Chapter 33
VARIAN
Iflew Ryland back to Frostveil, where we paced along the rocky bank until our feet were numb and our cheeks frozen.
Ariel was at Evernight.
Gods. Why hadn’t we ever connected the dots before?
“So, to recap, Gravelock set us up all those years ago and he’s the real reason we’re even here in the first place, but…now that Ariel’s in the mix…what’s our next step?”
“My only concern…is she a willing participant, or…?” Ryland muttered, and I shook my head, cutting him off before he could pursue that thought any further.
“No, I refuse to believe she’d willingly have anything to do with the Butcher and his plans to rip the world apart. More likely, she’s been his prisoner this whole time.” I countered, everything falling into place with perfect, crystal clarity.
How Rooke’s father could never find the Triune, no matter how long he’d searched.
How Lord Gravelock managed the feat in less than fifty years, coincidentally, the exact same amount of time since I’d last seen Ariel. The fact she’d been spotted in a black carriage, the sort a pompous, depraved, aristocratic Fae noble might own.
Seriously, why hadn’t we pieced this together before right the fuck now?
“Well, fuck,” Ryland dragged his hand through his wind-swept hair, staring up at the castle, fog drifting past the towers, driven by the high winds. “We have to tell her, Var. About Gravelock. Lyrae has to know her sister is still alive. That we know where she is.”
“She’ll want nothing more than to charge in there, sword in hand, and cut Gravelock down.” My shoulders sagged.
I’d seen the blood on the floor after he’d tortured Rooke, and the thought of that bastard having Lyrae at his mercy…
“Then we have to decide how to prevent that from happening.”
Like we’d planned, Lyrae was nestled on my lap when Ryland cleared his throat. “We’ve figured out a way inside Evernight. The plan involves Grimbeasts and a wagon with four working wheels, six chickens plus some easily procurable supplies.”
He went through the plan briefly, Rooke switching between amusement and head-shaking disbelief, then a fair amount of horror when we explained how we would draw the Grimbeast’s attention.
“Gods, I knew you two were reckless, but…” He shook his head, chuckling. “Even I couldn’t have dreamed up this shitshow. Although at night, under duress, the guards won’t have much time to strategize. This might actually work.”
It didn’t escape me how intently he watched Lyrae when he thought we didn’t notice. How his gaze lingered on her, always toying with that circle of gold on his thumb.
But Rooke’s obsession with the woman I loved was a problem for another day.
Maybe another lifetime, if this didn’t work.
“There is a small village just across the lake to the east. There used to be a stable behind the tavern; chances are, if there’s a wagon and horses, you can find them there.” Rooke waved his hand in the air, and a black velvet bag materialized out of thin air.
“I may be a prisoner, but binding to the relics gave me a slight boost in the magic department.” With a wink, he tossed the bag to Ryland, who deftly caught it midair, the coin inside clinking faintly.
“I’ll leave the Grimbeasts to you two idiots,” Kaden murmured, then his eyes were back on Lyrae, so much emotion and want simmering in them, the intensity was heartbreaking.
Fine.
Who wouldn’t be half in love with Lyrae Antares after she patched them up? For all her sharp, prickly edges, she was easy to fall for, and I should know. I’d been falling for her since I’d been old enough to know what love felt like.
“We’ll leave just before nightfall,” Ryland was explaining. “Varian will fly us to town, we’ll find a cart and a couple nags and be on the road to Evernight by dark. Once we rile up the beasts, well, I expect things will progress rather quickly.”
There was a long pause, broken only by the crackle of the fire and the wind outside while my heart raced inside my chest.
“We…uhm…there is one small complication. A second part to the plan.” Ryland’s eyes drifted to Lyrae, and instantly, she went rigid with anger.
“You bastards. You’re not leaving me behind, so don’t even bother making an argument.” She elbowed me in the stomach. “Neither of you.”
“Ow.” I caught her arm and pinned it down.
“Leaving you behind is not the second part to the plan, Lyrae. We saw something today during our recon. Something we did not expect to find. Tonight will not only be a recovery mission for procuring the Crown; it’s also a rescue mission.
We’re getting someone out of that castle. ”
“We don’t have time for side quests,” Rooke snapped, frustration sharpening his accusation as he whirled on Ryland. “There is only one thing that matters right now, and we don’t have time to fuck around, Storme. Time is running out.”
“Kaden’s right. We focus on the Crown.” Lyrae turned her pointed glare on Ryland, her body quivering with either anger or excitement. “Besides…whoever is inside that castle…chances are, they want to be there.”
“No, actually, I’m pretty sure they don’t,” Ry crossed his arms over his chest.
