Red Ruse

Chapter Seventeen

For a moment, he seems to soften. But only for a moment. The next, he gestures to those behind him, skin crackling into hard, smooth armor. Ironskin. Above my head, the chandelier creaks, metal swaying in an invisible breeze.

Then, it explodes.

Shards rain down on us before they hover in midair, the metal weaving into sheets that hold back the glass. Gwendolyn hisses into focus, pushing past Wolliver only to meet the wall that is Nix. "This is not authorized."

Wolliver pokes his head out from behind her, a flame igniting in his palm. "We don't take orders from you."

The metal melds with the glass to form a snake, slithering down to coil at Gwendolyn's waist. "You are still Red, Newblood. This court does not yet have a place for you."

"It never will." Nix grabs the snake and attempts to throw it, only for it to slither out of the way. The body is thin, but dozens of feet long, slithering to his neck and wrapping around it. She's trying to asphyxiate him.

It isn't working.

The snake cracks against his skin, snapping in two, then three, then twelve. He throws it at her, and it shatters, shards spiraling off in all directions. One flies into his mouth.

Another embeds in my forehead.

I wrench it out, blood dripping down my palm. Sparks crackle from my toes to my hair, sizzles of purple that won't calm down. They are mine. They reflect me and my aims, and I cannot allow them to waste what we've gained.

"You're a whisper." I grab Lupa, shoving her towards the fight. "Do something! Make them calm down!"

Gwendolyn flicks a hand, and Nix chokes, silver metal and Silver pride. His hand claws down his throat, and I grip her arm. "Stop this. Both of you."

Her eyes snap to me, thunderous and wild. "Ambassador Barrow, do not both-sides this."

"I can, and I will." I tighten my grip. "You are my general. I am not yours."

She bristles. "I belong to no one and nothing." Her fingers clench at the air. "You should know that by now."

I did. I did, and yet I couldn't bring myself to care. "I speak for the king, Lady Samos."

Her eyes darken. Behind her, Nix continues to choke, gasping and retching as the metal refuses to come out. "So you do." It's barely a whisper. "So you do."

Finally, Nix coughs up the shard, blood seeping from his lips. It seems his insides are not as iron as his outsides. Gwendolyn extends a hand. "Now, now. Did I tell you you could breathe?" She gestures to the metal, but it doesn't move. "What the–?"

"Don't." The voice comes from behind us, soft as a whisper, yet strong as a scream. The girl (Cameron. Her name is Cameron.) from before clutches her chest. "Release us, or I'll–" Her fingers tightened, and Gwendolyn doubled over. Cameron's voice grew strained. "I'll kill you."

Lupa lunges at her, grabbing her collar, collapsing to her knees. "No." She trembles. "You don't want to, I know you don't, I–" A gasp of air. "I know where Morrey is."

Cameron stills.

I swallow. "Who's Morrey?"

"Her brother." The words come out in a rush. "I heard of him from the minds around her. He's at the front, with the other fourteen year olds." Her eyes are wild. "We can save him. Please."

Cameron stares at Lupa, shaking. "How?"

Lupa gestures to me. "She has the king at her side." It becomes hard to breathe. "She can change things, I know she can." She grabs my hand. "You're in love, aren't you?"

"I–"

Gwendolyn rises to her feet. "A brother." She exhales. "I don't have any. But I can still pull some favors."

"And doom the rest of his legion?" Cameron sharpens. "I'm not delusional. I don't think replacing Silvers with Newbloods will change things."

"I–" My fists clench as I wrench away from Lupa. "I'm not going to be queen."

"But you want to be."

Ada steps in, biting her lip. "It's not nothing. We need power if anything will change."

"Prove it." Her teeth gnash. "Prove you can do something, anything for us besides take power for yourself."

I stare her in the eye. "I can lift the measures."

Nix spits at me, still bleeding. "You think you can control that Silver of yours?

"Watch me." The words hiss between my teeth. "He's mine. He told me as much."

"Where, between the sheets?"

I bristle. "What I do with my body is none of your business." A step forward. "I will be the ambassador you need. No matter what it costs me."

I know you'll never love me, Mare. But I can live with you using me.

It's about time I tested the limits of that.