Deadliest of Bonds: (The Blight 2), page 13
Ash cocked his head to the side, his hair brushing his naked chest. “Don’t be.”
Thea retreated a step, not trusting herself. Her heart beat fast and hard in her chest and being near him made everything in her body ache in a way she didn’t want it to.
Clearing her throat, she said, “You should go back to sleep. I’ll finish my watch alone.”
“Are you sure?” Ash asked, making her wings disappear again. “You could use the rest.” He threw his shirt over his head.
“Is this your way of telling me I look like shit?” She arched a brow at him defiantly.
“I don’t believe I could ever find you looking anything less than gorgeous,” he replied, his voice serious, not a hint of amusement or teasing in it.
Thea’s cheeks heated and she could only hope that the lack of light hid it. “Flattery doesn’t work on me, you idiot,” she retorted, bypassing him with a soft punch on his shoulder.
He caught her fist in his hand and leaned in, his breath caressing her ear. Thea didn’t shake him off, even as a tingle of warmth traveled up her arm at the contact. Ash released her immediately, as if remembering her request for him not to touch her. “But insults do work on me,” he finally said. “So be careful with your words.”
Thea didn’t give herself time to make sense of his words. She grabbed the rest of her clothes from the ground and strode off back to camp to take the rest of her watch. “I’ll be fine.”
Chapter 18
Fyreen was tense during the rest of ride to the capital. They were now out of the woods, only a few thousand yards from the palace.
Fyreen, along with Thea, Leethan and Ruelle, had to keep their hoods on at all times to avoid being recognized. They had decided not to become invisible if they could avoid it, so that Zéna would have her magical energy full once they were inside the castle.
“We’re almost there,” Ariella said, half-turning in her saddle to look at them. “Be ready and keep yourselves covered.”
Clenching her fists, Fyreen forced herself to release a tight breath. She was anxious. No, she was terrified of going back there again. And each step Starspinner took, bringing her even closer to her mother, made it hard to breathe. The vial around her neck was growing heavier and she kept sending prayers to the Celestling that everything would go according to plan. If all was well, they would be out of Citadia before the end of the day, leaving in the cloak of darkness, with Kirion and Egene. But if something went wrong…
It’ll be fine, she reminded herself in a fruitless attempt at settling her nerves. She knew that if she hadn’t been holding the reins, her hands would be bleeding by now because she would have been picking at her nails for hours.
Taking a deep breath, Fyreen looked in front of her again, at Sil’s back. With her bow strapped to her body, peaking just above her shoulder, she looked like a warrior.
Too soon, the first buildings came into view. Fyreen had never really seen them before, and certainly not from this perspective, and yet, some part of her recognized everything about the capital. They ran into other travelers—merchants and nobles alike—and every time, Fyreen tensed further. If this kept happening, she wouldn’t have hands left to fist by the time they made it to the safehouse.
The road narrowed, and Fyreen didn’t even have time to take a breath that they were inside. Buildings towered on either side of her, and she suddenly felt so small, especially hunched on her horse to keep her face hidden. She didn’t know if the people really knew what she looked like, but she shared a lot of features with her mother—enough for people to take a guess.
Ariella stopped her horse and all the group dismounted quickly to better blend in with the crowd. Sil turned around, her bow nearly bumping the saddle, and looked at Fyreen, offering her a comforting smile. From under her hood, Fyreen couldn’t do anything more than try a reassuring smile.
“Fuck,” she heard Leethan mumble on her left.
She turned to him, careful to stay covered, and gasped. On the wall, their faces were plastered. Wanted for crimes against the Queen, read the paper.
On the first one, both Leethan and Ruelle were drawn, unmistakably recognizable. Fyreen swallowed hard as she noticed the price offered for their delivery to the palace, dead or alive: three million coins. It was more than what most people made in a hundred years. She glanced at the other posters and nearly choked on her saliva. Thea was also wanted, for no less than four million. But when she saw the one that had her face on it, she had to hold onto Starspinner not to collapse.
