Villainous [Wattys 2021 Shortlist]

MALEVOLENT 26: Killer Rising

Delilah could not stop twirling in front of her mirror. She spun and laughed and tried to let out all of her joy and energy from the night before, lest anyone think she was acting strangely if they saw a hint of it in public. She had dreamed of curling up on a bed of embers all night, basking in the heat like a cold-blooded lizard. Even her clothes this morning reflected her mood.

She wore an outfit of pure silk which was golden-yellow as the sun. The sleeves and trousers were wide, the outfit hanging loosely on her and only cinched at the waist with a matching belt of the same yellow silk which tied both pieces seamlessly together. At first she thought it was a waste to hide every part of her figure except what the V-shaped neck showed, but as she moved, the fabric flowed around and against her like sunlight turned to water. Fine detail was shown in a subtle, leaf-shaped pattern along the hems of her sleeves and across her back. Delilah decided she loved silk, especially the way it glided across her beaten skin, caressing it with a cool, soothing touch.

She tried not to think about Kaya and Nell and their reaction when she'd dragged herself to the riverbank last night, cold to the bone and coughing. They had found her immediately and pulled her onto the shore where they hid between docked boats dragged up above the shoreline. They'd tried to make her look at them, but she was mesmerised by the way the blaze turned the river golden.

"What happened in there?" Kaya had demanded.

"It went well," Delilah replied calmly.

"Look at us – look at us. You should have got out immediately. Do you know how many city guards were pouring in? Did you realise how close they were to getting in and capturing you?"

"Even here, we're not safe," Nell said. "They'll spread out to search when they realise the killer is missing, and –"

"Look," Delilah interrupted in a breath. "Look at my masterpiece."

They turned to look at Rhydderch's biggest bonfire in one hundred years. Magnificent.

"We have to get you out of here and back to the palace. Is that a scratch on your arm?"

"Worried, Nell?"

"Worried that someone from court will see it, yes. Come on, Delilah!"

The burning house was a lit torch in the middle of the dark city. A small explosion from within blasted pieces of glass and furniture into the river. The three girls watched silently, and a shiver of delight ran down Delilah's spine.

Shaking movement back into her cold limbs, Delilah led the way into the maze of streets. They were about to turn a corner when she glimpsed people and heard tramping footsteps.

"Back!" she hissed, and they darted into a different alleyway. But no, there were soldiers ahead – Kaya dragged the other two into a small gap between houses, but torchlight flared on the other side.

Trapped like rabbits in a burrow. Delilah's heart pounded.

"In here!" Kaya led the way, wriggling into a hole in some lord's perfectly manicured hedgerow.

Delilah followed Kaya, snarling quietly as thorns raked her skin and caught painfully in her hair. She fought the urge to sneeze, suddenly realising she was covered in soot and ash made streaky by the river. Like a striped animal...

Her nose bumped Kaya's back. "Move over, my foot is still poking out."

"I can't! There's no more room, I can barely move for branches as it is."

"But..." Delilah peered round to see Nell stood guarding the hole as the torchlight flickered brighter. They were coming. And there wasn't room for all three of them. Which of her friends would she sacrifice this night?