Page 89

The reaction he expected wasn’t the one he got. Areanel slammed her hand over his mouth and glared at him. Shaking her head, she pressed closer to him and whispered one word, ‘Shadows.’

Rymedur didn’t think or question what she wanted. There was a wave of understanding as he felt his shadows whisper. Someone was coming. The slight disturbance in the darkness was enough for him to command his shadows to conceal them.

Arms wrapped around her waist, he pulled Areanel impossibly closer until her chest was flush against his. In any other circumstances, he would have taken the opportunity to tease her, but as the light from two torches moved closer, Rymedur focused his full attention on ensuring they were hidden from sight.

Creating a wall of darkness, Rymedur shifted their positions so that his back was towards the entrance of the alcove, completely hiding Areanel from view. If they were noticed, Rymedur would be seen first.

Hot, warm breath fanned his face. Her touch was phantom, but it still seared him. They were so close, yet not close enough. Areanel’s heart leapt and raced behind her ribs, stuttering against his, and her breath hitched the second his lips brushed over the skin of her cheek. So damned close.

‘Shall we?’ Rymedur muttered, soft as a whisper.

Areanel hummed, her lashes fluttering closed and a hand curling around the silver chain that dangled from his neck as she pulled him down. Pulled him closer.

Rymedur felt the corners of his lips pull into a smug smirk. ‘They’ve gone, love.’

He hadn’t meant what she was thinking—and chastised himself for pulling away first, because she had leaned in, her lips inches away from his own.

Blue eyes snapped open, and when they met his, he saw a flash of embarrassment—like she had been caught doing something wrong. Shifting her weight away from him, Areanel let out a soft, awkward cough, subtly running her tongue across her dry lips.

Rymedur glanced down at those plump lips and cursed himself. Dammit! Should’ve shut his mouth and taken the opportunity.

Slipping out of the alcove, Areanel clasped his hand. Hers was small in his large one. Pulling him after her, Areanel led them to stand at the base of the towering wall. ‘Okay,’ she knelt to the ground, unslinging her pack from her shoulders. ‘That should give us some time before the next guard change. We will have to move quickly and quietly. Remember: no one can see us.’ After a few seconds of searching, Areanel pulled out something white. Chalk. ‘Here.’ Areanel grabbed for his hands, coating them in the powdery substance.

‘What’s this for?’ Rymedur rubbed his fingers together; they felt rough and dry.

Areanel repeated the same action for herself before returning the chalk to her pack and slinging it back over her shoulder. ‘Ryyen calculated the guard rotations. We should have a six-minute window to climb up and descend before the guards return to their posts. It’s a small window, so we’ll have to be fast, silent—and under no circumstance can we be caught.’

Blinking his confusion away, Rymedur stared at her—half in awe, half in disbelief. How many times had she done something like this? ‘That’s impossible!’ Rymedur whispered his exclamation.

‘Nope,’ Areanel replied. ‘Improbable, maybe, but not impossible.’

‘Little demon,’ Rymedur argued as she began to climb, ‘there’s no way we’ll make it in six minutes or less. And then what?’

‘We can,’ she whispered down at him, already scaling the wall. ‘Percy left with Ryyen this afternoon; we’ll meet them after we’ve collected the others.’

‘The others?’ Rymedur’s neck muscles pulled as he strained, looking up at his wife. Areanel was moving so fast, Rymedur didn’t have a second to register what she was saying. Who else was coming with them—her envoys?

She used her upper-body strength to lift herself, swinging her other arm into the groove along the wall above her head. Rymedur had known; he had heard rumours of the impossible tasks Areanel had performed. Her reputation preceded her, but to see it—to see her—in action! Rymedur was left in utter awe of his wife.

Show off. He smothered a chuckle bubbling in his chest. Her movements were fast and agile, like a cat. ‘Yes, now come on,’ she urged him to follow.

‘Dammit!’ Rymedur muttered under his breath and began to copy her movements. He followed the path she took, launching himself from one groove to the next. How was she doing this so quickly?

Rymedur’s hands began to ache, and his muscles strained. As Areanel picked up her pace as they got closer to the top, Rymedur found himself heaving for breath. He tried to copy her steps as best he could, but unlike his wife, he was not used to the sneaking around that came with being an assassin.

Rymedur had been trained as a soldier. A warrior. All he had known was vicious and ruthless attacks with his scythe or shadows. This was something entirely different. A set of skills he was unused to.

Watching Areanel swing from one fissure to the next had Rymedur feeling insecure. Would he be a hindrance on this mission?

As though to solidify his thought, Rymedur lost his footing on the last groove as he finally reached the top.

With a sharp inhale that had his heart skipping a beat, Rymedur tried to cling to the indent he was holding. The stone cut into his hands, rough and tearing at his dry skin. Gods, was he glad Areanel had applied chalk earlier, or his sweaty palms would have caused him to slip!

Using his left boot, Rymedur pushed off the stone and swung himself up onto the ledge. Hands grappled, clutching the back of his shirt. Looking up, Rymedur saw Areanel, straddling the ledge; she leaned her body over to grab onto his bicep. With a strong, unrelenting grip around his arm, Areanel used her weight to help him up.

Crumpling to the floor, Rymedur gulped down large doses of precious oxygen. Thank the gods, solid ground! Staring up at the night sky was all Rymedur could do as he thought about the near fall. He had no idea how Areanel managed to do this without breaking a sweat. But he did know one thing—he was never doing that again!

‘I say that was a success,’ Areanel said. Why was she grinning? He nearly fell! ‘We made it in four minutes with only one near-death experience! Getting up was the hard part. Now we just need to get down before the guards finish their rotation.’