tearstone for my own. Then no one will be able to stop me from implementing my plan.”
That light burned a little brighter and hotter in his eyes. “I am the future king of Morta, and Andvari and all the other kingdoms will be mine.”
He waved his hand, and two guards wearing gold visored helms stepped forward. One of the guards raised a crossbow to shoot an arrow at me. I reached for my magic, ready to send the projectile spinning away—hopefully, straight into Milo’s heart, if I could manage it.
Right before that guard would have pulled the trigger, the second one surged forward, grabbed the crossbow, and smashed it into the first man’s face, making him tumble to the ground. Then that second guard spun around, pointing the crossbow at the other Mortans and backing up until they stood beside me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Wexel yelled.
“Helping my friend,” a muffled voice replied.
Friend? My heart lifted.
The second guard ripped off their helm and tossed it aside, revealing their features. Black hair, green eyes, a mischievous smile. Reiko grinned at me, as did her inner dragon, which was on her neck again. I grinned back at them.
“You!” Wexel snarled. “How did you get here?”
Reiko shrugged. “Gemma warned me that Maeven knew I was a spy, so I hid in the palace. Once I heard that Gemma had escaped on her gargoyle, and that you were chasing her, I stole a strix from the rookery and followed. You and your merry band of idiots never even looked to see if someone might be trailing along behind you.”
“You win,” I said. “You are most definitely the better spy.”
Reiko’s grin widened. “I know.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Milo snapped. “There are only two of you, and more than three dozen of us. We’ll kill you both, along with anyone else stupid enough to get in our way, and then take what we want. And do you know what the best part is, Gemma?”
“What?”
Another sneer twisted his face. “My mother, sister, and brother are here to witness my triumph.”
Milo gestured to his right. I’d been so focused on him, Wexel, and the guards that I hadn’t noticed that several other strixes had landed on the refinery rooftop.
Maeven was sitting atop one of the strixes, as was Delmira. The queen seemed as calm as ever, although the princess’s face was twisted into a worried squint. Off to their right were three guards surrounding another figure.
Leonidas.
The guards were clearly watching the prince, and metal gleamed around his neck, as though he was wearing a coldiron collar again, although I couldn’t be sure, given the distance between us. Leonidas was not quite a prisoner, but he obviously wasn’t free either. Neither was Lyra, judging by the angry looks she kept shooting the guards and their strixes.
“Leo won’t be able to interfere and save you this time,” Milo said. “I don’t know why he ever bothered to help you to start with.”
Neither did I. Or maybe I did and just didn’t want to admit the reason to myself. Or that I was thinking about trying to save him in return, despite everything that had passed between us.
Milo raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. Everyone tensed. Me, Reiko, Grimley, Wexel, the Mortan guards, the miners, and other Andvarians in the plaza.
“Time to die, Gemma.” Milo dropped his fist. “Kill them all!”
The Mortan guards lifted their swords and charged forward, heading straight for Reiko, Grimley, and me.
Chapter Thirty-One
All around the plaza, people screamed and scrambled back, trying to get out of the way. I yanked my dagger out of my pocket and held my position, waiting for the Mortans to advance.
On my right, Grimley got to his feet. The gargoyle had finally gotten his breath back, and a low, terrifying growl rumbled out of his throat, even as he pawed at the ground, his talons ripping through the flagstones.
On my left, magic rippled through the air, and Reiko morphed into her other, larger, stronger form. In an instant, she grew several inches taller, and the muscles in her arms, back, and legs bulged against her stolen guard’s uniform. Razor-sharp teeth sprouted in her mouth, her green eyes grew even brighter, and her long black hair started flickering like ebony flames around her head. Her nails lengthened into long black talons, while a few hot green sparks flashed on her fingertips. Not all dragon morphs could summon up fire, although it seemed like Reiko could.
A guard rushed at me.