Page 24

Arianna

All three turned as a unit to find two males glaring at them with their hands resting on the hilts of their weapons. “Identify yourselves.”

Shit . Arianna resisted the urge to search for an escape route, remembering Conall’s instructions to remain calm and speak as if they belonged there. Had she just blown their cover? Even now she couldn’t get her heart to slow.

Had they scented them? Was it strange not to have someone from Pádraigín accompanying their patrol? Had they seen the way she’d acted around the slaves and chosen to follow?

Talon cocked his head and she wished she could summon as much bravado as he displayed with his next words. “And who are you that we need to identify anything?”

One of the males drew his sword. Arianna glanced around, happy to find them in one of the alleys with no one around. But that could change in a split second. If someone rounded the corner and raised the alarm—

“I don’t recognize any of you.” The male scented the air. “And I don’t recall the High Lord releasing the recent recruits for duty.”

Arianna cursed to herself again. Hadn’t Conall mentioned Vairik recruiting all the time? Apparently he wasn’t known for his patience, which resulted in many earning an early retirement.

Again, Talon shrugged. “Maybe you don’t have the required rank.”

The male smirked. “Maybe we’ll just take you to the general and find out.”

The two males advanced, their bodies swift and boots light on the broken cobblestone. Rion stepped to her front, then Talon launched himself forward and struck the first male in the throat. He gasped for breath, then Rion nearly vanished. In a blink, he was behind the other male, his arm wrapping around the male’s thick neck before a loud crack rang through the air.

Talon finished the other in a similar manner and the male’s limp bodies crumbled to the ground.

The rain picked up, pattering against their cloaks in the stillness. Talon jerked his chin at Rion and the two males dragged the corpses inside a nearby storehouse. Arianna stood by the door, doing her best to keep calm.

Someone walked by the alley and peered down, but she didn’t make eye contact. They moved on.

Blood strummed through her ears, pounding in her veins. Her companions had moved before she’d even given it a thought. It just proved she was in over her head.

Act without hesitation , Talon had always told her. Move before the enemy knows what you plan to do.

Rion and Talon had done that. Arianna clenched her fists. She’d commit the lesson to memory.

The two emerged a moment later, their eyes scanning the area. “We have to get to rendezvous point. Now,” Talon declared.

Arianna nodded. She couldn’t ask questions here, not without risking someone overhearing. It was a miracle no one had seen them just now.

The males pulled their hoods back up and kept moving, their pace faster than before.

More guards patrolled the area closer to the main wall, but thankfully, that wasn’t their destination. When they’d originally made plans, Arianna had wondered if they might be able to enter hidden inside a caravan. Arianna watched the guards station at the gate open every crate. Another dropped to his knees in the mud, scanning the underside. Conall had been right in advising against it.

Talon marched away from the main part of the city, toward the open ocean in the distance. Homes were replaced with storehouses and foot traffic ceased to exist, as if this section were somehow cursed and the people strove to avoid it.

Rion kept peering down at her, but he didn’t risk voicing his thoughts nor sending anything down the bond. Death still wasn’t something she was accustomed to, but she recognized its necessity now. She just prayed the gods had mercy on their souls should they deserve it.

Talon paused when he reached the final building at the end of the walkway. The cobblestone path ended here, replaced by sharp rocks and sand. Several boulder sized stones lined a hillside that separated the city from the roaring ocean just below. The water sprayed up, coating the rocks so they appeared nearly black against the already dark water.

The ever-moving wind carried the ocean spray toward her, mixing salt with the rain. It’s roaring power called to her, beckoning her toward the icy depths. Or maybe that was the siren’s magic, trying to lure her in for their next meal. No wonder the citizens avoided this place.

Talon pressed his body against the edge of the wall and crept forward. They followed suit, waiting. Her heart began pounding again, wondering if they’d come this far just for everything to fall apart, but seconds later Pádraigín’s magic settled over them again. A female poked her head out from around the other side and nodded, giving them the go-ahead.

