To Have and To Lose by Miranda Grant

Author:Miranda Grant [Grant, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-20T08:45:40+00:00

We arrived beneath Emirin’s canopy a few hours later. Jace kept looking at me, but I ignored him. Anything between us would be pointless. Worse, if we got caught by the Vylians and they realised I lo– That he meant something to me… He would be tortured for years just to break me.

“We end this tonight,” I said, wanting so desperately to believe it.

King Dravr was somewhere in that tree. The head of our enemy would not see the morning. And then maybe, once the Okahi and Alzans were also defeated…

I finally looked at Jace.

He nodded at me, and I glanced away.

“One day this war will be over.”

“I can cloak us for an hour,” Evangeline said as she pulled out her wand. “But you can’t bump into anyone. They’ll still be able to feel us, hear us – and hurt us.”

I nodded. She started to wave her wand at Tory when a horn blared on our left. I spun around, my eyes widening as I watched dozens of our ravens dive down from the skies.

Blasts of red magic rained down from dozens of wands as my people attacked a tree well past Emirin.

“Seqora!” I shouted as I spread my wings. Although I could not see my older sister amongst the black cloud of ravens, this attack had her name all over it. Emirin was the deepest post of the Vylian army. Anything past that was full of innocent civilians. Children.

“Prin–” Jace cut himself off as he flew up beside me.

“What are you doing?” Tory hissed as she and Evangeline joined us. “We’re here to kill the king, not help your sister. She’ll be fine.”

Help? Horrified that I’d ever been betrothed to her, I drew my sword. “Save the children,” I told Jace, knowing he would follow whatever order I gave. A royal guard could not disobey me.

“What?” Tory screeched. “They’re Vylians! We have an opportunity to –”

“Then do it!” I snapped. “But I’m not leaving them.”

Cursing, she spun around, actually heading back towards Emirin. I cursed too, knowing that I would be whipped upon my return to Raza once Mother found out what I’d done. Tory’s life was worth more than a squadron of our soldiers. She was damn well worth a whole city of Vylians to them, and I would be punished for putting her in danger.

But I couldn’t let my sister slaughter civilians.

Tragedy in war was one thing.

This was…

“Seqora!” Aiming for a random raven, I flew over it, then dropped down on top of it. Throwing its rider off, I pressed my heels into the bird, pulling it back from its attack. Swivelling my head around, I searched for my sister.

Children screamed as they were pulled out of their homes and slaughtered in the streets. Houses were lit on fire. The upper branches were sawed off and crashed onto those below.

“Stop!” I shouted, but no one listened to me. We were at war, and these soldiers, these monsters were fighting for their lives.

Jace swooped past me on another bird, grabbing a child that was just about to be executed.

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