AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The guard closed the old oak door as Graeson raced down the steps. He ran away from her and toward the blazing fire that would surely destroy everything in its path.
Chapter31
Kallie staredat the closed door, paralyzed as the scent of cedar dissipated. And a piece of her heart peeled off and withered away as the man who said he would always save her walked away from her without saying a word.
She didn't know how it got to this point where a man, a single person, could have affected her so much. She didn't know if she wanted to run after him and yell at him or beg him to listen to her and forgive her.
As Kallie tried to sort out the confusion rolling in her head, Terin interrupted.
"Myra, warn the staff. They'll know where to take you to remain safe." The order was awkward on Terin's tongue as he shifted on his feet.
Myra nodded, turning to Kallie. She pulled Kallie into an embrace. A sense of calm slid over Kallie's sweat-coated skin at Myra’s touch.
Myra whispered into her ear, "Stay safe. I'll see you soon, Kals."
With a tight smile, Kallie nodded. Myra turned on her heel, scurrying down the hallway. Her friend's lingering touch brought her back to reality. The past few weeks Kallie had spent here on the island had made her forget who she was. She had never needed a man to save her. And she didn’t need one now.
So, Kallie did what she did best. She shoved her feelings down and reached for the thing that would always be with her no matter what happened on the outside.
She rolled her head back, her neck cracking as she brought it around, and fixed her gaze upon Terin. His eyes narrowed as Kallie straightened.
But after the past few weeks, she had learned his reaction time. And having strengthened her connection with Sabina at the Whispering Springs and having practiced using her gift tirelessly, Kallie was faster.
"Take the queen to the safe room and protect them,” she commanded.
Terin's eyes became hooded, glazed over. He turned on his heel and headed down the hall without another word. And Kallie watched her brother walk away from her.
Finally alone, the silence of the empty hall wrapping around her, water billowed behind her eyes and tried to push its way out. She took a deep breath in.
And only when she ran up the staircase to her chambers did she let the tears fall, not bothering to wipe them away. She mourned the loss of her friends, knowing she had just ruined everything by leading the enemy to their doorstep.
This was her fault and she deserved to feel the pain of her own actions. She deserved to feel like the fool she was.
She took a deep breath in, then exhaled, releasing all of her emotions. She had one more job to do and she needed her tools to accomplish it first.
* * *
Throwing the door open,Kallie sprinted to her closet, passing the pile of clothes that still lay on her floor from Dani. She scanned the clothes hanging on the wooden rail, eyes skipping over the beautiful silk gowns she would never get the chance to wear. But she couldn't worry about that now. It was somewhere in here, but Dani's escapade through her closet had rearranged the items that had been so meticulously organized.
Her gaze flicked across the items, searching. And she sighed in relief.
There.
Shoved behind the emerald green gown she had worn that very first night now freed of stains hung the black woolen cloak she sought. It wasn't the same one she had in Ardentol, for this cloak was made out of a lighter material. But it would do. When Kallie had first arrived in Pontia, she had asked Myra if she could procure it for her and her friend had done a good enough job. Upon receiving it after she and Graeson had returned from the springs, Kallie had stored her dagger in the pocket hidden on the inside of the cloak.
She snatched the cloak and threw it over her clothes, not bothering to take the time to change. Cloak in place, weapons hidden, she hastened back to the door.
Hand on the wall, she took one last look back at her borrowed room, the clothes, the bed, the vase of lavender that sat on her bedside table. Taking one last moment to remember it all.
She brushed off the remains of the tears and pulled out the ribbon holding her hair. Her hair cascaded down her back. Tucking it inside the cloak, she slid her hood up and tugged it down.
Tonight she would remember who she was and what she fought for: her home, her family, her freedom. Her power.
* * *
Maneuveringthrough the castle unseen presented no issues. The guards who normally patrolled the hallways had been called from their posts and stationed elsewhere due to the attack. Kallie assumed their new posts were near the most vital points in the castle: the exterior doors and the safe room.
Therefore, getting out of the palace would be another story.
