CHAPTER 39
Zarreth
The strap of the pack cuts across my shoulder, weight shifting with each step. It’s loaded with what we’ll need: rations, water, blades. Enough to last a few days.
The courtyard’s mostly quiet, just the distant clink of armor from the guards pacing the upper wall. I trace short distances between the shadows, the scent of hay and ash pulling me toward the stables.
The horses inside lift their heads when I enter. They’re taller than mortal ones, and their manes glow when I pass by.
“Careful,” a voice warns from the dark.
I spin toward the sound, hand already on my blade.
The falkyrie with the black streaks under her eyes steps forward, bow resting across her back. She eyes me like she’s weighing what to do now that she caught me. “You’re not supposed to be out here.”
Fuck, she was one of the falkyrie I didn’t mind. I’d hate to kill her. “It’s a good thing you didn’t see me.”
Her gaze flicks toward the horses and back to me. “The Queen ordered a full lockdown. No one leaves. She’s convinced another surge is coming.”
I grunt, unhooking the lead rope from the nearest stall. “She’s not wrong.”
For a beat, neither of us moves. Then she exhales sharply through her nose. “You have ten minutes before the next shift, and I can’t guarantee the next falkyrie will be as awesome as me.”
I’m stunned, but not entirely surprised she decided to help. “You’re not afraid of getting in trouble?”
She smiles. “I live for trouble.”
She moves past me, checking harnesses with practiced hands. “Those two are fast and quiet.” She nods to the horses in the last two stalls. “I’ll ready a cart while you get your friends.”
“Thank you,” I say, quickly tracing away before she can change her mind.
Frankie jumps up the moment I walk through the door. Jess pushes down her blankets, and Graven pulls her into his arms. Her boots are already on, and they’re ready to go.
“We need to move quickly,” I tell them. “We’ve got about nine minutes. Once they realize the horses are missing, they’ll be on us.”
“You stole horses?” Frankie asks, eyes nearly bulging from her head.
I pull her in for a quick kiss. “Anything for you, little mate.”
“Finally, some action around here. I thought I might die of boredom if I had to stay in this fucking infirmary any longer.” Graven gives me the same look Ronin does when he’s about to do something we’ll both regret. They look more like brothers than cousins.
We slip through side corridors, taking the back way, hoping there’ll be less guards. We almost reach the exit when voices drift from the hallway behind us. Frankie freezes mid-step, so I grab her wrist and pull her into a small nook. Graven squeezes in beside us, careful not to jar Jess.
“Search every exit,” a voice calls out. “The Queen wants the halls cleared before dawn.”
Footsteps get closer and closer as Frankie stiffens beside me. I’m ready to knock him out so he doesn’t alert the others, but luckily he stops before reaching us. “All clear,” he shouts, turning back the way he came.
Graven shoots me a look like he’s questioning how the Queen’s guards ever made it past training. The sound of boots echoing through the hall finally disappears and we keep moving.
By the time we reach the outer gate, the falkyrie is waiting with the horses hitched and ready. Dark clothes are draped over them, hiding their glowing manes. Thank fuck! A part of me didn’t expect her to pull through.
“This is as far as I go,” she says, handing me the reins. “Cut across the lowlands. Adds a day, but unless you’re dying to run into the Queen’s patrols, it’s worth it.”
“Thank you…” I hesitate, realizing I never got her name.
She smiles. “My friends call me Rhea.”
I reach my hand out. “Thank you, Rhea. I owe you one.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” She shakes my hand, giving me a faint smile, then turns to Frankie. “Be careful, Desfara.”
Frankie nods. “I’ll see you soon.”
A thought rises, and I fucking hate it. What if she doesn’t see her soon? What if we’re making a mistake? I should just force her…Nope, don’t fucking start, Zarreth. You’re not going to force her to do anything.
Graven’s already in the back, with Jess across his lap. Frankie hops in beside them, and I flick the reins. The wagon jolts forward and the city fades away as we ride into the dark.
The road stretches ahead. The steady rhythm of hooves striking the ground is calming after everything that’s happened tonight.
Frankie moved up beside me once Jess fell asleep.
Her head rests on the side rail, eyelids heavy.
She keeps one hand over her stomach as she sleeps.
Gods, I love her. I love our babies. I love them so much it fucking hurts.
Every mile we put between us and the Queen is progress, but it’s also one mile closer to the portal.
Fuck, how the hell am I supposed to let her do this?
With the portal turning the local wildlife into monsters, it's becoming hard to believe Theia when she said it won’t turn on her.
I stop my mind from going there and focus on how the portal reacted to Frankie instead.
It definitely recognized her like Theia said it would. That has to mean something, right?
Frankie shifts, mumbling softly in her sleep. My hand finds hers and she exhales, her body settling the moment I touch her.
The sun’s starting to rise when she stirs again. The wagon hits a bump, pulling a groan from her lips. “I can’t handle it anymore,” she mumbles. “We need to stop before my bladder explodes.”
“Oh, thank God,” a quiet voice calls weakly from the back. “I’m about to pee my pants.”
Frankie turns in her seat. “Doing okay back there?” she asks while I slow the wagon to a stop.
“Define okay,” Jess says, the words turning into a cough.
Graven hops down first and helps her to the ground, steadying her as she wobbles on her feet. He stoops to pick her up, but she stops him. “I can walk. I just need you to help me balance.”
He scoffs. “You need me for a lot more than that.”
“Please, stop acting like you hate it,” she says, wrapping an arm around his waist. “You know you love me.”
He looks up, shaking his head. “Gods, here we go again. I like you better when you’re sleeping.”
They all disappear into the tree line, and hooves thunder in the distance Shit! There’s no hiding the wagon, so all I can do is brace for what’s coming. I can either talk us out of this, or burn them to the ground. Either way, they’re not stopping us.
“Hey, firefly.” A small group of falkyrie round the curve and come into view. “Didn’t think we’d let you do this on your own, did you?” Kara grins, her crystal-edged spear strapped to her back.
She swings down from her horse, shaking out her arm. “Would’ve been here sooner,” she mutters, “but this one insisted the healer burn the wound again.”
Rhea snorts. “You should be thanking me. That thing’s been bothering you ever since you got clawed at the feast.”
Kara rolls her eyes. “You just wanted to watch her set half my arm on fire to prove a point.”
I shake my head, unable to hide my grin. “What are you guys doing here? Not taking us back to the Queen, I hope.” Not that I’d let them.
She looks back toward the city. “Sometimes I think the Queen forgets that we are not sworn to protect her; we’re sworn to protect the realm, and we only answer to Theia.”