Chapter 21 Camilla #2
Elianna and I moved, but Vincent went out first, blades drawn and ready just in case anyone had snuck around the back.
Once cleared, he turned and reached out to me.
I shook my head and stepped back so Elianna could go first. His eyes hardened, and he shook his head.
I glared back, the silent argument continuing between us, but I refused to move.
I could defend myself, but she could not.
His lips thinned, but there was no time for this, and we both knew it.
He huffed in disgust and reached for her instead.
She only had one leg out when I heard a door near ours crash open.
Adrenaline surged through me, and I shoved Elianna.
She yelped and fell into Vincent’s arms. His eyes grew wide with panic, able to hear the rush of boots drawing near.
With a snap of my magic, I closed the window between us.
Lifting my hands, I quietly chanted an illusion spell.
The words had barely left my lips when the door was kicked in.
Three large, muscular, adrueth warriors entered, turning sideways to fit their wings through the doorway.
The first had his long blond hair tied back from his face, waves spilling past his shoulders.
One thick braid hugged the side of his head, a smiler one below.
The warrior who followed him had dark hair clipped close to his scalp.
A scar split his bottom lip as if someone had tried to slice his face in two.
A woman followed them in. She was tall and lean but no less formidable.
Her ashy blonde hair braided, the thick plait draped over one shoulder.
They each carried a sword sheathed along their spines between their wings, the hilts just visible above their heads.
I pressed deeper into the corner beside the window, chanting silently to strengthen the glamour.
“Nothing,” the dark-haired male said.
The woman sneered. “Let’s keep looking. If they left, they may be close or have forgotten something.”
The massive blond man nodded. “We cannot go back emptyhanded. Milani will have our heads.”
They searched the room, tossing the two mattresses against the wall and overturning the dresser before checking the small bathroom with the same thoroughness. The dark-haired one kneeled and sniffed at the blanket. His eyes flared, and I knew he smelled where Vincent and I had lain.
“They were here,” he said, tossing the blanket to the woman.
“Which means they cannot be far,” the blond male said, and I nearly jumped.
I hadn’t been paying attention, and he was right beside me, his breastplate close enough that if he turned just right, it would scratch my face.
I froze and held my breath. All he had to do was take one more step toward me, and spell or no spell, he’d feel me.
I readied for that as he started to move, ready to fight my way out of here, but he turned away.
“Let’s search outside.” He nodded toward the door, and they filed out behind him. The woman took one last look inside, and I swore she stared right at me, but she didn’t protest when the blond male grabbed her around the waist, dragging her from the room.
“Come, Eva.”
Their boots had barely cleared the hall before the window snapped open, and Vincent’s powerful arms dragged me through.
He set me on my feet, and Elianna glanced at me as if she’d seen a ghost. He pulled me down a narrow alley between the tavern and the shop beside it, Elianna close behind.
We ran, hid, and ducked through town until we reached a manhole.
Vincent wasted no time in hauling away the lid.
The stench hit us, and Elianna groaned, but he ignored her.
He nearly tossed me into the hole, ordered Elianna in after me, and replaced the lid before following us down.
The sewer reeked, but we stuck to the outer wall.
We walked in silence, not talking even though we could no longer hear the city above through the thick walls and ceiling.
I could feel Vincent’s rage beating at me, but he managed to remain silent until we reached a four-way with enough space for us all to stand without touching the rolling water. Then he spun on me and gripped my shoulders, nearly lifting me off my feet.
“If you ever do that again, I swear—”
“What?” I asked. “They would have seen me, and we would all be dead. It worked, didn’t it?”
“It wasn’t worth the risk.”
“Vincent,” I said softly. “They would have overpowered us and taken you. I was doing—”
My words were cut off as his lips slammed down on mine.
He kissed me as if we weren’t in a sewer, as if Elianna weren’t present.
He kissed me like a dying man, desperate for air, and maybe that was exactly how he felt.
Vincent pulled back and shook me lightly, terror still gnawing at him.
He rested his forehead against mine, both of us trying to catch our breath.
“Never you, Cami,” he whispered. “Do you hear me? Lie, cheat, bargain, or steal, but never endanger your life. Never you. Especially to protect me.”
“Umm,” Elianna said, folding her arms over her chest. “Sorry to ruin the moment, but if Nismera is sending her armada, we are not safe anywhere.”
I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. Elianna wasn’t wrong. I only heard whispers of the powerful force she commanded and only saw their ruler once at that damn gala.
“Where could we hide now?” I asked. “If they own the sky?”
“We are currently her biggest concern,” Vincent said. He steadied me and dropped his hands but didn’t step out of my embrace. “She will be relentless.”
Elianna chewed on her thumb and started pacing away from us. The sound of rushing water down the center drain and the moisture dripping from the manholes masked the sound of her small shoes.
“Not just for us,” I said, pulling the medallion out of my pocket, “but this.”
“Can’t you just get rid of that damned thing?
” Elianna snapped, her hair sticking out of her braid.
She tugged at the cloak and nightgown she wore and stomped toward me.
One slender, pale finger pointed at it. “Toss it or sell it, and let’s be done.
We can run, hide, and get fucking lost in these realms—”
“I never knew you’d be such a coward,” I snapped, my hand closing over the medallion the best I could. “She gets this, and the world, all worlds, are damned.”
“So?” Elianna held up her hands, a coat of moisture in her eyes. “You have no idea what you’re up against. Nismera is unstoppable and untouchable. She has been for eons. What do you think you or anyone can do against her, against her legion and armada?”
Vincent stepped in front of me. I hadn’t realized that I’d stepped toward her. Call it lack of sleep or my worn, brittle nerves, but I was growing tired of her and her selfish ways. Vincent held out his hand. He didn’t touch me, but his palm hovered just inches from my stomach, keeping us apart.
“Coward,” I snapped again. “I won’t damn this world because I’m scared and don’t think for a moment that I am not terrified.
He is, and so are you, but it’s what we do when fear threatens to turn us numb that tells us who we are.
It tells me exactly who you are that every time things get hard, you give up or lie or run away. ”
Elianna scoffed and folded her arms. She shook her head and lifted her chin, trying and failing to look the part of the prestigious council member she used to be. “I may be a coward, but at least I’ll be alive. This?” She pointed toward the medallion. “This is suicide.”
“The way I see it, we’re dead anyway,” I said, tucking the medallion into my pocket. The weight of it pulled on my jacket and lay heavy on my soul. “It’s better to die by what you think is right than to live under a lie.”