Page 26 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)
Kieran
T he tavern door slammed shut behind me when amber eyes found mine, blocking the way toward the alley.
Groaning, I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose.
This girl was going to be the death of me.
“Didn’t I order you to help Vivi around the camp?
” My voice had more bite to it than I intended, but this female seriously needed to learn to listen to orders.
“You needed someone to make sure the alleyways stayed cleared,” Amara shrugged. “I figured I could help.”
Opening my eyes, I narrowed them at her, ignoring the ridiculous grin she wore.
“And are they?” I sighed, fighting the urge to strangle her.
The city was dangerous for those of us not invited.
If the guards had caught her without Volmire identification, they would have dragged her back to the palace for questioning.
“Are they what?” Amara blinked up at me.
This fucking girl .
“Are they clear?” I growled, quickly losing the battle to keep my hands to myself.
“Oh,” she giggled. She fucking giggled. “All clear and ready for us to head back to camp!” Her voice rang out, echoing down the stone walls.
Amara’s head whipped toward the empty back street, grimacing.
Cautiously turning back to me, she shyly looked up, whispering an apology.
A dark hand reached out, playfully hitting her on the back of the head.
Orin stepped beside her as she rubbed the pain away, putting his hands on her shoulders and leading her down the walkway, scolding her.
My lips twitched, wanting to curve into a smile when her shoulders dipped, but I pushed back on the impulse.
We left the side street in small groups, dispersing to conceal ourselves within the crowded streets, steering clear of the guards posted along the sidewalks.
We timed our movements, allowing each group enough space to find the hidden passageway that led out into the city without being noticed, courtesy of Samian.
As their leader, I lingered in the entrance of the alley, waiting until the last of the group filtered away and counted the minutes as they passed by until it was finally my turn to leave.
Once it was time, I gave the passageway one final glance, thinking of the woman in the sweet shop with that bastard.
The moment I saw her, I couldn’t look away.
Those hazel eyes entranced me in a way that I had never felt before.
It was like she had this pull that I was completely powerless against. It was all I could do to keep myself planted on that bench, to stop myself from marching in the cafe and stealing her away from Ambrose.
It was a struggle that I was losing until Samian entered the tavern, until I saw him eyeing her with the same intensity I felt when he saw the kiss Ambrose had pressed against her delicate hand.
Shaking my head, I focused back to the busy street in front of me. Time was up and I needed to move, to slip unseen along the horses, carts, and faeries of Volmire until I reached the hidden passage.
Stepping into the crowd, I crept along the streets, following the waves of people until I reached the door of the passageway.
Entering the dark corridor, I silently continued along the path until the light of the exit blinded my eyes.
Blinking, I let my vision clear while scanning the vast green surrounding me.
Luckily for us, the guards didn’t roam the fields outside of Volmire’s city gates, which gave us free rein to travel back and forth from the forest. I walked along the small hills of the meadow until I found the worn path along the shadows of the forest.
Before stepping between the trees, I paused at the threshold and closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the woods.
There were creatures here that were dangerous even to me.
With the large group heading back to the camp, it was a sure way to attract unwanted attention.
It was another reason why we separated into small groups, why some of the rebels traveled along the treetops while those that could used their magic to transfer themselves to the gates of the camp.
The forest remained silent, though I could feel the scrutiny of hidden eyes wrapping around me. Sighing, I stepped into the dark shroud of the trees, carefully heeding every crunch of leaves, the creaking of wood, and the sharp calls of the birds.
It didn’t take long to find my way out of the forest, to find myself standing in front of the rusted gate blocking the entrance to the estate once used by the royal family.
The gates groaned open, revealing Amara and Orin waiting for me on the other side.
The latter had his face tilted toward the sky, irritation rippling across his features.
“What happened?” I asked gruffly, stepping past the gates, letting them shut behind me.
“Amara believes that she should be allowed to join our mission tonight,” Orin said, putting his hand up to silence Amara before she could even say a word.
“No,” I growled, walking past them both.
“But if you would just?—”
I stopped short, my eyes rolling when Amara ran into my back.
Facing her, I blew out a quick breath when I noticed her rubbing her nose.
“My answer is no, Amara. You couldn’t even follow my orders to stay in the camp.
If I can’t trust you with that, I cannot trust you in a potentially dangerous mission. ”
“But—” The pitch of her voice rose into a whine, her pleading eyes wide.
“Enough, Amara. My answer is no. I’ll be putting you in Bryony’s charge while we are gone. Understood?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked to the ground. Sniffing, she whispered out a fine before running off through the camp.
Orin stepped up beside me, exasperation brightening the gold in his eyes. “She’s going to be the death of us one day,” he lamented.
“Let’s just hope it will be later rather than sooner,” I laughed quietly.
Clapping him on the shoulder, Orin trailed behind me as we made our way into the estate to the chamber we commandeered as our strategy room.
Viv already stood at the round table, along with the other members that would be joining today’s mission.
There would be twelve of us total that sneaking into Lord Lowell’s grounds tonight to help Lady Lowell and her son escape his lunacy.
For too many years, this male had taken to killing his servants and past wives, hiding their bodies throughout the realm.
