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“What she needs is to be left alone so she can take in what’s happening to her,” Ellie replied. “She doesn’t know anyone. The more people crowd her when she doesn’t know what’s going on, the worse it will be.”
Ren wanted to argue, but Ellie glared at him, and Ren backed down.
I wanted to fight her, too. How could she not let me see Nylah? I understood where she was coming from, though.
I turned around to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Ren asked me.
“To deal with this alone,” I said. I had to process what was going on.
Ellie looked torn. “Are you going to be okay?”
I shrugged. “Not much of a choice, right?”
“Dex…”
I didn’t want to hear it. Nylah didn’t know who I was, and I wasn’t allowed to see her. I didn’t know what to make of it.
* * *
I tossedand turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. The night was warm on my skin, humidity building in the air, bringing the promise of another couple of weeks of rain down the line. Although I was glad the temperatures were no longer cold, the warm air did not improve my mood. I felt hot and clammy, my skin sticky with sweat, and my mind wouldn’t leave me alone.
Was Nylah okay?
What a dumb question to ask. Of course she wasn’t okay. She had no idea who any of us were, nor any idea where she was.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of turmoil that had to be to go through.
I hated that I couldn’t see her. All I wanted was to make sure that she was all right. How could I protect her if I wasn’t close to her? It drove me crazy. Protecting was what my life was about.
After hours of trying to fall asleep, I got up and walked to my bathroom. I stripped my clothes and stepped into the shower, turning it on. I didn’t bother with hot water. I needed the cold water to calm me down, to wipe away the hot and bothered feeling that wouldn’t leave me alone.
My mind was filled with Nylah, and my stomach twisted into a knot of anxiety. I couldn’t keep doing this.
When I switched off the water, my mind was made up. I understood what Ellie was trying to do. She was protective of Nylah, and she had every right to be. I just didn’t agree with her.
I dressed in black cotton clothing, light and quiet to move in rather than my usual outfit of fighting leathers, and left my room. I had the largest apartment in the warriors’ quarters, and I was comfortably arranged.
Without a sound, I tiptoed through the palace, hoping that I wouldn’t be seen. An advantage of being the general in charge of the palace security and guard schedules and rotations meant that I knew exactly who was where and what they were looking out for. It took a bit of skill and determination, but I managed to get through the palace and to Nylah’s door without problems.
If it was this easy to sneak through the palace without being seen by all the guards that I’d set up to look after Ellie and Ren, I had to up my game. If I could do it at this easily, someone else could, too.
That was a problem for another day. Tonight, I was grateful for the loophole in my defense.
I stood in a dark corner and spied Nylah’s quarters. A guard had been stationed outside it. He looked bored, like he was about to fall asleep. I glanced at the time on the holo-watch on my wrist. The shift change should happen any moment now. I hadn’t planned my timing so that I could sneak in, but it had worked out that way.
I was ready to take that as a sign that what I was doing was the right thing.
The next guard appeared.
“Hey,” he said to the first guard and sauntered toward him. The first guard walked to meet him halfway, leaving his post wide open.
I would have to address this in the morning. The guards had become lax. It was behavior like this that had let in a Conjurite to kill Ren’s father, King Arnott, a couple of years ago.
Right now, I used the weakness in our system to my advantage and tried not to squirm and rage at how much needed to change.
I moved quickly, pushing open the door, slipping through, and shutting it again.
