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“And yet you’ve noticed something, haven’t you?” Mavlyn pounced on his lack of denial. “And what about Lady Mossi herself? Surely it’s not within her nature to order her soldiers to raze entire villages, killing defenseless mothers and children. And don’t even try to deny it. I came across one of the border villages myself. Not a single person was left alive. And yet you accusemeof war crimes?”
A muscle ticked in the soldier’s jaw, but Mavlyn plowed on, emboldened by his lack of rebuttal. “As for Lady Gelsyne’s possession, I saw it happen myself when I was at Castle Kaipei. You havenoidea the horror I felt watching that wretched demon pour itself out of King Aolis’s dead body and into Gelsyne’s.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes at the memory, and she blinked hard, refusing to let the soldier see her cry. “Unlike you, I knew Gelsyne before all this happened. She practically raised me, and she was the gentlest, kindest soul in the village. You can’t tell me the fae walking around in Castle Ithir fits that description.”
But the rider’s eyes gleamed now, like a dire wolf who’d finally sighted its prey. “So you admit you aided the traitor Adara in the death of King Aolis, and yet you expect me to believe everything else you’ve said?” The rider shook his head in disbelief. “You’re mad if you think I’m going to sympathize with you.”
Mavlyn sighed, sitting back in her chair. “You can think whatever you want of me,” she said, rattling her chains. “We both know your superiors have already put me on the list for the chopping block. I don’t know why we’re bothering with this conversation.”
“Call it a formality.” The rider stood abruptly, his chair screeching across the stone floor. “Your trial has been scheduled for next week. We’ve sent word to your parents so they can make travel arrangements.”
Mavlyn’s heart clenched at the thought of them. What must they think of her now, especially after the warnings her father had given her? “Will I be allowed to see them beforehand?”
The soldier hesitated. “It’s unlikely. But I’ll put in a request.”
Mavlyn hated that she felt any gratitude toward him for that. “What about witnesses? Will I be allowed to call any?”
“Witnesses?” His lips thinned. “That would be a waste of time. Your crimes are so public and egregious, there’s nothing a witness could say to refute them. You’d be better off praying to the Radiants for a miracle.”
He opened the door, and the two guards from before stepped in to collect her. Mavlyn’s stomach churned with nausea as they unchained her from the table and led her back to the cell, but though many questions battled for attention in her mind, one burned brighter than all the rest.
Why hadn’t the soldier questioned her about Adara and Einar’s whereabouts?
29
Leap
“Is everyone ready?”
Leap surveyed the faces of the group as they stood inside the dimly lit house he’d broken into. It had been three days since he’d found the remaining students hiding out in the woods, some five miles away from the military camp. It had been a challenge getting them back into Talamh unseen, especially since a few had been injured in the escape, but he’d managed it, and most of them were back with their families.
Most of them had been too emotionally scarred by the ordeal to agree to do another mission, but the five standing before him—Roylan, Rina, Emelie, Lyra, and Tora—had enthusiastically agreed when he’d asked them to help stage a rescue attempt for Mavlyn.
“Ready as we’ll ever be.” Emelie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, betraying her nerves. Leap was feeling a little anxious about this too, but as the leader, he couldn’t show fear. “How many times did you say you’ve done this?”
“Technically, none, since I’ve never broken into this castle before,” Leap pointed out. “But I’ve organized and taken part in a couple dozen heists, some with insanely tight security.” He glanced at Rina. “Can I see the map again?”
Rina nodded, removing the rolled up parchment from her satchel. She’d used a connection at the city hall to get an old blueprint of the castle, and while Leap knew the document wouldn’t tell them about the castle’s defenses or secret passages, it was still a helpful guide.
“We’re going to be tunneling into this storage shed,” Leap said, pointing to a building within the castle bailey. “It’s the least likely to have people inside it, especially in the middle of the night.” He looked at Nora. “You’ll be able to get us through the foundation if there is one?”
“As long as it isn’t more than a few feet thick,” she confirmed. Tora had the power to manipulate rocks—she could shape and liquify any type of stone, even the hardest of diamonds.
“And you’ll be able to tunnel?” he asked Emelie.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“Good.” Leap studied their faces one last time, searching for any sign of doubt. But though he knew they were all experiencing various degrees of nerves, the resolute determination gave him hope.
We can do this,he told himself.You’ve come out on top with far worse odds, and far less help, before.
“All right,” he said to Emelie. “Lead the way.”
The group fell in line behind Emelie as they exited through the back door of the house and into the yard. Just outside, a pair of double doors set into the earth led into a cellar. The room was freezing cold and smelled of damp and rot from years of disuse, and Leap pulled his cloak tight around him as they entered. Roylan struck a match and used it to light the torch on the wall, and Leap waved his hand once they were all inside, using wind magic to shut the cellar doors behind them.
The torch’s flickering light caused the shadows in the room to dance, making Leap shudder. The movement reminded him of Nox and the way her own shadow seemed to move independently, a writhing entity of darkness barely leashed within the confines of Gelsyne’s body. He hoped Mavlyn was okay, that her mind was still her own, and that she hadn’t been subjected to too much cruelty at the Shadow’s hands.
The six of them made a circle in the center of the room, and Emelie stepped into the middle. She crouched on the floor, placing her hand atop the earth, and closed her eyes in concentration. At first, nothing happened, but then the ground began to tremble. The tremors were slight at first, but they grew larger and more insistent, until the surrounding walls shook and dust rained from the ceiling. The others cast nervous glances upward, but just when Leap feared the ceiling might cave in, the earth beneath Emelie’s hand collapsed, falling away to reveal a deep hole about four feet wide.
“Phew,” she said, wiping a sheen of sweat from her brow. “That was more work than I thought it would be.”