She was presented with the Inferling himself. Five million coins each.
Five. Million. Coins.
Was her mother completely mad? The queendom could not afford to throw away that kind of money.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it further.
“We need to get to a safe place,” Thea rasped. “Now.”
“Follow me,” Ariella said.
Fyreen didn’t really know how she could hear her companions so clearly in the middle of such a busy street, but it suited her just fine. She tightened her grip on her reins and made her way carefully through the crowd after her friends, keeping one hand pulling her hood down. If the people didn’t know what she looked like before, they certainly did now. And they thought she was associated with Rogan on top of everything.
Her heartbeat quickened as they walked as fast as they could without drawing unwanted attention to themselves. Travelling in such a large group was already suspicious enough.
“Let’s split up,” Ash suggested. “Zéna and Zéfan and I will take care of the horses. I’ll find you with the ring,” he added, turning to Thea.
Ariella nodded and turned away from him, while Thea slid Ash’s ring on. They made quick work of letting the three of them take the horses and even if Fyreen would have liked to keep Starspinner with her or at least get a decent goodbye, she was way too anxious to protest.
“Let’s go,” Ariella said hurriedly.
Fyreen felt her legs move on their own as they continued to walk. Soon, they turned into a smaller street on the right, too narrow for horses. She was sweating, too hot under her dark cloak, and her hands were starting to become slippery.
Ariella stopped by a stone wall and looked around them. There was no one here, which made sense because there was nothing in this dead end. Just stones everywhere around, no door or sign. And yet, Ariella pushed hard on one of the bricks and a hidden mechanism made a small hole appear in the wall.
“Get inside,” she ushered them.
Leethan went first and Fyreen wondered if he’d ever been there before. Either way, there was not an ounce of hesitation as he squeezed through. Ruelle followed him, with an encouraging smile in Fyreen’s direction.
Taking a deep breath, Fyreen forced her heart to settle and followed her friends.
She crawled through the hole and Ruelle’s hand on the other side helped her up. She stood quickly and gasped. They were in a beautiful room. There were a few mattresses on the floor, a table with paper and ink and even shelves filled with books. On her right, she noticed a cabinet on which rested a few apples and pears that looked fresh.
“Woah,” Sil exclaimed when she stood by Fyreen’s side.
“My thoughts exactly,” she agreed. She had not expected a hidden place like this to be quite so furnished. How had they even managed to get all of this through that small hole?
Only then did Fyreen notice the door on her left. She immediately tensed again and pulled her hood—that had slid off when she’d come through the passage—back over her face.
“Don’t worry,” Ariella said as she stepped into the room. “No one will come through here.”
Fyreen swallowed and decided to trust Ariella, even if a part of her couldn’t help but question everything now that she’d learned she was worth five million coins. Ash could very well decide that it wasn’t worth the trouble. That delivering them all to the Queen would be far more beneficial than breaking into the palace in the hopes of finding Egene. Not to mention that with his ability to read minds, he had a lot of information that could help him betray them all.
The thought made a shiver roll down her spine and she forced herself to breathe out.
“Wait here,” Ariella said, sealing the wall again. She grabbed a key from her pocket and opened the door, disappearing in the other room.
Ruelle slumped on the mattress with her arms extended by her sides and sighed. “Three million fucking coins,” she breathed. “I’m almost disappointed.”
“What the credens are you talking about?” Fyreen exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. She was so stressed out she felt like she was going to explode. How could Ruelle look so relaxed about all this?
“We’re safe,” Thea said gently. “No one is going to get their million coins.”
Fyreen turned toward her, surprised to see her trying to comfort them all. “The longer we stay in this city, the more at risk we become,” she countered.
“That’s why we’re leaving before the night ends. With Kirion and Egene,” Thea reminded her.