Arianna crept forward to see exactly what they’d be running into.

Just a short distance ahead, a gushing passage of water moved with each crest of a wave. It rose and fell, pushing water through the channel at incredible speeds. She grimaced, knowing that once they dove in, they’d have to keep themselves hidden underneath. If they drifted too close to the surface, they’d risk discovery. If they moved too close to the bottom, they’d scrape themselves on the jagged rocks below.

Arianna leaned her head back against the wall as they waited. She was responsible for keeping herself and Rion steady. Talon would propel them through, but they had to wait until they were fully submerged before summoning their magic. If they scented a little, the guards would just assume it was the work of the sirens. If they scented a lot their mission would end before it even began.

Arianna had asked Conall what would happen if the Sirens caught them. The male’s face had gone deadly serious and he’d uttered three words that had chilled her to the bone.

Ensure they don’t.

Talon made a hand gesture then they were running. Arianna sprinted after him with Rion on her heels. Her heart thundered in her chest. Their feet hit the ground too hard, too loud. Then Talon was plunging in and she followed after him.

The cold water shocked her system and Arianna spun through the current, nearly losing her breath. She reached for Rion, using several tendrils of magic to pull his body close. Their hands clasped, then she eased the raging water around their bodies, holding them steady. Talon’s magic had them rushing through the channel seconds later.

Arianna dared to open her eyes in the foul liquid and found Rion squinting, his face pained as they moved at a rapid pace. Her lungs cried out and her body balked against the cold.

A ringing echoed through her ears, then her body, as if pulsing through the water itself. It moved in a rhythmic fashion, like a hammer coming down on an anvil. She squeezed Rion’s hand and he squeezed back.

Just a little further , she told herself. A little more and they’d be safe.

Time ticked. A slow painful thing. Then, just as fast as their plunge, they resurfaced.

Arianna gasped for breath and Rion did the same beside her. Talon had already pulled himself up and out of the water, his gaze scanning the rocky incline that led to a small opening in the wall.

Sconces lit the area, each burning bright as if they’d just been lit. She waded through the water, bile rising in her throat from the stench drifting up from the surface. With the bend in the channel, the pocket of water here was calmer, pulled away from the rapid current still gushing through the tunnel behind them.

A white thing bobbed on the surface beside the back wall and it took Arianna one horrifying moment to realize exactly what it was.

She pulled Rion toward the rocky incline and he helped her out before she wrung the liquid from their clothes and discarded it back into the cesspool at their feet. The smell remained. Arianna half wondered it their enemies would flee from that alone. She certainly might.

Rion studied the crudely formed entrance that seemed to resemble an arch. She couldn’t be sure if flooding waters had caused irreparable damage or if whoever had originally built it couldn’t be bothered to finish the task.

Everything dripped with sea water and sludge. Barnacles and mollusks gripped the grimy edges lined with dark lichen. A clear dark line marked where the tide would roll in, effectively covering everything they stood upon.

But nothing explained the humming she could still hear pulsing through the walls. Arianna crept closer to Talon, straining her ears. “Do you hear that?” Both him and Rion stilled, waiting for the sound. Neither reacted for a long moment despite its continued presence.

She stepped closer to the wall, but the sound didn’t change. She was certain it was coming from within—

“Arianna,” Talon hissed in warning, his eyes locked on the ground surrounding her feet. A light layer of frost coated her boots and the surrounding loose stones. Then she realized the hum wasn’t coming from around her. It was in her.

Her magic was reacting, pulsing like an angry swarm of wasps ready to defend their nest. Because right in front of them, inlaid into the stone itself, was iron. Huge chunks of iron.

Conall had mentioned the metal covering parts of the city, but this place had been built long ago by the Fae themselves. Surely they wouldn’t have constructed a stronghold that would only serve to weaken it’s occupants.

