32. Lilias
Lilias
THE WAR FOUND US
Ishiver as I stare through the window at the smooth stone of the castle’s wall. There’s a tiny lip just outside the window. Perhaps it would be enough to support my weight, and I could cling to the wall and somehow make my way to the balcony by Elrick’s room—
I push away from the window. I feel like I’m about to be sick.
The guards haven’t left me alone for a heartbeat. Ever since the first guard spotted me sneaking out of the stables, he’s stuck to my side like a burr in a boot. I didn’t even get a chance to tell Elrick that we’re no longer the only royal guests in Ethiria.
I turn to Zarek. He’s frowning at the window like he’s calculating something, and my heart twists in my chest. If he tells me he’s climbing out of that window, will I let him? Could I watch that happen?
I walk over to him. Gods, he smells good. I feel almost dizzy, standing this close to him.
“I-I’m sorry,” I whisper.
His back stiffens.
“About what?” he replies in a low, dangerous voice.
“You were right,” I continue. “Last night. None of that was normal, and I— I didn’t believe you. I should have.”
Zarek glances at the door, then turns toward me.
“What did you see today?” he whispers.
He’s so close I can feel his breath against my neck. Heat rises in my body, and even though I know it’s not the time, I imagine turning to meet his lips, losing myself in his taste.
I shake my head, trying to force that aching pulse of need out of my mind.
“Malrik is here,” I tell him. “Laurance is going to make a deal with him, offer him something he wants.”
“Shit,” Zarek hisses.
“There’s someone else with him,” I add, forcing myself to continue even though the words sound ridiculous. “With Vsenrog. He looks like—an elf.”
Zarek is suddenly very still.
“Was he tall?” he asks. “Light hair and blue eyes?”
“I— I didn’t see his eyes,” I stammer.
“Godsdamnit,” Zarek whispers. “Malrik’s weapon. The war found us.”
I shiver. Zarek brushes his fingers across my arm, almost like he’s trying to comfort me. I imagine leaning into his touch, closing the distance between us, kissing him like I did hundreds of times in the tiny border towns as the Vsenrog crier called for unity between the kingdoms.
But Zarek pulls away. He stares at the window with a dark expression, and I wonder if he’s thinking about the tiny lip in the stone wall just beneath the glass, if that would be enough to hold his weight.
When our eyes meet, there’s something wild and fierce in his gaze that makes the room feel cold.
“You need to leave,” he says quietly. “You, your brother. All of them. Tonight.”
I nod. My throat feels dry, and my heart hammers in my chest like it’s ready to run.
“Elrick needs allies,” Zarek continues, “but he won’t find them here. His next move should be Lisal, I think. He can call for a conference of the Seven Allied Kingdoms.”
Zarek’s fingers tremble against my arm, then fall to his side.
“I’ll distract the guard in the hallway,” he whispers. “When we’re out of sight, gather everyone in Elrick’s room.”
I nod again. Zarek points at the darkness outside the window.
“Elrick’s room opens onto a balcony,” he says. “From the balcony, you can drop onto the roof of the second floor. There’s an oak tree against the southern wall. You should be able to climb down that and get to the stables—”
“Wait,” I whisper, cutting him off. “What about you?”
He gives me a small, hard smile. “Don’t worry about me.”
Zarek spins on his heel and walks across our room. I reach for him, but he yanks open the door before I can stop him. Footsteps boom in the hallway, and a guard appears in the open door with a scowl on his face and his thick hand on the pommel of his sword.
“What in the hells—” the guard growls.
“My wife has forgotten her cloak,” Zarek says. He sounds impatient and slightly bored, like he’s addressing a servant.
The guard crosses his arms over his chest.
“I believe it’s in the reception hall where we had dinner,” Zarek continues. “If you would be so kind as to retrieve it for her—”
The guard barks a sharp, hard laugh. “You want me to fetch your cloak for you?”
“My wife’s cloak,” Zarek says, with a hint of royal annoyance. “And I would be willing to do it myself, if you would just step aside. Or were you told not to let us leave?” he asks in an icy voice.
The guard shifts, and some of his casual arrogance evaporates. He’s clearly supposed to keep us in our rooms. But admitting that fact means admitting that the king of Ethiria is holding another royal family against their will.
“Well,” the guard begins. “I suppose I could walk you there.”
“Please do,” Zarek says.
He steps through the door before the guard can object. The guard frowns, then turns and moves down the hallway. Zarek disappears without looking back.
I hold my breath as the footsteps fade, then creep across the stained carpet and peer into the hallway. It’s quiet, lit only by a lamp at the far end, by the stairwell. I swallow hard. My hands twist together at my waist.
“Come on,” I whisper to myself.
I step over the threshold and into the hallway, moving as quietly as I can onto the thin carpet. I barely breathe as I creep down the hall. Every step brings me closer to the stairwell, and the light, and the vanished guard with his massive sword.
I raise my hand to knock on the door where Elrick’s three men-at-arms are staying, then think better of it and push the door open instead. Gerard jumps to his feet with a blade in his hand, pointed at my throat.
“Oh,” he says, lowering his dagger. “Sorry about that, Princess.”
Beside him, Owain comes to his feet.
“What is it?” Owain asks.
“I’ll tell you in Elrick’s room,” I say.
“Elrick’s room?” Gerard replies with a sour expression. “Why? What’s going on?”
I glance at the door, trying to imagine how long Zarek could possibly stall the guard once they realize I didn’t leave anything at all in that reception hall.
“Now,” I growl, waving my hand at the door. “Before the guard gets back.”
Thank the gods, they follow me.