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"What about Shuvrick?"
"Yeah, he's somewhere out here. Best to stay clear of him."
If that was even possible. Shelby released Ace. She pulled her arms around her, hugging the dress. Her skin was hot where he had held her.
"We won't be here long," Shelby promised, offering his hand to his friend.
"I'll let the others know to look out for you but not to approach. I'll see if I can keep Shuvrick busy. Don't get fucking caught. I don't need to see another warlock's head splattered against the castle walls."
Did Queen Sienna really do something like that? Make a warlock’s head explode or something? Or had it been a guard? Either way, the picture it created in her mind was terrible.
"Recon and then we leave," Shelby confirmed looking down to Ace.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I mean I wouldn't mind having some fun while we are here."
"No." Shelby and Adaram said together. They shared a look of outrage.
That only made her want to do something stupid even more, but she knew it was best if she lay low so she rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed. At least they knew they had the help of the warlocks. She hadn’t been expecting that.
Adaram gave them one last look before he departed. A long, weary look, like he was trying to memorize how they were now while they were living because he was certain he was going to be traumatized with seeing them dead soon.
"I really thought a warlock who recognized you would rat you out," Ace said, breaking the silence.
"If we have one thing in common it's our hate for the queen and being bound under law as slaves." He stared down at her. "Honestly, I'm surprised too. But grateful."
If the situation had been reversed would Shelby have done the same thing for Adaram? Or another warlock?
"Let's get this done before someone changes their mind about their loyalty to the warlocks." Ace waited till Shelby nodded his agreement. "The big wheel is going so I'm going to assume the queen is either on it or just got done. Let's move that way."
The two of them posed themselves as the rich couple they'd been impersonating and sank into the crowd. They moved shoulder to shoulder past booths that were busy entertaining the guests or calling out for their next player in whatever game they offered.
Ace narrowed her eyes on the guests riding the big wheel. After a minute she was able to spot the little dot of yellow at the top of the wheel. "Queen's up there." She jutted her chin out in place of pointing dramatically. They were close to the large ride now, only two booths away from the platform.
"Come! Come! We have an opening!" Someone shouted to their right.
They stopped, forcing the flow of party goers to walk around them. They tried to edge to the side—
A hand tugged Shelby, spinning him around. Both of them stifled their cries of surprise. Ace's hand gripped Shelby's wrist as she readied to pull him away.
"Come now! Play a game and win a prize for the lady!" The man at the booth smiled a little too wide.
"No, thank you," Shelby said, peeling the stranger’s hands from his jacket.
"One game!" the man insisted, handing Shelby three small rubber daggers. "Hit the target." He pointed to a red circle positioned on top of another wheel. "You get three tries."
"Don't cause a ruckus. Just play the game and we can be done with it. I'll keep an eye onyou know." She had to stretch to whisper up in Shelby's ear. All the muscles under his jacket were tense.
"Your wife must be quite shy. No better way to make her feel comfortable than to win her something to cuddle." He gestured toward a small stack of teddy bears.
"One game and then we must be on our way," Shelby said dryly to the man, curling his fingers around the darts. He dipped his head in return.
Weighing one of the daggers in his hand, he took a moment before he let it fly. The man cranked a handle that sent the wheel turning along with the target. The dagger flew right past it, smacking into the red material of the booth before it fell out of sight.
Shelby made the slightest adjustment with his shoulders before letting loose another dagger. This time it skimmed by the target.
"Last chance to win the lady a prize!" the attendant shouted, drawing more than a few unwanted glances.
Ace made sure to keep her back to the crowd. She watched in silence as Shelby's shoulders rose then fell with a long exhale before he tossed the other dagger. The target spun faster, narrowly avoiding his last throw.
