Chapter Forty-Two
Callum
The forest swallowed our group whole as we advanced in formation. What they lacked in training, they made up for in stealth. They moved through the brush as silently as wraiths, using the shadows beneath the canopy to conceal them from sight.
Sinead led with Henry close behind, her head tilted as she listened for the sounds of approaching footsteps.
“We’re early,” I said, keeping my voice low.
Henry nodded, clenching his fist as he raised his hand in the air. Everyone halted in their tracks, settling in as we awaited the caravans.
Sunlight dappled the ground in haphazard patterns, and I crouched behind a fallen log as I surveyed my surroundings. Shuffling sounded nearby, and I glanced over my shoulder to find a young man, barely out of boyhood, hunched next to me.
His clothes hung off his frame, but his bow looked to be well-maintained. He cleared his throat, then opened his mouth before thinking twice and closing it.
“Spit it out. I’m not waiting through this awkward silence while you work up the courage to speak.”
“Henry said your sister is the bride of the Unseelie Prince. Is that true?”
I hesitated. There was no denying Ryker’s position within the royal family. The same family that abandoned their people when the Wraith Borne proved themselves far from eradicated.
Yet, the boy appeared curious rather than affronted.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Josef.”
He thrust his palm in my direction, and I clasped his hand, feeling the rough calluses there. “Callum.”
He nodded, but his gaze remained eager.
“What if she is?”
“Then why is she helping us?”
His question held no malice. He simply couldn’t understand her position.
“Her reasons are her own.” I wasn’t sure how much I could reveal, and I wouldn’t risk Cadence’s safety.
A pair of striking grey eyes and a crop of dirty blond hair filled my vision, a sinful smirk tilting frustratingly perfect lips.
Why the hell was I thinking of him? And frustratingly perfect lips? Something was wrong with me. Perhaps his bothersome company had finally rotted my brain.
“Not everyone inside the palace is as ruthless as you might perceive them to be. Some are annoyingly good-hearted.”
As soon as I’d spoken the words, I regretted them. My mouth had a mind of its own, and I wasn’t impressed.
But it didn’t matter. All those who stood by and watched as Ryker imprisoned my sister, allowing him to use her for his own purposes, were the enemy. No amount of witty banter and boyish good looks would ever change that.
The thought burned through me until movement drew my attention. Sinead crawled toward us, her intense green eyes dragging me back into the present.
“There,” she said, pointing to a caravan of three wagons making their slow procession down the road. “Six guards. Two per wagon.”
Henry’s massive frame settled beside me, his voice a low murmur. “Fewer than I expected.”
“They’re trying to be inconspicuous,” I reminded him, gesturing toward the ridge overlooking the trail where a gleam of silver caught the light.
Henry cursed, having spotted the ambush.
“They are expecting the rebels to attack from cover, not march straight down the road.”
“What do you propose we do?” The question came from Sinead, her anticipation mounting by the second.
“We have to split up,” I said, my mind racing as I calculated our chances. “The first group will approach from the west, making enough noise to draw their attention. The remaining fighters will circle the ridge and deal with the archers.”
“And you?” Sinead asked, her thorny braids swinging around her face.
“I’ll take the road.”
“That’s too risky,” Henry said as he furrowed his brows.
I flashed him a grin that felt more like a snarl. “Only if I get caught.”
My eyes scanned the group. “Sinead, you take those headed for the archers, and Henry can lead the diversion. Don’t kill anyone unless you have to. We want this to look like rebels stealing supplies, not assassins out for blood.”
Josef glanced about, swallowing thickly. “What if they recognize you? Won’t that expose your sister?”
I lifted the bandana hanging around my neck to cover my mouth and nose. “Don’t worry about me.”
I motioned for him to follow Sinead, and the group melted into the forest without a sound, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the steady approach of the wagons.
I lowered myself to the ground, laying my palm flat against the dirt. My fingers pressed into the soil, and power coiled beneath my skin. The earth responded to my call as roots stirred in the depths below.
