Chapter Thirty-Three
Thirty-Three
The moment she removes her hands from our mouths, Giles exhales a sigh of relief that ends with her name. “Shaye.”
There’s no chance for her to react before his arms are around her, clutching her, holding her as though she’s the last woman on earth. Shaye is clearly startled. Her eyes dart from Raph to me. I give a small and knowing smile before turning to Raph.
“Why don’t we give them a moment?”
“We don’t need a moment,” Shaye says defensively.
“Shaye.” Giles pulls away with a hard look.
Shaye rolls her eyes, but the small smile at the corner of her mouth betrays her true emotions. “All right, one minute.”
I pat Raph’s shoulder and guide him over to the other side of a nearby tree. I lean against it, crossing my arms, and stare out over the sloping forest. My gaze is soon brought up to the High Court, glittering against the night sky, looming above us.
“He likes her a lot.” Raph startles me from my thoughts.
“He does,” I agree.
“She likes him too, even if she doesn’t want to show it.”
“You’re astute for a kid.” I tousle his hair. He scowls and rakes it back into place with his fingers. I’ve learned that Raph doesn’t like things that remind him of his age. I must be the worst, because it only makes me want to remind him more.
“One, I’m not a kid,” he says firmly. “And two, I know a thing or two about love.”
I snort. “What do you know about love?”
“I know it when I see it.” He puffs out his chest. “Like that night when you and Prince Davien danced. You two are in love. Anyone could see it.”
A knot in my chest eases as a different one forms in my stomach.
I wonder if he’s right, and if so, how many people could see it.
I wonder how many recognized what was happening well before I or even Davien did.
I wonder if that night, even when he swore to me that there would be no feelings between us, he knew he already loved me and that I loved him.
“Well? Am I right?” Raph presses relentlessly.
“Yes,” I confess with a soft laugh. “You are right.”
“Knew it! And that’s why you’re going to save him even though you’re a squishy human.”
“I resent that.”
“I’m not hearing an argument.” He grins wider. I just roll my eyes.
“Yes, caring for Davien is one of the reasons. Saving your kingdom is also a pretty big motivator.” I look back to that tall city looming up on the hill and the sheer wall that encircles it.
For every Butcher I see prowling, I’m sure there are at least five more hidden away.
A whole army of killers, trained from their very first breath.
Do we really stand a chance against them?
“Sorry for the delay.” Shaye joins us with Giles at her side.
“No apologies necessary.” I push away from the tree.
“Were you two kissing?” Raph waggles his eyebrows.
Shaye leans forward and sticks her nose right near his. “You know, your father and mother aren’t here right now to protect you. You really want to try me, little man?”
Raph’s spine goes rigid as he stands up tall. “No, not in the slightest, sorry, Lady Shaye.”
Shaye hums and straightens up. “I’m watching you, kid.
” Funnily enough, he doesn’t object to being called kid when Shaye is the one to say it.
She does have that intimidating aura—one that grows more intense when she looks up toward the city.
“So, you came here with the intent to break into the High Court?”
“Giles tell you?” I ask.
“He didn’t need to, it’s obvious. Why else would you come? Especially with Dreamsong destroyed.” Shaye’s mouth twists into a frown. Her eyes flash with a rage unlike any I have ever seen. This battle has always been personal for her, and Boltov only compounded the reasons she has to fight.
“How did you survive Allor?” I ask.
“Tell you on the way.” Shaye starts up the hillside. “I think I know the best place for us to get in.”
As we walk around the circular city, Shaye tells her tale. She engaged with Allor for as long as she could, taking blows so that Davien and I could escape. Once Shaye had reached her limit, she activated a magic that she calls “the dreamless sleep.”
“And what does that do?” I ask.
“It’s a ritual of my own inventing—it’s how I escaped Boltov the first time.
I think of it like wrapping myself up in the shroud of death.
I can cocoon in it for a short time. Doing so stills my breathing and slows my heart to the point that it’s nearly impossible to tell that it’s still beating; it’s a sort of stasis.
But if I stay there too long, I actually will perish. ”
“So you made Allor believe she killed you and revived yourself after she left.”
“Yes. Butchers are always too eager to believe that they’ve bested their foes.
They assume that no one can compete with their skill and ruthlessness.
They don’t stay around to give burials or double-check their finishing blows.
