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planning to climb from his second-story window.
I rationalized with each of my actions. He s always a target for other Arcana. I dragged over practice
swords. He wouldn t hurt me. He wouldn t! I lugged over armor. He was reaching for something else. I
wedged a shield under the door handle. He loves me.
So why had he tried to coerce me? Why had he vowed to make me pay?
My protectiveness faded, the red witch rising. So much for your soul-deep connection, she whispered.
He s worth FIVE icons.
Rule of thumb: if a man has beheaded you on more than one occasion and he reaches for his sword .
. .
Now he d come for me, to make me pay. A knighted grim reaper.
I stared in awe, marveling that I d had the strength to leave him, to poison him. When I hadn t heard
from him in days, I d worried that I d given him too much, had hurt him. Worry for nothing.
Soldiers stopped and gaped. In the last two hours, both Aric and Jack had ridden through those gates.
Where Jack had commanded respect, Death elicited pure fear.
I spied the outline of a giant wolf beside Death s armored warhorse. Cyclops padded along, his maw
filled with body parts from the stone forest.
That beast had led Death through the minefield! Or Lark had. She hadn t sent me extra protection
because she cared about me. She d dispatched a spy.
Still gazing at me, Death drew one of his swords. No!
The scent of roses flooded the air as my vines tensed and grew. My claws dripped poison, my barbs at
the ready.
But he could cut through my vines, and his armor repelled most of my other powers. If he wanted me
dead, I was about to be. Unless . . .
Three other Arcana hastened into the foggy courtyard.
The bloody Reaper! Joules cried, just as Jack bellowed from behind me, Evie!
Then all hell broke loose.
18
I ll fry you! Joules yelled.
Gabriel sped past me toward some target? Jack?
Cyclops sprang in front of Aric, crouching at the ready.
Ashen and shaking, Matthew muttered Tredici over and over. Tess ducked behind him and began to cry.
Soldiers scurried from the fray.
Joules s skin sparked in the mist as he hefted one of his javelins.
My gaze darted back to Death. The knight s armored shoulders rose and fell, a weary exhalation. For
him, this was just another day, another icon to harvest from an Arcana. Or from several of us.
When the Tower hurled his spear, Aric turned his helmeted head from me. Faster than lightning his
sword flashed out. Metal on metal clanged, and the javelin sailed over the fort s walls. Lightning forked
out and an explosion sounded in the distance.
Joules howled with frustration.
Who the fuck let him in? Jack yelled. Gabriel had intercepted him, holding him back from certain
death. Evie, get the hell away from him!
Why have you come, Aric?
Again, Death turned to me. To do what I always end up doing with you.
He always ended up . . . killing me.
He reached up and removed that menacing helmet. As ever, the Endless Knight was hypnotically
beautiful, with his collar-length blond hair framing chiseled features and radiant amber eyes.
In his deep raspy voice, he said, I always end up forgiving you.
My lips parted. What?
Choke on this, Reaper! Joules hurled another spear.
Aric deflected it, this time without gazing away from me as if his starry eyes were greedy for the sight
of me.
Forgive? I finally managed to say. You promised to make me pay!
I intend to, Empress, but not in the way you re thinking. His accented words were loaded with
innuendo.
How can I believe that? Right before I knocked you out, you went for your sword!
His blond brows drew together. I was reaching for a vial of antitoxin. I d had it formulated before the
Flash, in the hope of neutralizing your poisons. I ve always wondered if it would work.
Antitoxin? Confusion rocked me. B-but we ve fought each other so many times. And you . . . you
always win.
Another javelin; another sword parry.
Evie, you get away from him! Jack bellowed.
You know well that I would never be able to harm you, Aric chided, even should I have wanted to.
Just as you refuse to hurt me. Twice now you could ve killed me. This last time, you took pains to protect
me.
But you . . . and then . . . your sword?
He gazed at me with infinite patience. Never again, siev.
I stared into his eyes, that soul-deep sense of connection sweeping over me. Oh, dear gods, I . . .
believed him.
I had to defuse this situation before anyone got hurt. The trues! But Matthew couldn t paint his blood on
Death s lethal skin. Could I use the Gamekeeper s blood? I ran to Matthew.
He was already slashing his arm. True-hearted, he whispered. For now.
I drew my forefinger across his wound, then hurried to Aric.
Don t you feckin do it, Empress! Before I could reach Death, Joules fired again.
Aric deflected, his voice booming in the night: I begin to tire of this, Tower.
Aric, let me paint your hand!
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