Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Rynn
Bastian was confusing, and I didn’t like it. That was what I had settled on after thinking over what had happened last night since waking this morning—in his arms. I was honestly surprised my racing heart hadn’t woken him up as I’d snuck out of bed.
I already had enough confusing feelings in my life thanks to Ryker. The last thing I needed was more.
Although last night had been the most peaceful slumber I’d had in a while. And I knew that was because I’d been wrapped up in Bastian’s arms, taking in his scent with every breath.
What would Cali have said in this situation?
“No dick is worth that much trouble.”
I laughed under my breath as I quietly made my way down the winding stairs that led to the sublevels beneath the castle.
It was just before dawn, and I had to hurry if I wanted to slip out between the shift change.
I’d left Bastian a note, reminding him that I was researching some things and that I’d see him tonight.
He’d be busy dealing with my father and uncle for most of the day anyway.
Sorin was my bigger concern. My brother had a knack for knowing when I was up to something, and he was almost as good at tracking as me, which was why I had to get to my secret stash outside these walls, and quickly. I reached the bottom level and halted at the familiar damp, musky scent.
“Do not fail us. Do not embarrass me.” My father’s words echoed through my mind.
Despair and panic hit me a second later, and I had to close my eyes. I hated this place. If I could have never set foot on this level again, it would have been too soon, but this was my way out, and unlike the last time I’d been down here, I could leave whenever I wanted.
I opened my eyes and took several slow, deliberate steps forward, as if I needed to convince myself that I could, in fact, move. Then I took a deep breath and jogged down the hall to a small room on the right. The heavy door made of wood and iron was open, and I peered into the darkness.
Home sweet home.
Without looking at the small bed shoved up against the wall on the left, I moved to the outer wall and skimmed my fingertips over the rough stone surface.
My sight quickly adjusted to the low light, but seeing didn’t really help for this.
Instead, I let muscle memory do the work for me, and soon enough, my hand froze over a stone that felt ever so slightly different than the rest.
I pushed on it. For several seconds, nothing happened, and then the stones shimmered out of existence.
It never failed to unnerve me. The wall felt real, and if you didn’t find that particular stone, you wouldn’t be able to pass through it.
I didn’t know if it was an illusion or if it actually made the stone not exist for a short span of time.
From previous experience, I knew it would return in less than an hour.
We understood such a small amount of the magic the Fae had been capable of crafting.
What we did know was that they had been obsessed with creating escape routes like this and hidden rooms. Samara had found quite a few beneath Moroi Houses, and we’d found the hidden treasures under Lake Malov, which I’d be heading to after I picked up something from my stash.
I’d discovered these tunnels winding out of the Narchis stronghold years ago. There were almost a dozen spread out across the castle and other buildings. Unlike the places Samara had found or Lake Malov, there were no treasures here. Just a way out.
My uncle and father knew about them too because I’d told them. There might come a day when the walls that protected us turned into a death trap, and I didn’t want everyone here to die because I hadn’t revealed my secret way out.
Plus, we were more concerned with keeping things out than caging everyone inside.
It’d been easy enough for teenage me to make use of these tunnels when I’d needed a break from . . . well . . . everything. At night, the tunnels were more regularly patrolled, but currently, the guard shifts would be changing over and they would only be periodically checked throughout the day.
I didn’t bother activating any of the fae lanterns as I made my way down the tunnel on nothing other than memory.
When I reached the end, I waited, staying perfectly still and listening.
I knew the pattern of all the perimeter checks, but occasionally, my uncle changed them up or people just ran late.
I didn’t have to wait long before I heard the muffled chatter of whoever was on duty.
“Want to grab some food?” someone with a slightly nasally voice asked.
“Mmm, yeah,” a light, feminine voice responded. “It’s cold as shit. Warm porridge and toast sounds amazing right now.”
“I think we still have some of that sweet syrup left,” the other guard responded.
My stomach grumbled as they discussed a few more food options. I’d come straight here instead of swinging by the kitchen, so there had been no warm breakfast for me this morning.