Unless—unless this place wasn’t the Ashling they thought it was. Their maps showed the port city further north and no one had set foot there in centuries. Maybe—maybe their maps were correct. Maybe a ruined city rested where the original Ashling had once stood. Did that mean this place had been built by humans or Vairik himself?

“What is it?” Rion asked, standing beside her with a knife in each hand.

“There’s iron.” Rion followed her gaze and furrowed his brow at the sight. “My magic is … reacting to it.”

“I’d venture a guess it’s reacting to a lot more,” Conall said, emerging from the water. Three others followed him, each grimacing at the stench floating in the air. Conall looked them over. “Everyone okay?”

“You never mentioned the castle had iron inlaid into the foundation,” Rion said, a slight growl to his voice.

“I told you this was a city of iron. Vairik has taken every precaution. It’ll weaken your magic, but you’ll still be able to use it if this comes down to a fight.”

“Unless we face Vairik himself,” one of Conall’s companions stated before lifting themselves out of the channel.

Conall’s gaze darkened. “If it comes to that, I’m afraid we’re all likely doomed anyway.”

“Way to be encouraging,” Talon commented, his gaze focused on the ever-moving surface.

Conall pulled the water from his clothes and let it fall to his feet. “I’m a realist. I do nothing without a plan and don’t live for unrealistic expectations.” Talon clenched his fists, but no one commented. Conall gestured toward the arched entrance. “Shall we?”

Arianna pulled up her sleeve to stare at the bracelet and the first stone that held a steady pulse. It was time to start phase two: clearing the underground prison.

Nearly one hour was already down. Less than eleven and she’d have Ellie back in her arms.

Talon gestured Conall to walk ahead. She followed Talon, watching her footing as she climbed the steep slope. Arianna wondered if the worn rocks had once been shaped into a set of stairs but had been eroded by the water through the centuries. She supposed they might never know.

Rion took her hand again when they passed beneath the arch. Her magic gave another pulse, as if it were trying to warn her to be careful. Uncertainty crawled through her as she watched the shadows dancing along the wall. She couldn’t forget that Fiadh and Pádraigín were allies. Mostly. How easy would it be for a Shadow Weaver to walk the halls without their knowledge? She’d seen the devastation they could cause in Levea. Would Raevina be able to spot them? Were Conall’s Shadow Weavers already searching?

“When was the last time you were here again?” Arianna asked. She kept her voice low, but it still echoed along the walls.

“Just over three months.”

“And you said they don’t notice the prisoners that go missing?”

“We’ve only taken those from the lower levels. Most are left to die either from starvation or illness. When the guards bother to check on them, their bodies are deposited into the channel. The ocean takes care of the rest.”

“There was a body back there,” she said.

Conall nodded. “Which means they were probably down here yesterday.”

“Will they come back?” Talon asked, suddenly watching the tunnels with renewed intent.

“It’s possible. Which is why we have to move as quickly as possible.”

Those who’d arrived ahead of them had already unlocked at least a dozen cells. Fae lined the halls, their clothes in tatters that barely covered their hauntingly thin frames. She grimaced at their hollow cheeks and pale skin. Even with her magic, she wouldn’t be able to ease the pain of hunger in their bodies nor the ache in their limbs. Those were things that would come with time.

The prisoners all rested peacefully, rendered unconscious by those who possessed Pádraigín’s magic. Arianna had helped to oversee Rion’s mother, she knew it was best for both the prisoners and those setting them free. She still hated it.

They followed Conall further down the passage and he briefly paused beside a female who no longer drew breath. “It’s a sadness.” Conall bent to touch her pale hand as if trying to offer her comfort in the afterlife. “Such talent wasted.”

His words twisted her stomach. Wasted talent wasn’t exactly her first thought upon seeing the dead. She studied the frail Fae around her. Did he really expect these people to fight in a war? It’d take months for them to recover. Longer. The war could be on their doorstep tomorrow.

