Page 46 of Steeling Light (Shadowed Debts #3)

Everyone talks about the power that the High Fae wield.

It’s true that they can kill a typical human with a passing thought.

But you are not a typical human. Beware the Fae’s trickery more than anything else.

They’ve had thousands of years to hone their cunning, and that’s not a power you can acquire.

~Rhaskar Thorne, The Fourth Book of the Priest

Ainslee

I’m the first one to leave Valinar. Thousands of Lesser Immortals man the walls of the city while even more Steel soldiers fill the skies, but they aren’t looking for someone with Steel powers wearing a Steel uniform.

I run a distance into the forest before growing wings and leaving the cover of the trees. I’m wearing another woman’s face, and I’m prepared with a good enough lie to explain why I was on the ground outside the city, but no one bothers to ask.

The best way to keep from being questioned is to look like you belong, so instead of trying to be secretive about my movements, I fly directly to the Keep of Steel.

I told Maeve that I’d be her inside woman to listen to the soldier’s orders, but I need to know if Rhion is okay first. The pain he’s been experiencing for days has torn at me too much to just ignore.

And I need to remind him he’s strong enough to fight against his father, that he’s a good man. It will only take a few minutes.

As soon as I’m done checking to make sure that Rhion is far from the battle, I’ll go back to my post on the ramparts of the city.

I know Rhion is in the Keep of Steel because the bond leads me away from the wall.

I know that the only places he’d be are the barracks and his chambers.

I’d prefer to stay as far away from the barracks as possible, so I go to check his rooms.

I’ve been in the Keep of Steel plenty of times.

Rhion and I explored it as children. We sought hidden passageways some days, and on others, we simply walked the halls that were his home.

Unlike most people, I don’t land at the door.

I land directly on his balcony and peer through the frosted glass door leading into his study.

I can’t see clearly, but there’s no doubt who I’m looking at. A man the size of a mountain’s silhouette can only be Rhion, and I push open the door. He turns slowly from the leather journal he was flipping through on the desk.

He’s wearing a Steel gambeson that would normally be worn under armor, but there’s no armor . Everyone on the ramparts is ready for war. The hundreds and thousands of Steel soldiers in the skies are ready for our army. But Rhion isn’t.

He’s not going to fight. “Rhion!” I whisper excitedly. “You did it, didn’t you? You refused to fight?”

He smiles, but it’s odd. This is Rhion, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. There’s no recognition or excitement, or more importantly, worry in them. Immediately, my instincts tell me there’s a trap. “What’s going on?” I ask.

“I was waiting for you,” he says as he takes a step toward me. I back up, my wings still folded against my uniform, keeping the distance between us. “What are you doing here?”

His voice sounds the same, but this isn’t Rhion. I’m sure of it. Then I remember how Jesper had said that oathmarks can’t be replicated with Steel magic, and I glance at Rhion’s wrist.

There is no band of silver. There is no oath.

Without a moment of hesitation, I turn to run. I’m not fast enough. Before I’ve even taken a step, a dozen vine-like fingers wrap around my waist. I try to shift, to become smaller, but those vines cling ever tighter.

I kick and pull at them, pouring Steel power into my hands. My fingers become sharpened claws that tear at the vines, but they’ve become covered in stone, and no matter how much I cut at them or pull at them, they’re stronger than I am.

Then, a vine wraps around my neck and tightens.