King's Bride (Chronicles of Urn Book 1) by Beck Michaels

Author:Beck Michaels [Michaels, Beck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pluma Press
Published: 2023-05-22T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

When the day slipped into night, the sounds of the castle grew frightening. Ansa stayed on the bed with the blankets wrapped around her. Sunnëva stood by the balcony doors to watch the sky. As soon as twilight lapsed into night, the moon’s energy hummed against her being. Wispy clouds veiled the dark sky for a moment, before it began to change color. A ghostly crimson hue gradually crawled over the full moon’s surface until it was as vivid as blood.

Howls broke outside below, and gargoyles snarled on the roof. The entire castle came alive with the beasts within, and her pulse drummed with dread. One night. They had to survive only one night.

Ansa looked at her frightfully.

Sunnëva nodded. “It’s all right—”

“Stay back!” Ren ordered outside her door.

“This is the Queen’s hall!” Riona shouted. “You cannot—”

The sounds of a fight broke out in the hall with the clash of swords, the hiss of a beast, and cries of pain. Sunnëva put herself between the bed and the door. Drawing her sword, she braced her legs. A body hit the frame so hard, the salt ward broke, and she cursed. Blood began leaking out from under the door.

“Activate your crystal, Ansa,” Sunnëva said. “More lives will end tonight. Follow my instructions, and it will not be yours.”

“But what about you?”

“Do it!”

Ansa clutched the crystal in her shaking hands. “Scutum!”

Golden light flared and formed around her in a glowing dome, encasing her inside. Then everything outside of the hall fell deathly silent. Sunnëva’s heart pounded loudly in her skull. Taking a moment to calm her breathing first, she inched toward the door. She pressed her ear against it, listening. She heard nothing. Did it leave?

Sunnëva glanced at her ring. If she was in danger, Jökull would have come.

Her shaking hand reached for the handle, and it creaked as she slowly pulled it open. The hallway was bathed red. Bodies were strewn everywhere. Some were crushed, their limbs and bodies twisted, like they’d been snapped in half. Riona lay at her feet, her empty eyes staring up at the ground. All of her guards were dead, their blood and entrails painting the hall.

Ren was seated against the wall, his bleeding head lolled against his chest. One of his beautiful wings floated in a puddle of blood on the floor.

“Ren!” Sunnëva leaped over bodies to get to him. She kneeled beside him and shook him.

“Rio…” He moaned, his lashes flickering. “She … she…”

“She’s gone, Ren. I’m so sorry.”

His brow pinched with pain before his eyes rolled shut, and he slumped over. She needed to find help.

Sunnëva grabbed Ren’s legs and dragged his heavy body into her room.

“Gods.” Ansa leaped up from the bed, rushing to them. “What happened?”

“Something attacked them,” Sunnëva grunted, heaving him to the rug by the fireplace. “All the guards are down. I need to inform Aero. Stay here.”

“What? Alone?”

“I can’t take you out there.” Sunnëva dumped more salt across the threshold. “Whatever killed them is still wandering the halls.” She handed her a dagger.

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