“The only mistake was letting you keep the empire this long,” Elias replied.

The wind picked up, rattling the bare branches of the oak trees above us.

A cold drizzle began to fall, mixing with the mud on my face.

I looked at Roman, trying to read his expression in the faint light of the flashlights.

His eyes found mine for a fraction of a second.

He gave me a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.

“Now!” Roman yelled.

He dove to the ground just as the rogue guard lunged.

A deafening shot echoed through the ravine.

I scrambled backward, clawing at the muddy slope to get away.

Roman fired from the ground, hitting the first guard in the chest.

The man collapsed into the leaves with a heavy grunt.

Elias fired twice at Roman, the muzzle flashes illuminating the wet trees.

“Run, Lena!” Roman roared.

He scrambled to his feet and threw himself in front of me, blocking Elias’s line of sight.

A sharp, sickening thud sounded as a bullet struck flesh.

Roman gasped, his shoulder jerking backward, but he didn’t fall.