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My chest tightened with the knowledge that I’d almost caused the death of the guards.
“Of course,” I replied. “I can’t believe I forgot about them. What do we do?”
“I can send them away,” Cari replied. “The soldiers, I mean.”
It was only a few seconds before she spoke again.
“They’re climbing into their watch house up on the mountain,” she said. “They’ll be safe.”
She walked toward the entrance to the hallway. She waited for something and I guessed she was making sure the guards were safely inside. Then, she pushed a button that I hadn’t seen before, and we heard the sound of stone lifting on the other side, where the doors where.
“A conjurer’s rune?” Dearen asked.
Cari nodded.
We did not see the light on the other side of the long hallway, but only seconds passed before I smelled the fresh air reaching us from the outside.
Why can I smell that? I asked.
I don’t know, Cari replied. Could be the monster rising in you.
I ignored the ominous echoing of her voice in my head. We were safe for now. That’s what mattered. We could deal with the rising monster in me later.
“Should we break the mirrors?” I asked. “The queen might open a portal again.”
“Yes,” Cari replied.
Dearen did not wait for us to discuss the quickest way to break the mirrors. As he turned away from the rest of us, multiple small rocks appeared in the air and flew toward all sides. The sounds of mirrors breaking filled the room.
Pieces flew across the room, and we all had to cover our heads to make sure none hit us.
“Sorry,” Dearen said. “I got carried away with it.”
“I couldn’t save her,” Kieran said. “She took her again.”
I turned to him. He looked devastated.
“Fiona chose to stay,” I said. Kieran looked up. He listened as though he thought my words were the only way he could feel better. “She told me so when I went into her mind. She said the queen wasn’t lying when she told us that King Duncan is no more. That means you two are the only ones who can save the kingdom from the queen’s accomplices. She decided to stay because she wanted to protect the realm.”
Kieran met my gaze. “She was always prone to sacrificing herself for the good of the realm.”
“Was that your brother?” Brigid asked.
I nodded.
“He is pretending to be on the queen’s side,” I said. “He said he would help Fiona.”
The question hung in the air between us. How long would Feremir be able to trick the queen?
“He will be safe,” Cari said softly.
She was staring at Kieran as though she expected him to do something.
Perhaps she was still in his mind.
“You!” Kieran turned to Cari, anger flaring in his eyes. “You are the reason we are in this situation. You...”
“I can still control you,” Cari warned him dryly. “Don’t forget that little prince.”