The first cart moved into place, its wheels grinding against the loose stones. Through the underbrush, I caught sight of the guards lining the road. They were alert but not alarmed.
A sharp whistle echoed from the western ridge.
Henry was in position.
A second later, another call sounded, letting me know the archers were no longer a threat. Sinead moved quickly, and I found myself grudgingly impressed.
Henry and his group burst from the tree line, shouting battle cries mixed with profanities. The guards wheeled toward the commotion, and steel met steel as they engaged.
I darted from my hiding spot, sprinting straight down the center of the road. As I lifted my hands in the air, I commanded the earth to do my bidding. Roots sprang free from the dirt, wrapping around the wagons and holding them in place.
The soldiers shouted in confusion, their attention split between the ambush coming from the forest and the assault on their cargo. One guard spotted me, his eyes widening as he drew his sword.
“Stop right there.”
But I was already moving.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent a ripple through the earth until the ground buckled beneath his feet.
He stumbled, losing his balance just long enough for me to close the distance between us.
My dagger found the gap in his armor at his shoulder, and he staggered to his knees.
It wasn’t a killing blow, but it removed him from the fight.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
A second guard rounded the wagon. He took in the scene before him, his face contorting with rage as he charged at me. I ducked his wild swing, feeling the air whistle above my head.
Something slammed into the back of my knees, buckling them and sending me to the ground. My hand connected with the dirt, and a cool liquid soaked my palm. I glanced around, watching the receding water as it flowed down the road.
Water Fae.
That… was not ideal.
A massive orb came straight for me, and I rolled to my side, narrowly avoiding being caught by the crushing sphere as it splattered next to me.
I had no intention of drowning today.
As I reached for my magic, I commanded the roots to snake around the guard’s ankles and tugged. He crashed face-first into the dirt with a satisfying thud, knocking himself unconscious.
That one, I was not sorry about.
The sounds of battle intensified behind me, and I risked a glance over my shoulder. Henry was fighting off two guards who seemed to have the upper hand. Calling more power, I let it surge through my veins before directing it to the ground beneath their feet.
The earth softened as mud rose around them, ensnaring their boots. The men toppled backward with startled cries before disappearing in a tangle of roots and soil.
“Appreciate that,” Henry said as he clapped me on the shoulder. Blood trickled from a cut above his eye, but his grin was infectious.
Another guard, a burly man with a long scar across his cheek, charged toward us with his sword raised, interrupting our moment of camaraderie.
“Go.” Henry nodded toward the wagons. “I’ve got this.”
I sprinted for the nearest cart and jumped into the bed.
Sacks of grain and salted meat lined the interior, enough to feed dozens of people for weeks.
I worked quickly, tossing them to the ground where Josef and two others waited to haul them into the forest. The rest of their people lingered nearby, ready to carry the supplies out.
“How much longer?” Josef called as I moved to the next wagon.
“Not long,” I said, hefting a heavy sack over the edge.
Henry appeared at my side, shouldering bags of grain as if they weighed nothing. We made quick work of the supplies before moving to the final cart. We were halfway through when a horn blared from somewhere down the road.
Reinforcements were approaching.
We’d expected this, but hearing the sound made everything real.
“Time’s up,” Sinead shouted from atop the second wagon. “Everyone out!”
I launched myself out of the cart, taking stock of the soldiers lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Some guards had fled, likely to call for the reinforcements now approaching.
I watched as Henry wiped blood from his knuckles before he stepped back toward the tree line, his eyes scanning the horizon. He didn’t need to say it. I knew the danger hadn’t passed.
As we disappeared among the dense forest, clinging to the shadows concealing us from view, I had to hope that our efforts were enough. That Cadence’s plan would succeed, allowing us to escape the Unseelie Kingdom.
No matter what came next, I would get my sister out.
That was my promise.