Before the two of them could start arguing, I wound my arms around her, savoring how perfectly she fit against me. Wishing with all my heart I could protect her from what was coming.
“We never really told you how we know Rooke,” I murmured, Kaden’s gaze whipping to me, the look on his face nothing short of shocked, since I was definitely breaking the promise we’d forced him into, the night we’d arrived.
Don’t say a fucking word to Lyrae about our reasons for being here. She doesn’t know about Gravelock and if you open your big, fat mouth, I’ll cut your throat in your sleep.
Or something along those lines.
I smoothed my hand down her trembling arm. “Or why we’ve been here so many times.”
That pale throat bobbed. “No, you never did.”
“The rich aristocrat who hired us for the Maldrake job…the one who sold us out to the king and ruined our lives…was Gravelock,” I said flatly, and she went perfectly still.
“He met with Ryland, said the job was for revenge only, and we were free to keep whatever we found in the safe, plus his generous payment. We were blinded by the money, and never asked the right questions.”
“That was…Gravelock…” All the breath slid out of her in a whoosh.
“He stashed the king’s Book of Secrets in that safe,” Ryland growled, “and set us up to take the fall, made sure the tracking spell was strong enough to mark all of us, so no one would get away.”
“We thought you were dead,” I explained gently. “All these years, we’ve blamed him for what happened to you, Lyrae, and when we weren’t in the High Barrens, we came down here to plan a way to kill him.” I pressed my lips to her temple.
“Except, as you’ve seen, he’s nigh unkillable, and we ended up being hunted across the black sands, and not by Grimbeasts.”
“Well, not only Grimbeasts,” Ryland corrected, settling on the low table in front of us, so he was at eye level with Lyrae when he took both her hands.
“Gravelock’s soldiers chased us across the sands for days.
We thought we were goners, but then we stumbled upon this island and Rooke, and found we shared a common enemy. And an alliance was born.”
I didn’t think Lyrae was even breathing, nothing more than a long, slender blade of tension held captive in my arms, and I hung on tighter, tight enough she could never, ever fall.
I wouldn’t fucking allow it.
“There is a good reason Gravelock fucked us on the Maldrake job, and I’m sure he was behind the one at the Citadel, too, except that time…” I paused, dread clenching my gut.
“That time, the bastard got what he was after.”
“What was that?” Lyrae whispered through bloodless lips.
“The Crown isn’t the only treasure in Evernight,” I explained gently, tightening my hold around her waist, feeling her every panicked breath.
“Ariel is inside that castle, Lyrae. We both saw her. Your sister is being held in one of the spires on the western end as Gravelock’s prisoner.
She’s been there this entire time, we’re guessing. ”
All the blood drained from her face, her body sagging against me, like she’d forgotten how to breathe.
“She seems safe,” Ryland added quickly. “She appeared unharmed, from what we could see.”
Lyrae squeezed her hands into fists, tight enough the knuckles went white, then she slowly released them, taking a deep breath as she shivered against me.
“Ari is…in that place? With Gravelock? Why…why would she…” Her brow scrunched together.
“She’s been gone for…years. She’s good at getting in and out of secured rooms. Why wouldn’t she escape? ”
Rooke’s narrowed gaze swung carefully between us. “I’d heard Gravelock had an accomplice, but I’ve never seen her. Before you do anything foolish, let me send my crows inside to get a better look. If that really is your sister, then you’ll know for sure.”
“Oh, we’re sure,” I murmured, at the same time Lyrae growled, She’s not a fucking accomplice, asshole, under her breath.
Ryland scratched the back of his neck. “She’s not an accomplice, but Ariel is how Gravelock found the artifacts in the first place.
After the botched job at the Citadel, our theory is, he brought her down here and had her start hunting for the relics.
” Ry paced away. “And she kept hunting, until she found all three.”
“Which still doesn’t make sense.” Rooke shook his head. “My ancestor hid them where no one would ever find them, not even my father. Split them up, buried them all over this realm, in places no one would ever know to look. Nobody is that good.”
“Like Ryland said, Ariel is the best.” I shrugged, praying Rooke didn’t ask any more questions. “Regardless of how she was captured, Lyrae’s sister is being held in Evernight, and we’re getting her out.”
“And the Crown,” Rooke growled.
“And the Crown,” I agreed, feeling no need whatsoever to add that much like I could smell gold through walls, Ariel possessed the uncanny ability to sense treasure of any kind.
All she needed was an idea something existed, a picture, a description of what she was searching for, and she would track that object down.
Over any distance.
Even across realms.
No wonder Gravelock had wanted her so badly.
Taken her.
“We’re getting her back, Ly,” I promised. “We’re bringing her home, then everything will be exactly like it was.”