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“No, no,” Anna grunted. “You’ve had a hard day. I’ve got it.”
“Are you’re sure?”
Boy, what an act we were putting on for them, but they’d expect it. Nine times out of ten, I escorted Anna to the bathroom.
“Positive. Keep sleeping, I’ll be back soon,” Anna replied, her voice remarkably strained for someone who was actually just fine.
As quietly as possible, covered by Anna’s loud moaning and struggles to get out of her own bed, I slid out of mine, arranged the blankets to resemble a fae-ish shape, and bent to grab my shoes. I wished they had thicker soles, but they were the best I owned, and I’d need to make them work for what came next.
On a rickety side table rested my red collar. The sign that I wasn’t really a person, just something to be owned.
The urge to hurl it out the window nearly overcame me, but I just turned my back on the collar. Never again would I wear that hideous thing.
When I turned back to Anna, I found she was watching me expectantly, so I double checked the room. No one so much as blinked in our direction. Stars, our roommates were so predictable.
I waved for Anna to move, and she shuffled loudly to the door while I tiptoed out of the room and to the communal washroom four doors down. Quietly, I scanned the area. Empty.
“Please, come with me,” I whispered. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”
“I can’t. My job is to get you out of the room without notice and make my issues look real for when Yvette arrives.” Anna bent over the toilet, shoving her fingers down her throat and forcing herself to vomit. The air filled with the smell of sickness, and I slowed my breathing, trying not to be ill myself.
I looked away. She did everything possible to make sure that my cover was complete. Once the alarm sounded, which would hopefully be in many hours, our roommates would say they heard only Anna leave the room. They would know that Anna had told me to stay behind, to not bother with helping her tonight.
I didn’t deserve a friend like her.
Once she finished emptying her stomach, Anna rose, looking pale. Childishly, I stuck out my lower lip, prepared to try one more time.
“Neve, stop. You know I’d slow you down.” She gestured to her clubfoot. In normal life, the handicap was minor. Perhaps she walked a touch slower than me, but it didn’t impair her any other way.
But when on the run through dangerous woods and over mountains infested with orcs, ogres, trolls, and giants, slowing down could easily spell death.
I exhaled, knowing she would not be dissuaded. And that she was also right for not coming. Not tonight anyway.
“I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can,” I promised. “Once I get to the Dragon Court and earn enough coin, I’ll hire a dragon to extract you. One who breathes fire! The vampires won’t be able to stop them!”
“I know you will.” She swallowed. “I love you, Neve, but you need to go. Even if no one raises the alarm before tomorrow morning, you’re at a disadvantage. The vampires are so fast.”
I closed the distance between us, enveloping her in a hug. “I’ll miss you so much. Stay safe and alert for when I send someone.”
“Don’t worry about me.” She pulled back and looked me in the eye. Slowly, her hand rose to touch the crescent moon scar over my right temple, the one she had a twin of just below her collarbone. While I’d had mine for as long as I could recall, I used to dislike it. That was until the day an eleven-year-old Anna carved the same moon into her skin so I wouldn’t feel bad about myself. “I’ll see you again soon, Neve.”
“I promise.”
“I believe you.” She smiled a teary smile.
Stars and the moon above. Could I really do this?
“Neve, go. If you don’t leave soon, I can’t promise I won’t raise the alarm myself to selfishly keep you here.” Tears fell down her cheeks now, hard and fast.
“You’re a terrible liar.” Unable to bear her tears, I wiped the track marks and landed a kiss on the top of her head. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I turned because if I didn’t do so then, I might never have gathered the strength. Shoulders shaking from sobs I was forcing deep down, I left the washroom and moved swiftly through the barren, dank-smelling halls. Everyone slept, and because I’d lived in the slave complex since I arrived in Sangrael at two turns of age, I knew exactly where the guards around the complex would be. And tonight, I knew who would distract them.
Yvette stood in position as I stepped out the eastern side door and into the chilly night. The wool pants, tunic, and thick black cloak she’d snatched from the laundry room sat right where she said they’d be. I sniffed and exhaled. The cloak smelled like expensive perfume and the material felt luxurious beneath my fingers. It had to have been owned by a vampire, which meant it also smelled like their kind. Both smells were perfect for smothering my fae scent.
I thanked her resourcefulness as I shimmied into the clothing and swung the cloak over my silver wings, pushing them down to lie flat against my back. Once I’d secured the cloak’s clasp, I pulled my hair back and raised the hood to hide the shimmery-white hue. Something in the pockets bumped against my leg, and I peeked inside.
