Freed from Gravity (Bound and Freed #2)

Chapter 43

Forty-Three

ALLETTE

How?

That one word haunts me as I pace my room. When I told Braith I planned on getting Senan back, she’d asked me how and I had no response. The truth is, I don’t know how I’m supposed to save him, or if I even can.

However, if I let myself believe I’ll fail, I’ll never leave this burrow. Never try.

But how?

I sink onto the mattress and force my breathing to steady. To think.

Stars, I’m so bloody tired, weary down to the bone from fighting.

For my love. For my life.

Just a little bit longer , a phantom voice whispers.

You’re almost there.

If our roles were reversed, Senan would already be storming the castle gates, tearing apart the towers stone by stone to get me back. How can I give him any less?

Swiping my hands down my damp cheeks, I steel my shoulders and head back to where Iver sits on the sofa, holding his head in dirt-smeared hands. He spent the last hour burying friends and neighbors lost in the attack, too many innocent fae murdered because we sought refuge among them.

Regina sits beside him, fixated on the flames shuddering in the fireplace.

“I’m sorry,” I manage past the lump in my throat, the words seeming so insignificant in light of how much suffering these people have endured. “If we hadn’t come here, none of this would have happened.”

Iver’s hands drop and his head lifts, his dark eyes swimming with unshed tears. “The king did this. Not you.”

“I’m still sorry all the same.”

Sniffling, he drags his sleeve under his nose. “What are you going to do?”

“Find a way to get him back.” Or die trying.

Regina turns toward me, her brows raised as she scans me from head to toe. “And if he’s in the pit?”

“Then I go to the pit.”

Slowly Iver rises, the dirt caking his knees tumbling to the ground as he adjusts his dark trousers. “I’m going with you.”

“It’s too dangerous.” I very well might not come back.

“No more dangerous than it is to stay here.”

“He’s right.” Harold comes into the living room, Josie trailing behind him, both wearing the same solemn expressions, dirt from their friends’ graves lining their creased hands. “As long as men who care nothing about us remain in power, we will never be free. We want more than we’ve been given. We deserve more.”

They do deserve more, but if I don’t succeed, they may never get it. And when Boris learns they’ve been stealing sunlight, their fates will be dire, indeed. Still: “I cannot ask you to help me.”

Josie takes Harold’s hand, her eyes hardening. “You’re not asking. We’re offering.”

Regina slowly rises from the sofa. “You cannot do this on your own.”

While I appreciate their support, I’m not sure how they can help. I’ll need to be stealthy, and showing up to the castle with half the Nightingale family in tow isn’t exactly inconspicuous.

A knock rattles the front door. Harold ambles over, his shoulders stooped as he answers, revealing a whole host of Tuath with sun-kissed faces. I recognize the fae who weren’t too afraid to claim their power, the ones we’ve been training deep in the caverns.

They continue pouring into the room, some looking angry while others wear streaks from tears on their cheeks. Despite the array of emotions, all of them possess the same determined glint in their eyes.

“Why have you come?” I ask, a tremor in my voice.

Henry’s deep voice rings through the silent air. “We’re here to save our prince.”

My knees begin to quake beneath my skirts.

Boris Vale threatens the very existence of these Tuath. He has made it impossible for them to rise above their station, to unlock the magic hiding within their hearts, and that ends today.

“You all feel this way?” I scan their faces for signs of doubt. All I see are nods; all I hear are shouts of affirmation.

These people are willing to fight. They are ready. Do I have it in me to be the one to lead them to victory?

I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

“Then we’re in agreement. We free Senan and help him take the throne.”

Cheers erupt, fists raised in the air, magic and hope in our hearts.

I hold out my hands, waiting for the noise to die down. Enthusiasm is all well and good, but for us to succeed, we will need a solid plan. “First, I need a volunteer to go to Stratiss Castle.” If this is going to work, we could really use Aeron’s help.

One of the men to my right raises his hand.

“Thank you. Do whatever it takes to let Prince Aeron know what has happened to Senan.” Now to figure out how to save my prince. “Second, we need to know where they’re keeping him.”

