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I chuckled, too, and kissed her forehead. “We’ll figure it out.”
Emilie nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. “And if I can’t get out of it…do we tell him?”
“You would keep all of this from him?” I frowned.
“If it would save you from being dishonored. If it would save both of us, I would.”
I didn’t like the thought of it, but deep down, I knew there was a chance it would come to that. There was a chance that one day I’d have to bury my feelings for Emilie, to forget I’d ever cared for her and watch as she lived the rest of her days with my brother.
That guilt rose inside of me once more. How dare I be so self-absorbed? To think only of my own feelings when Cyrus was the one who should feel hurt?
I held Emilie tight, not wanting to let her go. Not wanting to close my eyes in case she slipped from my grasp while I wasn’t looking. “I don’t want to imagine a day when I can’t call you mine.”
I spent several days wondering if I was self-sabotaging. If the thought of what awaited us in Osavian wasn’t so dreadful, would we have found a way to leave sooner? I was constantly reminding myself that we were doing everything we could.
Find the tunnels—check.
Obtain Reyna’s blood—check.
Bust down the door and navigate our way through the tunnels…pending.
We’d been right about the unlikelihood of returning to the Scholars’ Cavern. It had been a week since Reyna had found Emilie’s book and we hadn’t seen the library since.
Instead, Emilie had the pleasure of cleaning toilets while I scrubbed kitchen floors. There were two other slaves cleaning with me, the first I’d seen since our arrival. Were there others we didn’t know about?
They looked so similar; I wondered if they might be siblings. Both appeared to be teenagers, not yet adults. The boy had dirty blonde hair that was shaggy and in desperate need of a haircut. He was tall and lanky, not yet grown into his long limbs. The girl had the same dirty blonde hair, but even in a braid, it was down to her waist. She was tall too, though not as tall as him.
I didn’t pay them much attention, and they kept to themselves on the opposite side of the room. When lunch rolled around, I ate by myself and they sat on empty buckets, quietly conversing.
At least I knew Reyna hadn’t removed their tongues.
When our break was almost over, a loud noise came from right outside the kitchen. My head whipped toward the door while the two servants jumped to their feet.
An angry screech echoed through the room before Reyna burst in. I stood to my feet as well and assumed a defensive position. I didn’t know what set her off this time, but whatever it was, it was bad.
She was blind in her rage and didn’t even notice me. Something that I’d usually be thankful for, but it only highlighted the level of her fury. She strode straight for the siblings and I watched as they inched closer together, holding hands like they knew suffering—and possibly death—were imminent.
“What did you do?” Reyna seethed.
The girl looked at her brother with tears in her eyes. She pressed her lips into a thin line, like that might keep their secret inside.
I moved around a metal fixture that held several platters of half-prepared food to get a better view.
The boy took a step in front of his sister and I was impressed with the level of courage he displayed. Older men would’ve quaked in the shadow of her wrath.
“It was me. She had nothing to do with it.”
Reyna faked a laugh. “I wasn’t born yesterday. You couldn’t have killed Nox on your own. She would’ve torn you to pieces.”
I stifled a gasp of surprise. A child had killed one of her dogs? I admired his bravery, but it was foolish to act without a plan to escape... I shook my head.
Reyna stepped around him and grabbed the girl by the arm. Then she ripped her blouse open. From several feet away, I could see the scratches and bite marks on her chest. Defensive wounds. Evidence that he had, in fact, not worked alone.
The girl stumbled back when Reyna released her, turning again to the boy. I inched closer, as I feared this was headed in a very bad direction. They were only kids, for gods’ sake.
Reyna raised her hand in the air and as she brought it down, strikes of lightning burst all around us. I closed my eyes to block out the blinding light. When I opened them again, the boy was pinned to the wall, ropes of electricity holding him in place.
He screamed and writhed, but was powerless against her magic. Smoke began to rise and I could smell his burning flesh. His sister held her hands to her mouth as she watched in horror.
