AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Look at us, agreeing,’ Creon said, sending him a sour grin that was answered in kind. ‘If this is the sort of allies they plan to be, I’m starting to think I’d rather have enemies.’
‘We never expected them to be kind and welcoming about it,’ I said and rolled my eyes at the both of them. ‘And I can’t make them swallow their pride if I never get to see them in the first place. So I’ll just go and politely suggest they try a different tone in their future communications, alright?’
Cas threw one look at the wine-red dress in my hands and swallowed audibly.
‘If you could just take someone with you …’ Tared started.
‘I’ll bring Alyra. Don’t suppose they said anything about murderous birds.’ I got up, holding up the dress to inspect my last stitching. ‘If someone could go look for her while I wrestle myself into this thing, I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes at most.’
Tared grumbled another curse but exchanged a glance with Lyn and stood as well. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Em.’
I had not the faintest idea what I was doing – at least, not beyond the plans and counterplans we’d discussed at length the previous day, not beyond the portraits I’d studied until late at night, the names I’d memorised, the floorplans I’d pored over until I knew half the Fireborn Palace by heart. But I was angry. I was hungry. And gods, it felt good to just run with the ideas bubbling up in me, to make my choices and own them – for better or for worse, but at least they weremine.
‘Don’t worry,’ I said, making for my bedroom. ‘I’m an expert when it comes to changing stubborn immortal minds, as you know.’
Tared sent me an impolite gesture but faded away without further objections.
In the end, it took me even less than ten minutes to prepare, donning the velvet dress and the jewellery I’d collected over the course of our preparations the day before. Two obnoxiouslylarge pearls on my fingers, an emergency source of iridescence. Smooth, gleaming gold around my neck, and more of it in my hair, keeping my brown curls pinned in place. Most important of all, the gold and mother-of-pearl bracelet Creon had fabricated after we returned from our short trip to the Cobalt Court yesterday, using yellow magic I was no longer capable of wielding.
The prettiest, deadliest armour.
I felt like a glittering spectacle by the time I made my way back to the living room, and that, too, felt better than it should have. If I had to be a symbol, at least I’d be a memorable one.
Tared had found Alyra in the meantime; she soared through the room in wide, excited circles, leaving tufts of down behind at every abrupt mid-air turn. The moment I stepped into the room, she let out a shrill squeak and fluttered to a perch on the backrest of a chair, peeking at me with thinly-veiled eagerness.
‘You’ll have to be careful and do exactly as I say,’ I told her, shutting the door behind me. ‘We’re going into a place where many people recently lost their wings, you see.’
She cowered with another outraged shriek, then glared at Creon when he sniggered.
I allowed myself half a smile and turned to Tared, who stood leaning against the nearest wall, sword in his hand in a silent declaration of war. ‘I suppose you’re taking me there?’
His grin rivalled Alyra’s most violent looks. ‘Thought you’d never ask.’
‘Be careful, Em,’ Lyn muttered at the table, sounding about to burst into tears. ‘Andpleasedon’t do anything to anger them if you can help it, alright?’
‘But if you can’t help it,’ Creon said dryly, ‘at least make sure you anger them thoroughly.’
I laughed and hugged him, ignoring the panicked little stutter of my heart at the unimaginable publicness of it – but no onesaid a word as his strong arms closed around me and pressed me tightly against his chest, drowning me for one blissful moment in the scent of spiced honey and the slow thud of his heart. His lips brushed over the crown of my head, lightly, so as not to mess up the careful arrangement of my hair.
‘Keep yourself safe,’ he said quietly.
I nodded against his shoulder, and he let go of me far too soon, stepping back with a last tense smile. His look at Tared was an obvious warning –And you’d better keep her safe, too.
Another drop of venom seemed to vanish from the air between them as Tared curtly said, ‘Will do.’
‘We have about fifteen minutes left,’ Cas said nervously.
Tared groaned a sigh, holding out an arm to me. ‘Ready?’
‘Ready,’ I said, gesturing for Alyra to follow as I stepped around the table to join him. Her small talons dug into my shoulder even through the firmer patch of fabric I’d added to my dress, and I couldn’t help a wince as I grabbed Tared’s elbow.
The room blurred around me. The silence of the Underground broke into a sudden cacophony of sound.
Time for our final step.
Chapter 11
For six long heartbeats,there was just the whirlpool of light and noise, the blue of the sea and the gold of ripe grain flashing by, the oddly warped sounds of voices and wind and crying seagulls. Then, with a shock, a whole new world took shape around us, brightly coloured buildings and lush, flowering gardens as far as the eye could see.
