Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
I n my outburst, I’d overlooked one crucial fact—gryverns had hypersensitive hearing.
I stared through the slats, knowing with certainty Tybold had found us.
My foolish, stupid temper. I’d given us away and possibly cost us everything. Perhaps I could throw myself at the King’s feet, swear that I’d come alone, and beg for his mercy.
My stare shot back and forth between man and beast, waiting for the moment of reckoning—but when the King turned and walked toward the city, the gryvern only sat, tilting its head, watching me in silence.
Twin flames grew from the center of the King’s palms, then twined around his fingers. They swirled and expanded until his skin glowed red and fire consumed his arms from the elbows down. With a snap of his wrist, an ember jumped to his forehead and seemed to catch alight, igniting the fiery Crown above his head.
“Where are you, Lumnos?” the King said, his voice low and menacing. “If you will not come out on your own, you leave me no choice.”
He thrust a hand out, sending a churning ball of fire shooting for a small granary. It exploded into an inferno that swelled through the inside and up to its thatched roof, turning it to cinders in a matter of seconds.
He flung his other arm toward a merchant’s kiosk next, and a red-hot spear sliced through the air. It lodged into the canvas walls, sending them curling and blackening as the fire consumed it whole.
“Surely you desire a better fate than to burn alive?” the King taunted. “Think of your poor family. They’ll never know how you died. They won’t even have a body to bury.”
His words stung more than he could possibly know. It wasn’t death I feared, but the prospect of abandoning my mother to her fate in a Fortos prison and leaving my little brother with yet another family member whose loss he couldn’t explain.
The air filled with the stench of smoke and char as the King continued his fiery pursuit. Structure after structure disappeared beneath crackling flame, the city lighting up in a series of impromptu bonfires.
My thrashing heart roasted alongside them. What if Taran and Luther were inside one of those buildings? What if the man I cherished burned for my cowardice?
I looked to Alixe, my defeat written plainly on my face. She shook her head. “Wait,” she mouthed.
I spied between the slats. The gryvern was still staring at our hideaway, its scaly head cocked to one side.
With a twitch of his fingers, the King’s blaze stretched its fiery arms toward a collection of nearby wooden carts, turning them into instant kindling. The fire was so close I could feel its heat through the planks concealing us from sight.
The King laughed and looked around in search of another target for his carnage. His focus landed on our storage pen, his mouth curling into a smirk.
A jarring, high-pitched screech stole his attention. His gaze darted to his gryvern, his thick brows pulling inward. “Into the dunes? Are you certain?”
“Your Majesty,” a voice called out. From the streets of the city, the two women came jogging toward him. “We’ve searched the buildings. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s been here for years.”
“They must have been here recently. There’s fresh blood by the palm, and this is the only oasis for miles. Tybold thinks they fled.” He looked at the other woman. “How soon can our riders get here?”
“If we return now to give the order, they’ll arrive midday tomorrow,” she answered.
“Let’s do a final scout by air,” the other woman suggested. “We’ll have the guards start combing the dunes when they arrive.”
“I want her found,” the King snarled. Both women gave stiff nods and saluted.
They stalked to the gryvern and loaded onto its saddle. The King slammed his fist into the side of its neck. “Fly,” he barked.
The gryvern’s amber gaze lingered on me one last time. Then, with a few galloping steps, Tybold was airborne, and the King of Ignios was gone.
I barely lasted until the wingbeats had faded before I threw off the pen’s cover and bolted for the city.
“Diem, we should wait,” Alixe called, chasing behind me. She could no more have stopped me than halted the setting sun.
“ Luther ,” I screamed, my feet slamming into the hard-packed sand of the town’s roads. “ Taran! ”
Alixe followed, nervously scanning the sky. “I’ll take the other streets,” she offered, then sprinted in the other direction.
“Luther, Taran—where are you?” I yelled. I stopped at every unburnt building, throwing open every door. Again and again, I found empty rooms and the unanswered echo of my voice against the clay.
Columns of black smoke rose from the remains of the Ignios King’s fiery attacks. My legs carried me toward them against my will. What if...?
When I got to the first of them, I stood in the threshold, staring blankly at the carnage. An army of tiny flames was scattered among the bits of still-burning debris. The Ignios fire had worked quickly, invading and destroying with savage precision, driven by the rage of its hateful commander.
I shuffled forward and scoured the blackened remains. What if...?
