44. Sie
FORTY-FOUR
SIE
“All I need is your invisibility to keep Vallie hidden once I get to her. I’ll do everything else myself,” Peter half sneered at Dovelyn later that day. We were in the princess’s tent—who somehow managed to snag a private one, while everyone else was still stuck sharing.
“And Kallon,” the princess deadpanned, staring at her fingernails. “You would need her to portal you in and out of Lux.” Her cool arrogance seemed to have returned now that she had everything she wanted. Brock was awake and recovering, only Scottie paid the price for it.
The princess blew our cover saving the brute and didn’t seem to have any remorse or regrets about it. I half wondered if she visited Scottie after she returned this morning… If Tezya would even let her. I didn’t know how he could stand looking at his sister. She was selfish as hell and was too caught up in her own world to even care about anyone else. I had no idea why Peter was even bothering with her. She wasn’t going to help.
Peter gritted his teeth. “Fine. All I need is you and Kallon, but neither of you have to lift a finger. ”
The princess scoffed. “The last time we went to Lux we were all almost caught. You have Scotlind back, isn’t that enough?”
Peter flexed his fingers and drew out a long breath. It took a lot to piss him off, but I could tell the princess was testing his patience. “If Brock was still there, you’d find it worth it. She’s innocent and being tortured by your father, isn’t that enough?”
“It’s suicide. You can’t rescue her alone,” was all Dovelyn responded with.
“It was impossible when we rescued him from the prison,” Peter spat at her and half-heartedly gestured toward me, “but we still did it, and we succeeded. All I’m asking is for us to try.”
“That’s different. No one was expecting a break-in inside the prison when we got Sie. We succeeded because the guards were relaxed and there were no tip-offs. Vallie is being kept in my father’s personal chambers. Do you have any idea how heavily guarded they are?”
Peter bristled, hating her words, hating the reminder of all the different kinds of torments the King was inflicting on her. She was beautiful and kind from the little bit of time I’d spent with her when we toured LakeWood, but she wasn’t worth the life of my friend. It was the only thing I agreed with Dovelyn on—that rescuing her alone, right now, was suicide. I knew it wasn’t a fair call, but I cared about Peter more than I did her. I was worried if he went into Lux, he wouldn’t come back.
But a deeper, more selfish part of me was terrified it’d ruin my chances of getting Greyland back. I needed to wait. I had no leads on my brother or mother.
When we questioned Arcane, he refused to talk. But when we went to Kole next, he told us everything we wanted to know—just not about my family. He answered question after question about Vallie, and the moment he admitted she was chained in the King’s room, Peter lost it. I swore he was going to destroy the entire tent when Kole told us that, he was not only torturing her during the day, but forcing her into his bed at night .
I was surprised Kole gave up the information willingly. I had spent hours torturing him for information when he attacked Scotlind back in Tennebris, and he never budged no matter what I did to him. But now, it was too easy. He was telling us everything we wanted to know without hesitation.
Something was off.
“He could be leading you right into a trap,” I added because it was the truth. We caught them both easily, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe it was on purpose. Did they let themselves get caught to set us up? Kole’s rare moment of candor seemed too convenient to be true. And thanks to the Sui Alluse they both ingested right before coming here, I couldn’t compel the answers out of them… yet .
And I planned to do just that. I needed to ask every question imaginable so I could find Greyland.
“We should wait until the Alluse leaves his system,” I said. “I can compel Kole once it does and make sure his story adds up. You just need to wait a little bit longer, Peter.”
“No. That’s out of the question. I’m getting her tonight .”
“Then you’re being stupid,” I hissed. “You should wait until we can all go in together. If I can wait to get my mother and Grey back, so can you. I know it sucks, doing nothing fucking sucks, but if you go now, you risk getting caught, and then no one will be able to save her.”
“It’s different,” Peter snapped. “The Lux King isn’t forcing your mother and brother to sleep with him, is he?” I’d never seen Peter so pissed off, so short fused. I blew out a breath, trying not to let it get to me. I knew he was just as terrified as I was.
“I don’t know what he’s doing to my little brother, and it’s fucking killing me. I can’t sleep. I can’t do anything but worry about him. I want to get him back just as badly as you want to get Vallie, but I realize that means a tiny bit of fucking patience. We need to make sure Kole and Arcane aren’t leading us into a fucking trap.”
“Kole’s not lying,” Peter said sternly, “but even if he was, I don’t care. I’m going after her, Sie. The longer we wait, the worse it’s going to get for all of them.”
Savannah blew out a breath. She had been listening quietly on the princess’s bed, taking everything in. She cocked her head to the side. “What’s up with the male testosterone in this camp going ape-shit over the girls they like?”
Peter whipped his head to glare at her, but he didn’t deny it. He couldn’t. He never admitted to liking Vallie, and I didn’t think he ever would, but I’d never seen him so distraught, so vexed and helpless about something. He was always the calm, optimistic one between the two of us, always finding the positive in every situation, but this was consuming him. It was breaking him.
