Emma Holloway - A Study in Ashes

She reached for her magic, wanting it at her fingertips, but the moment she did so, the dragon’s head swiveled her way. Do you truly think yourself a match for me, little mouse?

Evelina bridled. At least Magnus had compared her to a kitten. She drew on her dark magic, spooling it into her core, ready to strike. And then she regretted her defiance.

The weight of the Black King’s power crashed down on her with the brutal indifference of an avalanche. Old and in pain, perhaps, but it still had strength she hadn’t even dreamed of. The smack of power was only a warning, but darkness swirled up as if she were about to swoon. Leaning into Nick, Evelina slowly released her magic, letting it slip free until the dragon looked away. As the world righted itself, she set her jaw, refusing to give in just yet. She’d come to count on her power, but a direct assault was foolish. It would take more than brute force to get past such an old and wily foe. They would have to wait and watch for clues to its weakness.

Wraiths vanished through a crude doorway to her left, presumably to check the larder. Evelina caught her breath when they returned with the first prisoners—a mature woman holding an infant. The woman was mute, but the baby was whimpering softly. Nick swore under his breath.

The next made them all murmur in surprise. It was Jasper Keating, his silver head held high, his jaw thrust forward as if ready to fight. The last was King Coal, ranting as he was pushed forward by three trembling Blue Boys. “No. No! I will not comply. Whatever it is you think you can accomplish, you great lizard, it will come to nothing! I will bury you down here. I will seal you up like a potted ham until you rot!”

“Will you be quiet!” snapped Keating.

The Blue King smacked the arm of his chair. “Don’t order me about, you pomaded idiot. In case you hadn’t noticed, this isn’t Grosvenor Square.”

The dragon shuffled forward, tongue flicking at each of the prisoners in turn. The woman and babe interested it little. Its attention lingered longer on Keating, but when he reached King Coal the dragon’s tail gave a flick. And then it snapped, jaws plucking the fat man from the chair.

Evelina barely saw the sudden motion. Then she gasped. They might have chased the Blue King through London, and he might have killed most of their company, but instinct made all three of them lurch forward.

Fawkes thrust out an arm. “I wouldn’t interrupt his meal.” His voice slammed her to a stop. It seemed to reach deep into Evelina, freezing her limbs. All of a sudden, it wasn’t possible to move, not even to reach for her power. “My advice is for your own good, of course.”

Keating and the woman holding the baby were pulled aside, but the three servants of the Blue King were herded forward from behind the mechanized chair. And then the Wraiths surged forward with an excited murmur, closing in like a pack of hyenas, clearly waiting for their king to eat his fill so they could feast.

The Black King dropped his prize to the ground and trapped King Coal beneath his claws. Then he tore away a chunk of flesh, tossing it down his gullet like a bird with a fish. Evelina caught a glimpse of red gore and yellow fat and turned to bury her face in Nick’s shoulder, too shocked even to feel sick. He’s not even dead yet . The screams and wet, slippery sounds twisted inside her, cracking open a whole new layer of horror.

Make it stop! The plea was almost wordless, any sound lost beneath the chaos of carnage.

But Nick somehow heard her. “Evelina.” He took her face in both hands, tipping it up so that the most natural thing was to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark and liquid in the shifting light. “Look at me. My love is the only thing in this room, and it’s all yours. Think about that. Only that.”

Her breath shuddered in, shuddered out. She wanted to be deaf, or perhaps able to crawl out of her skin and flee—anything to not be there. But Nick’s eyes held her, giving her refuge, a lifeline that held her secure from the horror.

He lowered his head, giving her his lips. His kiss was warm and raw, salty with the sweat and smoke of battle. His hands slipped to her waist, his touch fierce with need. All the yearning they shared welled up, and suddenly she was airborne a thousand miles from this place. Her heart unfolded, her chest suddenly free. She tasted the heat of his breath, living and real and nothing to do with darkness. Nick had power, but this was the spell he had over her.

“We’re going to get out of here,” he whispered.

Her soul leaped to believe.

But in the next moment, they heard a gibbering howl swirl up from the Wraiths. Evelina turned at Nick’s indrawn breath. They had brought fresh prisoners.

TOBIAS STEPPED INTO THE PRESENCE CHAMBER AT THE heart of the Black Kingdom. His eyes took in a handful of details—the fresh kill on the floor, the sharp-toothed Wraiths lapping at the blood, their deathly white faces finally exposed as they fed. Beyond them were the red glowing eyes of a monster, enough to make any man weak with terror. But he had gone to a place far beyond fright—and he’d gone there long before this moment.

For now he knew precisely what the Black Kingdom was. From the bridge, he and Alice had been bound and marched through the underground wilderness until they’d come to a waterway. There, they’d been thrown onto a flat-bottomed boat that had brought them here, the Wraiths using long poles to guide the craft through the sluggish black water. From the boat, he’d seen creatures no mortal was meant to discover—tentacled, eyeless things in the water, half-human creatures hanging upside down from the roofs of the great caverns, man-wolves and white-skinned women with fangs. This was the kingdom of nightmare, and death seemed the only means of waking up.

He’d held Alice as best he could, his heart breaking as her composure finally shattered into tears. All he had asked of Fate was that she survive and go free, but he was far from sure now that his wish would be granted. He would have to fight for her and, hell, he didn’t have a lot to lose.

She was behind him now, head bowed in stupefied silence. Tobias took another step forward, racking pain making him feel oddly disembodied, as if he were really floating just above the ground. The dragon lifted its head, tongue flicking out to mop up a smear of blood from its snout. Dragon? He nearly burst into a hysterical laugh. After all the bullets, bombs, and magnetic aether he’d survived that day—not to forget the Scarlet King’s poison—and he was about to die by dragon. No one could ever accuse him of taking the conventional path to a gruesome death.

“Tobias!”

He looked over to see Evelina, Captain Niccolo, and—dear God—the man they were calling Prince Edmond. “What are you doing here?”

The instant he spoke, a baby began to cry. The sound, all too familiar, speared through him. “Jeremy!”

Oblivious to the guards, Alice sprang from behind him and raced to her child and Mrs. Polwarren. He moved to follow, but a magnetic aether rifle poked him in the chest. “Stay where you are,” the Wraith said.

But Tobias barely heard, the implications of Jeremy’s presence crashing home. The dragon was watching Alice sob over her child. Tobias couldn’t read lizard faces, but he thought he caught a glint of speculation in those red eyes. Too many people he loved were in the room, and in peril. He glanced around, afraid to see more.

Then Tobias noticed Keating. “You evil bastard,” he snarled with a vehemence that surprised even him.

But the Gold King looked too shaken to care. “Don’t waste your breath on me, boy. That thing just ate the Blue King and three of his men.”