“What a surprise!” he laughed. “She has fight in her.”
Our swords clashed again and again. He was nearly twice my size and double my strength. Each time he struck, I felt the blow all the way to my bones. But I had been taught to survive.
I danced out of the way. Panic bled into my thoughts. I struggled to stay calm.
“Give up, girl,” he ordered. “I haven’t got all day.”
“I’d rather not, thank you very much.”
His lips curled back from his teeth. “Even if you’re who you say you are, you’re still an imposter. You still don’t belong on the Seat of Power. You should have died alongside your father. He was a worthless king and you’ll be a worthless queen. You’ll be as useless as a ruler as you were as a daughter!”
His words cut at me to the core. I had always felt inadequate, like a failure. My parents’ and brothers’ deaths were like a physical burden I carried around with me everywhere. But I didn’t appreciate the accusation from a vile snake like Crenshaw. I screamed. Thunder boomed and the door shook as someone kicked and fought against it on the other side.
“Your father chose to see only what he wanted to see. He turned his back on his allies. He spat on those that helped him. That helped the realm!”
I had no idea what Crenshaw was going on about. But whatever it was seemed to invigorate him. His sword came down and I just barely managed to stop it from slicing me open from nose to navel. He grinned at me with wild, feral eyes—eyes that had stopped seeing reality, what was around him—and fixed wholly on the hope of his misled crusade.
His weight pressed against me. I leaned back awkwardly over a chair as my arms trembled to keep his blade from kissing my face.
“You belong with the ghosts,” he snarled. “You belong on the other side of the veil where your filthy blood can’t interfere with her plans.”
“I belong here. I belong in the Seat of Power. It doesn’t matter what you have planned. It doesn’t matter what you think at all! I am meant to rule this realm.” I pushed him back a little more. Sweat from his forehead rolled down his nose and splattered on my cheek. From behind gritted teeth, I growled out an oath, “I am meant to wear the Crown of Nine.”
I shoved him with all my strength. I was no match for him in weight, but Shiksa reappeared and threw her body behind his feet. His legs tangled together and he tripped while she yelped from the pain. He smashed into a low table, crushing it beneath him, his sword dropping from his hands.
I swiftly kicked away his sword, sending it spinning toward the wall.
My sword was at his throat in the next second. “I will be Queen, you detestable man. You can try to stop me. You can try to kill me. But this throne belongs to me and I will not let it be taken away by someone as wretched as you.”
His lips curled into that disturbed smile again. He bucked against my sword, drawing his own blood. It wet the tip of my blade and sluiced down the side of his neck. “Do it then, Your Highness. Kill me. But before you do, know that a hundred men will fill my place. And then a hundred armies. And then the entire realm, for you are not fit to be queen. We will never bend the knee to someone like you.”
“Who is, then?”
He laughed at me, the bitter sound filling the room and my head. “You’ll find out soon enough. You’ll find out when they come for you. When your body is dragged through the streets of Sarasonet and your precious Crown of Nine stripped from your filthy head. You’ll know when at last the Allisand’s are extinguished and the realm is handed over to the true—”
The windows smashed open cutting off his last words. Glass screamed as the panes hit the walls and shattered both windows. Rain pelted the room, spraying my skin and drenching the furniture and carpet almost immediately.
I made the mistake of turning toward the sound. Crenshaw used my distraction to his advantage.
He pushed my sword away and jumped to his feet, knocking me to the ground. I landed on my side, just barely managing to keep hold of my weapon.
I prepared myself, even as I struggled to stand. I waited for him to dive for his blade and continue our fight. Instead he leapt toward the open window.
“This isn’t over, Imposter Queen,” he promised, then threw his body onto the windowsill. He paused there for a moment, almost as if he were unsure what to do. He just crouched in the opening, his feet crunching over broken glass, as he stared down at the ground as if waiting for something, a sign or an escape or I didn’t know what.
“Wait!” I shouted at him. I had never intended to kill him. I was going to turn him over to my uncle. Imprison him. Let Tyrn decide his fate.
But this was ridiculous. If he jumped from this height, he would die. He couldn’t possibly survive the fall.
“Crenshaw, wait!” I screamed.
His smile stretched from ear to ear. Rain beat against his face and body, soaking him completely. He looked absolutely mad. “Be ready, Tessana Allisand. War is coming.”
The door to my room collapsed with a mighty crash, but I only had eyes for Crenshaw. He dropped out of the window and disappeared from sight.
“Tessana!” Taelon shouted.
I ignored him in favor of scrambling to my feet and racing toward the window. I started to lean out the window, desperate to see if he’d survived, when a raven flew in my face, flapping its black wings and shrieking that unholy sound.
I swatted at it and cursed beneath my breath. “You dratted bird!” It
