Chapter 11
CASTELIS
I have taken a few precious hours to prepare to journey back to the city as fast as I can. As I emerge from my cave to start my journey back to Rylian, it becomes immediately obvious I waited too long.
They are there. Just beyond the border.
Winter Court wardens, mounted on spotted gray steeds in the unmistakable black livery.
Hooded men, their cloaks navy trimmed with delicate white embroidery, only their beards showing in the ward’s light, a mixture of black beards and grandfather white ones.
One of them turns his head toward me, and I see his lips curl in a cruel smile.
He’s seen me.
One of them raises a hammer, and I watch in horror as it falls against the ward where it floats in the air, again and again, and the icy shards spray. The light flickers, but briefly, and there’s a flash of gold like autumn sunlight in the dark of night. But ultimately, the ward holds.
I rush back into the cave. But I can’t stay, can I? I can’t stay here. They’ve seen me, and if the ward breaks, they’ll quickly kill me, and they’ll find the crystal if they bother to look.
Not to mention, I have to warn Rylian.
The light reaches part of the cave, so I can see it flicker. Outside, the slide of metal rings off the hillsides. The stamping and snorting of horses. Quiet mutters.
I grope around for the crystal. Can I use it somehow to buy us all time?
Its heavy weight is there, covered in the rough burlap.
It’s cold to the touch. I wonder if I should bring it and try to revive the ward, or if I should leave it behind.
They wouldn’t expect such a treasure here in this cave.
If someone is out there, I could get caught.
Then again, they could also search for this cave and my things, as they saw me run in here, and this is hardly a foolproof hiding place. Or any hiding place at all.
Maybe I should bury it.
Breathing shallowly, trying to stay quiet, I search the pack by feel for the stupid pocketknife. But it’s better than nothing.
Then, as quietly as I can, I remove the crystal. Can it strengthen the ward from here? I can only hope.
I raise it in both hands, like I had the last time, but I’m much further from the ward now. Still, I close my eyes and pray.
I’m not a praying woman, but it works. Darkness returns for a moment, but then the light blazes brighter suddenly. The King’s Heart is hot in my hands now, almost searing.
Murmurs from the wardens grow angry.
“Something reinforced it,” someone shouts.
“Maybe it was that girl.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That was a human mortal. Humans can’t wield fae magic.”
I frown. Is that what I’m doing?
“There’s another ward half a mile that way, on the other pass. Let’s go. They can’t reinforce all of them.”
I hear the horses head off, and when it’s quiet, I put away the crystal, slip it into my pack, keep my knife in my hand, and slip out into the night. Even as I set off for the city, I am struggling to figure out what my end game is. My plan. How can I possibly reach Rylian in time?
They have horses. And I barely have a head start.
I have a fancy crystal, but no actual ability or knowledge of how to use it, and I definitely don’t want them to find it.
Also, the fae among them could have all sorts of powers that I can’t anticipate.
Ways of sensing me or hurting me that I can’t know.
Ways to read my mind. This is exactly why they keep those secrets so guarded, for as long as they can.
I think I know Alred’s now, though. What could Rylian’s be?
I wonder, if I help protect the kingdom, if I can get Rylian back his father’s crystal, might he someday tell me his secrets?
The day we sat and drank tea together, it sure had seemed like he’d wanted to.
Silly of me to fall for a fae high king, really, but can anyone blame me?
With those amber eyes, the way his thumb had caressed the back of my hand, the way he promised to read my report and truly seemed to have meant it…
Gods, I have to reach Rylian. And I’m going to need a faster way to do it than on foot.