“I’ll do it,” Kallon said, surprising the group. “I’ll go with you to get her back now instead of waiting.” I would have thought that she was only agreeing to the plan after what happened with Scottie. Tezya still hadn’t forgiven her for portaling him back to the camp without her. Maybe she thought if she returned with her best friend he’d finally let it go. But the Fire Prince wasn’t here. He dragged Scottie away the moment the trade was made, forcing her into the healer’s tent, even though she was kicking and soundlessly screaming. I didn’t envy him right now for trying to tame her.
“Why?” I asked Kallon, scanning her face, never really noticing the fine details in it before. All I ever saw when I looked at her was her multi-colored, ever-changing hair. But today, the colored side was a dark gray, almost matching her normal shade of black. And for some unforeseen reason, I thought of Savannah’s eyes. The shading wasn’t right. Savannah’s were lighter with opal specks infused into them whereas Kallon’s hair right now seemed more devoid of color and life. But it was the first time I studied her face without her hair drawing all my attention, and I was surprised that she was beautiful.
Her lips pursed as she met my gaze. “Because Scotlind is my friend, and if this Vallie girl is important to her, then she’s important to me too. I know what the King is capable of, and if what the compulsion user said was true, the poor thing has been through enough. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this mess, and no one deserves what’s being done to her.”
I exhaled, trying my best to remain calm. If they went for Vallie now, it meant my chances of getting Greyland were slim. They had half-ass information from Kole about Vallie—if they wanted to believe it—but I had nothing. I would be going in blind. I had no idea where he was keeping my family. “This is all pending on Kole telling the truth,” I said, trying to talk them out of it.
“He is,” Dovelyn said, and I could have punched her. “At least about the part regarding the castle. There is a secret entrance into the King’s rooms. If they are occupied with Scotlind and my brother’s disappearances, it will give us a chance to break her free without them noticing. Potentially. ”
“We have to act now while they’re looking for Arcane,” Peter pleaded. “The King won’t be occupied with Vallie, but if we wait too long, he will be. We’ll lose our only chance.”
“Fine,” Dovelyn said, half rolling her eyes, and I was surprised as hell she was agreeing, that she’d do anything to aid anyone else but herself, especially when it didn’t benefit her at all. But then again, I was told the princess went into the prison to rescue me. Maybe she only acted like she didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything…
Dovelyn looked toward Kallon. “You have a portal set up there, right?”
Fuck. There was no talking them out of it. I zoned out their conversation, leaving them to sort through the logistics of their ill-thought out plan, to focus on the rest of the camp. If they were breaking into Lux, I had to find a way to work my family’s rescue into it, even if the idea of not waiting to compel Kole was completely fucking idiotic.
My skin lit up in golden spirals as I focused my telepathy throughout the camp, trying to use it as a locator to find Tezya. It was hard to do with the sheer mass of Advenians that lived here, but I’d been training with my abilities, getting more comfortable using them freely now that my body was poison-free.
I was learning how to use my telepathy at greater distances while simultaneously shifting from mind to mind. Peter helped me. He’d sneak off to different areas of the camp, and I’d try to find him. It was hard as hell and usually gave me a grueling headache afterward.
Before, I’d only ever used telepathy on someone in the same room as me. But I was getting better at it and finding it easier and easier the more I practiced.
Our abilities were a muscle, and I never realized how much I relied on physical fighting over my powers. How much I never worked my abilities and just took them at face value. But being here gave me nothing better to do, so I trained both.
Tezya, luckily, was easier to find in the camp. I assumed it had something to do with us being related, but I didn’t want to dwell on what that meant. When I finally found him, still in the healer’s tent, I opened my mind to his, using my powers. I need you here, right now.
Where are you? His voice sounded a moment later. I was surprised by the lack of questioning.
Dovelyn’s tent. They’re going after Vallie tonight.
“It’s not ideal,” Kallon said. Their conversation coming back to me the moment I disconnected from Tezya’s mind. “It’s about a half mile from the entrance of the tunnel, but if we leave now while it’s still dark, we should have enough cover. ”
“Good.” Dovelyn nodded. “You’ll only have thirty minutes once we get in.”
I was about to stall them when Scotlind cut me off. She pushed open the flap of the tent and halted in front of Peter. She’d changed out of the flimsy gown she was in, and I was thankful, not wanting another reminder of the damn broadcast and what it cost me.
Her words were winded as she fought to catch her breath. “You’re going after her,” she wheezed.
Peter nodded.
I glared at Tezya who came up behind her. You fucking told her? I seethed into his mind.
I didn’t tell her anything, he snapped back, Teleport her away.
“Don’t you dare,” Scotlind said out loud, turning to glare at Tezya. “I’m coming with you—”
Tezya’s voice cut inside my head, his eyes honed on me, and I knew why he was asking me to do it. Scottie wasn’t healed. Her entire body was a well of scars, and he didn’t want her to come. Teleport her now, Sie.
