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“I didn’t exactly volunteer for to be sacrificed naked on an altar today, asshole.” I covered my breasts, but only managed to expose my bottom half. “I’m doing the best I can.” But no matter what I did, the tiny throw revealed too much skin.
“You should have picked a bigger blanket.” I snapped.
“Just shut up, Anaria.”
I grumbled beneath my breath until we reached the end of the corridor.
“Stay here.” Tavion warned, then disappeared, returning what seemed like a full day later with a prim, navy blue dress, the customary uniform of the palace servants.
“Turn around.” Yes, he’d held me naked in the dark for…I didn’t know how long, but dressing in front of him was too awkward.
I hated to admit it, but a uniform felt good.
Familiar.
I double checked to make sure he wasn’t looking, then slid the note into my pocket.
The note Torin had pressed into my hand when she’d adjusted the blanket. I didn’t know what was inside, but if she’d wanted Tavion to know, she would have given the letter to him, and she didn’t.
I wrapped the scarf tightly around my hair and nodded. “Let’s go.”
The corridor led to a nondescript room, which led to a locked anteroom—Tavion had the key—which dumped out onto one of the side streets that ran down into the next tier. Not a guard in sight.
“We got lucky.” I whispered. “No one’s here.”
“No one’s here because I drew up the patrol rounds and did not post anyone in this quadrant for tonight. This isn’t luck, it’s careful planning. Do you really think we haven’t calculated every step of our escape?”
“No...I…”
Okay, so Ihadthought it was just luck, but I’d never planned out anything on this big of a scale before. “It’s not like I’m used to court intrigue, betrayal, and murder. A week ago, I was washing dishes and living on scraps. Now I’m the king’s mortal enemy. Tell me again how I should have everything figured out?”
“Shut up, Anaria...”
“Yeah, I know.” I stuck my tongue out at his huge back. “Before you knock me out.”
21
ANARIA
Once we set foot outside the palace, I did as Tavion asked and kept my mouth shut, though I kept calculating every obstacle standing between me and Ember.
Not much, just hundreds of fully armed soldiers, Solok, and the king.
According to Tavion, they’d made plans to get us both out.
Which meant my impulsiveness and need to test the rules had landed us in this no-win situation. Ember would probably die because of me, and while I’d like to march back into the palace and save her…I was powerless.
Fuck. I glanced back the way we came, the high walls of the palace still visible. There had to be a way to warn her, to…
“Keep up, Anaria.” Tavion hissed. “There’s nothing left for you back there.”
I kept up, only because there was nothing else for me to do.
I had no armies, no leverage, no way to help my friend. Tavion had made his decision perfectly clear. But there were others waiting outside this city for us. People sent to rescue me.
I would convince them to rescue Em, too.
Dawn was an hour away, the streets empty, the city blanketed in that smothering pre-morning silence, not so much as a dog barking to break the endless quiet.
