lle

ttering iron and Diego's battl

issed, shoving Juliette and Adell beh

drew my golden dagger

loded inward in a

with two assassins in the outer hall. Their curved blades glowed with the sickl

guard and darted straight for the be

ures behind the chest. He raised his silver-

AY FROM

peed I could muster, throwing

nding blade with a bone-jarrin

ly not expecting the wolfles

to his kneecap. Bone crunched.

mmy

cream rang o

ed high window and landed behind me, silver short

knew I wouldn't be fast enough to block bo

descent, the outer barrica

E CHIL

eta Commander of the Western Wilds Vanguard-swept his two-handed b

nds of battle erupted-and had ridden hard for the to

yes found t

HAMBER!" Diego roared, b

dn't he

etween my daughters and the two remaining assa

ed, driving the kille

ad turned, the assas

is shoulder. Using the momentum of his dying lunge, he whipped his free hand back and h

O!

am from my throat as I lung

too fa

without a sec

ed his unarmored side directly i

WA

ed clean th

p into Cory's right abdo

d burst from his lips, splattering the floorboards. Yet through s

rror, flecks of warm bloo

t, racing forward to clut

and wild-eyed. He caught his falling Be

OR

cracked with

hidden poison capsule. His bod

over the ru

nd the faint hiss of liquid silver

nd blackening aroun

already invaded

his heart, he would b