my leg to ward off their approach. Tempest went low, avoiding the strike and whisking my remaining leg off the ground at the same time. I toppled, losing my breath on impact. Before I could stand, Raven fisted my hair and yanked me to my knees.
I wrenched back. It did no good. Tempest kicked me in the stomach, what little air I’d regained exploding from my lungs.
As I hunched over, desperate for oxygen, the queen stomped on my ankles, breaking one of the bones. Searing agony consumed me, and I almost vomited. I alternated between panting, gagging, and spitting bile.
Both avian laughed and walked another circle around me.
Dizzy, I tried to stand with only one foot. Almost there...
“Aw. Look at the evil witch,” Tempest taunted. “So helpless. You can’t even stand. Do you really think you’re good enough to sit beside an avian king?”
My only working leg gave out, and I collapsed. I couldn’t stand. I’d have to crawl. Inching forward, every movement excruciating...another inch.
“Dior will make a fine mate for him,” Raven said, bending down to squeeze my broken ankle until I could contain the vomit no longer. “She isn’t the bane of avian existence.”
Moving at an incredible speed, Tempest performed a full spin directly in front of me, flaring and retracting her wings. When she stilled, she grinned at me expectantly.
Sharp stings registered all over my chest and thighs. So sharp they dulled the agony in my ankle. I glanced down, shocked cold. Her wings. The joint hooks. They’d sliced me in multiple places, blood now soaking my clothes.
I shook so hard it felt as if the entire world were trembling. I threw a glance toward the door. I needed help. Someone. Anyone. “Saxon and I called a truce.” I slurred the words.
“Saxon isn’t going to get what he wants. He’s going to get what he needs.” Raven glided around me, getting in my face. “Because of you, his father feared what he would do if the boy found you again. Because of you, my son lost his family and his home. Because of you, he’s losing his crown. Now, here you are, ripe for a new death. The one you deserve.”
The crazed glaze in her eyes... I inhaled, the air suddenly as thick as molasses. She wasn’t just planning to kill me. She hoped to make it hurt.
Part of me wanted to shout for Leonora’s help.
Pride wouldn’t let me. Work with my mother’s killer? Never.
The phantom remained silent anyway, though I knew she was aware. I felt her stirring around in my head. But I thought she might...want me to die, so that she could jump into someone else.
She wasn’t going to die with me, I realized with dawning horror. My worst fear had come true. The phantom was deathless. She would simply float out of my corpse and find someone else to overtake. And Saxon would have no idea she was out there, because I hadn’t told him the truth.
“Make no mistake. You are going to die today. The question is, how much fun am I going to have beforehand?” The queen drew back her elbow, then let it fly.
More agony, inside and out. An explosion of it. My eyesight dimmed and blood filled my mouth. I crumpled to the floor. Punch. Kick. I couldn’t raise my hands to protect myself. So much pain...
Unending helplessness...
Raven grabbed a fistful of my hair again. This time, she dragged me out of the tent. Though I was blinded, my eyes swollen shut, I could feel the change in temperature, a cool breeze drilling into my wounds.
Tempest laughed. “How does it feel to know no one will save you? Everyone wants you dead.”
The next thing I knew, the ground vanished from beneath me. They’d carried me into the sky?
“The Glass Princess will shatter once and for all,” Raven said, drawing another laugh from her daughter.
They were going to...drop me. I parted my lips to scream a denial but only a choking noise left me.
Leonora began to laugh and laugh and laugh. She wasn’t getting what she’d wanted, but she was getting a rival out of the way and punishing Saxon for his newest betrayal.
Not knowing what else to do, I let my heart shout for the one person I wanted to see most, to tell the truth and save...to say goodbye. “Saxon!”
23
He’s late, he’s late,
for a very important date!
SAXON
Could this day get any worse?
I held a too-stiff Princess Dior in my arms as I flew her to a private breakfast