Movement in the corner caught my attention as the burnt husk of a large wooden wardrobe collapsed inward, sending a flurry of glowing embers floating into the air and something metal clattering to the floor, When I dug the toe of my boot into the pile that remained, a curved blade protruded from the ashes.
A scimitar, just like the one Luther had been carrying, inside a wardrobe—a perfect place to hide.
The world stopped turning.
The distant sound of Alixe calling my name grew louder as my trembling hand stretched toward the blade. Had it been his? Had it been him?
“Diem,” Alixe hissed, skidding to a stop behind me. “What are you doing in here?”
“Alixe,” I croaked. “I think...”
“Come with me,” she interrupted. She jerked her head for me to follow, then took off running. I stood in a stupor for a moment, then slowly followed behind her.
She disappeared through the door of a large house on the outermost street. When I got there, a rug in the center of the room had been shoved aside to reveal a wooden trapdoor laying ajar. As I crept around its edge, I saw a staircase leading down into a shadowy abyss—and Taran, his arm slung around Luther’s shoulder, slowly climbing their way back into the light.
“We found this cellar just in time,” Luther said, helping Taran into a nearby chair. “A few more seconds and they—”
He grunted loudly as I hurled myself into his side and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face against his chest.
He hunched forward, then slid his hands to my shoulders and gently pried us apart. “What happened? Did the King see you?”
I gazed up at him, my throat too tight to answer, and soaked in every line and curve of his face. His features were strained and creased with worry, but so perfectly, gloriously alive .
He grazed the tips of his fingers along my cheek, and I leaned into his palm, letting his touch ground me. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“He burned some of the buildings,” I managed to choke out. “I thought you were inside. I thought...”
Luther stilled, and for a moment, his expression turned as bleak as my own dark fears had been. It disappeared in a heartbeat, replaced by the steady calm of the Prince. “I’m here now,” he said, kissing my temple.
“The Ignios King didn’t see us, but he knows we’re close,” Alixe answered for me. “He’s returning with his Royal Guard tomorrow.”
“Let’s go back to Arboros,” Taran said. “I’d rather take my chances with the mortals.”
Luther’s jaw ticked. “I agree. Taran and I can distract them while you two slip back across. We’ll push through their lines once you’re both safe.”
“With all their godstone, that’s a death sentence,” Alixe said.
“I already have one of those,” Taran joked as he gestured to his chest, though his grin didn’t quite make it to his eyes.
“We’re not going to Arboros,” I said firmly.
“What other choice do we have?” Taran asked.
As the others bickered over which of our many terrible options to choose from, I reluctantly pulled away from Luther and walked to the open doorway, chewing anxiously on my lip.
The dunes rose high around us on every side, their endless brown expanse stained by the haunting white flecks of the dead mortals’ bones. The mortals had been lured to this valley by its life-giving water, only to be condemned to some brutal, unknown end.
In those final moments, the mortals had known their only chance at survival was to risk everything and run. Many had died—but perhaps some had not. Perhaps some had made it beyond the dunes and escaped the others’ gruesome fate.
One thing was certain—none who stayed put had lived to tell the tale.
If you are outnumbered or overwhelmed, or if all seems lost, just keep moving. Onward, until the very last breath .
The memory of my father’s teachings hovered around me as an idea took shape in my mind. It was a crazy idea, reckless, doomed to near-certain failure—in other words, the only kind I ever had.
But if we had any chance of the four of us surviving this together, we had to try.
I turned back to the others and perched my hands on my hips.
“We’re going to Umbros,” I announced.
“No,” they answered in unison.
“Yes,” I shot back. “The Ignios coastline is short. If we leave at dawn and stay near the water where the sand is more firm, we can move quickly. We’ll be in Umbros by nightfall.”
“There’s no cover by the water,” Alixe said. “If we’re spotted, we’re sitting ducks.”
“It’s a risk,” I agreed. “But if we stay here, they could do the same thing to us they did to the mortals. We have to get out of Ignios.”
“The Umbros Queen is even scarier than the Ignios King,” Taran said. “At least the worst he can do is kill us.”
I swallowed my unease and conjured a mocking grin. “What’s wrong Taran, afraid of a little old Queen?”
He glared at me. “Yes. And you should be, too.”
I shrugged. “We won’t be there long. We’ll go straight to the port and get the first boat to Lumnos.”