A warm hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed. “Do not worry,” Sil told her softly. “You will not have to risk your life out there. You will be safe here.” As if to emphasize her point, she tugged her bow off her back and put it flat on the table, at arm’s reach. “I will make sure of it.”
“Chivalrous as this all is,” Leethan intervened. “The others need to hurry if we want to leave this place before tomorrow.” He stood and walked back to the hole they had come in through.
“Wait!” Fyreen jumped toward him. “You’re wanted,” she reminded him.
“I will go,” Sil intervened, grabbing her bow again.
Leethan nodded sternly and opened the wall for her to squeeze through. When Sil disappeared, Fyreen stopped breathing.
Time seemed to stretch and Fyreen jumped when a noise behind her echoed. She reached for her dagger, Leethan doing the same, and stepped in front of Ruelle. But when Zéna’s long, blonde hair poked through, they all relaxed.
Zéna stood up and blinked, raising her hands before her in a peaceful gesture. “It’s you,” Fyreen breathed.
Zéfan, Ash and finally Sil all followed suit. “Ariella is not back yet?” Sil asked as Leethan closed the passage again.
Fyreen’s shoulder locked at her tone. “She’s just—”
“I’m right here,” Ariella interrupted as he came back in. “And I’m bringing some food.”
Fyreen blew out a tense breath, taking in the tray in her hands.
“Perfect then,” Ash said. “Let’s eat something and then we’re off.”
“Good news,” Ariella added. She turned to Leethan. “Our old contact, Gab, is still inside the palace as a servant. We sent a word ahead, but I don’t know if he’ll get it before you find him, so be careful.”
Good, Fyreen thought. At least they had someone to ask for information about Egene once they got inside. Which didn’t mean everything would be fine, but that was already something.
“Thank you,” Leethan replied. He turned to the others and added, “I’m ready when you are.”
Chapter 19
Thea hated the capital, and especially the palace. It was filled with memories of the last time she was here, with Ed—
She didn’t let herself finish the thought. Instead, she slid out of the hidden room after Ash. With her hood carefully covering her face, she walked with Leethan, Zéna, Zéfan and Ash into the busy streets. Luckily for them, people were too focused on what they were doing and trying to sell their goods to pay attention to the two fugitives who were worth a good amount of coins stalking in the crowd.
Anxiety gripped her as they merged with the people rushing about. Each time someone elbowed her or merely brushed her arm as they passed, she tensed some more. She was starting to regret volunteering for this mission.
But it was better for them to stay in the open, less suspicious. And they couldn’t risk being invisible in the middle of so many people, that would have to wait until they were almost at the gates.
Thea kept her eyes steady on Leethan’s back as he walked, winding his way through the people. He was slow enough that the rest of them could follow without too much trouble, and he turned around every few minutes to check that they were still behind, his hood drawn over his features. One glimpse of his silver hair would give them out, so he had to be extra careful.
Luck must be on their side, because a moment later, Leethan turned in a narrow street and stopped, turning around. “We’re there,” he said.
Ash stepped back to glance at the gate that Thea hadn’t even seen because she was too anxious and kept her face down. “Alright.” Ash slid back to them, his face serious. “It’s showtime.” He winked at Thea. “Wish me luck.”
She did not reply as he disappeared into the main street once more.
“We need to approach the gate and be ready to squeeze through at the right moment,” Leethan went on.
Zéna nodded and extended both her hands. Zéfan took one, Thea the other, and Leethan grabbed her free hand.
For a second, nothing happened, and Thea was about to ask Zéna if she was using her magic. But then, a soft halo of light began to shimmer around all of their bodies. She lifted the hand that held Leethan’s in wonder, marveling at the way her skin shone. Thea stopped herself from breathing a word of wonder and let Leethan guide them all through the much scarcer people roaming the street.
This close to the palace, there were no more vendors or buyers. The only people in the street were walking from building to building. Thea caught sight of Ash as he walked toward a tavern. She tensed. He pushed open the door and disappeared inside.
