Chapter 29 Luciana
LUCIANA
“Where are we?” I hissed as we ducked behind a bush.
“This is where all the guards stay. Their quarters,” Nico whispered.
“And why are we here?” Kara asked.
“Because since we entered into the city, I haven’t seen a single guard I recognize.”
Nol shifted, looking over the bush to the courtyard where the royal guard Declan used to lead milled about. It was like a compound, tall brick buildings surrounded the courtyard, windows were carved every few feet of the ivy-covered buildings.
The circular courtyard was mostly empty, the tables, chairs, and benches unoccupied, only a few guards stood conversing near the center of the courtyard.
“There could be new guards since you left,” I mused. “It’s not unheard of to add new guards.”
“And the majority of them are assisting at the service,” Zienna added.
“Nico might not recognize the guards, but I do.” Nol’s voice was quiet but sure. “They work with the Panateia, for Adreona.”
“Fuck,” I swore.
“How deep do we think she’s infiltrated the court?” Kara whispered
“Pretty fucking deep if she has replaced the guards and is now on Lorenzo’s arm.” Nico shifted from one foot to another. “We need to question one of them.”
“Are you crazy?” I swatted him on the arm.
He ignored me and continued, “We can’t risk going deeper into the palace if Adreona’s guards are stationed everywhere, but we need answers. We can’t go home empty-handed.”
“He’s right.” Kara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “But how are we going to get information from them without getting caught?”
“We get one alone and Luce can use her handy little spell to make him pass out, and we can bring him with us.” Nico smiled, his eyes gleaming with mischief, as he turned his attention to me.
“You’re fucking crazy,” I muttered. But I had to give it to him, his plan might work. “How are we getting out of a city crawling with Panateia with an unconscious male?”
The wolf smiled wider. “I’ve got an idea.”
Zienna and I stood outside the guard’s courtyard, perched against the arched bricks on either side of the black iron-wrought gate.
The fashion of the Blood Court served our task well now that we no longer wanted to blend in but wanted to draw attention to ourselves. I crossed my arms over my chest, pushing up my breasts even more.
It didn’t take long before a guard focused in on us.
His light hair curled around his ears, and his green eyes sparkled as he appeared at the gate.
“What are you two ladies doing out here?” He smiled, sliding his hands into his pockets.
Zienna twirled a lock of chestnut hair around her finger. “We got lost on our way back from the service.” Zienna continued to twirl her hair, jutting out her bottom lip and fluttering her lashes. “We were hoping you’d help us find our way back home.”
“I might be able to help you out.” He stepped out of the gate and placed a hand on each of our backs, leading us away from the courtyard. “Where is it you’re trying to go?”
“Not far.” I grabbed hold of his bicep as we rounded the corner. “Our friend lives in a cabin in the woods past the palace, can you get us there?”
His brows pinched together. “The woods—yeah, I can get you there. Are you sure that’s where your friend lives?”
Zienna nodded. “Yes, I’m certain. We were there earlier today, before the ceremony, but we lost track of her afterward and couldn’t find our way back.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you found me.” He led us past the palace, across the large grassy expanse toward the woods looming in the distance.
Finally, we entered the dense woods, the thick canopy eliminating the sun in the late evening. “You sure your friend lives here?” A sliver of fear had found its way into the male’s tone.
Zienna nodded. “Yes, it’s a little farther I think.”
“I don’t think there’s any homes out here.” The male halted. “I think we should turn back.” A growl rumbled through the forest. “It’s not safe out here.”
“You’re right.” I pressed my fingers to his temples, thrusting out my magic. “It’s not safe out here.”
The male slumped forward. Zienna managed to prevent him from crashing to the ground, catching him in her arms as Nico, Kara, and Nol came out from their hiding places behind the brush.
“I’ll take him,” Nico grunted, throwing the male over his shoulder. “The hideout is past these trees.” His glamour was no longer in place, and I hated to admit it, but it was good to see him back in his true form. I hated to admit it, but I loved his silver hair and ice blue eyes.
We followed Nico as he led us to his, Luka’s, and Declan’s childhood hangout—the place they used to escape to as children, was now going to be used as a place to torture a male for information.
