No.
No.
His head was burned off, reduced to nothing but ash. There wasn’t even blood seeping from his neck. It was all charred. The King retracted the vines and his body flopped onto the floor. The thud resounded in my ears, repeating over and over again.
I would never hear his laugh. I would never be able to listen to him talk again. He would never smile. Never be able to speak to his twin. Never read a book with me or study the mortal maps with his sister.
Vallie’s screams were piercing like a dagger stabbing my heart over and over again. It was endless. I was stuck in this moment of terror, unable to escape. Forced on repeat.
Distantly, I heard the King order someone to gag Vallie. Tears pooled down her face as soldiers I hadn’t seen before entered and forced her jaw open. They clamped her mouth down around a gag, but muffled screams still ripped from her. I’d never seen her so feral, so ready to murder each and every being in the room. Kole just stared at her in disbelief. I couldn’t read the expression on his face.
The King turned to me. My gut twisted as he smiled.Smiled.“If you don’t do exactly as you’re told, she’ll be next. When it’s time, you’ll be washed and briefed on exactly what I need from you. But mark my words, if you stray even a hair from what isexpected, I’ll make the girl’s death twice as long and twice as painful as the boy’s. Consider this your only warning.”
Then he left us. Left me alone with Vallie, still kicking and screaming through her gag. Her wrists and ankles were bleeding from where she kept pulling her shackles taut, trying relentlessly to break free. I stared at her, then to my headless friend on the ground between us.
Her twin was dead—Miles was dead.
THIRTY-FOUR
SIE
“Let’s go,”Savannah called over her shoulder. I nodded and followed her to the border of the camp. If everything went to plan we’d be rescuing Scotlind and kidnapping Arcane tomorrow.
Tezya and the eldest prince had been communicating, and I was surprised to see Wells was right. Arcane agreed immediately. I underestimated the love he had for the mortal. The fact that he’d risk the King’s wrath just to see him again was absurd. But I guess that’s what love did. It made you stupid and had you acting irrationally.
What shocked me the most was that it took them four days to agree on a meeting place. Tezya was pissed. Every day Arcane dismissed a new location was another day Scotlind was the King’s prisoner and already too many days had passed.
Neutral territory on human ground, far from mortal civilians was what Arcane finally agreed on. He just had no idea we moved locations, so the meeting spot was close to the new camp. Savannah, having suggested it, was taking me there now to scope it out.
For it not being a far walk, it felt long, and Savannah keptfinding ways to annoy me. She was sipping loudly on her coffee, claiming it was too early in the morning. She wasn’t exactly chipper. It would have been easier if Kallon portaled us, seeing as she already had one in place, but I was curious. I wanted to see more of the mortal lands, and the camp was starting to feel more and more like a giant cage.
Plus, it wasn’t like I didn’t have time to spare. I hated doing nothing. And despite sparring with Tezya every morning, my days were bleak. It was strange to think that my time with him would be the highlight of my day. But it wasn’t his company I craved. Lately, I only lived for the thrill of the fight, for the pure bliss of complete dissociation. I wanted to taste blood in my lungs and feel the sweat drip down my back until all I could focus on was the task at hand. And that was the only thing Tezya gave me—an even match.
“This is it,” Savannah said as she spun around. Her eyes were wide, and I found myself staring at the silver hoop coming out of her nostril. The tip of her nose was red, and the cold air was leaving her lips in thick puffs.
I forced my gaze away from her face to scan the perimeter. It wasn’t bad. The ground had a slight incline to it, giving us the advantage of better vantage points.
We were standing in the middle of a small clearing. The grass was long and untamed beneath a thick layer of snow, only exposed through our sunken foot tracks. It gave the allure that it was forgotten. Ice clung to the bare trees circling the open pane, and even though everything was dead and neglected, it still looked beautiful. The sun reflected off the snow, casting everything in a soft sparkle.
The Dark Kingdom’s cold season was only just starting. Tennebris would be completely covered in darkness in a few short weeks. It was strange to me. I was still trying to get used to the fact that they had sunlight all year round, that it came and set each day.
“There isn’t much cover,” I said, forcing myself back to why we were here. “With the leaves off the trees, we won’t be able to hide.”
“I know,” she admitted as she turned away from me to scan the area too. “Kallon will be stationed a mile or so back. Part of Arcane’s terms was that Tezya comes alone. He’ll sense if she created a portal too close to the meeting spot. You’ll be over there.” She pointed to a large fallen trunk not too far away. “If things go sour, you’re going to teleport us to her. She’ll be waiting at the other end, ready to portal in case we need an out.”
“Won’t he be able to sense the rest of us standing by?”
She shrugged. “Probably not. A portal draws a lot of energy and the air around it shifts and pulls. A person doesn’t change it much as long as we hide behind a tree or an object. Arcane picks up on everything. He notices even small details. With Dovelyn’s invisibility, we’ll probably have a minute or two before he senses us.”
It was strange—she knew more about the Luxian heir than I did. But I guess it made sense if her brother used to date him, and she grew up around Advenians her whole life. I pushed it out of my mind and asked, “Alright, and if things go right?”
I didn’t think this plan was smart. So many things could go wrong. I knew Savannah hated the idea even more than I did with her brother directly at risk. I wanted Scotlind back. I still wanted to try, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this felt too easy.
“If things go right,” she said, “my brother will be safe, and Arcane will be a prisoner at the camp.” Rainer and Wells were working on a place to hold the eldest prince if we were successful. “And,” Savannah continued, “you’ll both have yourgirlback.”
My girl. I scoffed. “She isn’t mine.”
She tilted her head to the side to assess me. “Could have fooled me with the way you look at her all the time.”