A woman standing beside Josie raises her hand. “My cousin says the guards brought the prince to the castle.”

Brilliant. Now, all we need to do is find a way to breach the gates without getting caught.

The door opens once more, and Braith pushes through the fray, coming to a stop in front of me, her white mask hanging loosely at her neck, rising and falling with her heaving chest. “The king is…putting Prince Senan…on trial.”

I press my hands to my ribs, forcing myself to take a breath. This is a good thing, right? It means Senan is still alive. That we have time to save him.

Cursing, Iver rakes a hand through his hair. The rest of the Tuath begin to murmur, trading heavy looks.

“You’re certain?”

Braith nods. “It’s all anyone in the castle can talk about.”

Can it even be called a “trial” if the whole thing is a farce? Trials are meant to be fair and unbiased. Senan’s fate will be decided by the same man who has imprisoned him, who has wished him dead for who knows how long.

I clutch the top of the armchair to keep my legs from giving out. “How much time do we have?”

“Five days.”

Thank the stars it’s not tomorrow. “Do you know where they’re holding him?”

Her hair sways as her head shakes. “Not for certain, but one of the women assigned to the family’s tower claims there have been two guards posted in the servants’ stairwell leading to the king’s office.”

“Have there ever been guards there before?”

“Never.”

That must be the place. Two guards would be easier to handle than a whole army.

Hope seeps through the cracks in my broken heart. I have access to the family’s tower—at least I used to. “Have they changed the wards?”

“Not that I know of.”

If that’s the case, then I might be able to get into the tower. Now to figure out how the hell to infiltrate the castle.

Even if I found someone to carry me to one of the balconies, there will likely be so many guards, we won’t be able to enter without notice. Which leaves the caverns. Except there are guards at the entrances who would raise the alarm if we tried to go through the lower gates.

My gaze falls on the clumps of dirt sprinkled across the stone floor.

Unless…

Unless we make our own entrance. “Iver? Do you think you and the other terra elementals could create a tunnel that links to the caverns beneath the castle?”

His eyes fill with something akin to excitement. “If we have enough sunlight.”

Harold scrubs a hand across his jaw. “It’ll take more than magic to break through that much rock. There used to be a few mines north of the castle. Henry and I can check the old maps to see if one of the shafts will get us close.”

“Do you have access to those maps?” Because that would be damned convenient.

“Give me an hour.” With a pat on the back from his wife, Harold moves through the crowd to the door.

Burrowing through the stone to the castle is all well and good, but that’s not our only challenge. “We’ll need to find a safe place to breach the servants’ cavern.” Somewhere no one will notice and raise the alarm.

Braith steps closer. “You can tunnel to my room.”

“If the guards find out that you helped us?—”

“It’s the only way, and you know it. Any of the public spaces will be found out. Don’t worry about me. When Senan is crowned king, I’m sure he’ll give me a royal pardon.”

A few Tuath chuckle, but her words are like cement, weighing me down. This isn’t just a rescue mission. This is an assassination.

One thing at a time . “Can you get your hands on an extra uniform?” It’s the only way I’ll be able to slip in and out of her room undetected.

Braith’s eyes flash as she slides her pack from her back and unbuckles the top. “Already done.” In her hand, she clutches a white uniform and mask.

One more piece of this intricate puzzle falls into place. I hug her close, thanking the stars that Braith and I found each other. “You are brilliant.”

Her huffed laugh tickles the hair at my neck. “I know.”

So we have a way in, but now we need a way out. I draw back, my mind racing with possibilities. “Can you steal one for Senan as well?” If he were dressed as a servant, then we should be able to leave the same way we arrived.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Josie worries her lips, her eyes glittering as she watches her daughter. “What about the guards?”

Right. We need to dispense of two guards as well.

“Could you poison them?” Josie adds.

I’d rather not kill them if we can avoid it. Is there a simple way to incapacitate them? Wait… I think I know. “Does anyone have access to stardust?”

Three of them slowly lift their hands.

Perfect .

“Right. I need the three of you to get me as much dust as you can. The rest of you need to spend as much time in the sun as possible; we’re going to need all the power we can get.”