Summer Queen by Amber Argyle

Author:Amber Argyle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Starling Publishing
Published: 2015-04-02T04:00:00+00:00

Nelay pulled back, the fire burning under her skin. Rycus continued to kiss her throat, her collarbone. “No, stop.”

He paused, groaning. “Nelay—”

She held out her hand. There was a rushing sound, like dozens of footsteps. Another sound—one only someone who’d trained for hours under the grueling sun would be familiar with. The unique sound of boiled leather bouncing against skin. Armor.

Rycus and Nelay bolted apart at the same instant, the cold tavo a slap to her exposed skin. She peeked over the half wall to find the streets swarming with Immortals. Their helmets bore raised markings that mimicked their intricate scalp tattoos. Those helmets told Nelay two things: first, they were here to fight; second, they were the king’s personal guard.

Fire and ash, Zatal found me, Nelay thought, knowing the fairies must have revealed her location. But how had he arrived at the city so quickly? Her mind spun, discarding and choosing players at random. In a stride and a half, she grabbed her baldric and slipped it over her head. Then she vaulted over the half wall separating the roofs, Rycus right behind her. The landing made her feet sting. This roof had chairs and tables and even a brazier, but thankfully, no people.

Nelay and Rycus kept leaping over roofs, glancing back carefully each time for any sign of soldiers. When they reached the end of the block, they paused behind a potted orange tree.

“How did they find me?” she asked breathlessly.

Rycus didn’t answer as he tried the trapdoor. It opened with a groan of hinges, and she winced at the noise. He surveyed the shadows doubtfully. “I don’t like it.”

Nelay glanced around, trying to rework the field into something more useful. They couldn’t jump down from the building—three stories was simply too far. “What else can we do?” she whispered.

They descended into the shadows, both of them holding their breath, waiting for any sound to reveal they’d been discovered. This room was empty, though there were sleeping pallets on the ground.

Rycus shook his head and pressed his ear to the trapdoor beneath them. Slowly, he eased to his feet and pointed back up.

There must be Immortals waiting below! Nelay thought with a gasp. They had to go back. Find another way down.

She silently climbed the ladder, but when she peeked over the edge, she came eye to eye with the sword of an Immortal—the whole rooftop was covered with the king’s guards. She sucked in a sharp breath as this guard stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle. The trapdoor beneath her shot open, and Immortals flooded into the room. Nelay looked down at Rycus and knew he also realized they were trapped. When she glanced back up, King Zatal had just climbed over the roof line.

Bone-deep trembles shook Nelay. The king could have her killed, have Rycus killed. Her mind spun to find a solution as she climbed the rest of the way up and stood by the ladder. Rycus moved to follow her, but the Immortals leveled their swords at him, forcing him back.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.