Chapter 7
Ara
The tunnel wound and twisted,making more turns than the others we’d traveled down. Bahar was trying to use the map to make note of where we’d been and where we were, but after a long while of traveling, the map was down at his side, abandoned.
“We’re going to die in here and be food for the badgers, aren’t we?” Laera asked from behind me.
“Worst case, we backtrack and find our way out.” I sounded more optimistic than I felt.
I could hear the rattle of disturbed pebbles and the increased cadence of our breathing. The fae lights flickered and glowed, moving with us as we traveled through the endless darkness.
I was getting very tired of tunnels and mazes.
The line halted, and I realized I’d been so in my head I hadn’t noticed we’d come to another fork in our path. This time, the tunnel we were in continued and another one branched off to the right.
Without waiting, I moved forward, getting closer to each entrance. As soon as I stepped deeper into the tunnel we were occupying, a rush of nausea overcame me and I stumbled back.
“What is it?” Bahar asked.
“You’re sensing something,” Ryvin commented.
“I don’t know. I suddenly don’t feel well.” My face was damp with sweat that I didn’t think had been there before and my head felt like it might float away from my body. Nausea continued to roll through me until I had to stumble away and empty the contents of my stomach.
Bahar and Kabir started to retch as well.
“Everyone to the other tunnel!” Vanth called.
I worked to contain myself, standing up straight and swallowing down any rising bile. My stomach was still rebelling as Ryvin and Laera gently pushed me toward the other tunnel, the others following behind us. We moved as quickly as we could, and after taking a few steps in, the sickness faded. Swallowing hard, I wiped the sweat from my face and the vomit from my mouth.
“What was that?” I asked.
“There must be something in that tunnel. Some other kind of trap.” Bahar still looked a little green. “We should continue, put some distance between us and whatever that was.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and we continued on. With each step, the nausea faded and it wasn’t too long before it was gone completely.
“We have to be getting closer,” Kabir said. “The tunnels didn’t expand too far beyond the city.”
“I hope so,” Laera said. “I don’t have much light left in me.”
That sent a jolt of fear through me. “We’ll have to do this in the dark?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark, princess,” Laera teased.
Ryvin placed his hand on my lower back. “I can make more light. Laera’s just better at it.”
“Must be all the shadows,” Bahar said.
“Stop talking,” Kabir hissed. He held out his arm and stood frozen in place.
We halted and listened. It was so loud, I wondered how I’d missed it. From somewhere nearby was the unmistakable sound of rushing water.
“Keep quiet,” Bahar instructed.
We all moved ahead slowly and silently. Even our breathing was quiet. The cave widened, and light appeared. Real light. Not magically created light.
I could smell the damp earth and feel wind on my face. The tunnel opened to a cave, the dirt walls becoming stone.
“We did it,” Bahar whispered. “We’re in the walls.”
Relief made me loose a long breath, but I knew we were just walking from one danger to another. Surviving the tunnels was bad enough, but now we were inside an occupied city.
“Wait here.” Bahar crept forward, nearing the mouth of the cave. We watched as he peered out, then cautiously stepped beyond the confines of the stone archway.
After several heartbeats, he returned, then gestured for us to join him. I nearly cried when I saw the sight outside. Hills and trees dotted the landscape. In the distance, I saw the unmistakable form of the towering wall that surrounded Drakous. We were inside its borders. A few small homes sat in the pasture lands below us to the right. To the left, I saw the palace. It was so small from this distance, but we could walk there in less time than we’d been in the tunnels.
“We should rest until nightfall,” Ryvin suggested. “It’ll be easier to get to the palace under the cover of darkness.”
Wordlessly, we all retreated into the cave. It wasn’t comfortable, but with the view of the outside world and the occasional gust of wind that found us within the confines of our stone surroundings, I felt better. Hopeful even.
We had Ryvin’s shadows, and Laera’s ability to manipulate emotions. We had two dragons and a wolf. My stomach twisted a little as I realized that I was, once again, the weakest member of the group. While I could tap into Ryvin’s magic, I still worried I’d deprive him of his full strength.
No, I wasn’t going to allow myself to downplay my abilities. Balen’s words returned to me, reminding me to use my weaknesses to my advantage. The Fae King knew what Ryvin did. He would see me as nothing more than his son’s human plaything. I wasn’t worth the effort to fight. And that might work to my advantage.
Despite taking turns at watch, I don’t think any of us actually slept. There was too much at stake. Too much adrenaline and anticipation. Too much of everything. My whole body felt like it was on alert, flinching and reacting to even the smallest sound.
Ryvin rubbed my shoulders gently, the touch soothing. “You have to find a way to ignore the stress. I know it’s difficult, but you have to keep calm, or you’re going to make mistakes.”
