Page 41

41

C ora stared at the gap in the cell door. Her body tingled with residual magic from her feet to the center of her scalp. She was so lost in her moment of surprise that she didn’t realize Teryn had come up beside her until she heard the soft rumble of his voice.

“You…you opened the door.”

All Cora could manage was a nod.

“You did that with your magic?” He was looking at her as if seeing something he’d never noticed before. Even to her, this was more impressive than what she’d done beneath the tree. She’d unlocked the door with clairsentient magic. Moved physical matter using sensation, feeling, connection.

If I can do this, what else can I do?

She couldn’t help the smile that formed on her lips, but she reminded herself that her pride could wait. There was still a need for haste. She opened the door a little wider and glanced down both ends of the hall. One side ended in shadow where the dungeon hall led to deeper areas, more cells, places Cora had never seen. The other side revealed the closed door she’d been led through earlier—a door that would take her to the upper levels of the castle. With her magic still thrumming strong in her veins, she extended her senses and searched for nearby minds, emotions. Most of the energies she could sense were condensed in the deeper areas of the dungeon. Closer to her cell, she sensed only a few minds, their emotions dulled in slumber. She was struck with the sudden impulse to free the other prisoners but halted that thought before it could bloom. There most certainly were more prisoners like Bradley and his father, but there also could be dangerous people like the hunters. Besides, who knew how long she had before another guard would be back. Before Morkai returned.

If only one of you remains alive by sunrise, that person can leave .

Cora had no idea what time it was. For all she knew, it could be nearing sunrise already.

With a steadying breath, she took a step outside the door. She paused, waiting, feeling. When the path seemed clear, she returned to the cell, shouldered her quiver, and gestured at Teryn. “Come on. We must hurry.” She took another step. When she didn’t hear Teryn follow, she cast a glance back at him.

She watched his shoulders fall. Watched a flicker of hope crumble until his face was left slack. His response was strained. “I can’t leave.”

“What? Why?”

“You heard what he said. He needs me alive.”

Cora took a step back inside the cell. “He only needs you alive to use as a bargaining piece.”

“Yes, and if he finds me gone come morning, he won’t send his summons for my father and King Verdian. He won’t meet with them for talks of peace.”

“I thought you didn’t want your father to surrender.”

“I don’t.”

Cora took another step closer. “Then why would you let yourself be used by Morkai?”

“So long as he has me as a hostage, we know his next move. We know he’ll proceed with the meeting.”

“How does it help for us to know his next move if Menah and Selay don’t? They don’t know he’s a mage. They will only know what the duke’s missive tells them. I guarantee he will make terms for surrender sound favorable. Not only that, but his magic…he can influence people’s minds. Change how they think.”

“I’ve gathered that,” Teryn said. “But, Cora, we’re both prizes to him. He needs me for negotiations. As for you…” His fingers curled into tight fists. “I don’t like the way he looks at you. The way he talks to you. The way he framed you for murder only to hunt you down now. I have a feeling he wants to do so much more.”

Cora pursed her lips to keep from telling Teryn he was right. Morkai had plans for her indeed, and she wasn’t sure she even knew the half of them.

Teryn spoke again. “If he finds this cell empty in the morning, discovers both his prizes are gone, who knows what he’ll do, when he’ll strike. I can’t leave, but you can. You can warn my father not to listen to a word Morkai says. Warn him of the duke’s true nature. Perhaps then we can beat him at his own game.”

She felt the wisdom of his words, and yet it did nothing to stop the ache in her chest. Now that she’d rid her heart of its icy thorns of hatred, it was left open to other emotions. His. Hers. Pain, regret, fear.

“I can’t leave you here,” she said, her voice breaking.

“Tell my father?—”

“Come with me and tell him yourself.”

“—everything you know. Everything we’ve seen. Tell him?—”

“No.” She reached for his wrist, closed her fingers around it. Her palm pulsed at their touch, no longer separated by gloves, and her heart thudded in a wild echo.

Teryn stepped in close, and for a moment, Cora thought he was going to agree. But his expression was not one of resignation. It was one of pain. “Tell him to let me go.”