Arianna opened her mouth to press the male about it when deep laugher had everyone freezing in place. Her eyes shot to Rion first, then a wave of Pádraigín’s magic swept over the area, coating their bodies. Arianna braced herself against the magic, readying herself for the illusions that would follow.

Rion pivoted for Conall. The male only had time to raise one hand before Rion’s fingers dug into his throat. He slammed the male against the stone wall and pressed a dagger to Conall’s artery.

Conall lifted a finger to his lips, urging them to be silent even as he faced the blunt of Rion’s wrath.

Arianna turned to Talon next, but he was assessing those fleeing into the tiny cells, tugging the bodies of those they’d just released inside. Arianna grimaced at the way their bodies scooted against the hard stone, knowing full well it’d leave marks.

Doors closed on unnaturally silent hinges.

Light bounced off the walls as the voices drew closer, their boots echoing off the thick stone.

Conall pointed to the cell across from them and mouthed a single word. Move.

Rion didn’t budge. He kept glancing down the hall then back to Conall. She sensed his magic writhing beneath his skin, ready to tear free. But if Vairik really did have something in place to detect it—

Conall dared to grip Rion’s wrist and Rion’s blade dug deeper. “Move,” Conall hissed.

“No.” It was single word marked with absolute resolve. There was no way Rion was going back into a cell, even if it meant discovery. Arianna quickly glanced around for another alternative. A crack, a crevice, an open place in the ceiling—too late.

The males rounded the corner and stopped before them, their gazes blinking as if they were seeing a group of ghosts. Perhaps, for a moment, they believed they were.

As if materializing from thin air, Gavin stepped from one of the cells. She hadn’t even seen him enter. That meant Raevina was here too. “At ease,” he commanded, his voice surprisingly calm. “They’re with me.”

The males glanced between one another and Gavin continued. “We were told to clear the cells to make room for the others.” Gavin loosed an exaggerated sigh. “It’s tedious, as I’m sure you’re already aware. Care to lend a hand while you’re down here?”

One of the males opened his mouth to respond, then stopped. He studied Gavin, squinting in the dark. “Aren’t you the High Lord’s Grandson?”

Gavin nodded, unfazed. She’d never see him look so … mature. “If you—”

“There’s quite the price on your head, little lord.” Gavin’s face visibly paled. He’d mentioned Vairik’s discovery of his betrayal. She supposed everyone knew now.

The guard withdrew a pair of shackles from his belt. “I believe he used the word traitor.” The male clicked his tongue in disgust. “I wonder if he’ll throw you into a cell with that little whore from Móirín. He said you’d grown quite obsessed with his new pet. What was her name again? Evel—”

The male didn’t have time to finish his sentence. Arianna’s magic broke free, racing across the space before she’d even commanded it. It cracked and spread, climbing up the walls, digging into crevices and engulfing their bodies within seconds. They hadn’t even had time to scream.

White-hot rage burned through her body, igniting the magic even further. It crawled down the hall, extinguishing the flames one by one until everything before her was bathed in darkness.

Her breath came in shallow gasps, each exhale marked with steam. Anger pulsed through her that didn’t feel like her own. It clawed at the very fabric of her being, begging to conquer. Begging for control.

“Arianna.” The voice was familiar and foreign, but a light tug on the bond rooted her back to the present. Arianna reigned in her rage, willing the magic back into submission before turning to face those behind her. They all stared with mouths gaping and eyes wide.

“Beautiful,” Conall whispered. Jagged spikes surrounded her feet, as if they’d been ready to root her to the ground. Frost coated her hands and arms in a light layer. She melted everything with half a thought.

Rion watched her, his own breath ragged. They were both angry, ready for war, and she knew, right here in this moment, that if Arianna chose to charge down the halls, he’d follow without a second thought. Judging from Talon’s expression, he would too.

“We can deposit the bodies in the river.” Conall offered. “No one will know the difference.”

“Won’t their higher ups miss their return?” Talon asked, still staring at the males that’d been frozen with their mouths gaping.

