Page 121

I spun on my heel, already making my way to South Harbor. Marco’s piercing eyes looked hollow, his skin tinged with a white cast he normally didn’t have.

“Nora,” Evenita’s alarmed voice halted my steps. I faced her again.

“He’s not alone. There are many armed guardsmen, and I don’t think they are under his command,” she whispered while her gaze assessed the nearby guardsmen posted at the doors. I hadn’t noticed Chanston was among them when I’d barged in. Her declaration had unease slithering through my gut, and I was suddenly aware of how constant Chanston had been since I’d returned. His gaze slid to me, and I forced an easy smile before returning to Evenita.

She turned her attention to Marco, addressing him quietly. “Prince Horales, I’ve arranged for Rahana fighters to surround the market square. Gather your men and meet General Ravinder by South Harbor’s hall of worship with the four steeples. He and his men lay in wait for you, I’ve instructed as such. When the time comes, you must attack the ship at the docks. And before you leave these fortified walls, make a commotion.”

Marco bowed in a show of reverence I’d not seen from the aloof royal. Then he gave me a grim, tight-lipped smile before jogging down the halls.

“What do they want with him?” I asked, pricks of lightning surging through my feet, making me want to run.

“I cannot say, but I have seen many different outcomes of this night, Nora. Only one where you come out victorious and the prince lives.”

My throat constricted around the lump I tried swallowing down. Those odds didn’t sound good. “What must I do?”

“You must acquire help and trust in your friends and family.”

The last thing I wanted to do was drag anyone else into this. My two daggers and Nick were what I trusted in most.

“I see you in your dark clothes, with blades and light and fire as your aids,” she said, eyes closed, hands feeling the air before her like the picture was tangible.

My mind quickly pieced together who I needed to find. “Can you locate someone for me?”

She closed the limited space between us, summoning me to lower my ear. “Yes, but before I do, Nora, I must caution you. There are those within the walls who are instructed to keep you from leaving. Do not let them stop you.”

I could barely think straight but tore through the castle halls, reaching our room in haste. I threw open the wardrobe doors and dug through the neatly folded sweaters, tossing them out in mass, fishing through the stack of material where I knew my suit should be.

The world stood still as I stared at an empty cabinet. My suit wasn’t tucked in its usual place. Tears brimmed my eyes before I even attempted to breathe. This couldn’t be happening.

“Lady Nora?” Tula’s timid voice appeared from behind me.

When I turned, I saw what she beheld in her arms. A black suit. Not mine.

“Prince Nicholas had me custom make this for you. I borrowed your other suit for your measurements. He-he wanted it to be a surprise. If I had known you were in here, I wouldn’t have—”

Two sprints had me snatching it from her hands in shock. “Tula, where are the weapons that were with it?”

“Right here, Miss,” she said, withdrawing my daggers and holsters from her satchel.

My pants were already down around my ankles, my shirt slipping over my head. As a seamstress, she’d seen it all, and I had no reservations. I wiggled into the new outfit, the material fitting against my skin like a glove, nothing like the loose baggy cotton of my previous one.

She assisted me with the back. Where buttons would have taken too much time to do up, she simply slid a piece of metal from the base of my back to the nape of my neck. Then the suit felt fully secure. I tossed the hood over my head.

She handed me the weapons, and I thanked her in a rush as I headed for the door, strapping them as I went.

Nick hadn’t shown me, but he’d explained his late night exits in such detail that from my time studying the castle so far, I knew exactly where to go. If he was in trouble, the problem clearly hadn’t been fully dealt with, like I’d suspected. So I hugged the walls, close as a shadow, as I raced through the castle, listening carefully for movement before I rounded each turn.

Eventually I made it outside, the fresh night air doing nothing to relieve the tension in my chest. To the west of the courtyard were the stables. Nick would normally wait for rounds of delivery, but I wouldn’t dare waste time waiting. Evenita said to hurry.

I rounded the corner, stables coming into view. I scanned for the guards on duty. Not seeing any, I surveyed for any movement to indicate otherwise. Nothing. So I bolted.

My steps remained silent, letting me hear a conversation not too far off. Once I reached the safety of the stable, I ducked behind a beam, peering out to see both guards chatting with a silver-haired woman.

Damn, she’s good.

Behind me, I found both Nyxia and Maxon. I opted for the more trained horse, hoping she’d take over where I fell short. “Hey girl, we’ve got to go get Nick. We’ll get there together, yeah?” I stroked the side of her neck, and she didn’t flinch at my touch.

Somehow she’d been tacked and ready to go, all I needed was to get myself on board. Using the ledge of the stall, I scaled it and hopped into the saddle. As if she recognized the importance of silence, she didn’t so much as huff while her easy steps guided us out. I tugged on the reins, veering her to stick to the outskirts of the castle’s sleepy inner village.