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“I know. Believe me. I’m more than capable of handling myself. I’ll figure it out. You shouldn’t be worried about me. You should be worried about how you’re going to tell my brother that you’re alive.”
I drag out my exhale, taking a seat near him by the fire. “I’ll know that when I get there.”
“As will I. You should get some rest.” Hating that he’s right, I summon a pillow, curling up with it on the opposite side of the fire from him. My eyes close, and even though I don’t feel mentally tired, sleep overcomes me as the exhaustion takes hold.
***
“Alice, wake up.” Hands grip my arm, shaking me from my dream. “Alice. They’ve blown the horns. We need to get moving.” I can feel him draining my power, pulling it into him as he rouses me. Peeking my eyes open, I find his scarred white one, front and center. “Let’s go. If we’re going to make it inside the castle, we need to before the crowds start forming.”
“Could we not teleport into the dungeon?” He shakes his head, holding out a hand to pull me up.
“The wards prevent it, but I can get us close. Teleporting out won’t be an issues, though. Do you trust me?” I pause, my eyes flicking over his face.
“Not entirely.”
He hisses air through his clenched teeth. “Well, then… You’ll just have to try.”
I climb to my feet and he rights me, making sure I’m steady before he lets go. “I think I have enough to teleport. Do we need to go over the plan again?”
“No. I’ve got it. We’ll sneak into the dungeons while the guards are handling the crowd, killing those that remain, then grab Finn. Once he’s out, You’ll teleport him here, while I steal what I need from their ritual room to get your wristband off. You’ll meet me there to teleport me to safety, then the moment we’re back, we try to get the shackle off, but if it doesn’t work, we take the hand.” I pause for a moment, rerunning the scenario in my head. “You’re sure it will grow back?”
“Yes,” he says, swallowing hard. “Let’s hope. I can’t say I’ve lost a whole appendage before, but I’ve seen others… The closest I can get us is the bridge, but we still need a way to hide you. You can’t use the mustaches. They’ll recognize you as a newcomer. Everyone knows everyone here.”
I lift my hand, wiggling my fingers until the spell takes hold. “Then I’ll hide in plain sight.”
His face falls. “You can’t hold that forever, though. And what if someone bumps into you? There will be hundreds of creatures down there.”
“It worked when we were at war. How else do you think I got across that battlefield?”
Asmo huffs, letting his eyes drift closed. “This is different. People will be pushed together. They’ll know if you’re invisible.”
Looking past him, I spot men in armor making their way around the foot of the castle, and higher up near the drawbridge. The waterline has slipped out beyond the horizon, leaving a beach of black glass chips behind. “What do the guards look like? What’s on their heads?”
“What guards? The prison guards or the royal guard?”
“Whoever is going to be outside the castle during the high king’s address.”
“The prison guards, then. They wear the same armor as the others, but their helmets are made of creature skulls. Don’t ask me why.”
“What if I looked like them?”
He frowns at me, giving me a ‘you can’t be serious’ look. “There are no women in the guard.”
“Would it be that obvious?”
His eyes drop to my chest before rushing back up to meet mine. “Yes.”
“We’ll say the king has expanded his horizons. It’s not like the ruse has to last long. Just long enough.”
“Fine. If it fails, you go invisible.” I nod my approval of his plan. Summoning my armor, well create another set that looks exactly the same, I quickly pull everything on and Asmo helps me secure it in place. I start to ask him if he wants me to make him something to wear, but he pulls at the collar of his t-shirt, yanking it over his head, exposing his scarred chest.
“You’ll have to deal with the view. I never wear a shirt unless I’m meeting the king, and they’ll know something is off if I start now.”
“So what? You were wearing one to appease me?”
He stills for a moment, gathering the things he’ll need. “It obviously bothered you.” He secured his dagger on his leg and dust his hands off on his pants. “I know my scars can be distracting. You didn’t need to ask, nor do I mind that they bother you. I’m used to it.”
“I couldn’t care less about your scars, Asmo. It didn’t bother me. Was it distracting? Sure, but not for the reasons you think.”