“By the time they realize, it won’t matter.”

“I thought you said there wouldn’t be patrols,” Rion snarled, staring at Conall as if he might do away with him right there.

“There usually aren’t.” He was surprisingly calm for someone pinned against a wall with a blade to his throat.

Arianna could feel her mate’s anger down the bond. The fear. She stepped toward him and placed a hand on his arm. Rion’s gaze slid to hers. “Let him go,” she said. “He can’t predict everything.”

Those rage-filled eyes softened. He looked her over, as if assuring himself she was here, then let up and stepped back, sheathing the knife.

Conall awkwardly nodded his thanks. “Let’s not waste anymore time then.”

The magic buzzing through the air faded and it was just then that Arianna realized it’d come from their allies. If Rion had hidden, then the two males likely would have passed by none the wiser. She stared at their frozen figures, her anger trying to surface again at their words. Maybe they’d deserved what they’d gotten.

Raevina emerged from the same cell Gavin had and Arianna could have sworn Talon’s shoulders relaxed at her presence.

Without further distraction, they all set to work. More emerged from the water, including a cursing Saoirse and a very green Zylah.

They opened each and every cell on the first, second, and third floors. Some Fae screamed but were quickly silenced and placed into the line. Those with Móirín’s magic were already transferring them to the channel and out into the open water. Another team would transport them back to the tunnels and ultimately freedom.

She prayed their minds wouldn’t be as plagued as Eimear’s, but given that Vairik enjoyed experimenting on mates, she wasn’t hopeful.

Arianna healed a few here and there, but made a point to preserve her magic. She thought her outburst might have left her drained, but it’d done the completely opposite. She was invigorated, ready to tear the entire place apart one stone at a time.

But she wouldn’t take that anger out here. She’d save it for Vairik himself. And his wicked son.

They entered the final hall. More lights flickered on the walls and a thick iron door stood before them, blocking the exit into the next area. From here, they’d be relying on Gavin’s drawings and memory.

At Conall’s command, the last few cells were emptied and Arianna watched the third stone on her bracelet fade.

Nine hours to go and they were about to start phase three: Split up and search.

Some had already begun, following specific routes laid out by Gavin in the search for information. Conall had assigned multiple teams to tackle various locations. He wasn’t taking any chances on a single group. Arianna wasn’t sure exactly what kind of intelligence he hoped to gather, but she supposed if they all survived, she’d find out then.

“You try anything,” Conall said, glaring at Gavin, “you die.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “In case you forgot, I’m here for Evelyn too.”

Conall’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t comment. The male knelt and pressed his ear to the door. Arianna glanced at Saoirse, then Raevina, and Talon. They’d be splitting up from here out. Saoirse and Zylah would head to the front to create a distraction for their escape. Raevina and Talon would help Conall’s warriors infiltrate the council’s offices and gather intel.

She, Rion, Talon, Gavin, Conall, and a few of Conall’s warriors would all search for Ellie.

Arianna studied Gavin. He’d seemed so childish the first time they’d met. Like a youngling who’d been excited to just be in the presence of his queen. Now, though still young, he resembled a warrior. A male ready to lay down his life for his mate. Even if that mate might never return his feelings.

She watched Rion next. He possessed the keenest hearing she’d ever seen in a Fae. If she trusted anyone to give them the signal to move, it was him.

Another moment passed, then Rion and Conall nodded. Gavin twisted the handle and they all emerged into a long hall that stretched to her left and right.

This was it. Saoirse met her brother’s gaze and something passed between the siblings. An unspoken promise. Talon watched Raevina, but the female was already staring down the left hall, watching the shadows. Seconds later, Saoirse, Zylah, Raevina, and Talon were all sprinting down that very hall with half of Conall’s warriors following in their wake.

Her stomach twisted in knots. This could very well be the last time she saw any of them. She just prayed trusting Conall wasn’t the biggest mistake of her life.