38. Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Seok
Iawoke with an emptiness in my arms, wishing that Ayse was here with me in my bed.
I scooped up a pillow to hold, wrapping my arms around it to fill the void, wincing at the mid-morning sun escaping through a small crack in my curtains.
I’d overslept, probably because I’d been in the dungeons until nearly dawn, helping Ayse clean and redress her burns… and perhaps stealing a few more kisses.
I hated leaving her, but if Marcelo was right, and only he and Ren knew for sure about my visits, I needed to keep it that way. To make sure I wasn’t seen, I left well before the first shift change of the day.
I would deal with Ren later.
Irritated with the intrusive sunlight, I rolled to my other side, facing the door to my bedroom.
Someone, likely Ryu, had slipped a letter under it in the early hours of the morning, a circular, silver royal seal holding it closed.
Discarding the pillow, I retrieved the missive and gently broke the wax.
Her Majesty, Queen Xia of Ittora, Guardian of the Light, reports with a heavy heart the death of Royal Officer Marcelo. A hearing will be held for the accused, current prisoner of the crown, Ayse of Punhelm, tomorrow at five past dawn.
I read it again.
And again.
Shit.
The room suddenly felt stifling. The letter’s contents blurred as I tried to absorb their reality. Knots formed in my stomach.
Ayse was being punished and charged because of my brashness. This was my fault. It would make it harder for us to pull off her escape tonight.
Part of me was terrified.
But I was also angry.
Swiftly, I pulled on clothing haphazardly, allowing my rage at the countless injustices Ayse suffered to consume my thoughts, including any fear or worry.
Like a tempest, I stormed through the palace halls with the speed and determination of a war horse.
The rhythmic clash of swords reverberated through the air of the gym as Iskra circled a mat where two recruits grappled with blunted weapons.
“If you’re wielding your sword one-handed, angle more to the side. Make your body less of a target. Reach your sword arm as far as possible,” Iskra barked with authority, her keen eyes assessing every move of the cadets. As I approached, she nodded in recognition.
“Iskra,” I began. “I need a private word with you.”
“We’ll be done in fifteen minutes, Your Highness,” she replied, her attention still on the trainees.
“An urgent, private word.” My eyes locked with hers, full of gravity.
After a beat, she huffed in acknowledgment and shouted, “Leave us, soldiers. Training’s over for today.”
The young guards-in-training quickly dispersed. As they put away their things and left, Iskra released a fraying red braid before pulling her hair back into a tight knot on top of her head. Once alone in the dimly lit gym, she turned, shifting her focus entirely to me.
“What is it?”
“Let’s talk somewhere more private.” I started toward the partially concealed alcove tucked away behind a series of wooden training dummies, and Iskra followed me closely. Once within the shadowed enclave, darkness surrounded us, creating a pocket of confidentiality.
Even though we were sealed away from prying eyes and ears, I couldn’t help but whisper my request. “I need Ayse’s botany journal.”
Iskra’s mismatched eyes flickered with surprise, soon replaced with narrow suspicion.
“What business do you have with a prisoner’s botany journal, Your Highness?”
“Ayse is innocent.” I took a step closer to the captain. “Help me help her.”
Her gaze hardened as she crossed her arms over her chest. I waited in silence as she stared at me, until her eyes flashed with understanding.
“You’re the one who killed him,” she whispered.
“Of course it was me,” I spat. “But no one will believe me if I try to fess up to it. And even if they did… you understand.”
Iskra pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Shit, Seok. I told you to leave it alone.”
My jaw hardened. “He touched her, Iskra. It could have been you. He got what he fucking deserved.”
She scrubbed her hands over her arms. “I can’t just hand over evidence. There are protocols.”
“Ayse’s life is on the line,” I stressed, leaning in and lowering my voice. “We both know the guard rotations, the blind spots. Iskra, we can pull this off.”
The captain sighed. “Seok, if we get caught—”
“We won’t,” I interrupted, my confidence unshaken.
“Fine,” she snapped, before her stance and her words grew softer. “And thank you. Even if it wasn't only for me. Thank you.”
I nodded. We wasted no time devising a plan, one where I would cause a distraction at dinner tonight during the changing of the guards, and she would nab the journal. Once we were both certain of the details, I outstretched my hand. “I’ll meet you in the garden after dinner.”
She shook it. “Deal.”
My footsteps were light but determined as I walked from the kitchens to the dining hall, a full satchel swinging at my hip. The timing had to be just right, aligning with the changing of the guards in the evidence quarters nearby.
Iskra would need the guards distracted when they were most likely to feel comfortable leaving their post—and long enough for her to slip in and out undetected.
I stole a glance at the hourglass hanging in the corridor on my way into the dining hall, my heart thumping in my chest. It was time. Now or never.
Discreetly, I approached the hearth at the end of the long room.
