Chapter Sixty-Four
Cadence
A low hum reached my ears, and I glanced around the cramped space of my cell, searching for its source.
Then the noise grew louder, deep and mournful, until it swelled into something unmistakably real.
The keening wail crawled closer, and I clutched at my frantically beating heart that threatened to claw its way out of my chest.
I jumped to my feet, my hands wrapping around the bars that kept me trapped, not caring about the burn that heated my skin.
“Hello.”
Only silence greeted me.
The cry sharpened, seeping into my bones as it twisted and writhed, bleeding sorrow and grief into the empty dungeon.
The image of my brother, bloodied and broken, flashed through my mind, and unadulterated fear coursed down my spine.
Every instinct screamed at me that the banshee’s warning was about Callum. It had to be him. I’d first heard the soul-tearing cry mere moments before he climbed through my window, and now it taunted me with the knowledge of his looming demise.
I knew it then, and I knew it now: If Callum didn’t escape the Unseelie Kingdom, he would die here.
But I hadn’t been able to make him see reason. Even after the banshee’s warning, he refused to leave me behind. Now I was trapped and powerless to protect him.
Desperation clawed at my throat, and I rattled the bars that held me prisoner.
I needed to get to him.
“Guards!” I shouted, but there was no answer, only the banshee’s cry curdling the air, promising agony.
Tears stung my eyes, and my hands shook as the acrid scent of terror surrounded me, thick and cloying. I paced back and forth like a hound before the kill, but it did nothing to settle my frayed nerves.
The scream sliced through the stone and mortar, closer now, slithering beneath my skin. My breath thudded, shallow and ragged, and I yanked on the bars to no avail.
The wail tore through the corridor, scraping at my sanity, but I didn’t let go of the iron grate.
I had to do something, anything.
The sharp clinking of keys broke through the wailing, and my head snapped up, my eyes straining toward the far end of the walkway. A low creak filled the silence, and I held my breath as I listened to the footsteps coming down the stairs.
Was it a guard?
The steps were faint, almost delicate.
My suspense was short-lived, though, as a figure rounded the corner, stopping in front of my cell.
“Aren’t you a sight?” a soft, feminine voice said, eyeing me.
“Celeste?”
The pale pink of her dress caressed her skin, making her appear ethereal in the gloomy light of the dungeon. Her blond waves that were normally styled to perfection sat in slight disarray atop her head, as though she had been running her fingers through the strands.
But it was the haunted look in her eyes that had my spine stiffening.
“Why are you here? What’s going on?”
“I know I haven’t been kind to you,” she said, ignoring my question. “I could stand here and make excuses for myself. Tell you that I was acting at the behest of my father, and later, my uncle, but the truth is, Cadence, I am weak.”
She released a shaky breath, and her hands shook.
“I’ve never been strong-willed or had the courage to fight for what I want.”
Emotion flooded her cobalt eyes, and she had never looked so vulnerable.
“Why are you telling me this?” Unease churned in my stomach the longer Celeste spoke.
She smiled, but it was filled with sadness. “Even though you had every right to abandon me, you didn’t.” She choked on the last word as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Memories of Lord Barrington holding her above the ground, his hands wrapped around her tiny throat as he strangled her, assaulted me.
My palms clenched into fists, and I exhaled a slow, calming breath. If fate had decided that my life would end in the Unseelie Kingdom, at least I’d made my mark by eradicating that coward.
“No matter our history, Celeste, you never deserved the mistreatment that others inflicted on you.”
Celeste’s watery smile made my chest tighten. She didn’t believe me, but she was grateful all the same.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “I wanted to thank you one last time.”
“One last time?”
“Yes. I am leaving court and returning to my mother’s ancestral home.”
“Oh, that’s… nice.” It sounded like a question; my confusion as to why she was sharing this information with me was clear in my tone.
Her lips curled into a sly grin, and a sparkle entered her eyes. “There is a boy there, well, I suppose he’s a man now.”
“Ah, I see.” It was strange to be having this conversation with her, given our history.
“I was never interested in Ryker, Cadence. Truth be told, he terrifies me.”
A shiver racked her frame, and I couldn’t suppress my smirk. Ryker had that effect on people.
“I don’t mean to sound rude,” she said, biting her lip, “but what is it you see in him?”
Her question made me pause. How could one explain the magnetic, yet dangerous pull of a man like Ryker?
He was ruthless to his core, quick to judge, and unflinching in his brutality. But beneath that, he was fiercely loyal. When he cared for someone, he did so with every fiber of his being. He would fight for those he loved, even at the cost of his own ruin — a truth few would ever understand.
I didn’t say that, though.
Instead, I said, “There are many layers to Ryker Ashborne. The ones that matter most are guarded behind walls very few can conquer.”
She studied me, her head tilted, but I couldn’t tell what she saw.
“I hope you know what it is you’re fighting for, Cadence,” she said, breaking the silence.
My hand darted to my belly, and a small flutter erupted inside me. “I do.”
“Good, because the palace is under attack.”
“What?” I said, shaking the bars of my cage. “Maybe start with that next time.”
My gaze swept the dungeon, but it was devoid of life.
“Can you get the keys to my cell? I need to find my brother, and Ryker, and Riordan, and…” I cut myself off, forcing my lungs to expand as I inhaled a deep breath.
“I’ll do you one better.” She grinned, her fingers dipping into the small pouch at her hip.
A moment later, she drew out a ring of rusted keys.
They rattled in her hand until she found the right one and pressed it into the lock.
The mechanism made a low groan before clicking open, and Celeste swung the door wide.
I all but hurled myself at her, clutching her shoulders in a desperate, crushing hug. “Thank you.”
Celeste stiffened before she relaxed, returning the embrace. “Now we’re even,” she chuckled. When she reached for my wrists, she tested several keys before finding the right one. The metal slid to the ground, the loud clang echoing like a clap of thunder in the small space.
Stepping back, I surveyed her, taking in the velvet slippers adorning her feet. “Find some boots,” I instructed before running my gaze over her gown. “And some pants. Leave now before the fighting intensifies, and you can’t get out.”
She swallowed thickly but nodded her agreement. “Stay safe, Your Majesty.”
A swell of emotion caught in my throat, and I barely managed a curt nod. Celeste whirled around, racing up the stairs as I watched her go.
My heart pounded against my ribs as I let my magic surge through me, the iron no longer suffocating its flow. When my pulse steadied and my breathing evened, I drew my power close, ready to unleash.
I had a war to win.