Chapter 18
Linnea stood in front of Asta tucking stray strands of hair up into the princess’s black hood.
Asta gently placed a hand on her cousin’s scarred wrist. “I’ll be okay, Linnea.
There will be plenty of guards around to hear us should anything happen.
Plus, Kaid might not be heavily trained in fighting, but the sheer size of him will likely prevent any type of physical attack.
” Asta threw a thumb toward Dyri, who was lounging on the fur carpet in front of the fire.
“He’s like Dyri, all bark, no bite. But the bark will be enough to scare them away. ”
Asta allowed her mind to indulge in the mental image of Kaid for a heartbeat. His deep red—nearly black—hair, his turquoise eyes, his severe facial features, the perfect cut of his tall, muscular body. And the things he could do with that body…
Linnea still continued fussing over Asta’s cloak, being sure to tuck in anything that could easily identify her. Asta felt her pat the daggers she had hidden in each sleeve, then the hilt of the sword that was concealed by fabric at her hip.
“You’ll stop this nonsense if anything seems awry?” her frail cousin asked as she rubbed at the white band of skin on her wrist.
Asta couldn’t help but watch her cousin fidget with her only visible physical marking of the abuse she had endured. She understood why Linnea wanted her to be careful. Her lady-in-waiting knew how it felt to be held somewhere against her will.
“Nothing will happen. I’ll be back in no time. Remember the plan?” Asta smiled at her cousin, the only reassuring thing she could do.
Linnea’s eyes shifted around as she ran through the plan in her head before listing it aloud.
“Go to the dinner, tell the king you are unwell but not enough to need the mender, come back and distract Tova in the hall so you and Lord Kaidian can sneak past her, meet Halsten at the terrace entrance and help him stop anyone from going out there.”
Asta nodded. “Good, now let’s do this.”
Linnea slipped from the door and made her way to the grand dining hall while Asta paced in her common room.
So many things could go wrong tonight. She may very well be putting herself and Kaid in danger, but what if catching this person saved so many others?
It was worth it, so long as they made it out alive.
Asta cracked her door open a little while later, figuring Linnea should be back soon. She watched as her thin, auburn-haired cousin approached Tova, who stood guard at the top of the stairs, and began inquiring about a missing earring.
She had to give her cousin credit; her years of observing her friends had paid off.
Tova was definitely the twin to be just as concerned about a missing earring as she was.
If it was Liva, she would have told Linnea to move along.
Tova began searching the ground, stepping down the stairs with Linnea.
Asta slipped from her door and gently closed it behind her before running to Kaid’s suite. She knocked on the door and heard a whispering response from behind the oak.
“What’s the magic knock?” a voice crooned.
Asta ground her teeth, annoyed that Kaid would play a game at a time like this. But jokes were his way of diverting his worry.
Knock, knock. Pause. Knock, knock, knock. Pause. Knock.
The door opened and Kaid slipped out, amusement glinting in his turquoise eyes. She could throttle him right now.
They snuck down the hall as briskly as they could while remaining undetected, passing the staircase where the raven-haired guard was thoroughly investigating every golden detail on the carpet.
They would have to take the hall to the staff’s quarters, then use those stairs to make their way down to the terrace.
Asta knew her way around because she was a frequent flyer in the staff quarters since she often visited it to see her friends who worked in the castle, including the twins.
They treaded lightly down the stairs, still not wanting to call too much attention to themselves.
They were two people dressed in all black with their hoods up while the castle was filled with royals and nobility.
Surely, they would look like assassins or thieves if they were seen.
The pair blew out a breath of relief when they had passed by the guard and entered the staff hall, sneaking down the narrow stairs until the terrace door was in sight.
Asta nearly jumped out of her skin when a man rounded the corner in front of them, blocking their way to the glass doors. But—wait—she knew that dark hair and mischievous grin.
She smiled and approached the courtier, punching him in the arm when she got to him. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
Halsten quietly laughed in response. “Just getting your adrenaline going for this little adventure,” he mused.
Asta and Kaid shook their heads and moved past him and onto the terrace. They sat at the iron table and chairs that Kaid had used earlier for his date with Maren.