Lady Lowell feared her time was coming to an end at the Thanlyl estate, not to mention the constant letters sent by Lord Astaroth requesting us to help her.
Viv finally convinced me to get her out, saying her visions from Edris showed Lady Lowell would be useful to the rebellion’s future.
Not that the bastard of a god would give us anything concrete enough to effectively form a plan.
Moving into the room, I came up beside Viv, helping her fill her pack. “Everyone ready?” I asked, eyeing the rest of the rebels.
“As ready as we can be,” she muttered. “What did Samian need?”
“To tell me that his charge is now in Nemos.”
Viv slid her eyes to mine, her lips thinning. “So, Edris’ vision was true then?” I nodded, handing her a canteen of water. “I guess this means war is right around the corner. We’ll need to inform the leaders, let them prepare the villages and cities.”
“We will,” I murmured. “Once we return, we will.” I held Viv’s stare a moment longer before turning to the rest of the rebels.
“Remember, this mission is to get in and get out. Once we have Lady Lowell and her son, do not dawdle. Meet back at the post and return with your group. Only three of our group can transfer us back to camp, so stay as close as you can to your team. Is everyone ready?” The room broke out in agreements, the rebels splitting up into their pairs, transferring one at a time to the Thanlyl estate, starting with my team.
Viv’s magic swirled around me, Orin, and Halyn; the world whirled by before finally snapping in place under a large oak tree.
My stomach churned, queasiness crawling up my throat, but I swallowed back the bile and focused on our surroundings.
Landing at the edge of the courtyard, hidden by bushes and smaller trees, I watched as each group arrived, moving into their positions.
I was just about to look back at the estate when short brown hair caught my eye.
I cursed, catching the attention of Amara as she positioned herself between two rebels in the furthest group. She cringed, giving me a weak wave.
“I guess we jinxed ourselves,” Orin sighed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
“Try to keep an eye on her if you can,” I growled. Viv snorted, and I threw a glare her way, though she ignored it.
We stayed in our positions until the moon shone high in the sky, the silver beams casting a soft glow around the trees.
Rolling the stiffness from my shoulders, I froze when movement along the front of the estate made the hair on my neck stand on alert.
Signaling to the group, I heard a sharp gasp to my right.
Before I could look at Viv, Lady Lowell ran out of the estate, her son in her arms, with a wild, frantic look on her face and guards hot on her trail.
I swore as I counted the guards pursuing them, more than what was originally expected.
I hesitated, weighing our options between fighting the thirty guards chasing her or retreating to camp.
Viv hissed out my name, snapping me out of my wavering.
Stepping out of my position, I commanded my team to move.
The rebels lurched forward while I rushed to Amara, catching her by the arm. “I told you to stay at the camp,” I hissed. “Stand by that tree and do. Not. Move. If I catch you out there, I will lock you up and throw away the key. Do you understand? ”
Amara nodded her head, her eyes wide and filled with fear.
Pushing her toward the tree, I followed the rest of the rebels, slipping my sword free from its sheath.
Lady Lowell yelled out as a guard yanked her by her long, fiery hair.
Another guard held her son, grunting as the kid fought like a hellcat to get to his mother.
The guard turned, raising his fist to strike the boy, and I lunged. Raising my sword, I swiped it across his back. Blood gushed, and the guard cried out, dropping the boy and falling to his knees.
Snatching the boy into my arms, I passed him to a rebel, commanding him to run toward the trees before I turned toward Lady Lowell. The guard still held her by the hair, dragging her back to the estate.
Chaos and the cries of my soldiers enveloped the courtyard as I fought my way through, cutting down guard after guard, ignoring the hot blood spraying across my face.
The guard was edging toward the doors of the estate, and I roared.
Calling my magic to me, I let the pressure around me build until the air was so thick I could hardly breathe.
Releasing my hold on my power, lightning rained down on the guards around me, burning their flesh in an instant.
Panting, I searched the grounds for Lady Lowell, my feet moving toward the sound of her screams. I spotted them just as I turned the corner of the estate, the guard pulling Lady Lowell up to her feet when Viv flickered into sight behind the male.
The guard didn’t even have a chance to react before her sword lodged into his back.
The guard’s eyes widened, his mouth gaping as he looked down at the silver, blood-coated blade sticking out of his chest.
Viv pulled the sword back, letting the guard fall to the ground. She grabbed Lady Lowell, her eyes clashing to mine and nodded.
“Retreat,” I bellowed, twisting to my soldiers. “Retreat to your positions!”
Running past the bodies of dead guards and rebels, I only spotted six remaining of my team, each vanishing as they transferred back to camp.
Cursing, I picked up my speed as more guards filed out of the estate.
Amara was waiting with Viv and Lady Lowell when I spotted Orin limping toward them.
Sheathing my sword, I pulled Orin’s arm over my shoulder, wrapping my arm around his waist as we raced to Viv.
The guards were closing in fast when Viv stretched out her hand, her fingers wrapping around mine, just as a sharp edge of a blade cut across my back.
The world fell away, pain radiating down my spine, and when we landed in the middle of a mountain village, I collapsed to my knees, taking Orin down with me.