Chapter 9 #2
“Then we’re wasting time. Every minute we spend not looking for her, the farther away she’ll get.
” I step out of the cell and and face my crew.
Striding down the aisle, I lock eyes with each of them.
“I’m going to find her, but first I need to know if anyone saw something. Did she leave on her own?”
Ivy’s green eyes meet mine, and she shakes her head.
“Who took her? What did they look like?”
Silence.
“No one saw what happened?” I say, turning on my heel.
They each give me a blank stare, but out the corner of my eye, I catch Elayne tapping her finger against a rung—her eyes holding mine expectantly. She glances to Kressa, then back to me.
I shift, blocking Kressa’s view of Elayne.
“It was a woman,” Elayne signs, a swallow working down her throat. “She was dressed in a long cloak, and none of us caught a glimpse of her face. Only a lock of dark hair.”
The floor sways beneath me, and the rhodium cuts into my wrists, but I manage to sign back, “Are you sure?”
A nod. “We agreed to keep it to ourselves.” She tilts her chin toward Kressa. “Who knows what she would do with the information, or if she’s in on it.”
Kressa’s presence lingers over my shoulder, and a shiver works down my spine. She has no reason to kidnap Inez from the dungeon, but at this rate, I don’t trust anyone.
I scan the rest of my crew’s faces, and while they don’t nod, there’s an understanding in their eyes. Isolde’s note weighs heavy in my pocket, but I force myself to continue down the aisle as if nothing has happened. As if I don’t have a valuable clue.
It’s my turn to withhold information.
“In that case,” I say, facing Kressa, “it looks like we both have something we need to find.”
Her eyes darken, and she closes the cell door, locking it even though it’s empty. “It’s time to go back to my quarters.”
My lips part, my stomach churning. “Don’t you think we should go now? Start searching for Inez and your emerald? I can’t do anything behind a locked door.”
She steps closer, her muscles shifting beneath her uniform. “With all due respect, Briar, you behind a locked door is the safest option for everyone.”
“How ironic. If it weren’t for me, you would have died back in the wyvern attack.”
She smirks. “You love keeping track of all my near-death experiences, don’t you?”
My nostrils flare, and she turns down the dial on the lantern until the room plummets into darkness.
Her footsteps echo as she makes her way back to me, and my hands ache to throw a punch. To wrap my chain around her throat the way I did Elias. But that wouldn’t fix my problem. It wouldn’t get Inez back.
My crew was right. For now, we need to hold our cards close.
She grips my shoulder and pushes me forward. “Let’s go.”
I don’t resist, but as we leave the dungeon, I make a silent promise to each member of my crew that I will get Inez back. I’ll prove to them that I am strong enough to lead—to carry the privilege of their trust.
“So, what’s our plan?” I say as we exit the dungeon.
“We have no plan.” She strides ahead, weaving through the corridors as Gemma follows in our wake. “You are going to stay put while I fix this.”
We come to her door, and I throw myself in front of the handle, blocking her. “One of my crew members is missing, Kressa. One of the women I spent the last decade risking my life to find. I refuse to sit back while she could potentially be in danger.” I shake my head. “I can’t. Please.”
There’s no warmth to her expression as she shoves me out of the way and fits the key into the door. “You don’t have a choice in the matter.”
She throws the door open and yanks at my chains, leading me into the quarters and toward the bedroom. I follow willingly.
It’s exactly where I want to be, after all.
Without another word, she slams the door shut and slides the bolt into place. I wait until her footsteps retreat, then creep to the window, parting the curtains with a finger.
The falcon lifts its head, ruffling its feathers as its beady eyes study me.
Turning back to the room, I dart toward the nightstand and rummage through it until I find a quill. Pulling Isolde’s note from my back pocket, I flatten it out and flip it over, dipping the pen into a jar of ink. I scribble a short message, watching the door as I blow the ink dry.
Helping Isolde is my last resort, but if I have to choose between that and doing nothing, I’ll take my chances. No matter what happens or who I betray, I have to get Inez back.
Striding to the window, I undo the lock and shove it open, reading my message one last time.
Tell me what I need to do.
I swallow and fold the paper into a neat square, flattening the edges between my fingers. Once I do this, I can’t go back. But Kressa has already accepted my execution—encouraged it, in fact. It’s the only way she’ll get the crown and break our bond.
I don’t have her, and right now I don’t have my crew.
There’s nothing else for me to lose.
The falcon spreads out its wings and glides to the windowsill. Its taloned feet cling to the edge—eyes watching me with a knowing no creature should possess. It tilts its head, and I slide the paper through the narrow gap.
I barely have a chance to let go as it snatches the parchment and takes to the sky—its wingspan the breadth of my arms.
I watch as it disappears into the night, until it’s nothing but a speck in the distance. If Isolde is as apologetic as she claims to be, she’ll help.
Or she’ll destroy everything.