,” Gaige said.
Troyan kept his gaze on my face. I couldn’t nod from all the shaking, so I blinked instead and hoped he got my message. His lips tightened for a second before he turned to Gaige and nodded.
Gaige removed a syringe from his pocket. “Hold him still.”
Troyan’s grip tightened around my arms. I was shaking so badly that I thought the needle Gaige plunged into my arm would snap off.
Troyan leaned me back into the niche carefully. “Why does he keep screaming when I touch him?”
Gaige thought for a second. “He screamed when his skin touched your armor.”
“Then get me out of it!” Troyan commanded, grappling with the straps holding his chest plate in place. “Get it off me!”
Perrin and Gaige knelt beside him, scrambling to unbuckle the straps and remove the pieces of metal from his twisting, lunging body.
“Stop moving!” Gaige shouted. “We can’t help you if you’re moving.”
Troyan froze, staring at my face. I held his stare for as long as I could without blinking. With the force of sheer willpower, I reached out a shaking
hand to him. He grabbed it like a lifeline during a storm, placing my clammy palm on his horribly warm cheek. I grimaced, but I wasn’t about to scream. I didn’t want him worrying more than he already was.
As the last of his armor was removed, Troyan wasted no time in gathering me into the soft cloth of his shirt. Thankfully, no pain greeted the touch. I was still shaking, but there was no pain. I would have sighed if I could manage it.
“How long will this take?” Troyan asked in a more settled tone. I leaned my head on his chest and watched his face. The strong lines and sharp angles became my anchor.
His words when we were together in Zaire’s study came back to me. He said he had feelings for me, but I hadn’t believed him because he chose his duty over me. The way he held me close in this moment, like he wouldn’t let anything come between us, told me more than his words ever could.
All this time he had done nothing but keep me safe. My heart swelled at the realization. The desperation I saw in his eyes when he parted the curtain to find me was real. If I died that night, I would go knowing someone like Troyan loved me. He may not know how to say it, but he definitely knew how to show his feelings. I saw them in his eyes as he looked down at me, checking if I was still alive. The kind of eyes that held fear beneath the love. Fear of losing the one he loved.
“Not long now.” Gaige took my hand and lifted my fingers to his nose, inhaling deeply. “He smells more human now, but we need to get him to a hospital soon or else the plague in his system will end up killing him too.”
Shouts and sword clashes came from the end of the hallway.
Perrin turned to the sound and said, “I don’t think we have the time to stay here anyway.”
In one smooth motion, Troyan stood, holding me in his arms. “We need to get Camron to the academy. Alek can take it from there.”
No protest came. I wanted to say no, but my teeth were chattering too much for me to speak clearly. All I could manage were little moans.