She felt the weight of what he meant. He wanted his father to let him die. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. She knew Morkai intended to kill Teryn if the royals refused to surrender. Only now did that strike her as something she couldn’t bear. She almost wished she’d held on to her hate, for maybe then it would be easier to leave him. Easier to do what needed to be done.

She gripped his wrist tighter, took another step closer. “You stubborn son-of-a?—”

Her words dissolved as he gave her a sad smirk and lowered his face to hers. In the next breath his lips were against her own, the kiss so sudden and startling she froze. Then a rush of fire swept over her, and she wasn’t sure whether it was renewed rage or some absurd flood of desire. Whatever the case, she felt her lips yield beneath his, felt her hand leave his wrist to cradle the back of his neck. She buried one hand in his hair while the other ran up his chest, resting on the curve of his shoulder. His arms came around her back, pulling her tight against him, as if even the slightest inch between their bodies was unbearable. She bit back a gasp, but it only made her lips part. His tongue swept against hers and she met it with a fervor she’d never felt before. Something small inside her shouted that this was hardly the time for a kiss, but a greater part of her banished the thought, consumed by a sudden need to taste him, feel him?—

He pushed away from her before she realized what was happening. She opened her eyes, found a door slamming shut before her, heard the click of the lock snapping automatically in place. Catching her breath, she stared at the closed door and realized she and Teryn now stood on opposite sides of it—she in the hall and Teryn in the cell. All previous desire drained from her body as her mind reeled over what had just happened.

“You tricked me.”

“I did what I had to do,” came his muffled voice from the other side.

Her hands trembled, her skin still warm from where it had been pressed against him. “I…I despise you.”

“Good.” His shadow shifted behind the barred window. “Then it will be easier for you to leave me here. Go. And know that if we never meet again, I think you’re?—”

She gritted her teeth, expecting him to say something patronizing like pretty , beautiful , or great .

“—formidable.” The way the word rolled off his tongue with the deepest respect and admiration made Cora feel as if he’d just called her the most desirable woman in the world.

Her anger dissipated. Not fully, but enough to clear her mind. The warmth from their kiss was gone, leaving her shivering in the cold hall.

“Go,” he whispered, then she heard him shuffle away from the door and shift against the far wall.

Without another word, she turned from the cell and left him behind, ignoring the tears that managed to squeeze from the corners of her eyes.

Cora banished all thoughts of Teryn as she crept through the dark halls in the lower level of the sleeping castle. Her steps were slow, quiet, careful, as she followed a familiar route to the servants’ passage. It was the same path Morkai had taken her down six years ago. She kept her shields lowered, her senses open, stopping every time she felt guards drawing near. When they did, she pressed herself close to the walls, merging with stone and shadows until they passed her by. The servants’ passage was thankfully empty. It wasn’t too surprising considering the lack of staff she’d seen at dinner. She was starting to understand more and more why Ridine was so empty. Anyone who couldn’t be swayed by Morkai was probably dismissed, imprisoned, or killed. Perhaps it was a good sign that the castle wasn’t teeming with mindless, brainless sycophants. It could mean Morkai’s influence was weaker than he’d made it seem.

Cora reached the back end of the castle. After testing a few doors, she found the one that led from the passage to the yard outside the kitchens. Enormous outdoor ovens, washbasins, and lines for drying linens stood empty as Cora crept past. She focused on her breath, on the firmness of the earth, silent beneath her soft steps. The air was cool, the sky just beginning to pale toward dawn. She fixed her gaze on the dark forests looming beyond the wall, her hope tenuous as she paused behind an overgrown shrub. With a deep breath, she turned her attention to the wall itself, seeking signs of sentries. She saw some silhouettes farther down, closer to the nearest gate, but none straight ahead. That was where the vines of ivy crawled up the wall, blanketing it like a tapestry.

That was where she hoped to find the hidden break in the stone.

With another deep breath, she drew air against her skin, earth against her feet, calling upon the elements to shield her, hide her, obscure her. Then she stepped out from behind the shrub and crept toward the wall. She kept her senses reaching outward, seeking any nearby emotions that rippled with shock or alarm.

Finally, she reached the wall and pressed herself against it. There she paused, once again assessing her surroundings for threats. The sentries remained near the gates. She tiptoed along the wall, feeling beneath the ivy for any sign of crumbling stone. Her heart slammed against her ribs, her muscles clenched in panic. Every touch revealed only solid wall. Terror nearly threatened to overtake her, but she forced herself to be calm. Breathe. Turn inward.

