Evan noticed a handful of Crown Soldiers had formed a perimeter around him and Eva, protecting them from danger. She was shaking in his arms, no doubt as scared and unsure of herself as he was.
“Kill her!” Korina screamed. There was no fear in her voice, only passionate anger, igniting her from within. “Do as your Queen commands!”
The throng of Crown Soldiers that congregated around Zoe and the Queen Mother descended upon them, hiding them from view of Evander. From behind the wall of uniformed Soldiers he heard Korina scream, her voice blood curdling as it pierced the room before cutting off suddenly. Something loud and heavy dropped to the floor. An arm protruded lifelessly from between two Crown Soldiers, and Evan couldn’t tell if it was Zoe’s or the Queen Mother’s. There was a struggle. Several Crown Soldiers fell to the ground, some piling on top of others. Evan let go of Eva’s hand and took several steps forward, fighting the impulse to scream as he heard hard sounds of muscle hitting soft flesh.
The mob of Soldiers collapsed, imploding from the middle to the ground. He watched along with the Queen as each of the Soldiers stood, some bleeding from cuts to the face, others already bruising around the eyes and mouth.
“Where is she?” the Queen demanded, screaming at the men before her. Each stood empty handed, and as they stepped backward the dead body was finally visible, slumped face-down into the Throne, tattered blond hair strewn around her head like a fractured crown.
Zoe was nowhere to be found, having escaped the mob of Soldiers without being seen. “Where is she?!” the Queen demanded again, her scream resonating throughout the great room. Evan turned to look at Eva but found only empty space where she once stood.
“Eva?” he called out, looking around at everybody on and around the throne for his sister. He frantically looked around the room for any signs of his sister or Zoe, panic stricken at the thought that they were gone. “Zoe!” he screamed. They were gone. Vanished into thin air. His heart raced in his chest, threatening to give out as he desperately looked for any sign of their presence. “Zoe! Eva!”
They were gone.