Chapter 7
Sebastian
My cell door slams open, jerking me awake. I open my eyes just as two guards storm in.
“On your feet,” one of them barks.
I push myself up from the floor. My ribs still ache a little from where they kicked me. For the most part, I have healed. It is good to be a fae again. If I had been human, it would have taken much longer.
I stand just as one of the guards grabs my arm.
“Move,” he growls.
What now?
I don’t ask because I know they won’t tell me anything.
They haul me out of the cell and down the corridor, where there are more guards. We climb the stairs. One level. Then another. The air grows slightly less oppressive as we rise higher.
We walk for a time, passing even more guards, who stop to stare. We finally stop outside a series of doors.
“It’s the wrong room,” one of the guards says.
“What do you mean it’s the wrong room?” The guard on my left pushes it open and peers inside.
“The captain said to take him to the room at the end of the hallway.” The first guard’s tone is sharp now.
“We never use that one.”
“Well, we’re using it now. Come on.”
They drag me further down the corridor. The torches here are spaced farther apart, leaving long stretches of shadow between pools of light.
We arrive at the door, and one of the guards knocks twice.
“Enter,” comes a voice from inside.
The door opens, and they shove me through.
The room is smaller than I expected. A single table sits in the center with two chairs. Candles burn in wall brackets. There’s a closed leather case on the table, folded neatly.
A fae male stands behind the desk. He’s wearing the formal uniform of the Shadow Court. On his collar is the insignia of a captain. But it’s the second insignia that makes me take pause.
A crossed blade and a whip.
The mark of a torturer.
He’s tall and lean, with dark hair pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. His eyes are a cold, pale blue. I’ve never seen him before.
This should be fun.
I wonder what they’re hoping to glean from me. They probably think I’m a sorcerer. That I’ve used black magic to create the marking on my chest. To change my eyes.
They’ll question me. Try to break me. Force me to confess to crimes I haven’t committed.
Or they’ll want to know where the other Lost Kings are. I’m sure that whatever they want to know, I won’t be able to help them.
The torturer will start with threats, then move to pain. The leather case on the table likely contains his tools.
“Leave us,” the fae man says to the guards.
They exchange glances. “Sir, Lord Belen ordered us to—”
“I said to leave.” His voice is steel wrapped in silk. “Now.”
The guards hesitate for only a moment more, then back toward the door. “Yes, sir.”
The door closes behind them, and we’re alone.
The captain studies me, his dark eyes moving over my face, my torn tunic, as well as the mark on my chest that’s partially visible through the ripped fabric.
“Are you the king of the Shadowfae?” he asks.
“Does it matter?” I ask him. “You will torture me regardless. You may as well begin.” I glance at the leather case on the table.
He smiles.
It’s not the cruel smile I expected. There’s something almost…respectful about it.
“Your Majesty,” he says, dropping to one knee before me. “My name is Tryfon.”
Shadows immediately begin to swirl around the room. They pour from Tryfon like water, flowing across the floor and up the walls, blending and mingling with the ones already there. Within seconds, we’re surrounded by a cocoon of darkness.
“Lord Belen sent me.”
Relief floods me.
“Please, stand,” I tell him.
He rises to his feet, his eyes never leaving mine. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I swear on my life and the lives of my family that I am here to help you escape.”
“I’m glad to hear it and thank you for coming. You can call me Sebastian. We should forget about formalities and get straight to business,” I tell him, folding my arms. “I know that we don’t have much time.”
“No need to thank me, Sire. I am merely doing my duty.” He straightens and moves toward the back wall of the room. “Now, if you’ll follow me?”
He presses his palm against a section of stone that looks identical to every other section. Nothing happens at first. Then he speaks a word in the old tongue and knocks on the same stone twice.
The stone begins to glow faintly where his hand touches it. He moves his fingers in a complex pattern, tracing symbols I recognize as ancient shadowfae runes.
Magic pulses through the air. I feel it against my skin like a breath of wind.
With a soft grinding sound, a section of the wall swings inward, revealing a dark passage beyond.
I stare at it in shock, my mouth falling open. “I had heard whispers of secret passages in the court, but I didn’t think it was real.”
Tryfon glances back at me, one eyebrow raised. “They’ve always been here, Your Majesty. All the courts have them.” He pauses, eyebrows raised. “The passages were put in place for the royals to escape in times of war. I thought you would have been fully aware of them.”
I shake my head. “I… No, I wasn’t.”
My parents died when I was still young. My uncle ruled until I came of age. I’m sure my parents would have told me about the passages once I was old enough.
“There are very few of us who know about them. You will be quite safe. Let us go, Your Majesty.” Tryfon gestures to the opening. “We need to move. Stick close to me.”
The shadows continue to swirl around us as we step into the passage. The moment we’re both inside, the hidden door shuts behind us.
Darkness swallows us whole.
Tryfon lifts a hand, and light radiates from his fingers.
“Stay close,” he tells me.
We start walking. The passage is narrow. The walls are rough stone, and the air smells of dust.
“I need to get you away from the castle,” Tryfon says as he leads the way down the passage.
“Once we’re clear of the walls, we’ll need to part ways.
” He glances back at me every so often while he speaks.
“I’ll have to pretend you overpowered me while you make your way to the outskirts of the court.
There’s a human woman waiting for you there who is a friend to our cause.
Her name is Julienne. I have been assured by Lord Belen himself that she is trustworthy and would give up her life for the cause. ”
“Where do I go once I am free of the castle?”
