21. Thalia
THALIA
“ I t’s going to be all right,” I said, keeping my voice low and calm as I held my hand out toward a fae child curled up beneath a table. “We won’t hurt you.”
Her violet eyes darted between me and my outstretched hand and, finally, she reached out a trembling one. Her porcelain skin was dusted in shades of green and blue, and her teal hair was matted, cloaking her feather-dusted shoulders.
“You’re one of the feather folk, right?” I said with a gentle smile as I took her hand, helping her to her feet.
It was difficult to mask the fury I felt seeing a child in this wretched place again.
I’d hoped we wouldn’t find any, but after an hour or two of searching, we found her, and I knew it was only the beginning.
We would find more, and I only prayed they were alive and unharmed.
Feather-tipped ears rose from beneath her hair, twitching at what I assumed was the first acknowledgment of her kind in gods knew how long, and she nodded before sniffling .
“Do you have a name?” I asked, dreading the thought that someone might be binding these poor children again. “Did they take it from you?”
She shook her head. “My name’s Aesos.”
A sense of relief washed over me; perhaps whoever was responsible for all this wasn’t using Arden’s same cruel methods or at least weren’t skilled enough to. It would make getting them all out far easier.
“Aesos, this is Damien and Micah,” I said, gesturing to them as they stood nearby, watching quietly so as not to startle her any further. “We’re all here to help get you out. Are there others?”
She looked from me to Damien, Micah, and the few warriors at the entrance before turning back to me and nodding hesitantly.
“Do you know how many?” I asked.
She shook her head.
Unease coiled in the pit of my stomach, but I continued to smile. “That’s all right. Can you take us to them?”
She glanced at Damien and the others nervously. “But the guards...”
“They’re no longer here,” I said, and her eyes widened. “You’re free. We’re getting you all out.”
“Truly?”
“Truly,” I said, my heart twisting at the first glimmer of hope in her expression. “You can trust us.”
I guided her toward the others, hating how filthy she was, how her beautiful skin was marked with scrapes and bruises. How many others like her had never seen the light of day again?
Damien lowered to his knee. “Just a little longer, and you’ll be able to see the sky again. We’ll get you home to the floating islands quickly.”
Tears welled in her eyes, her lips curving into the first smile of what I hoped would be many more.
The ground shuddered beneath our feet, the walls shaking, and my heart lurched as I braced myself against the table, instinctively shielding Aesos with my body. She cried out, curling up into me as she looked to the ceiling, dust raining over us.
“What was that?” Micah asked, looking around nervously.
The beast within me paced and my heart raced. “Someone tripped a ward.”
Damien stilled, and our gazes briefly met, dread crawling over me like ice.
“Damien?” Micah said, glancing at him.
“Thalia, I need you with me. I need to make sure Lucia is all right,” Damien said, his skin paling. “You’ll be able to track her down the fastest.”
I nodded before lowering myself to Aesos’ level while Damien barked orders to the others, grabbing an earth magic wielder to join us.
“Listen to me. I need you to be strong. This is Micah, my bonded. I want you to go with him and show him where the others are to get them out. Can you do that for me? ”
She drew a deep breath and nodded.
“You get them out, Micah,” I said, turning to him. “No matter the cost.”
He drew closer to me, his voice dipping low. “I’ve seen what those wards can do, lost friends to them when we pulled you out of this hell. I’m not leaving your side. If there are more wards?—”
“Promise me,” I said, my voice far harsher than I intended as I grasped his hand. “Promise me.”
Fear painted his face. “I promise.”
“I’ll be all right. I’ll meet you at the gates,” I assured him before pressing a kiss to his lips.
He held me close, resting his forehead against mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, before pulling away to lead Damien into the tunnels, leaving the other warriors to aid Micah in searching for the remaining prisoners.
We couldn’t leave anyone behind. Not Lucia, not the captives, no one... Not again.