not how quickly Koth will fall. But I will give you time to reach the ship . . . if you hurry.”
Face bloodbare, her brother nodded before turning to the king. “Your Majesty . . . ?”
Flanked by his guards, the king strode from the stone chamber, holding the princess’s hand.
Saxen limped after them. “I will make certain they do not turn around.”
Aerax looked to Lizzan and before he could even speak, she shook her head.
“I am going nowhere,” she told him. “My task is to protect you. So we will run together.”
“Lizzan . . .” He appeared in agony. “We had a glorious battle. Go now while you can.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I do not know if it was glorious—but it won’t lift the shame from my family. If my name becomes legend, it is only because we will be the villains who threatened the king and then sank Koth. I’m fair certain this is not what Vela promised me. So I do not think that I will die this day, after all.”
Though Aerax looked as if he would argue, finally he simply pulled her close. “We will race for the King’s Walk.”
“We will,” she agreed, then gently kissed Caeb’s burned face when he pushed his head between them. “How much time?”
Never long enough.
Aerax did not allow her to enter the crystal chamber with him, saying that she already had too many screams filling her nightmares. She waited with Caeb, trembling violently as she waited for . . . she knew not what. A slow and gentle sinking of the entire island? Or the island tearing itself apart and falling to pieces?
It was the latter. Of course it had to be the latter.
The ground jolted and Aerax burst out the chamber, snagging her hand as they raced up the corridor. The stairs buckled and heaved. The walls cracked and a piece of the ceiling crashed to the ground in front of them. Together they ran, but knew not how they would be fast enough.
Until behind her came a roar, and Caeb’s head shoved hard against her ass, nearly lifting her off her feet. Aerax gave a shout of laughter and in the next moment he tossed Lizzan astride the huge cat and leapt up behind her.
She had ridden Caeb before. Once. Swift she thought he’d been then, but such care he must have taken because she had not known what swift was. Desperately she clung to his ruff with Aerax leaning over her, shielding her body with his as they raced through the shattering palace.
Outside, the buildings shook apart, timbers falling into streets. Barely could she see, the wind ripping tears from her eyes, Caeb’s powerful stride increasing pace until it seemed as if they were flying. Only twice he faltered, as a thunderous crack came from behind them and the ground seemed to drop out beneath his feet. Again it did, and when Lizzan turned her head she saw the water rushing in toward them, but the King’s Walk was just ahead, sinking too, sinking but still above the waves.
She cried out as the earth ahead of them split, a gulf opening between the island and the Walk. Thick muscles bunched between her thighs and then they were truly flying as Caeb cleared the widening gap and continued on, with Lizzan laughing wildly into his ruff and Aerax’s laughter shaking against her back.
The bridge continued sinking, but by the time the water lapped at Caeb’s paws they could have waded to shore. On solid ground, Lizzan slid from his back and hugged him with all her remaining strength, which seemed not much as she was still shaking so hard.
Aerax swept her up into a kiss, spinning her around and laughing—though from the nearby camp came wails of horror and fear as the Kothans watched their island sink.
That sobered them both quickly, and Aerax took her hand as they began walking toward the camp—where people had already begun spilling out and onto the shore, watching. In sudden alarm, Lizzan searched the forest for any bramble beasts before realizing they were no longer a threat.
Goranik was dead.
And the king’s yacht had not yet reached the shore, but was near enough that when he and the princess came out onto the deck for all to see, a cheer momentarily broke through the grief.
She and Aerax dared not linger here for long. No doubt they would be driven out and shunned, if not chased down and killed. But this time she