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“Not until we get Olivia.”
“We’ll get Niall and Adrian too. Azia found me. He was looking for Olivia. He’s at the edge of the forest, waiting for us. We’ll come out through the forest to his cottage. It’s the safest way into the castle, but it’ll still be crawling with aniccipere.”
“Unless we create a diversion.”
He patted my shoulder. “We’ll use Azia’s magic to do it. Good thinking, brother. If you weren’t king, I’d try enlisting you.”
King. I hadn’t heard that yet. I shook my head, staring blankly ahead. “There’s no time to lose. We get in there, and if Salenia attacks me, grab Olivia.” I looked at him, my heart thumping wildly. “There’s no one else I’d trust to get my wife out.”
“Don’t let Erianna hear you say that.”
Except for her.
We kicked off again, this time swooping toward the forest. I followed Zach as he navigated the edges of the evergreen trees, staying close to the rocky edges of the mountains, trapping the castle in a dip between rock and ice.
The sky darkened to a deep indigo, stars twinkling in the night. We flew over the trees, their branches draped with snow from the blizzard. Small animals scurried through the underbrush, disturbed only by the occasional hiss and shriek from the aniccipere.
We slowed down as we neared our destination, touching down at the edge of the forest with only a whisper of sound muffled by layers of freshly fallen snow. Zach gave me a signal, staying low to avoid the eyes of the aniccipere. We wove deeper into the forest, weaving around massive trunks and over fallen logs until we reached a small area by the wall of the castle. Azia stood, his brown eyes finding mine in the darkness.
“We have a plan,” I whispered, barely catching my breath. “We need you to create a diversion so we can get inside.”
“What can I do?”
Zach glanced up at the drawbridge, then ran his hands through his hair. “Draw the aniccipere here.”
Azia nodded solemnly, his eyes glimmering with a fierce determination. “Just make sure you get her out.
I sucked in a deep breath as he rose his hands. “I hope this means you trust me now, Vangard.”
I nodded stiffly, teetering on the things I wanted to say, but it was all shared in one look. I was grateful for him. No matter his intentions, he’d gone after Olivia and was helping us now.
“Go,” he said. “Now.”
We sped away, winding between trees, when a heavy boom reverberated in the sky. At first, I thought it was thunder. A crash sounded in the distance, then a second as Azia destroyed the drawbridge.The aniccipere’s howls rang through the air as they scurried across the open land in search of new prey.
Zach and I looked at each other for a few moments, then raced through the forest. As we fell out onto the grounds.
We both knew Azia had sacrificed himself, although he probably gave as good as he got to the soul vampires. I glanced at Azia's cottage, nestled amongst overgrowth as if nothing had changed. The pond trickled, and I looked up, the lights in the castle windows dimming.
“Salenia will be on high alert,” Zach said. “We go through the servant's entrance.”
I nodded.
We tip-toed across the gravel path to the entrance of the castle, our eyes darting around for signs of life. The door creaked when we opened it, and we quickly slid through before anyone could see us. As we made our way through the musty hallways, the shadows shifted in the darkness.
We finally reached a set of stairs leading up to the foyer. Treading lightly, we climbed the steps, halting when four guards stepped into view. Zach and I exchanged glances, then poised to fight.
My wings unfurled from my back, and Zach stepped forward, his sword raised in front of him. The guards’ fangs glinted under the low light. They drew their swords and rushed towards us.
I flew upward, narrowly avoiding a slashing swipe from one of them while Zach countered their attacks with swings from his sword.
The clang of steel surrounded us, sparks flying. I disarmed one guard, kicking him back against the wall, his head smashing against stone. Zach charged towards the last guard, his sword glinting in the torchlight. With a firm swing, he knocked the guard's weapon from their hands and it clattered to the ground.
We turned, staring at the door to the dungeons. Bracing myself against it, with Zach's aid, we heaved until the padlock shattered and the door opened.
The bond pulled me deeper inside, her breaths in my ears as we fell into the large room. I found her in the shadows, bound to the wall, her hair disheveled.
I sprinted forward, bracing the sword, then slashed through the chains. “We’re getting out of here,” I promised, and held her hand out shakily.
