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Prisca’s eyes were sharp now. “He’ll need to get Jamic to the barrier.”
“According to Kaliera’s spies, Regner is taking no chances, and he’s planning to move him closer to the castle. But one of the patriarchs knows where he will be kept. The same man responsible for creating the dungeons that have held Jamic since he disappeared.”
“Rothnic Boria.” Prisca curled her lip at the name, but I could practically see her pondering our options. “Taking Jamic when he’s in the city is our best chance. When is it happening?”
“Within a few days. Regner will then take Jamic and a handful of his most loyal guards with him to the barrier.”
“Which part of the barrier?”
I shrugged. “The queen doesn’t know. The barrier stretches along most of this continent.”
“That means we need to rescue Jamic before they leave. Otherwise, Regner could hide his tracks and we’d have no idea where to search.” She stood, leaning down to pet Vynthar as he craned his neck. She was still pale, but her mouth was tight.
“Which means we need to get to Rothnic,” I said. “After what I did to his son, he’s likely being very careful.” My mind threw me back to Davis Boria’s hot breath on my face, the sharp pinch of his fingers, his huge hands squeezing my arms.
It had taken weeks for his fingerprints to fade from my skin.
Occasionally when I bathed, I found myself scrubbing until my skin was red and raw. At least until I could convince myself he was still dead.
It was Prisca’s turn to study me. I gave her a mock snarl, and she shook her head at me.
“Think about anything else you know about him,” she said. “Even the smallest things can be helpful.”
I placed my plate on the table next to me. My knowledge of the castle and the people in it was one of the only things that made me uniquely helpful to Prisca’s little group.
“He’s friendly with Patriarch Greve. They both gamble in some of the illegal dens on the outskirts of the slums. The king knows about it but turns a blind eye.”
She nodded, leaning against the wall. “You’re sure you haven’t heard anything from Tibris?”
I shook my head. She frowned. Then she seemed to shake it off.
“How far are we from Lesdryn?”
“A few days if we buy fresh horses here and travel from dawn to dusk.”
Prisca’s eyes burned until she looked more fae than hybrid.
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
“I’m thinking we’re going to gather our people. Then we’ll go to the city. We’re going to find Rothnic, locate Jamic, sneak into the castle…”
“And then?”
“And then we’re going to burn that fucking place to the ground.”
CHAPTER TEN
The next day, we traveled east along one of the smaller trade routes. Both of us were cloaked, but we still moved our horses off the trail whenever we heard someone approaching.
Prisca had asked me to send a message to Vicer, requesting that he briefly return to the city to help with our plans.
Vynthar prowled alongside us, putting the horses on edge. Each time we came across other travelers, he would melt into the forest, his steps silent. The monster was the perfect hunter, and losing sight of him made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
By the time we found an inn that still had rooms available and Prisca used her power to stroll into the inn and up the stairs, both of us were mostly silent.
Of course, she’d been silent all day. I’d given her time since that was what I would have wanted, but perhaps she needed more…support.
She sat on the threadbare armchair next to the bed, Vynthar curled next to her. He’d appeared at the window, and I’d almost jumped out of my skin as he’d shown me his teeth through the glass in an obvious demand to let him in.
