Islinda sensed it deep down in her bones — and radical reasoning. Aldric was here. The struggling assassin was a tell-tale sign of the dark Fae prince getting into his head. Islinda should have been terrified that Aldric had somehow managed to escape his prison and come for her, but she would take falling into Aldric’s hands over facing these assassins any day.
The silent wail from the assassin roused Islinda’s attention, and she witnessed the gruesome sight of the assassin losing the struggle and plunging the dagger deep into his own eyes. He grabbed his face, screaming in agony as blood streamed down his cheeks.
Thank the gods! She was not dying today! Islinda quickly walked away from the Fae before he healed and wrecked vengeance on her.
Chaos erupted all around her, with people running in every direction. Some of the shops were engulfed in flames, filling the air with thick smoke that obscured visibility. However, amid the pandemonium, Islinda’s focus remained unwavering: She needed to find Aldric.
In her search for the dark Fae prince, who seemed to be indirectly aiding her in the chaos, Islinda managed to locate Gabbi and Milo huddled securely in a corner, and relief washed over her. She was about to approach them when she ran into an assassin, his eyes gleaming with sinister intent as he raised his hands, alive with flames.
Islinda swallowed nervously, bracing herself for another attempt on her life. Why was everyone intent on burning her alive?
"Die you lucky wench!"
More like unlucky, Islinda argued mentally. A lucky wench wouldn’t be in this situation!
Just as the assassin prepared to unleash the deadly flames, his eyes suddenly glazed over.
Aldric.
Islinda knew that.
Her breath held in anticipation of what was about to happen next. In a matter of seconds, the assassin lifted his hand to his own body and inadvertently ignited himself. The Fae screamed in agony, breaking free of the spell a little too late, as he was consumed by the flames he had intended for Islinda.
Damn. Aldric was brutal. She loved it — only when he was killing the bad guys and not harming the good ones.
But this Fae was a stubborn one.
He reached out blindly, as if determined to bring Islinda down with him even in the throes of death. Reacting swiftly, Islinda shoved him away with all her strength, sending him crashing into one of the nearby establishments.
As Islinda turned around to catch sight of Aldric, she only glimpsed a quick flash of a cloak from the corner of her eye before he vanished into thin air.
Realization dawned on Islinda: Aldric was playing games with her, even amidst the chaos of the assassination attempt. Who in their right mind would do such a thing? Only a mentally unhinged dark Fae prince like him.
Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses echoed through the chaos, accompanied by someone shouting, "The king’s armies are here! We’re saved!"
Thank the gods.
Upon hearing the proclamation, the remaining assassins hastily began to retreat, gathering up their fallen comrades and disappearing into the chaos. Despite the close proximity of the king’s armies, Islinda couldn’t see them through the thick smoke that filled the air.
Finally, Faeries began to emerge from their hiding places to assess the damage to their shops. The scene was chaotic, with some Winter Fae already working to extinguish the fires that had erupted. The aassains had only left destruction in their wake. Amidst the turmoil, two names echoed in Islinda’s mind.
"Gabbi! Milo!" Islinda coughed violently as smoke filled her lungs.
"Clear the way!" Someone shouted, forcefully pushing Faeries aside as a contingent of soldiers marched through.
Islinda felt a wave of relief at the sight of the soldiers. Their presence had undoubtedly driven off the assassins who had attacked earlier. For once, they were being useful and not attacking the innocents.
"Spread out and search!" Ordered a Fae who Islinda surmised was the captain. The others obeyed his words and spread through the market.
Through the haze of the smoke, Islinda made her way towards the captain. She was disoriented and in need of assistance. If she identified herself as a victim of the attack, he would likely help her locate Gabbi, Milo, and, she realized with a pang, Prince Wayne. Hopefully Derek managed to survive the attack.
Islinda was about six meters away from the captain when she heard him shout, "Find and capture the traitor, Islinda!"
Huh? Wait a minute, Islinda did a double take. What did she just hear?
"No, it can’t be," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. There must be another Fae named Islinda they were searching for, or maybe it was a misunderstanding.
Sure, Islinda was a feminine name, but any of the assassins could have been female. With the way the assassins were covered from head to toe, with only their eyes visible, it was hard to tell male from female. Also, a lot of female warrior Fae were flat-chested—no offense. In one word, breasts were not a good judge of gender.
Islinda ignored the voice of caution in her head and took another step, only for the captain to announce, "Don’t let the human get away! We need to capture the rebellion leader, Islinda."
Fuck.
Islinda really had no excuses this time. They were truly after her.
What’s up with everyone today? First the assassins, now the King’s soldiers? What did they call her again? A traitor? A rebellion leader? Were they out of their minds? She was not daring enough to start a rebellion in the Fae realm. This was a total misunderstanding.
Damn it. She had to get out of here. Go hide somewhere safe and then see what was going on. But as Islinda was just about to turn, her eyes connected with the captain, and she saw the moment he recognized her.
Oh no.
Islinda took to her heels and barely took two steps before darkness wrapped around her.