“You aren’t from River, are you? I mean, I know you’re human, but even the humans have been here for years, since before the wall.”
I let a beat of silence stretch for far too long before I answered. “No. I’m not from here.” Then I laughed. “Was it that obvious?”
Mishah snorted. “Yes. You knew nothing about anything and were always disappearing into the palace. I figured you were sent by another Court.”
I let out a low laugh. If only it were that simple.
“Then, you addressed the Viceroy like you had no idea who he was.”
“Ididn’thave any idea who he was.”
If I had, things might have been very different. I would’ve left the library as soon as I’d seen him.
But then Mishah would be dead.
I sat back, my head resting against the cold stone behind me.
Try as I might, I couldn’t regret what I’d done to help her, even if I may have just gotten us both killed anyway.
“Where are you from, then?”
I debated not telling her, but I couldn’t bluff being from anywhere else here either. And if we were going to die, it would be nice for someone here to know who I really was. “I’m from across the River. From Astola.”
Her gasp echoed through the prison. “That’s not possible. How did you cross it?”
I thought of the Queen’s haath phool, and the feeling that had enveloped me when I swam across the center of the River. And I remembered the expression on the silver-haired fae’s face when he’d seen it.
“I had an ancient fae relic. It allowed me to cross.”
I was met with silence at that, and though I was glad to be able to finally tell her, I also felt the fluttering beats of nervousness at her knowing that I hadn’t been truthful this entire time.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I said into the darkness of the dungeon. “But I didn’t know who I could trust here.”
“Why come here?” Her voice was slightly defensive and I knew she must have been thinking of all the times I had lied to her while we’d been together.
But this time I hesitated—I didn’t want to tell her the real reason I was here. So, I told her something very close to the truth. “I’m looking for my mother. She came here when I was young, but she didn’t return. I’m trying to find her.”
I wished the possibility and hope of my mother being alive was something still beating in my chest. I’d given up on her being alive a long time ago.
But I still wanted to know what happened to her, even though that was not the real reason for me being here.
Even though I’d grieved her death a long time ago.
She’d likely died attempting to do what I was doing now—finding a way to bring down the wall and restore life magic to the human world. And it looked like I was going to end up with her same fate.
“I’m sorry you’ll never get to look for her now.” Mishah sounded truly wretched. I also knew what she was saying with those words.
I’m sorry you’ll die here.
Because we would never get out of this dungeon. There were only tiny windows, metal prison bars, and nothing I could use to escape. This was not a situation I could research myself out of.
Unless I had magic that could unlock doors.
My breath caught in my chest, my pulse leaping. I was such an idiot.
I jumped up, ignoring the ache in my side and ran to the bars of my cell. There was a guard stationed at the far end of the corridor by the stairs, but he was far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to see what I was doing unless he looked closely.
Mishah followed me to the door of our cell, looking confused.
