Chapter 49 #2
“Right.” Rune taps the diagram in the bottom corner of the map, where rows of cells branch off of a circular room. A knot forms in my throat at its small label. Interrogation chamber. “This here is our destination. And please be mindful of crumbs on the map.”
Maeve looks up from her bowl of roasted hazelnuts. “Right. Sorry. I get hungry when I’m nervous. Anyway, there’s only one staircase to the prison cells. If we have to fight our way down, the guards can fill it up again before we have a chance to get out.”
“Then we fight our way through twice,” Brandur answers, like that’s an easy feat. Leave it to an orc to be confident in the face of prolonged combat.
Rune caresses his jaw as he thinks. “We won’t need to fight our way down if they believe we belong there. The real issue is what happens once they’ve realized their three most valuable prisoners have vanished.”
Brandur leans over the map, his red ponytail sliding down his shoulder. “So when are we performing this operation?”
“There’s only one option. Ronan’s birthday ball is tomorrow night.
” I point to the large, guarded gate that blocks civilian access to Drottheim Keep.
“During the ball, this gate will be open, and people will pour in and out all night. The ballroom is here, on the second level of the keep.” I move my finger to the large open room above the ground floor.
“The grand staircase outside leads directly to it.”
“Where we need to go is below it, as we’ve previously discussed,” Rune adds. “The ground floor houses the war room, offices of high-ranking guards, etcetera. And on this well-patrolled level is the staircase that leads to the bowels of the keep.” He taps it.
Min asks, “Why is the ball held in Drottheim Keep instead of the Blue Palace?”
That’s a good question. The Blue Palace is where the Meirden family lives, higher up on the mountain that overlooks Mythos.
“Drottheim Keep sits on the north end of Mythos, so closer to the luxury inns and wherever else guests may be staying,” Rune answers. “The gate makes it easy to vet who goes in and out. Military personnel are literally right beneath the ballroom, should anything happen.”
Brandur harrumphs. “Like an assassination.”
An assassination. Oh, gods. That’s exactly it. “The whole royal family will be there, including Queen Orla,” I mutter. That’s why Eldon told Desmond that they were running low on time, and why Desmond was adamant that we raid Olin’s tomb by the full moon.
“They wouldn’t cancel the ball for some escaped prisoners, right?” Maeve asks, ignorant of the turmoil inside my head. “Even if they are fae.”
Rune stares at me, raising a brow as he reads my expression. Then he gets it and bursts out laughing. “That’s devious. At her own son’s ball.”
Maeve scrunches her nose. “Her son?”
“You didn’t hear the news?” I ask her. “A crier was already sent to Ne—my hometown.”
“I’ve been here all day,” she says. “Same with Brandur, Min, and Rune. We’ve been preparing for our next job.”
They don’t know. This whole time, Rune was the only one of them who knew. There’s no reason not to tell them now. I brace myself for their reactions. “Desmond wanted to assassinate Queen Orla. That’s why they’ve been imprisoned.”
Brandur grins like that’s the best news he’s heard all day, so broadly displaying his pointed teeth that it’s menacing. “Revenge for one’s people. I like his style. And the other two were involved in it? Finnian has more gatzspa than I thought.”
Maeve looks queasy. “Avedor’s queen? Finnian shouldn’t have gone with them. He should’ve known it was a suicide mission.”
“I do not think Finnian cared,” Min replies, the first thing I’ve heard her say since her short greeting when Rune summoned her.
She could tell something was wrong immediately.
“He, like the other two fae, feels an obligation toward their people. Except in Finnian’s case, he is also demonstrating loyalty to his oldest friend. ”
Loyalty, huh? She doesn’t know that Evie—that I’m the reason they were caught. I’m thankful that Rune magnanimously hasn’t told them yet. For now, I want to keep it that way.
Maeve’s lips purse as she chews another bite of hazelnuts. “So what’s our escape plan?”
Silence ensues. None of us has thought that far ahead yet.
“What about the ball?” I suggest. “When they notice the fae are missing, there are three ways they can react. Locking the ball down, evacuating everyone, or keeping the guests ignorant. Either way, they have to let the guests go free eventually, and we can leave with them.”
Rune claps his hands together. “Disguises! I do love disguises. Maeve, have a talk with Nog and see what she can cook up.”
“The birthday balls are usually masked balls, if that helps,” Maeve pipes in.
“Perfect,” Rune replies.
“Not perfect,” I cut in. “I forgot about their ears. We all know there won’t be enough fae at the ball for them to blend in, if any.”
Brandur suggests, “We could disguise them as servants instead of guests.”
“They’d still stick out too much,” Maeve says, shaking her head.
Rune smiles. “Leave that part to me.” He gestures to everyone. “Now would be a good time to get your affairs in order. I won’t lie, this mission is a bit unconventional for us, more perilous than usual. We have one day to make this operation foolproof, and as always, I expect it to be.”
Brandur breaks away first. “I’ll perform additional reconnaissance.”
“I’ll sharpen my claws,” Min says.
Maeve grins. “I’ll make some extra tonics and distractions.”
“And I’ll make sure we all survive,” I murmur, already looking over the map again. The others leave, but even though I’m sore from riding and haven’t eaten a bite all day, all I can think about is this prison break.
A real chance to see Desmond again. To apologize. To embrace him. To hope that it’s not too late.
“Cyn,” Rune says, jerking my attention. I look up and catch his dazzling smile. “We make a great team.”
For once, I smile back. “Better than I’d like to admit.”