an enemy court. And regardless of what you claim, or what you’ve convinced my knight, shadow is clearly my enemy. And so are you. Knight, execute the planeweaver.”
Falin’s head snapped up. “My queen—”
“I said kill her.”
I jumped free of my curtsy, stumbling away from Falin. He rose slowly, moving as if he was fighting against every inch he gained. His eyes were wide with horror, but his daggers appeared in his hands.
I didn’t wait to see if he could stall—even if he could, it wouldn’t last long. He was the Winter Knight. The queen’s will was his command. I had to get out of Faerie. And if the queen wanted me dead, out of any territory held by winter.
I ran toward the doorway. I was only a few feet away from the threshold when the queen made a grand sweep of her arm and two ice golems woke from their recessed nooks by the door. They looked like they should have been lumbering and dull. They weren’t.
The golems raced forward, intercepting me before I could switch direction. They grabbed me, each catching an arm. I struggled, twisting and pulling, but they were solid blocks of moving ice. The golems could have killed me then and there as I sagged between them, but instead they dragged me forward, toward Falin, who was making no effort to kill me with any efficiency. Maybe the blood would have been on the queen’s hands if her golems killed me. Or maybe the sadistic bitch just wanted Falin to have to do it.
The golems dragged me in front of Falin, and then it didn’t matter that he wasn’t hurrying to chase me because we were both right there. They shoved me at him, and one of his daggers vanished as he grabbed my wrist.
I screamed. Fury washed through me, chased hard by fear. I writhed. Twisted. He’ll let me go . . . I could slip past the golems before the queen realized . . .
Falin couldn’t disobey the queen.
His grip was as viselike as the golems’ had been. He jerked my wrist upward, so that I had to stand on my tiptoes. Then he grabbed and pinned my other wrist, both gripped in one strong hand. His lips parted like he was going to tell me something, but the queen spoke first.
“I want her heart, Knight. No one will bring her back to use against me.”
Falin growled in anger, frustration, anguish. It was all of it wrapped into one sound. I shook my head. I wasn’t going to beg—it wouldn’t help—but damn it, there had to be a way out of this.
Falin lifted the dagger, and it hung in the air, hesitating before the deadly descent.
“Your affection makes you soft,” the queen called from behind him. “Think of this as excising weakness.”
Bitch.
Falin’s eyes met mine, and I saw the sorrow there. He had to do what she commanded. There was no other choice. But there was something else in his eyes. Something I didn’t expect.
Resignation.
That didn’t ring true. And I realized a second before he changed his grip what he planned to do.
The only way he didn’t have to obey her, was if he was dead.
His dagger turned inward, heading toward his own heart.
“No!” That wasn’t any more acceptable than him killing me.
I dropped my shields. All of them.
The planes slid into focus around me. My locket burst open, and realities not meant to touch Faerie flowed outward. Falin was touching me where he still held my hands aloft. My magic washed over him like a wave, tying all the planes together around him as well.
The shock of it was enough to make him hesitate. His grip loosened, just slightly, and I jerked one arm free.
I turned my focus to the dagger, planning to push it into the land of the dead. But my eyes caught something else.
With my shields wide open and Falin enveloped in my magic, I could see the bonds tying him to the queen. They pulsed like thick icy cords wrapped tight around his throat.
What I could see, I could break.
“Kill her now, Knight,” the queen yelled.
Horror spread over Falin’s face. The now limited his options.
I didn’t try to pull away this time. I flung myself forward, pressing myself into him, and grabbed at the bond at his throat. My fingers sank into the magical bond and I pulled with every ounce of will, magic, and strength I possessed.
Fire exploded in my back as Falin’s blade pierced my flesh.
I yanked