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Oh, I don’t want to do this. I know I have to, but I really don’t want to—
“I will not ask again,” rumbles Saxon. “Go now, human. Every moment you hesitate is that much longer you stay in the shadows. You’ll regret wasting your meal then.”
What a dick. I know exactly what he’s threatening me with. Once I’m in the hole, he’s going to “forget” to feed me to get back at me for hitting him with the apple. And it’s not just about hunger. Considering I need faerie food to keep from starving, that’s like rubbing salt into an open wound. I’ll suffer, and he knows it.
It’s a good thing that I’m on my way to escaping this place…
Okay. Step one: meet Rys down below.
Here we go.
I take a deep breath and, hoping that I don’t break anything when I land, I jump into the dark hole.
15
Rys is waiting for me.
Right before I hit the ground, a pair of strong hands grab onto me. It’s a secure grip around my waist, and my strangled scream turns into a grunt. I expected to hit the ground hard. I remember the fall from last time. Better prepared this go-round, I bent my knees to take the brunt of the impact.
Turns out that was unnecessary.
“I’ve got you, Leannán.”
Yeah. He does.
I’m so damn grateful, too. I was terrified that I’d land wrong or something when Saxon forced me to jump. Spraining my ankle or buckling my legs wouldn’t help me get too far if we’re really about to put our escape plan into motion.
It takes me a second for my heart to stop pounding inside my chest. It feels like it’s thumping against my ribcage, beating like a drum, and now that I’m safe in his hold, I exhale.
Because I’m in his hold, Rys picks up on just how shaky I am. Once he can tell that I’ve steadied myself a little bit, he sets me down. There’s a crackle and a spark and, suddenly, he’s holding a palmful of faerie fire to brighten up the darkness.
He looks concerned as he asks me, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Do what? You mean, escape?”
Rys nods.
“I’m positive.”
“The danger for one of your kind grows as soon as we make it through the gates. And that’s if Siúcra accepts our sacrifices… you’d be safer inside.”
I’m sure I would. I haven’t forgotten what Saxon and Coal were talking about. Some of the fae think it’s a good idea to kill someone like me on sight for no other reason than because they can.
But, if that’s the case, I really would be a sitting duck if I stayed inside my cell.
“I don’t care. I’m going with you.”
Rys lifts his free hand. In four broad strokes, he creates the image of a rectangle. The fire seems to leap from his palm as he does. It lingers in the dark space, forming a doorway.
No.
A portal.
“If you’re sure, then there’s no time to waste. Are you ready?”
As ready as I’ll ever be.
Step one? Done. We’re in the oubliette together. Rys has obviously recharged enough of his magic otherwise he never would’ve been able to conjure the faerie fire or the portal.