My fingers reached into my satchel, deftly grabbing three large bundles of sage and tossing the fragrant leaves into the flames in quick succession before taking the closest seat at the table and heaping a spoonful of rice onto an empty plate.
Please let this work. I needed it to work for Ayse.
As the first tendrils of white, fragrant smoke began to rise, I drew upon the shadows that clung to the inner corners of the chimney, silently weaving them into a barrier that ensured the smoke had nowhere to go but into the room.
A few guests began to notice, alerting the servants.
With a final concentrated effort, I pushed the shadows in the chimney down, forcing the now billowing smoke to fill the hall.
My skin buzzed with adrenaline. Diners began to rise from their seats in a panic, bottlenecking at the door to escape the smoke.
I tied a scarf around my face and scooped the rice into a beeswax-coated cloth, sealing it in a ball and tucking it into the satchel for Ayse.
Then I joined the throng, slipping outside to retrieve the journal, which was hopefully on its way to the garden.
I approached cell nineteen for the last time, my leaden body moving as fast as I could push it, like I was wading through mud.
Ayse sat perfectly still, her eyes staring off at nothing.
“I took care of the extra guards” I said, my voice soft, yet carrying the weight of her impending fate.
“Did you kill them, too?” she asked quietly, peering up at me.
I swallowed a lump in my throat as a pang of nauseous guilt clawed its way through my stomach and up into my chest. It was my fault we were caught. My fault for not taking care of Marcelo before yesterday. My fault tonight would be riskier.
Ayse’s attention returned to the cell wall when I didn’t answer.
“They’re alive. But I’ll kill tonight if I have to—”
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“I will do what it takes to get you out,” I said, harsher than I meant to.
She winced, but it was better she knew now. I prayed it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did, she couldn’t afford to freeze up in shock.
I picked the locks, all of them this time, and then kneeled next to Ayse as she rifled through the contents of the large pack I’d prepared—new clothes and boots, a generous bit of food, a full water skin, honey, onions, clean bandages, and a full, jangling sack of kinsens.
A small, sheathed dagger with emeralds in the hilt lay next to her botany journal atop the rest of the items. Skimming over the dagger, her fingers moved to the journal, which she stroked gently before clutching it tenderly to her chest.
“I got something else for you,” I said, my fingers gently lifting a tall wooden box from the side of the bag and cracking open the lid. Inside, a lily of the valley stood, its roots still intact, the box lined with dirt.
A pained smile swept across her face. “Thank you,” she whispered as she reached a hand out to cup my cheek, her eyes glistening.
I couldn’t blame her for being angry with me.
My foolish, murderous rampage condemned her and all but sealed her fate.
And right now, it was hard not to focus on her lips because it might be the last time I ever saw her, and that made me feel like even more of an asshole.
So, I focused on her eyes instead, windows of warm chestnut with strands of amber and honey woven through them, like rays of sunshine peeking through a wild, untamed wood.
She leaned closer, pressing her lips to mine. I savored their softness as I moved my own against them, our melancholy kiss lingering as we finally pulled ourselves away. It wasn’t long enough.
Pressing my restless tongue against the inside of my teeth, I began to pull out folded maps, quickly going over the planned route and backup routes in case we got separated.
Then, I made sure Ayse knew precisely how to get to Serafina once outside the castle walls.
We didn’t have much time, but she’d never get away without this information.
As I spoke, I faced away from her, allowing her to slip into the black traveling clothes I’d procured.
“You can turn around. I’m decent,” Ayse called with a bit of playfulness to her tone despite the heavy tension in the air.
I slowly rotated around to see Ayse braiding her hair to one side, her body covered in a long-sleeved thick, woolen tunic, supple doeskin breeches that clung to her like a second skin, and a thick pair of boots. My eyes trailed up her silhouette, my breath catching in my throat.
Approaching her, I felt the fabric of her traveling clothes beneath my fingertips, resilient and soft. My arm wrapped around her waist, her faint warmth seeping through the wool. Guiding the strap of the dagger’s sheath around her, I could sense the subtle tension in her body.
As I secured the strap, a quiet intensity stirred within me, quickening my pulse.
I leaned down until my face was close enough to feel the heat of our breaths mingling in the space between us.
My lips glanced off hers, briefly making contact.
If I took it any further, we might not ever leave this cell.
Mustering every ounce of self-control in my body, I pulled away and reached for the cloak on the ground.
Stepping behind Ayse, I draped it over her shoulders, fastening it gently at the base of her throat.
My fingers lingered there for a moment before I wrapped my arms around her in a soft embrace, holding her close as I nestled my face into the crook of her shoulder.
“This might be our last goodnight, Ayse,” I muttered. “Are you ready?”
Her arms wrapped themselves around mine, one of her thumbs rubbing back and forth along the back of my hand. “Yes.” She sighed. I felt the slight movement of her neck and chest as she swallowed. “Let’s go.”