Kieran cut him off with a kiss, his hand gently gripping Sebastian’s hair as he did.Sebastian hummed against his lips, and Kieran pulled him closer.Sebastian’s lips were soft against his, as tender as a summer peach.Kieran pulled away, pressing his forehead to Sebastian’s.
“I know so.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
That night, Kieran gathered everyone at the dining table to discuss his and Sebastian’s plan.The crew had returned not long after Sebastian had.With Kieran’s support, Sebastian had elected to tell the rest of them his secret.The only person who seemed surprised was Delilah, while everyone else exchanged nods, as if it made perfect sense, which, in retrospect, it did.Sebastian’s ability to take out the mercenaries had been a strong clue, but at the time, it had seemed too ridiculous to be true.
“As long as you’re on our side,” Briar had said, shooting Sebastian a looked with her eyebrows cocked, “I have no complaints.”
After a bit more discussion, everyone agreed, though Kieran couldn’t help but notice that Delilah hesitated a bit more than the others.He made a mental note to talk to her later about it.Even if she didn’t agree, Delilah was Kieran’s best friend—he wanted to hear her opinion, even if it was different from his own.
From there, Sebastian laid out everything he knew about Hélèneand their unique approach to the trade.They favored a bow and arrow and tended to stick to attacking from a distance.Sebastian drew up plans that would best throw them off, and Briar suggested some magical solutions as well.All the while, Kieran watched, half impressed and half hot in the cheeks, as Sebastian took command of the planning.There was something he found wildly attractive about assertiveness—perhaps because he struggled with it so much himself.
When Sebastian paused to ask what everyone thought, they agreed.They wanted to keep the group small to minimize the chances of detection, so Ariel and Santiago would stay behind to keep an eye on things on the ship.Briar and Delilah would use magic to help bolster their stealth while Sebastian acted as Kieran’s personal bodyguard.All Kieran had to do, then, was find the Crown.
Easier said than done, of course.But oddly enough, not impossible.Especially with Sebastian, Briar, and Delilah at his side.
I am going to owe them big-time after this,Kieran thought as he closed his eyes to sleep that night.In the meantime, we just have to get through tomorrow.
He fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, hordes of witches gathered back in the Iceweave Palace’s grand banquet hall, all awaiting their chance to hunt for the crown.The tables from the night before were still out, but the centerpieces had been replaced with glowing blue orbs thatfloated a few inches from the tabletops.As the final witches made their way into the hall, buzzing with anticipation, Kieran caught his reflection in one of the orbs, Seaweed perched atop his shoulders.He shivered.
They had a plan.A good plan, even.But considering that Kieran had blown off his meeting with Elias, he was decidedly not safe.Not until Hélène was dealt with anyway.
Kieran felt Sebastian, at his side, weave his fingers between Kieran’s and squeeze.That small touch was enough to melt the tension in Kieran’s shoulders ever so slightly.
“Wherever they are,” Sebastian said under his breath, “I won’t let them hurt you.I promise.”
Kieran nodded, swallowing his trepidation.Half hoping to convince himself, he whispered, “I know.We can do this.”
Just then, the doors to the banquet hall closed of their own accord, making a few people jump.On the central stage, a glowing blue light flashed before the Witch Queen, Philomena, appeared from the ether.She wore a simpler gown than the night before, skintight and creamy yellow with a white fur ruff.
“Welcome, all,” she called, eyes glowing blue as magic amplified her voice, “to our grand hunt!My crown has been placed deep in the caves by members of the coven.Your job, then, is to find it.As a reminder, you’ll be owed one favor by the coven if you find it.Any magic is allowed, except for deadly force, which will result in immediate disqualification.”
The Witch Queen went on to describe more rules, but all Kieran could focus on was scanning the room.He hunted for Hélène among the crowd but came up empty.Clearly, they knewhow to hide themself well.Sebastian too seemed to be struggling to pinpoint them, even as he allowed the extra eyes beneath his primary ones to open.As soon as they appeared, they vanished, and he cursed.
“Which brings us,” Philomena continued, “to the beginning of our hunt.You’ll notice that each table has been given a transportation orb.Upon touching one, it will transport you to a random location within the ice caves.When I give the signal, everyone in your party should lay a hand on your orb, and the hunt will begin.”
Kieran’s eyes widened as he glanced at each of his companions.Seaweed had fallen asleep around his shoulders, seemingly uninterested.Sebastian hunted for Hélène, while Delilah and Briar exchanged a look.Briar had her hand on the small of Delilah’s back, while Delilah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.Her gray eyes opened and fell on Kieran.
“Ready?”she asked.
Kieran gulped.“As I’ll ever be.”
Onstage, Philomena said, “Everyone, gather around your orb!Prepare to start in three…two…one!”
As soon as the final word was out, Kieran and his friends palmed the orb.A clawing, cold burst of energy shot up his arm, and before he could even gasp, the floor vanished beneath him.
Half a second later, he landed on a new floor, the air knocked out of his lungs and his heart racing.He heard Seaweed squeak with annoyance at being woken up.He reached up to pet her as his vision returned, slowly clearing from the center outward.
All around him were crystalline ice walls.Aurora-like bandsof green, blue, and purple light undulated beneath the surface.The ground was tightly packed snow that crunched under Kieran’s boots.As he turned his head, he realized that the tunnel was arched, curving softly in different directions.A few sconces had been added to the walls, offering additional pale light.
As he studied the walls, his companions came to their senses around him.
Briar shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.“Well,” she said, looking around, “this is…going to be hard to navigate.”
Sebastian, meanwhile, withdrew a knife from his belt and approached one of the walls.With a swift flick of his wrist, he used it to chip a small bit of ice away, leaving a small mark on the wall.Nodding, he said, “We can mark our path to make sure we don’t backtrack.Granted, others might have the same idea, so we want to choose a way to mark it that stands out to us…”
