The Burning Hand by Jodi Meadows Read Free Book Online Page B

shove Hensley into the river. How dare he?
    When I knelt and touched Romily’s shoulder, she yipped and scrambled up, but relaxed when she saw it was me. She threw her arms around me and whispered, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have trusted him, but I was scared and—”
    â€œIt’s all right.” There wasn’t time to find out whether she knew who I was—Crown Prince Tobiah or just some bruised-up rich boy—and she didn’t seem to care about much except that I hadn’t come to kill her. I helped her to her feet and found my sword. My mask was nowhere in sight. Long gone, probably down the river. “The Nightmares brought glowmen. Can you run?”
    â€œCan you ?”
    I squeezed my sword hilt and checked the area for Hensley, but he was moving around a building—away from the glowmen. The Nightmares who’d been assisting him had moved toward the warehouse, like they were going to control the glowmen. But from inside the warehouse, there was a crash and someone screamed.
    â€œNine saints.” Romily snatched the knife I’d taken from the ground. “They’re huge.”
    Three glowmen were out of the warehouse already. Inside, more screams echoed.
    â€œWe need to run.” I took her arm, but she shook me off and took a hesitating step toward the glowmen. “What are you doing?”
    The Nightmares were mostly contained around the warehouse, trying to corral the glowmen back inside. They didn’t seem interested in us at all anymore, with Hensley gone. If we were ever going to get a chance to make our escape, this was it.
    â€œThat’s Mercush!” She dashed toward the warehouse—toward the glowmen and Nightmares.
    â€œRom, wait!” I followed, but she had a head start. As we drew closer to the warehouse, I caught sight of half a dozen Nightmare grunts sprawled on the ground, their bodies twisted and broken. “Stop!”
    She ignored me. My heart thundered in my ears as I realized what she was running into.
    It was a slaughter.
    The Nightmare gang had lost control of the glowmen—if they’d ever had control—and were now fighting for their lives. Several men and women were on the warehouse floor, dead. At least one glowman was dead, too.
    â€œRomily, don’t!” But I was too late.
    She paused in front of a glowman who vaguely resembled her. Narrow face. Lidded eyes. But any other similarities had been transformed by the wraith in the firefly. He was stretched tall and thin, his arms all wiry muscle and black hairs.
    â€œMercush.” She stared up at him, hope in her eyes. Like she believed he might still be her brother. The glowman cocked his head and locked eyes with her, like a challenge. She glanced at me. “Don’t hurt my brother—”
    Mercush grabbed Romily in both his hands, then hurled her at the nearest wall. She hit with a loud thump and dropped to the floor. Blood dripped from her head.
    She didn’t move.

EIGHT
    BEFORE MY EYES, another friend died.
    And that was it. Everything faded away, except the rage.
    I joined the fight, cutting and slashing at glowmen. First, the one that had been Mercush. Now he was just a monster, because whatever he’d seen in Romily, it hadn’t been his sister. He’d stared at her like a challenge, and she’d lost when she looked away.
    When she’d looked at me.
    My arms shook with exhaustion, and my ribs ached. I thrust my blade deep into the glowman’s stomach and twisted. Blood poured out and the reek of wraith filled the warehouse.
    I didn’t pause as the glowman dropped to the ground, dead. Instead, I was burning up with fury and I brought my blade around and found another glowman, this one thick with drooping jowls and bloodshot eyes. He was crushing a Nightmare’s throat. I plunged my sword through his eye.
    I lost track of everything but the battle. Hatred drove every thrust and slash of my sword, and