Thea blinked. What the credens was he doing? He was supposed to distract the guards, not get a drink.
She swallowed her pride and decided to trust him. After all, he had everything to gain for their mission to succeed. She shouldn’t be so suspicious of his means so long as he got the job done.
Leethan headed toward the gate, dragging the three of them after him. Thea’s heart beat faster and harder in her throat the closer they got to the palace and she had to focus not to crush the clammy hands holding hers.
The castle loomed over them, his shining, white marble walls imposing and even more terrifying than the last time Thea was here. She wasn’t on a horse this time, and it did make a difference. She forced herself to keep walking until they were all close enough to the gate, flattened against one of the walls that surrounded the castle grounds.
Thea stretched her senses toward the tavern to listen to what Ash was doing.
Seconds, minutes, what seemed like hours passed without anything happening. The guards before the gate stood unmoving, their hands ready on the hilts of their swords and their expressions hidden by thick helmets. The Queen’s crest was plastered on their armor and Thea quickly looked away. Memories of Eden wearing that very same uniform sprang to mind. Her eyes landed briefly on Leethan whose jaw was tight enough to shatter, and she easily imagined that this was difficult for him as well. To be back here after everything that had happened.
Focusing on the task ahead instead, Thea blinked carefully and turned her attention back to the tavern where she could now hear loud voices.
“How dare you steal my ale?” someone screamed.
Thea recognized Ash’s chuckle from where she stood, even without seeing him. “I was thirsty, your ale was the closest drink I found.”
She shook her head, she could almost picture him, standing there with the ale in his hand, drinking provocatively in front of the other man.
“You bastard,” the man cursed. “I’ll wipe that smirk off your face.”
A fist collided with a face. Thea didn’t know whose fist and whose face. Maybe Ash’s smirk had indeed been wiped off. But then, she heard him laugh.
“Whoops,” he said, his voice full of mirth. “Wrong face, mate.”
Thea shook her head. She could easily imagine the scene, Ash ducking to avoid the blow and some unfortunate person standing behind him taking the punch in his stead. That was how Ash intended to distract the guards. Starting a brawl in a tavern. Would the guards really mingle in such a simple and trivial accident? Would it really distract them enough for the rest of them to slip inside?
Thea sure hoped so. But she trusted that Ash knew what he was doing.
A cacophony of noise sprung from the tavern, and this time, she didn’t need her special hearing to notice the commotion. Neither did the nearby guards.
Thea would have expected it to take longer. A window shattered as someone flew through it and a few of the guards at the gate looked at one another, as if debating whether or not to intervene.
It didn’t take them long to decide because a moment later, another man climbed out of the shattered glass and grabbed the unconscious body, lifting it and punching them in the face. The fight was drawing closer and closer, and a crowd was already forming around it.
Thea carefully counted the guards. Only two of them weren’t already approaching the fight, ready to intervene. The ones closest to the actual gate. She tensed—this wasn’t going to work.
But then, Ash’s voice echoed over the commotion. “Here, I recognized him. It’s the man on the posters. He’s worth three million.”
Tensing, Thea glanced at Leethan. His jaw was clenched as he stared at the gate, but he didn’t move.
Finally, the remaining guards exchanged a glance.
“Grab him,” Ash insisted.
The crowd was becoming messy, people running about and punching one another to get through. Then, the two guards at the gate approached the scene, just enough to leave space between their bodies and the gate.
Now, Thea thought.
The four of them ran for the gate, Leethan leading the way. The two guards moved further from the gate, as more screams rang out in the crowd. The four intruders had just enough space to squeeze through without touching them.
Leethan’s head snapped from side to side as he checked for guards who could notice them from the inside and once he was satisfied, he carefully pushed on the knob and slid the gate open, just wide enough for them to slide inside. He had been right. It wasn’t locked.
