23. Chapter Twenty-Three
“There are underground passageways just beyond the deadlands,” Isaac said after flipping through a few books. Talia was alongside him as Xaden cooked some stew, pointing on a map so I could follow along with his theories. “They are from the war, and there’s no telling whether they’ve collapsed over the years, but they are the most secure way through the Elkyn Kingdom.”
“And if they’ve collapsed?” I asked after chewing on my cheek. “What then?”
Talia leaned over her map and hummed as she reached for her quill and marked a star on the tavern. “The Whitesands Tavern was a safe haven of neutrality when fae and mortals could come and go during the war. If it still exists, you can ask the owner. They all but organized the passageways in the event battles got too close.” Talia looked up at me and smiled sheepishly. “If it doesn’t, and the passageways are destroyed, then it would be wisest to turn back.”
I flicked my gaze to Isaac as he silently agreed. “Sapphire is good at glamouring, but you will be spotted a mile away if any of the sorceresses catch sight of you. Your disguise will only go so far.”
Turning back wasn’t an option. If I expected Aurelie to help with something even more dangerous than asking for the Circle of Sorceresses’ aid, then I couldn’t just give up because tunnels built to escape war had turned to ruins over the years. I knew she needed this—to get closure, even if Julius was undeserving, even if Yenira had a colder heart than I’d ever be able to explain. Even if everything she once knew had turned against her.
Aurelie needed this.
I just hoped it didn’t destroy her in the process.
I accepted the map and nodded once, pulling the hood over my head before exiting the house. “I will return in one week’s time. If you do not get word that our return has been delayed, pull every resource you can and ensure their safety. I don’t care if it causes war, I don’t care if it shatters everything we’ve worked up for. My demise will not be the reason for innocent lives lost.”
Talia’s face paled, and Xaden merely nodded after serving her a bowl. These weren’t warriors, but then my focus flicked to Isaac—the one and only remaining scholar I’d relied on every single day since returning from the Night Court. Others came and went without a word, and they could. I had no intention of forcing people to fight for a cause they had no interest in.
Their silence was appreciated, and if that silence broke, then so did their necks.
It was an unspoken agreement. He knew too much. Spoke of too much. Witnessed too much.
I had to have faith in him. And for now, I did, but as he closed that book, there was a small tremble in his hand.
“Return soon, my king,” Isaac said softly. I narrowed my gaze toward him, to which he lowered his focus to my boots. “We will wait for your word.”
“Isaac isn’t a concern,” Casynox said from the door frame as I finished packing the satchel of goods for our trip. “He’s just feeble.”
“He’s quiet, and he sits in the shadows, sure,” I said as I folded a tunic for Aurelie. I glanced out the window and watched her and Sapphire talk near the water. “But we can’t ignore where they come from. I have no concerns about Talia and Xaden, but you didn’t see the look on Isaac’s face today.”
“You think he’s a traitor?”
“I think he knows something.”
“I can get it out of him,” Casynox said with a slight chuckle. I twisted around to look at him and smirked. “Just say the word, snowman.”
“No need, at least not while I’m gone. I don’t want to give him a reason not to speak up if something is going on. Just…keep a watchful eye on him while we’re away. He’s a homebody who functions off habit. We know that much—make sure that does not change.”
Casynox’s lips curled into a small frown, but he nodded. “Are you sure it’s wise for you to be doing this?”
I chuckled and threw the clothes into the bag. “Was it wise to send the Underfae after Aurelie when Novus met her? Was it wise to lie to her and scare her shitless when Sólkon’s men escorted her toward the Summer Court? Hint: the answer is no. But the best things come from the most unwise decisions.”
“And what if nothing comes of it?” he asked. “You broke the treaty…again, might I add. Aurelie will be a traitor in the eyes of any mortal monarch after they find out you two are betrothed. They might be too scared to kill you, but her?”
I rolled my shoulders. “Then war will come early, and it will come for the people who threatened her. It’s as simple as that. I won’t send our men. It will be fast, and it will be by my hands.”
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I adore your violent tendencies. Blood looks good on you, Eero.”
I dipped my head forward and barked out a laugh. “Shut the hell up, Casynox.”
“At your command,” he teased before kicking the door open. “Just don’t be any stupider than me.”