Once they’d moved far enough away that I could no longer hear them, I stripped off my clothes and put them in a neat pile before running my hand along the wall, finding the specific brick on the right side.
Unlike the walls on the inside that vanished, this section was actually a door, and it silently opened before automatically closing behind me.
There were no visible seams when it was shut.
You’d never know the door was there unless you were aware of its existence.
It was impressive, but I still found myself more curious about why the Fae had felt the need to build all these hidden passages and rooms. Lunaria was full of monsters, but I didn’t think that’s what the Fae had been concerned about.
Erendriel had told Samara that all of us—the Moon Blessed—were nothing more than children stumbling around in the dark. There was something much bigger at play that we didn’t understand.
Of course the asshole hadn’t deigned to enlighten us as to what that might be.
I stayed flat against the wall, looking up. I didn’t hear or see anyone, but from my angle, it would be difficult. This was the riskiest part. There was an open stretch of about a hundred yards from the wall to the tree line. I was faster in my wolf form but also more visible.
We didn’t have any snow on the ground, which meant my white coat would stand out.
Speed was the name of the game today because I needed to make it back by nightfall. Otherwise, my absence would definitely be noticed by Bastian.
Taking in a deep breath, I held it while straining one more time for any sounds.
Nothing. I called on my shift, and a second later, I was springing towards the woods on all fours.
No one gave off any alarmed shouts, so I assumed I hadn’t been seen, but I didn’t slow down for miles until the trees started to look familiar.
There were known stashes all over the Velesian realm that contained clothing, weapons, water, and sometimes food if they were more well-traveled spots.
Usually, they were just caches buried in the ground or strung up in trees, but in addition to these public resources, almost everyone who traveled regularly in the wilds had their own personal ones.
I was currently looking for one of mine.
I’d only been here once before, and that was because I’d had to find a new hidden location when Sorin had followed me to the old one.
My twin was obnoxiously protective of me.
Sometimes, anyway. Other times, he weighed the costs of protecting me versus protecting his own future as the forerunner for replacing my uncle as Alpha some day.
I didn’t blame him for it. Sorin would make an excellent Alpha. But it was hard to love and trust someone who had your back one day and didn’t the next.
Finally, I found what I was looking for: a tree with a bright purple vine growing up its massive trunk, slowly choking the life out of it.
Strangler vines.
They had no fruit this time of year, but in late spring, small bright red berries would hang off the vines. Enticing little snacks. They weren’t poisonous or anything; that wasn’t their job.
The berries were the bait.
I shifted back to my human form and eyed the plant, noting where it had expanded. While most of it grew up the tree, some grew down, covering the massive tree roots that rose out of the earth. Mentally, I made a path, and then very carefully, I picked my steps through the vines.
Halfway to the trunk, a vine on my left shivered, and I froze. A thin tendril reared up like a serpent, and black thorns that usually lay flat against the vine went rigid until they stuck straight out. The small, sharp thorns were coated in a fast-acting paralytic toxin.
Strangler vines were common in this area, and every child had it drilled into them to avoid them at all costs.
When prey was detected, the vines would wrap around their victim, fill them full of toxin, and strangle them to death. Then they would leave the decaying carcass to feed the soil where their specialized vines grew to absorb the nutrients.
Most people gave strangler vines a wide berth, which was why this was a perfect place to hide something I didn’t want anyone to find.
Eventually, the raised vine lowered itself back down and I continued through them, stopping any time one of them gave even a hint of movement.
In the back of my mind, I wondered if Sorin had realized I was missing. I had no doubt he would be the first to notice. Bastian would be busy today, and honestly, no one else really cared where I was.
I knew my brother cared about me, but I also knew he was loyal to our pack. His pack, I reminded myself. I was packless.
More than once, Sorin had been faced with the dilemma of supporting me or the pack. He’d always chosen the pack, which was why my stubborn ass was dancing on the knife’s edge of life and death to retrieve something that would make sure he couldn’t follow me after this point.