Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos #4)

Chapter 24

C HAPTER 24

LOR

S OMEWHERE O UTSIDE OF A LLUVION

P aralyzed, I stand transfixed by the Aurora King’s magic, watching his ribbons of light ripple across the sky.

It’s a message and a warning. I will not escape him again.

I plunge into the trees, running blindly, my arms and face scraped raw by tangles of vines and branches. I feel nothing as blood trickles into my mouth and into my eyes. I wipe it away, and I continue running. My only mission is to get away. Every time I escape, I only make him angrier and angrier.

I understand because that’s how I would feel, and the Aurora King and I have something in common: We’ll stop at nothing to get what we want .

As I weave through the bushes, I keep one ear peeled for sounds of pursuit. I can’t use my magic—at least not the useful and destructive kind—or it will immediately give away my position.

“Zerra,” I whisper. “I have the ark. Find me. Come and get it and return my mate.”

I repeat the words on a loop to give me something to focus on while hoping she finally hears me. Part of me suspects she’s toying with me right now. Some deep premonition tells me she’s enjoying watching me run for my life.

That’s when an idea occurs to me. It’s a risky move and probably the worst plan I’ve ever had, but when have I ever let that stop me?

If Zerra won’t come to me, then I’ll force her out.

I slow to a walk, surveying my surroundings. A distant rustle and crack signal that Rion’s men are nearby. Sounds come from every direction, and it’s clear that without my magic, I can’t outrun them. I can stay hidden for a while, but sooner or later, they will find me. I could blast them away, but more will follow. So many more. I’m vastly outnumbered, and the Aurora King isn’t the kind of man to make the same mistake for a third time.

But I can’t make my plan look too obvious, or they’ll suspect I’m up to something.

Slowly, I angle my trajectory, estimating that if I keep on this path, I’ll bisect theirs at a distant point. It will look like I’m too scared to think straight and just don’t know what I’m doing. I hope. I jog through the trees, and there’s no faking the ragged breaths scraping from my throat. I’m exhausted and on the verge of collapse .

“Zerra, where the fuck are you?” I try again. “Please don’t make me do this.”

The sounds of Rion’s guards grow louder as they crash through the bushes like a herd of hippos. They’re so confident about my capture, they’re not even attempting stealth.

Now it’s time for the incredibly stupid part of my plan. I have to let them see me.

A branch lies across my path, and I wince as I bring my foot down on top. The crack echoes through the forest like a lightning strike a split second before a voice shouts, “There she is!”

I twist in the opposite direction, running as fast as I can, weaving through the trees as I hear them gaining on me, narrowing my window of safety.

Rocks and branches stab and sting my bare soles, but I feel none of it. Adrenaline floods my limbs, keeping me upright, but it won’t last long. I’ve been running for hours, and my strength is long gone. Dozens of soldiers surround me, filtering out like mist until I spot their black uniforms in every direction. They’re closing in on me like I’m an injured deer, and I hope I’ve played this correctly.

When I’m surrounded on every side, I grind to a halt in the center of a small clearing, spinning around and around, my hands clutched to the sling holding the ark as dozens of soldiers emerge through the trees, all swagger and confidence.

I have two options right now.

The first is to use my magic. I could take them all out at once, but that would only buy me a temporary respite. Rion will send more guards, putting me right back in my current position, running for my life as I grow weaker and weaker. Eventually, they will wear me down.

Or I allow them to move closer and hope against every hope that Zerra is watching. Everything is counting on it.

“What’ve you got there, sweetheart?” a guard with mean eyes asks me, gesturing to the sling.

I don’t bother answering. His little pea brain wouldn’t comprehend the magnitude of what I hold even if I drew him a picture with captions.

“Stay away from me,” I say, holding out my hand. This bastard smiles. He isn’t the least bit afraid of me. Surely he saw what I did back at the palace? Everyone always underestimates me.

“Our king would like a word,” he says. “If you come quietly, he promises no harm will come to you.”

“A word? And then what? He’ll let me go?”

The stupid grin slips from his face, and it’s clear he has no idea how to answer that.

“That’s what I thought,” I say as his expression morphs into an ugly scowl.

“You’re surrounded,” he says. “There’s nowhere you can run.”

I scoff. He’s right, but I planned it this way. I just hope I haven’t misjudged everything.

“You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“You’re from Nostraza,” he says. “An escaped lunatic.”

“That’s really what he told you? The magic that destroyed the Crystal Palace was mine. I could kill you all right now.”

I see the falter in his eyes. He didn’t connect that with me. Rion is such a piece of scum—he doesn’t even tell those loyal to him what they’re walking into. I could fry them all where they stand, and he knows it. Anything to get what he wants. But we can both play this game.

“So come and get me,” I taunt. The guard looks to his left and his right, and he must give some kind of secret signal because they all begin to advance. I stand my ground, willing my magic down, though it wants to break free. It senses danger and wants to protect me.

Another step. They’re nearly on me, and I cast my gaze to the sky.

Then, several things happen at once.

A guard reaches out and snatches my wrist on one side while another grabs my arm and bends it so hard that I cry out as my knees buckle. Zerra. Where are you? Another hand grabs my hair and wrenches my head back. I’m met with the first guard’s eyes—they’re triumphant now, a sneer on his face.

“Here she is!” he yells.

Rion appears at the edge of the clearing, one hand fisted in the other like he can’t wait to tenderize me to a pulp. Fear curdles my insides. He takes a slow step, cocking his head and savoring my distress. I’m such an idiot. What have I done?

Black smoky magic spills from his fingertips, surrounding him and then spreading to me like a cloud of toxic dust. My magic drains away, my fingertips dulled from sensation. He stops before me, and the guard pulls my head back further, forcing me to look at him. Rion’s mouth turns down in a mock pout as his finger reaches out to stroke my chin. I try to jerk away from his touch, but I’m held firmly in place .

Then he grips my face in his large hand with such force I whimper.

“You can keep running,” he says. “But I will always find you, Heart Queen. You fooled me once when you were a child. I’m not too proud to admit I underestimated the slip of a girl who lay on that table all those years ago. But I won’t make that mistake again.”

He lifts a hand and flicks his fingers as someone emerges from the trees. This one carries a collar made of the same glowing blue stone I recognize from Tyr. The same material I broke through last time Rion had me. I buck harder, trying to wrench myself free.

“You destroyed my cuffs. How did you do it?”

I shake my head as he squeezes my face, tears slipping from the corners of my eyes. I don’t know how.

“These have been fortified with a special layer of protection,” he says with a dark smile. “I will need your magic soon enough, but for now, you’re only an annoyance.”

“No,” I say, trying to break from his grasp as his smile turns colder than an arctic wind.

The guard approaches with the collar as panic swirls in my gut. I notice it’s a duller blue, the edges tainted with black. I’m about to be caged again. I try to call up my magic, but Rion’s dark power blocks mine and I spiral into panic.

I attempt to scramble away as the guard approaches. He holds the collar open, reaching for me, ready to clamp it around my throat, and then . . . I dissolve into nothing.