“This is it,” Nico announced as we approached a thicket of trees. A mass of trees surrounded one another, traveling up and winding together as one to form the canopy. If you looked closely, you could see the door carved out of the base of the trees.
“Did you guys make this?” Kara wondered out loud.
“Yes and no. The trees formed like this themselves, but we used them to our advantage, used our magic to create the door and dig a tunnel inside, and form the cavern below ground. It took us years, but it was a great way to practice using our magic.”
“How come we never thought of something this cool?” Kara mused, lightly hitting Nol on the shoulder.
“That would be a question for Lennox.” Nol ducked down, descending the stairs as he continued, “This is something she’d do.”
“Nol, you would have directed them on everything they were doing wrong anyway.” I pushed a finger to my cousin’s chest. “It would have never been completed.”
Kara laughed. “True.”
“I didn’t miss you guys ganging up on me that’s for sure,” he mumbled.
We continued the rest of the descent in silence, eyes straining in the dark hallway, careful not to trip over the uneven ground and winding tree roots.
“How much farther?” I crouched further to avoid hitting my head on the dirt ceiling.
“It’s just up here.” I stumbled over a tree root, my hands catching on Nico to keep me from falling.
He smirked at me over his shoulder, over the guard’s legs. “If you wanted to feel me up, all you had to do was ask, Lucy.”
“Ass,” I muttered.
Nico ducked through another doorway, and I followed behind, emerging into the hideout. The room was dug out of the ground, tree roots weaved in and out of the walls, but they held strong.
A firepit lined with stones sat in the middle, with three chairs crafted out of wood surrounding it.
Nico dropped the unconscious guard on the ground before heading toward the small wooden desk resting in the corner.
“Zienna, can you light the torches?” He threw a box of matches at his sister.
The room grew brighter with every torch Zienna lit, proof the space belonged to the boys coming to light. Homemade weapons were discarded all around the room. Wooden spears, ice axes, and daggers.
But none of those things drew my attention as much as the portrait hanging on the wall above the desk.
The three boys were squeezed together. Nico in the middle, his moon-spun hair shorter than I had ever seen it, just curling around his ears.
His eyes sparkled, even in the painting.
He smiled widely with his arms slung around Luka and Declan’s shoulders.
Luka looked almost the same, but his face was younger and his hair lighter.
Declan smiled slightly, and he leaned slightly away from Nico, putting an inch of space between the two with his wings taking up the background.
Whoever had captured the portrait had done a magnificent job.
Footsteps sounded in the tunnel we had entered from; I reached for the daggers at my side, palming one in each hand as I pressed myself against the wall.
“You didn’t get started without us, did you?” Lennox drawled as she and Luka came into view, Declan following behind.
“Give us a warning next time, Lennox,” Kara scolded. “You almost got yourself killed sneaking up on us like that.”
“You’re the one who told us to come here.” Lennox shrugged as we retracted our weapons. “That communication crystal sure does come in handy, doesn’t it.”
“Man, I haven’t been in here in ages.” Luka looked around, his eyes wide. “I can’t believe nothing changed, that it still held up.”
“I don’t think your grandfather ever knew it existed,” Declan added. “He wouldn’t have known to come snooping.”
“Did anyone else ever know about it?” Kara asked.
The boys shook their heads. “We don’t know for sure, but I think my father knew about it, but he never let on for sure.”
“Even I wasn’t allowed to know about it,” Zienna said, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting out her bottom lip dramatically.
“No girls allowed!” Nico taunted. “You should feel lucky you’re even being let in now.”
Zienna rolled her eyes and opened her mouth but was cut off by Declan, “Enough reminiscing, we’ve got work to do.” The harpy cracked his neck side to side. “We need to get out of this city as soon as possible.”
“Declan’s right. Time to shed some blood.” A cruel smile lit up Lennox’s face. “I’ve had to play nice with Adreona’s followers all day. I’ve got a lot of pent-up energy to expel.”
“Get him secured and I can wake him up.” I drew my magic to my fingertips. Lennox wasn’t the only one eager to expel some pent-up energy.
Declan and Nico hoisted up the male, securing his arms and wrists to the chair.
Once he was properly secured, I approached him, pressing my fingers to his temples.
“Wakey wakey, little guard.”