26. Raelyna #3
I blinked . . . stunned. My jaw dropped open. A low chuckle sounded from Callum, and I swore.
“Well then,” I replied. “Forgive me for existing . . . in my own apartment.”
“What makes you think you know the best path for us to leave?” Callum asked, switching the topic.
“My father was a guard . . . fairly high ranking. Before his death, I overheard countless conversations about the protocols for searching for missing citizens and escapees. I know how Lucanus works—the measures that have already been implemented and how the RSG will section off the Quarter to search until you’ve been found. ”
“We are currently in your apartment, which is located on the side of The Wall. What’s stopping us from slipping out your window?” Axel asked.
I laughed. It was so abrupt and out of nowhere, even I hadn’t expected it. Loxl yipped, overly excited as he leapt over to me, eyes looking to spot what had me rolling on the couch with laughter.
“Stars-damned female,” Axel grumbled. “Care to share what’s so amusing?”
“You want to escape over The Wall here? Be my guest.” I gestured toward the window.
It was encased in darkness, the moon hardly visible at this time of night .
. . just various hues of dark blue and pitch black.
“But let me tell you, in the century I’ve lived in this apartment, that view has remained unchanged.
You scale The Wall from here, and you will be met with nothing but an endless expanse of barren desert.
Trust me,” I replied more somberly. “We’ve all contemplated it, but there’s no escaping that way.
And even if you make it to The Rift, it’s a far larger gap the further you go from the center of Aurelia. ”
Callum nodded then. “Okay, so scaling The Wall isn’t an option. What do you propose then?”
“Oh.” I laughed softly. “My plan still has the two of you scaling down the side of The Wall. Just going in the opposite direction of what you expected.”
“Why on Aurelia would we go further away from Aurum Quarter?” Axel bit out, confusion lacing his tone.
“Because if you go further away, there’s a section of underground caves that you can hide out in for the next three days or so, until Lucanus’s men stop their searching, and then you can fly back to Aurum Quarter without fearing about detection.”
Both men stared at me in utter confusion, Axel thrumming his fingers across his thigh as Callum ran a hand over the back of his neck absentmindedly.
“How do you know of this tunneled cave system, exactly?” Cal finally asked, his lips tight as he waited for my answer.
“You learn a lot living on the side of The Wall for over a century,” I replied as I took another sip of my coffee, sinking further into the sofa material. “Plus, my father told me about the cave system before he was executed.”
“Your father seemed to know a great deal about the inner workings of Solis, and yet, you’ve never questioned the way the Quarter was run? Your religion and faith?” Callum asked, studying me closely.
“I—well,” I started. “Yes and no. I didn’t start to question things until my father was tried for treason. But by then, my concern was more in protecting my sisters and mother than looking into whatever my father was on to.”
“Why are you even offering to help us?” Axel added, his eyes narrowing on me.
I hesitated, toying with my lower lip as my gaze darted between the two males.
“Because . . .” I started, struggling to find the words.
“Because I looked into what you said,” I inclined my head in a nod toward Callum.
“About my markings, about the Eternal . . . Aeternus. There are things that don’t add up, things that don’t make sense.
And I’m starting to believe that we have been lied to and deceived for most of our lives here in Solis Quarter .
. . or maybe we haven’t been lied to. I don’t know .
. . We’ve been told of Aeternus. We’ve heard people warning us to turn from the darkness.
But I don’t know . . . perhaps there’s something bigger out there.
Something more than what Lucanus has shaped our history to tell us.
And if that’s the case, I at least want the chance to discover the truth.
A chance my father never had, because he died just before he could reach it.
” I took another deep breath. “And because Lucanus has already taken far too much from me,” I continued, my voice tightening.
“He currently has my sister, Orela, and is forcing her into a life of servitude in the temples.”
Both males stared at me, not saying a word for a prolonged moment. We sat there in silence, my words hanging in the air between us. The only noise in the room was the contented snores drifting from Loxl as he slept, curled in a ball next to me.
“The Guild is preparing to move forward in the path laid out to us by the Eternal,” Callum finally stated, and Axel’s eyes widened as he looked toward his friend.
“I’m not asking to be involved in your plans,” I confessed. “I’m just asking for the opportunity to seek the truth and keep those I love safe.”