Page 32 of This Blood That Breaks Us

“Can we talk about the plan?”

“One of you has to repot this today, or it’s a goner.”

“Fine. I’ll do it,” I said. That seemed to ease the lines of worry between his brows.

“Okay, today’s objective. We have to find a way out of the castle and off the island.”

“Easy for you to say. Sirius is up my ass wherever I go. He beeps me.” Will licked his teeth in silent disgust.

“You have a pager?” Zach chuckled.

“Yeah, everyone here is ancient.”

Thane cracked a smile as he fell back onto my bed. “At least Ezra comes and finds me.”

“You get to do nice things like tend to the garden, while Sirius makes me do pointless tasks like go outside and dig holes and shovel dirt. And then he makes me fill them back up again. Don’t even get me started on the lack of plant care in this place. Diabolical.”

“So we have to get out of here. That much is clear,” I said.

Thane was eager. “I did get to explore a bit of the east wing today while I was waiting outside the queen’s quarters for Ezra and Luke. I can attest to the fact that there is little to no way to get out that way. Not because of the lack of doors, but because they have a rotation of people guarding that area. I heard some of them whispering about being told to keep an eye on you guys. Oddly enough, I think they watch you guys more than Will and me. We could use that to our advantage.”

“See, great job, Thane. That’s the type of information we need.” I patted him on the shoulder, and his smile widened.

“Thanks man.”

Will and Zach shared a look, and my brother rolled his eyes.

“Fine. As I waited for Zach for an entire day while he trained with Sirius, I did get a little time alone. When I wasn’t hidin’ out in closets and all that shit, I checked out the garden and the main hall. I can tell ya the garden isn’t going to work either. It’s the main way for everyone movin’ in and out of the castle. So traffic is moving down the hall at all hours.”

“Great. Yes. That’s good.”

“Don’t I get a pat on the shoulder? Not even a ‘good boy’”?

“Good boy, huh?” Zach said.

“Focus. We don’t have a lot of time. Who knows how much time has passed.”

“It’s been about two weeks,” Thane said with a nod of confident assurance.

My heart fluttered with anxiety at knowing. I wasn’t expecting an answer.

“How do you know that?”

“I keep track of the moon cycles. I don’t always get to go outside, but I have this tiny window in our chambers.”

“How is that, by the way?” Zach and I weren’t allowed in their quarters, and every night, unless they were specifically assigned to us for the day, they would lock them in there.

“Humble but not a torture chamber. We have beds and stuff.”

“It’s dirty and fuckin’ cold.” William crossed his arms. “But no one bothers us for a couple hours.”

“I doubt we’ll be able to get out of the castle alone,” Thane said, rubbing his chin. “I’m hoping for a secret tunnel of some kind.”

“Right, we should check the basements while everyone is busy. Thane, are you up for it?”

“Hell yeah, let’s go.”

I turned to Zach. “Will you guys try to check out the north end and the harbor? We need a clear way off the island.”