And he’ll do anything for me.
He lifts Seth’s unconscious body from the chair and tosses him over his shoulder. “I wish this were you and not him,” he says to me, and I laugh.
Oh gods, it’s so good to laugh with him again.
I take the stack of papers from the top of the desk, and Taran stuffs them into his pockets. He reaches into the drawer and retrieves some of the elixirs and a throwing knife, handing it to me. He keeps the dagger we stole a few days earlier.
Just as I’m about to walk away, something draws me back one final time.
I dig into one of Seth’s drawers and pull out the scrap of paper he showed me. The palimpsest. He’s been carrying it around for so long, I know he would be devastated to lose it.
And I want to read what it says for myself.
“Are we good?” asks Ronan.
Taran and I nod back.
Larus leans out the flap. “Let’s go.”
I lower the shadows around us as we slip between the tents, keeping a steady walking pace to avoid attracting attention. This part of the camp is quiet at night, a requirement Seth imposed after another of his hangovers left him in a foul mood a few days ago. We make it through several rows before encountering a guard.
“Sorry, I’m late!” she says, mistaking Ronan for a supervisor of some kind. Then she notices Taran. “What are you doing with the prisoners?”
“Moving them,” says Ronan, his voice falsely gruff. “Too many for the tent, he said.”
“On your own? He gave us strict orders not to be alone with them. Who do you have on your back there?” Steel sings as she pulls her sword halfway out.
“This one was supposed to be helping,” says Ronan, turning to show her Seth, who’s now disguised as someone with dark hair using Ronan’s magic. “Had a bottle or two too many.”
The guard smirks, pushing her sword back in. “Sounds about right. Say, I’m not sure I’ve seen you around here before.” Her fingers hesitate on the pommel of the blade. “Or him.”
“Sylvie,” says Ronan.
“Sorry,” I say, shoving the sleep elixir into the guard’s mouth before she can yell.
She collapses to the ground almost instantly.
“Drag her over there out of the torchlight,” says Ronan to Taran, shifting to adjust Seth’s dead weight on his shoulders.
“Do you want me to take a turn carrying him, sir?” asks Taran once he’s finished.
“Oh, please. He’s so fucking heavy.”
Taran bends at the knees to take the burden of Seth from Ronan’s shoulders, but as Ronan hands him over, Seth’s eyes snap open.
“He’s awake!” I whisper loudly.
Seth struggles in Taran’s arms, trying to shout just as Ronan covers his mouth with his hand, and I restrain him with my shadows.
“Donotmove,” says Ronan. “You’re coming with us.”
Seth replies in a normal voice, but his words are muffled.
Ronan looks at me, wondering if he should release my brother to hear what he has to say.
“I doubt it’s anything worth hearing,” I say.
“There’s no time for this. Where’s the sleep elixir?” asks Larus.