She closed her eyes and pressed both palms to the stone beneath the ivy, extending her senses out along the wall. To the right, she felt only dense, solid energy, but to the left…

There was a hollow, a lightness in the wall’s density. She followed it, ran her hand to where she was guided, freezing when her fingers sank beneath the ivy. She bent down, spread the ivy aside, and found an opening only chest high. In her memories, the opening had been almost as tall as her, but she’d been twelve then. Smaller. It stood to reason that the hole would seem much lower now. She peered inside, seeing nothing but darkness beyond. A ripple of revulsion passed through her when she considered what kinds of creatures or creeping things could be hiding inside such a hole, but now was not the time to be afraid.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she slipped beyond the ivy.

Hurry. Danger.

Her heart nearly leapt out of her throat at the voice. Relief and joy and surprise flooded through her, so potent it made her quicken her pace as she squeezed through the gap in the wall. Valorre?

She could feel him somewhere nearby, his presence growing closer with every breath. But he didn’t seem to share in her relief. Instead, his energy was panicked. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry .

A subtle light broke through the dark space she traversed, giving her a glimpse at where the hidden gap let out. The sound of Valorre’s hoofbeats hit her ears next. He was right on the other side of the wall now.

His hoofbeats were drowned out by a sudden rumbling coming from behind her. It sent the wall shaking, sending crumbling bits of rock raining down on her head. She moved faster in the narrow space. The exit was almost in reach, just as hot, moist breath blew against the back of her head. She didn’t need to look behind her to know the Roizan was there. Only a few feet remained, then she’d be free?—

Shouts of alarm erupted from above. The Roizan growled into the gap, setting her teeth on edge, but then it was gone. She broke through the ivy on the other side of the wall and nearly stumbled into Valorre.

Danger. It’s coming . He sidled closer and lowered his head, inviting her to mount.

One of the sentries called for someone to open one of the gates. Cora gripped Valorre’s mane and hauled herself onto his back. She barely had her seat before he took off. They darted through the trees behind the castle. Cora kept her head lowered as a defense against the branches that reached out to graze her flesh while they tore across the forest floor. A rumbling followed behind. Valorre wove, dodged, shifted direction, but the Roizan was persistent.

She reached for her bow but all she had was her quiver. “Damn,” she muttered and retrieved an arrow anyway. Should the Roizan gain on them, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. A wary glance over her shoulder revealed trees trembling, a flash of red skin in the distance.

Worry only a little , Valorre said. I spent most of last night learning to evade the abomination. I run faster. Longer .

“You…you found me. You’ve been waiting for me.”

You’re my friend , he said, as if that explained everything. Explained why he’d been battling a unicorn-eating demon creature when he could have kept himself safe instead. But where is the handsome one?

Her chest constricted with thoughts of Teryn. Heat rose to her cheeks as she replayed the kiss he’d tricked her with. “I had to leave him behind.”

Valorre rippled with disappointment. Or was it Cora’s own that she felt?

Where do we go next? he asked. His words were calm despite the breakneck pace he kept. Their pursuer still followed.

Cora considered the question. Her first instinct was to flee far from Khero, away from Lela, away from Morkai and his war to rule fae magic. They could keep to the forests and hide at the far north of the continent, leaving all of this behind them. But the thought was only a fleeting fantasy. No matter how much she wished to escape what was coming, she felt in her blood that she was already entangled.

The unicorns. The mother. The child .

She knew Teryn wanted her to warn his father, but how could she hope to convince a king of anything? Now that she’d run away, Morkai would not be spreading tales of the princess who’d returned from the dead. That meant she was once again a fugitive. Still, that didn’t mean she could do nothing. Her meager existence had been such a threat to Morkai’s plans that he’d intervened with her fate. She didn’t know much about prophecies, but the faerytales had always insisted upon their persistence. Maybe her role wasn’t over yet. Maybe it had only changed.

It was a daunting thought. A terror. A burden.

But she’d faced terrors and she’d carried burdens. She could carry this one too.

She gripped Valorre’s mane tighter, her blood burning with resolve. “It’s time for me to go home.”