Kaid played with the intricate designs on the iron surface as he asked, “So, you and Halsten? Are you two… interested in each other?”
Asta froze, her eyes wide, and then she burst into laughter. “Gods, no. Though he seems like a fun time, I’m not the type to jump around.”
Kaid blinked a few times then averted his gaze. It was dark, making it hard to confirm her suspicions, but Asta thought she could see his cheeks filling with color. Couldn’t he just ask Halsten that himself? Though, the courtier may think he was romantically involved with everyone if you asked him.
The lord kept his attention on his finger, which was still picking at the table, when his next question escaped his lips, the lips Asta resentfully couldn’t take her eyes off of. “What is your type, then? Gyrial?”
He’s your sister’s betrothed. He’s your sister’s betrothed. He’s your sister’s betrothed.
She repeated it to herself, but couldn’t take her eyes off of his mouth.
Asta did, however, feel a prickle of self-defense building within.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no.
Gyrial and I dated and it didn’t work out.
” She cracked a knuckle, remembering how much she had hurt her best friend the day she ended their romantic relationship.
“He’s a good man, but not what I’m looking for. ”
Kaid’s entire posture seemed to loosen, his brows unfurling, and he stopped fidgeting. Asta kept her eyes on the castle walls around them, but watched the lord in her peripherals as he leaned back and locked his fingers behind his head in a relaxed pose.
“You didn’t answer my other question. What is your type, blondie?”
Asta’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know, a man with purpose. One who isn’t afraid to make sacrifices for what he wants. Who can make me laugh and keep me busy.”
You.
Oh, gods. Yuck. Why had that thought even popped into Asta’s head? She shivered.
A flash caught her eye and she whipped her head toward the north wing, where a black dot was cascading down the stone wall.
“Run!” she bellowed as she took off.
Kaid was right behind her.
Asta sprinted down the beach, her thighs burning from the resistance of the sand. The crunching sound behind her let her know that Kaid kept pace with her. Her eyes remained pinned on the cloaked figure, who had almost dipped out of sight behind the brush around the shore.
She darted up a path leading to the north wing, grabbing Kaid’s wrist behind her to swing him in the same direction before she ran again. She had to get there before they left. She had to get there to get answers to at least one mystery in her life.
Kaid’s breathing was labored since he was not as in shape as Asta was. She was thankful for the hours of work she had put in, thankful that they had a purpose.
They made it to the north wall to see not one, but two cloaked figures hurtling back toward the beach.
Asta heard a groan of displeasure behind her, surely Kaid realizing they had to run back toward the shore they had just come from.
If she hadn’t been so worried about what was yet to unfold, she would have stopped to laugh at him.
The figures were in her sight the entire race to the beach. They were extremely fast, about the same speed as Asta. That rattled her nerves, knowing they were likely as well-trained as she was. Maybe more.
When Asta’s boots hit sand once more, she lost sight of the others and she felt something strike her stomach so hard that it knocked the air from her. She fell back into Kaid, who had caught her and held her up. They had thrown a log of driftwood at her and kept running.
She took a moment to catch her breath, not nearly as much as she needed, but she couldn’t let them slip away.
Asta and Kaid continued chasing them down the beach until they came to halt at least a mile away from the castle.
The coast had turned to crushed stone, the sandy shore forgotten behind them.
The two cloaked figures were pacing back-and-forth in front of them, like predators circling their prey.
They had lured them away from the safety of the castle grounds.
They were clearly female, their figures small yet sturdy, but Asta couldn’t see under their hoods.
She hoped that they couldn’t see under hers or Kaid’s, either.
Asta pulled a dagger from her sleeve and tossed it to Kaid, then unsheathed her sword from her hip.
She heard a snarl from one of the beings in front of her—the noise was very, very inhuman. She noticed the glint of metal against the moonlight in each of their hands.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit. They could turn back. They could run. But how much of a head start could they get from these things, these… creatures?
Asta felt the pressure of Kaid’s hand on her lower back and knew what he was voting for. Stay here and fight. Stay here and find answers.