“How do you do it?” I asked quietly. “How do you all charge into battle knowing you’re going to take lives and remain so composed?”
“Practice,” he replied. “We trained for this, then we fought. Over and over. Until it was second nature.”
“I need that. I need that ability to turn it off and fight.” I thought about how I’d found my way there outside the Opal, but those deaths still haunted me. Even now, as I prepared for more destruction, their faces still occupied my mind. They’d wanted me dead. Tried to kill me. And I still felt guilty for my response.
Ryvin kissed my forehead. “No, you don’t. Keep as much of yourself as you can. Let us take this burden for you.”
“I don’t want you to have my mistakes added to yours,” I said.
“They’re not mistakes. And even if they were, I’d gladly take them all to lighten your load. That’s what you do for someone you love.” He pressed his lips to mine and I relaxed into him, letting the safety of his arms wash away all the anxiety of the moment.
He jolted and pulled away, an annoyed look on his face. I followed his gaze and found Laera staring down at us. “Can you maybe not while the rest of us are in here?”
“Leave them be. They deserve a moment together before we face what might be our death,” Bahar said.
“I didn’t think you’d be the hopeless romantic type,” Laera said, wrinkling her nose.
“He wasn’t before. I think it’s that mating bond. Makes you soft,” Kabir said.
“I’m glad I don’t have that problem.” Laera sighed, then crossed her arms over her chest. “Is it about time to go kill my father? I’m not sure these two will keep their clothes on if we stay here much longer.”
“It was just a kiss,” I said, but I could feel the need burning low in my belly. Ryvin had a way of making me forget about everything else and crave him, even when it wasn’t the ideal time for those kinds of distractions. Maybe a mating bond really wasn’t always the best thing.
Ryvin stood, then offered his hand to help me up. I accepted, then brushed the dirt off my trousers. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Careful what you wish for, princess,” Kabir said.
Vanth and Ryvin both growled.
“I wasn’t threatening her,” Kabir replied.
“They get that way sometimes, despite the fact that I try to remind them that Ara can take care of herself,” Laera said.
“Again, I’m right here. I can speak for myself. And yes, I can take care of myself.” I hated when they did that. At least the lust was extinguished. “Can we stop discussing me and focus on why we’re here?”
“Right.” Bahar moved closer to the rest of the group. We all formed up in a circle and my insides twisted with anxiety as reality hit. We were actually doing this. We were actually going to breach the palace and assassinate the Fae King. There was a part of me that was excited at the prospect. I wasn’t sure what that said about me, so I shoved the rising glee away, focusing on Bahar’s words.
“We’ll enter through the lower kitchens. If there’s staff still alive, they won’t say a word when they see us. It will give us access to the rest of the palace from there. Any guards will be killed quietly and quickly as soon as we find out where the Fae King is in wait.”
“He’s in the throne room,” Laera said.
Everyone looked at her.
“What? Isn’t that part of why you want me here?” She shrugged.
“What else do you see?” Kabir asked.
Laera’s expression slackened, her eyes going glassy and dreamy. I could tell she wasn’t aware of her body anymore at all. Whatever skill she was using was risky. If she did this around people who wanted to harm her, she’d be in serious danger. I also knew it was the skill that made her such a useful spy.
When her vision returned to normal, her face paled and she wore an expression unlike anything I’d seen from her. My heart thundered in my chest. She looked worried. Or scared. I didn’t think that was possible for her.
“Most of the fae are gathered in the throne room. There’s a spectacle they’re gathering to witness. It’ll mean less obstacles for us to get there, but a lot of threats once we reach the king. He’s going to have a lot of people around to defend him,” she said. “We might be better off waiting until he’s retired for the evening. There’s too many guards.”
“What’s the spectacle?” Rvyin asked carefully.
She glanced at him, then swallowed hard. Her face returned to its normally bland expression. “It doesn’t matter.”
“What is it?” Bahar asked.
She looked over at him. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“It’s a distraction. And it’s bait. For us. He must know we’re trying to reach him. It also could mean he knows exactly how much I can see.” She looked around at the group. “To be honest, it might mean we’re about to fail spectacularly if we go now.”
“What is the distraction?” Bahar demanded.
She sighed, a resigned sound that was so different from her usual confidence and disregard for others. Her mouth tightened, and she looked like she was at war with herself.
“What is it?” I asked softly, moving a little closer to her.
She glanced at me, then turned to the dragon shifters who were staring at her, unblinking. I could feel the weight of their anticipation around us like a heavy cloud of dread.
“They’ve been torturing your sister,” Laera announced. “And they all gathered to watch her execution.”