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“You’ll see,” I said, “but let’s get out of here before someone arrests me again.”
* * *
The walkto the western wall was as many miles as I’d already gone today, but with Graham, the time went by faster. We picked up our pace, hurrying through the city. We had to make it out before curfew.
Cael was most likely using his uniform as a ticket through the city gates. Graham could’ve gone through, too, if it weren’t vital to keep his departure secret. With the exception of farmers and fishermen, no one but Academy members and the ruling family could venture beyond the wall, and even then, getting off the island was out of the question.
“You left just in time,” said Graham. “Guards searched every room.”
“I’m not surprised. Your mother is relentless.” I imagined Maeve Brennin’s disappointment, but it didn’t give me the pleasure I expected. All I could picture was the view down the hall to the king’s bedside and the queen’s hands covering her face.
“She wasn’t always like this. Back when Ewan—my brother—was alive, she actually had a heart.” His words were laced with bitterness.
I wanted to know what had happened to Ewan, but it would be a shame to open such a painful wound. Besides, I liked secrets where they belonged: buried deep.
I pictured the queen’s dejected figure again. “Maybe she still cares.”
“If she does, there’s no evidence,” he said.
“I’m sorry you had to leave your father. My father is everything to me,” I said without thinking. I didn’t want to give him a reason to stay when we were so close to leaving.
“You speak so highly of him. He must be very good to you.”
“He is.” I smiled, remembering that I was closing the distance between my father and me with every step. “Without him, I’d be nowhere, and nobody.”
“We’d have a lot in common then,” he said.
“Oh, stop.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re one of the most important people in Cambria.”
“Not because of anything I’vedone,” he said. “You’re from a different world than I am. You don’t understand what it’s like to be born with expectations you can never meet.”
I understood more than he knew. My father had very high expectations for me, but it wasn’t a problem since he and I had generally wanted the same things.
“This could be your chance to change that,” I said, cringing at my ability to mislead and encourage in one sentence. I didn’t know how I could still dare to make him believe he’d be making alliances when, in reality, Cael would be making Graham a prisoner as soon as we made it to the shore.
The sun dipped beneath the wall and the windows lit up with warm flickering glows. We kept our pace light and casual to conceal our urgency. I pulled the bag out of my shirt and put it over my shoulder, getting ready to run if we had to.
The noises of the city died down to a hum, leaving us in nearly deserted streets. The quiet darkness, along with the feeling of exposure, pushed me to walk faster. Graham kept pace beside me.
We were approaching the looming wall when the curfew bells rang.
A rhythm began to pound through my veins. I wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of my fear or if my ears were picking up on something real.
Graham glanced back. “Someone’s coming,” he said gravely.
“Run!” I pulled him by the hand.
The wall was straight ahead, but not without barriers. If we could get there first, we’d have an advantage. The Enforcers weren’t likely to excel at climbing a sky-high stone wall in the dark.
I raced down the wide street with Graham on my heels. My hat tumbled off and my hair fell around my shoulders. There was nowhere to turn, no side streets, just the fences of the A and B quarters blocking us in on both sides. Our feet pounded over the cobblestones and a gate stood between us and our destination. The grounds of the Third House lay beyond. I ran straight for it.
“We’re not . . . going inthere. . . are we?” asked Graham between breaths.
I glanced back. “No time to go around.”
“What about guards?” he panted.
But no one stood in front of the gates. I ran up to the ironwork of the fence and checked the handle.