I called to my powers, grabbing onto Scotlind before she could react, then teleported her to the opposite side of the camp. I vaguely heard her yelling at me as I dropped her onto a grassy field.
I’m sorry, Tezya’s voice sounded the second I teleported back, and I realized I was still connected to his mind.
I scanned the empty tent—well almost empty tent. Only Savannah was standing between me and the fading purple and black mist.
“Fuck,” I cursed.
“They left,” Savannah announced, like I wasn’t aware of the obvious. I kept swearing and shouting every curse word imaginable as I started pacing up and down the small-ass tent like if I walked through the evaporating portal mist, it might still work.
Scottie flew into the tent sometime later, panting and drenched in sweat. I didn’t have time to worry about the fact that she probably shouldn’t have been running. Right now, I didn’t care, all I could think about was that my little brother was in Lux, and I was stuck here.
When Tezya promised me he’d help me get my family back, I thought he meant I’d go with him, not stay behind and play fucking babysitter.
I thought I was teleporting Scotlind across the camp to leave her behind, not so he could leave me behind too.
Scottie was screaming, at me or in general, I wasn’t paying attention long enough to care.
“Scotlind, shut the fuck up,” I cursed.
“I’m sorry I’m bothering you ,” she hissed back. “You’re the one who teleported us away.”
I started rubbing my temples.
“That’s my best friend,” she was still screaming. “I can’t just sit back and do nothing. And now Tezya went—”
“It’s my best friend too,” I snapped, and she paused. My anger fumed out as I looked into her sapphire eyes, and I realized I had never yelled at her before, had never even raised my voice. “Peter left to go rescue her. He’s out there too. Him, my mother, and my little brother… they’re all I have left. Everyone I fucking love is in Lux right now.”
She didn’t respond, just stared at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw lavender hair flash by the tent flaps, and I knew Savannah was leaving.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Just come sit with me,” I said once we were alone. I walked over to the spot on the bed Savannah vacated and slumped down onto it. “If they don’t come back in a little bit, I’ll figure out a way to teleport us there.”
I’d teleport us there now, but they’d portal back before I even made it halfway across the mortal territory. It’d take us multiple days to get there, and by that time, we’d be too late .
Scotlind still hadn’t moved. “And who’s to say you won’t leave me behind again?”
“I won’t,” I ground out, pissed that I even listened to the Fire Prince. “Just sit down,” I resigned, softening my voice, as I gestured to a spot on the bed. I wasn’t mad at her, and I knew she had just as much reason to be pissed at me as she did Tezya.
Her eyes widened as she took in my arms. White scars ran up both my arms, stopping at my biceps from when I pulled her off of Kole. Rainer’s lightning hurt like hell, and I only got the remnants of its effects from touching Scotlind. I wondered how she felt about being covered in them. But judging from the way she was assessing my own arms, I got the sinking feeling she hadn’t looked at herself yet. Guilt washed through me because I knew some of her scars were because of me, because I failed to protect her when I should have been there for her. Again.
She hesitated. “Sie, I…”
“Yeah, I know, you love him. I’m not asking you to cuddle with me and magically choose me instead.”
“Then what are you asking?”
Hell if I knew, but I was fucking terrified for Peter and Greyland, and I needed a distraction.
And more than that, I was furious I was left behind.
I needed to be the one to save Grey, and if I lost the opportunity because of this… If Tezya didn’t come back with my brother, I’d kill him, and then Scotlind would never look me in the eyes again.
I just wanted to forget everything that happened for a damn moment. Pretend that our relationship wasn’t completely gone. Pretend that I didn’t just watch Moli and my father get murdered like it was nothing more than a fucking spectacle. Pretend that the most sadistic Advenian alive wasn’t threatening my little brother’s life right now. Pretend that I was okay and not hanging on by fraying threads because I had no fucking idea what to do next .
I knew I couldn’t realistically teleport us to Lux. It was across the fucking ocean, and I didn’t have the slightest idea which direction to go from the camp. Dravenburg refused to give the new location to us, and no one was allowed to leave to figure out where we were shielded.
Not that any of us listened to his rules when we got Scotlind back this morning, but he didn’t know that. We all agreed to keep Kole and Arcane hidden from Dravenburg, and so far, he hadn’t noticed Scotlind was back or the extra surveillance we’d been making around Tezya’s tent. Wells and Rainer turned it into a makeshift cage prior to the trade, and we all agreed to cycle through shifts watching them. Currently Rainer was stuck on guard duty.
I sighed. There was nothing I could do but wait. So instead I said, “Just sit down. I already have a headache from your screaming, and I don’t feel like getting whiplash from your pacing.”
Her lips turned up into what I would almost call a smile, but then it was gone. “You promise to teleport us if they don’t come back?”
“Yes,” I said to her, and I meant it, even though it’d be near impossible. Peter, Greyland, and my mother were all I had left, and all three of them were in Lux.