Aurelia’s probably right,she thought, trying to console herself.And if I can’t summon the Roseblood heir, neither can Cressida.
Or so she hoped.
Right now, Rune needed to focus on the tasks at hand: finding Meadow some food and getting them all off the island.
“Gideon is expecting us to escape aboard theArcadia,” explained Rune as she went to fetch their horses. “Which means the Blood Guard will be watching the main harbor—and theArcadiain particular.”
“What’s your plan, then?”
“They won’t be looking for a smaller vessel. If there’s only three of us, a sailboat will work just fine.”
Aurelia looked skeptical. “It’ll take a week to cross the Barrow Strait in a sailboat.”
“Five days, actually,” Rune corrected her. “If the wind is with us.”
“And you have a boat?”
“Sort of.”Dawn’s Ariawas sitting unused in the harbor. “It belongs to… to a friend of mine. He won’t miss it.” She glanced at Meadow, yowling with hunger. “We’ll need to stock it with provisions first.”
FORTYGIDEON
RUNE IS THE MISSING heir.
The adopted granddaughter of Kestrel Winters was a Roseblood princess. Daughter to Queen Winoa. Half sister to Cressida.
Heir to the Roseblood throne.
And no one knew.
Gideon’s mind was a tempest as Comrade’s hooves thundered down dirt roads, racing back to the capital.
If Cressida learns of this…
But Gideon had a bigger problem.
I’m giving you two days to come through on your promises.Noah’s voice echoed through his head.If the Crimson Moth slips through your fingers once again, I’ll have to assume it’s intentional.
Tomorrow was the deadline. Gideon had promised to hand over Runeandthe heir. If he didn’t come through…
If you fail, you’ll be accused of sympathizing with witches and put in a cell to await execution.
There was still time to arrest Rune before she left. He could tell Noah the truth: Rune and the Roseblood heir were the same person.
He could come through on every promise.
But if I tell the truth, Noah will kill her.
It’s what Gideon himself had planned to do.
And if I don’t tell the truth?
If he handed Rune over to Noah and kept her secret to himself… would Noah killhim?
Gideon might still be able to talk himself out of a death sentence. Rune’s arrest could be enough to satisfy the Commander. Especially if Soren eliminated Cressida and her witches in exchange for the safe delivery of his fiancée.
Laila would back him up, he was certain.
But Rune would never forgive him. Not for handing her back to Soren. Not for bartering with her to get more witches killed. It was betrayal, pure and simple.
