Page 42 (1/2)

We crash to the ground in a tangle of bodies His a off hier He crab crawls backward until he collides with the ain

I leap forward, paloes liround

I sense les to his feet But the guards who stood frozenhim with swords

Relief and sadness and exhaustion all battle so fiercely insidemy mouth with one hand, I stumble toward the crumpled body of my former nurse and drop to les in her throat Her eyes flutter open, and she reaches weakly for rab it before it can drop It’s ice cold

"My sky," she whispers

"Why? How" I’ I can hardly force the words from my throat anyway, for it has beco," she says "Nicandro’s inforfrom the residenceso he sent meOh, it hurts"

And I know it must, for never once in my life have I heard her complain of pain

"You shouldn’t have, Xiripping her hand so tight it must surely hurt her as well, but I can’t help o

"No," she says, and her voice has a se of its usual firmness "I was meant to die for you I was ordained for it"

And she does Just like that The spark of her life winks out, and she see like I’e how I can be so angry at someone I loved so much

"He is alive," someone says

My heart latches onto the word "alive," and I let it pull me to my feet I cradle my burned forearuard bends over Belén’s prostrate for twitches I rush forward, elbowing people out ofposition His head lolls, and his good eye blinks rapidly

"He’s lost a lot of blood, Majesty," us burned him But I think he’ll live"

I don’t have time to savor my relief "Take Eduardo to the prison tower And you, I need a report on the situation in the courtyard immediately And you--"

The door bursts open and I whirl, but it’sthe way I launch myself at hiht," he murmurs "I can’t believe it worked"

42

GUARDS carry the wounded away to be tended Hector and I reunite with Conde Tristán and Mara near the palace gate They are covered in dust and sweat and se scratch on Mara’s arm oozes blood

"Went exactly as planned," Tristán says "We waited until half the city watch was in the yard, then slaate down They surrendered in moments"

I clasp him on the shoulder "Nicely done, Lord-Conde"

His smile fades as the full import hits hiain "Iladro can co," he says as if he can hardly believe it "Andher neck, looking everywhere, panic bloo in her face "Where’s Belén?"

"He was injured"

Her face drains of color

"It’s serious, but he should live I’ll take you to hi down the hallway to the sick ward It’s full of injured soldiers--Iarrison, and city watch Doctor Enzo scurries around cots with his attendants, barking orders It already s flesh

I pull her toward Belén’s cot The bald patch on his head has blistered, and someone has covered it in sticky salve

"Belén," Mara whispers She takes his hand and kneels beside him

I would heal him if I could

He stirs, sees Mara, smiles "If I promise to live, will you marry me?"

She strokes his cheek "No"

I leave the days, I pardon every soldier who followed Eduardo and Luz-Manuel so long as they swear fealty to le one refuses

When this is done, I announce that I will hold court in the audience hall, inviting all Joyans to witness "an act of judgment and an act of mercy" Every nobleman and woht with bodies I sit onmy crown of shattered Godstones, and formally announce my betrothal to Lord-Commander Hector de Ventierra, and I read aloud both the accord that formed the Joyan E buzz has died down, I call for the prison guards to present Conde Eduardo and General Luz-Manuel to the court

They shuffle in, uard forces them to their knees at sword point

My herald unrolls a parchressions When he is finished, the hall re of a throat The general looks off into the distance as if bored The conde glares at aze

An act of judg it for days And though Eduardo is the ence, it is General Luz-Manuel who still holds the respect of too many armed men