Slaves of the Night

Chapter 20

Essie

"That's not him---she signaled me that isn't him," I say, quickly, to Rax, who is standing next to me of course.

"What are you talking about?"

"Something tipped her off—it's not him she said," I say, quickly, drawing a knife, "I'm going to go get her—"

"We need to make sure," he says, staying me with a hand, "Don't make any quick moves; we don't know what it is."

"Okay," I say, and we both work our way through the crowd closer towards them. They're both looking at the fire and chatting, casually.

"She's right something's off—I'm going to find out," Rax says, "You get her."

"How are you going to—" I break off when he walks away from me, directly up to them, moving himself in between Kaisa and the prince. Eero laughs and seems to be about to say something, but Rax cuts him off by tugging him down for a kiss, a long kiss, on the mouth, which is not what anyone expected to happen.

At some point during the 30 second kiss they both stab each other. Then they step apart, looking deeply hurt as they look down at the blood swelling on their stomachs, one another's daggers sticking out of the other.

"It's not him," Rax says. Eero just stares and spits, but I've never seen him look so furious.

Then they both and Kaisa vanish.

Now, the people who saw the kiss and the subsequent stab understandably start screaming. I turn and run through the now maddening crowd. They aren't here anymore. Teleportation spells are very short distance. They're somewhere in the castle. And I have to find them.