“Take the old trading road that heads due north. About three leagues out, you’ll see a stand of dead oak trees on the eastern side. Head west until you hit Moon River. Follow the river downstream until you reach a line of trees. It will lead to an old hunting cabin. It’s deep in the Elk Woods.”
“I know it; my father used to take me hunting before he died. We passed by it several times.”
“Julienne is waiting for you. She has horses and travel gear ready. Everything you’ll need to make it out of the Shadow Court and into the deadlands.” He pulls in a deep breath, looking me in the eye. “Then you need to find the other Lost Kings.”
I push out a breath. “Do you have any idea how I should go about doing that? The realm is a big place.” I know that he doesn’t, but I try my luck anyway.
I suddenly feel despondent.
“I’m sorry, Sire. I can’t help you there, but I have every faith that you will do what it takes.” He gives me the smallest of smiles.
Then he pauses at a fork in the passage, choosing the left path. “Please end Snow’s rule. The realm is dying, Your Majesty. The deadlands spread further every day. The decay worsens. She needs to fall so that the realm may be freed. So that we can all thrive again.”
“I have heard that it is bad out there.”
“Whatever your mind conjures, make it far worse, and you still won’t be close.”
I sigh. “To think I helped her.”
“We have all aided her in one way or another…myself included. It will take an army to bring her down. In order to fight, we need to live first. That means doing her bidding. When the time comes, I will gladly lay down my life for the cause. Know that many others feel the same. More than you think.”
We walk in silence for a while. The passage winds through what must be the very walls of the castle.
Tryfon navigates the twisting passages with confidence.
We reach a section where the passage narrows even further. Tryfon holds up a hand, signaling me to stop. Then he presses a finger to his lips.
I freeze.
The sound of voices filters through the stone. We must be passing directly behind one of the main corridors.
There is talking and the sound of shoes on stone.
Tryfon waits several beats more before moving forward again. He doesn’t speak, and neither do I.
The passage slopes downward now, descending deeper into the earth. The air grows colder and damper. The voices fade away.
Then the ceiling drops dramatically. Tryfon crouches, moving forward in an awkward half-crouch. I follow suit.
“Not much further,” he whispers.
The space gets even tighter; my shoulders barely fit.
I heave a grateful sigh when the passage widens again. Tryfon picks up the pace, moving quickly now.
His shadows still swirl around us as we round a final corner. They are translucent enough to be able to see through, and it looks like the tunnel ends abruptly. There is a rope dangling from the end. When we get there, I look up and can just make out a few stars through the swirling shadows.
“There are many guards around the castle and throughout the court,” Tryfon whispers. “You’ll need to be very careful, Your Majesty.”
“I will.”
He turns to face me fully. “I wish you gods-speed. May Kakara place her hand on you and keep you safe.”
“And you as well, Tryfon. Thank you for everything. You should go back now, or they will know you aided me.”
He reaches through the grate, his fingers finding some kind of mechanism. There’s a soft click.
“I will, soon enough. Are you sure you know where you’re going?” he asks as he works.
I nod. “Yes, I know the place.”
I remember the long days in the woods where my father taught me how to track deer. I’d forgotten that memory until just now. The spell that cursed me must have buried it deep.
“Good.” Tryfon gives one final turn, and the grate swings outward on well-oiled hinges. “Belen asked me to remind you not to use your magic unless it’s absolutely necessary. Snow will track you through it.”
“I know.” I nod. “Talking about the general, did he manage to get that performer out? Is she still in one of those cells?” I hate the thought.
He shakes his head, and my heart sinks. “No, he didn’t have to.” Tryfon frowns. “She was released, but the order came from the Ruler General herself.” His frown deepens. “You need to go now, Sire. Time is almost up.”
“Yes…of course.” I’m glad that the performer got out, but I’m puzzled as to why the Ruler General would give the order. It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t matter now because I have other more pressing things to think about.
Tryfon climbs up the rope and hauls himself silently out of the opening. I follow suit and note, once I am out, that the opening is disguised to look like a drain. It’s also obscured by some thick shrubs.
Beyond the thick foliage is a courtyard where guards patrol in pairs. There are so many of them; at least a dozen in this courtyard alone.
I am not sure how I’m going to make it three steps, let alone to the edge of the court and beyond.
“Wait here,” Tryfon whispers. “I’ll create a diversion. May the gods be with you.”
Before I can answer, he slips into the shadow of the castle; his own shadows wrap around him like a cloak, making him almost invisible.
He is silent as a ghost. It doesn’t take long before I lose him. I strain my eyes, trying to find him.
Not five heartbeats later, an explosion erupts from the far side of the castle. It’s loud enough to make my ears ring. Shouts follow, and then the sound of running feet.
The guards in the courtyard exchange alarmed glances.
“What was that?”
“An explosion! At the east wall!”
“Move! Move!”
They take off running, heading toward the source of the noise. Within seconds, the courtyard is all but empty.
One pair of guards remains, but they are straining to see what the commotion is.
I slip around the shrubs. Walk until I am further away, and then start running for the trees. If I can reach those trees, I’ll have some cover. From there, I can make my way to the edge of the court grounds and find the old trade road.
The grass is slick with dew. I reach the slope and start climbing, keeping low.
Bells clang and trumpets sound.
More shouts rise from the castle behind me. The alarm has been raised. Whether it’s because they’ve discovered the diversion was fake or because someone realized I’ve escaped, I don’t know.
It doesn’t matter.
If they don’t know I’m gone, they will very soon.
I wish I were further away, but I can’t think about that now. I need to run as fast as my legs will carry me.