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“Mari?” He’s surprised to find me here. The plan was to keep to the dining room and distract the fae king. He leans back and inspects my state of disarray.
My dress is unbuttoned, my hair loose from the pins, and I probably have blood on my hands and face.
Grayson and Evie come to join us, both looking concerned.
“Where’s Levi?” Grayson turns his head toward the flickering oil lamp in the bathroom. From this angle, he can’t see Cirrus. “We lost contact with your radio underground.”
The tears flow as I break into sobs. The traumatic events of the last hour finally unload on me. My knees buckle, but Bastian catches me, holding me up in his powerful arms. All I want right now is to be back in my room in the cabin with Levi lying in the other bed.
“He’s dead,” I say between my sobs. “And Cirrus is dead, so we need to leave.”
“What?” Grayson acts on his suspicions and swings open the bathroom door. “You killed the king?”
“He killed Levi.” Saying those words seems impossible. I swallow back fresh tears. “He killed one of his own.”
“We need to leave.” Grayson heads toward the door, dagger drawn. “It won’t take them long to find out.”
“We can’t leave here without the prophecy.” Evie’s usually stoic face is stained with tears. She gathers her red curls into a tie before lifting her bow. “If we do, Levi’s death will be in vain.”
I manage a slight smile and remove the folded parchment from my corset. “Is this our ticket out of here?”
“Holy shit, Mari.” Grayson crosses the room, lifts me, and spins me around. “You’re amazing. I’d ask how, but we need to leave.”
The sound of marching boots echoes outside the door as graceful as the flutter of birds’ wings, setting an ominous tone to the atmosphere. Through some type of telepathy, they must know their leader’s dead. The guards are here to kill the one who assassinated the king.
“Through here,” Bastian calls, opening a door at the rear of the room.
It leads into a tunnel probably used by the king for emergencies like this. I jog behind Bastian in the dim light of luminescent vines. Tree roots and occasional stairs prevent me from running.
Ancient stone steps lead upward, but daylight is nowhere in sight. The sounds of frighteningly light footsteps and the flutter of wings surround us, making me wonder if I’m going mad as they run on repeat through my head. It must be a fae trick. The art of convincing your enemy she’s insane has kept Frostacre on the map for centuries. I killed their king, I have the prophecy, and there’s blood to pay.
But today, it won’t be mine.
I keep up with Bastian as he ascends the crumbling escape route. It’s a miracle the others are blocking out the faes’ attempts to paralyze us with fear. This is what they’ve trained for, and they’ll face much worse in Avren and the First City.
“Do you hear them?” My voice comes out choppy and short. “The soldiers?”
“Of course.” Bastian keeps his pace, not slowing down an iota. “We need to trust each other. It’s the only way we’ll survive.” He reaches back and takes my hand, pulling me alongside him. “We’ve lost one brother today. That’s one too many.” There’s an unrecognizable hollowness in his voice, one I hope I never hear again, though it resonates through my own empty chest.
The higher we climb, the louder the sounds echo against the stone walls. Grayson and Evie keep watch behind us while Bastian holds a torch out in front.
When we reach a wall at the top of the staircase, the sound is almost deafening. I cover my ears, close my eyes, and crouch down, unsure if I can endure it. I’m almost certain they’re surrounding us, ready to slice out my heart and feed it to a werewolf.
A hand rests on my shoulder, warm but firm. “Come on, Mari,” Bastian says. “It’s our way out.”
There’s a narrow tunnel beside the wall. I need to sidestep through it, sliding one foot along at a time. It’s a wonder Bastian fits into such a tight space. Within minutes, we’re stepping out into an enchanted wood beside a pool. Tiny fairies, wood nymphs, and lightning bugs scatter as we stumble out, some into the trees, and others beneath the lily pads in the water. Despite our climb out of the city, we’re much lower on the mountain than where we entered Frostacre. Earlier, I’d been so fascinated by every detail when accompanied by the two guards that I’d hardly noticed our descent. Here, no fae stand guard.
My heart’s heavy with the thought of leaving Levi behind, but there’s no time to grieve. We have what we came for and need to return to Tenny Rocks before dark.
“Use your locket.” Bastian’s gaze is on the silver chain around my neck.
“But you…” I don’t want to run away and leave the others behind.
“We’ll be fine.” He glances at Grayson and Evie, both nodding in agreement. “The goal is to protect the prophecy. Wait until we get there to open it.”
“And Levi? We can’t just leave him.”
“We must for now.” Grayson skirts the pond, running the tip of his blade through the murky water. “Without the prophecy… without the full strength of the rest of the Kindred Few… all will be lost. He knew the risks of coming here.”