Luther shook his head. “I don’t like it. We should wait here. The flameroot will wear off soon. Once it does, you can call for Sorae.”
“We might not live that long. Besides, the Guardians have a bolt that can shoot her out of the sky, and they’re waiting just over those dunes. I can’t risk bringing her this close to them.”
“Diem,” he said, his tone heavy with warning, “I don’t have to tell you there is a particular reason why Umbros is dangerous for us.”
He didn’t offer more, but I caught his meaning. At the Ascension Ball, I’d opened up our minds to the Umbros representatives for the taking. Any secret we guarded, they had no doubt shared with their Queen. If she found us, she could bring down our entire realm.
“We’ll be careful,” I said uneasily. “Straight to the port.”
“If we’re going, we should leave tonight,” Alixe said. “I’d rather get a head start.”
I struggled to flatten my expression. This part of my plan was the riskiest—and also the part I didn’t dare reveal.
“Taran needs rest.” He jumped from his seat to argue, and I grabbed his uninjured shoulder and shoved him back down. “And so do I. Let’s take today to gather supplies and get as much sleep as we can. We’ll leave at first light—that’s an order from your Queen.”
“My turn for watch?” Alixe asked groggily, rubbing at her eyes as she rolled over.
I nodded and shot her an apologetic look. “I tried to hold out longer, but I can barely stay awake. Mind taking over?”
“Of course.” She slid out of bed and reached for her weapons belt. “Anything to report?”
“Not a thing,” I lied, looking away. I crept over to where Taran slept nearby, gingerly laying a palm to his forehead. His skin was worryingly warm, and thin black lines were creeping out from beneath the bandage at his shoulder.
“How is he?” she whispered.
“Fine,” I lied again.
I followed her out the front door and into the open air. Set amid an audience of twinkling stars, the full moon shone like a spotlight on the small village, illuminating it in a silvery glow.
Just my luck.
“Luther’s sleeping next door, if you want to...” She trailed off, a smirk playing at her lips.
“Tempting,” I said with a grin. “But I think he and I both need some rest tonight.”
It was alarming how easy the lies and false emotions were becoming.
“I set up over there,” I added, gesturing to the southern edge of town. “I left some fresh water and a few kumquats, in case you get hungry. I’ll be in the next house over, if you need anything.”
She nodded and gave me a low bow. “Goodnight, Your Majesty.”
I made a show of yawning and headed for one of the empty houses. I strolled inside and closed the door all but a sliver, then hurried to change into the clothes I’d prepared. When I peered back out, Alixe was gone.
I grabbed my supplies, checked that the items I’d set up were still in place, and slipped out through a back door I’d scouted earlier.
The sand was soft and silent under my bare feet as I crept across the city. I needed to be on the northern border before the trap I’d laid set into motion. I came to the city’s wide main road and stopped short with a swear.
Though Alixe was out of sight, at the far end, Luther’s silhouette was outlined against the glittering surface of the spring. He kept his back to the city as he dipped a cloth into the water and dabbed it across his skin. He’d been asleep when I’d checked on him earlier in the night. At some point he must have awoken and gone to bathe alone.
My chest squeezed as I watched him. When he hadn’t joined in with the rest of us in cleaning off earlier by the water, I’d chalked it up to discomfort over showing off his scar. I hadn’t realized his desire to hide them ran quite this deep.
I wished he could see them the way I did, as a trophy of his strength in body and in spirit. I yearned to go to him, run my hands along their lines, graze my lips down every jagged mark until he had a much happier, much more indecent memory to associate them with—but it would have to wait.
We would have time for that once we were home safe in Lumnos.
With his back to me, I darted across the main road and wove my way through the buildings. I was almost in the clear when a loud clang reverberated through the midnight silence. I scurried up to a nearby roof just in time to spy Alixe running into the large home with the hidden cellar. Moments later, a hastily dressed Luther ran in behind her with his blade drawn.
I blew out a breath and bolted for the dunes, climbing as hard and fast as my bare feet would carry me. When I reached the crest, I threw myself across it, collapsing into the sand to catch my breath. I dared a quick peek back down onto the city to confirm Alixe and Luther were still inside the home, investigating the mysterious noise.
Though I’d escaped their notice, a long trail of footprints followed me through the sand, the one detail I hadn’t planned for. I sighed and gathered my things. There was nothing I could do about it now.
By the time anyone saw them, it would already be too late.