” Shaye shrugs. “It worked once before; it worked again. Then I tried to find you and Davien. When I saw the remnants of a struggle at the keep, I went for Dreamsong.” All that time, Shaye was on her way just steps behind us.
“And, on seeing the ruins, I came straight here. I came to make good on my promise. I had no idea who else survived.”
“You came to kill Boltov,” I finish for her.
“I always said that I would…or I will at least help the man who does.” Shaye’s gaze falls to my neck. “I take it he didn’t get the powers and that’s why we’re in this mess?”
“No, he didn’t get them. And it was my fault. If I had moved faster—”
“It was the fault of the Butchers who attacked you and Boltov for sending them,” Giles interrupts. “Don’t take blame when it’s not deserved.”
“Bloody Butchers.” Shaye curses under her breath. “Never miss a chance to ruin something, do they?”
We come to stop at a low-lying point on the hillside. A small stream rushes past iron bars set in the wall.
“It’s one of the water sources for the city,” Shaye explains.
“This will work nicely.” Raph scampers over, inspects the bars.
“Move aside, kid.” Giles approaches. “Leave this to the man with the history of building.”
As I watch Giles begin to set up a small ritual on either side of the narrow riverbank, I feel hopeful for the first time.
Giles and his knowledge of construction will help us get where we need to go.
Raph is small and nimble. He’s also proved himself to be creative and resourceful—things we’re definitely going to need on the inside.
And Shaye—she has the most valuable information of all of us.
She’s lived in the High Court before. If anyone can figure out where they’re holding Davien and how to get to him, it’s her.
I glance over at her, prepared to tell her how grateful I am that she’s here with us. But her solemn expression takes the wind from my sails.
“What is it?” I ask softly so as not to draw Giles’s or Raph’s attention. Shaye stares silently up at the city, her chest rising and falling slowly as she breathes deeply—in through her nose and out through her mouth. “Shaye?”
“I can’t believe I’m finally back here,” she admits, bringing her eyes to mine. There’s a searching quality to her gaze, tinged with a frantic worry that I know I can’t calm. “I can’t believe I’m going back in. Willingly.”
“It’s all right if you don’t want to.” Boldly, I rest my hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.
In a small way, I think I can relate to the fringe of what she’s feeling.
I imagine what emotions might smother me if I ever stood before my family’s home again. I would be terrified, to say the least.
Shaye laughs softly and shakes her head. “I’m not upset. I’m proud of myself for coming back—for being strong enough to make good on my promise.”
“I admire you,” I say softly.
Shaye brings her eyes to mine. “And I admire you. Throughout all this, you’ve remained resilient, more than I expected. You’re not so bad…for a human.”
A small pop interrupts our conversation. We both look back to see Giles lifting a section of the grate away. He rests it to the side. Raph scrambles to try and help, but I imagine the boy can’t do much in the way of heavy lifting.
“You both ready?” Giles asks, though his eyes are mostly on Shaye.
“Yes.” She strides forward with confidence, grace, and murderous intent.
I watch as the woman willingly marches back into the den of her tormentor without the slightest trace of fear.
No…that’s not quite true. I saw her eyes.
She is afraid. But she’s not letting that fear win—she’s not giving him power over her by allowing him to frighten or intimidate her.
I hope that someday I can be half as strong as Shaye. That I live long enough to try. As I cross beneath the wall of the High Court, I make a silent vow to myself:
I will go back to my family’s home, confront them for what they did.
I will tell Laura to leave—with me or on her own—and be her own woman, and then I will leave the rest of them behind me forever.
I will never be afraid of them again. I will never let them intimidate me again.
I will not let the fears they embedded in the dark corners of my mind rule me.
Halfway through the tunnel, Shaye pauses, motioning for us to do the same.
When she speaks, her voice is nothing more than a whisper.
“This is going to drop us right in a busy area. Even at this time of night, there’ll be people out on the streets, heading to or from taverns or conducting business. ”
“And with the water, there’s no way we can glamour.” Raph stares at his feet.
“Which means there’s no hiding.” Shaye nods.
“No wonder it was left with such meager protections.” Giles strokes his chin in thought. “So what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to create a distraction,” Shaye says.
“No,” Giles interjects.
She speaks over him. “I have a few more rituals charged. I can make enough chaos that you three can slip into the crowd.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Giles grabs her hand.