The corner of his lips tilts upward. It’s the first time Rhett has shown something akin to a smile since I met him in New Orleans. “The best part about magical objects is that you can make them disappear and appear at whim if you know the right words.” He tilts his chin to point behind us. “We’re about two hours away from Aurelis—the capital. The sunset is approaching, so they will most likely hold the execution tomorrow and move us to a cell in the meantime. We can talk more about this later.”
We all turn. The blinding light bouncing off the approaching gargantuan castle sears my retinas. I have to blink a few times to adjust my vision. In blatant contradiction to the plundered villages—reeking of sadness and death—the capital’s fortified walls stand proud, and the castle looms from the highest point on the hill with gleaming spires reaching for the cloudless sky.
“Fuck. I think I just gave my eyes third-degree burns. What is that, real gold?” Malik asks, a grimace pinching the planes of his face.
Rhett lets out a mirthless chuckle. “Yeah, in fact, it is.”
Briny air tinglesmy nose as the convoy passes over the wooden drawbridge on a background of clattering hooves. Malik whistles when he takes in the moat that must be deeper than forty feet. We stop in front of the portcullis, flanked by two giant statues of gilded lions. A loud screech erupts from its mechanism as it’s lifted by the two helmeted soldiers manning the gate. However, we don’t move. My ears ring at the loud horn announcing our arrival.
The commander—who’s carrying a flag—and the rest of the Seelie soldiers lead their horses at a strutting pace in front of the carriage with an air of importance. One might assume we are the most dangerous war criminals, given how they puff out their chests. What a joke. Especially since the swarm of people crowding the cobblestone streets, windows, and open doors stare at us from gaunt faces. Dejection clings to their gazes. Some show a spark of interest when they notice our ears. It fizzles the second their eyes drop to a now-awake Thalia, though. That spark turns to anger, but it’s overtaken by resigned lethargy.
Thalia has crumbled far within herself—as if she’s trying to disappear into thin air. I squeeze her small, trembling hand in mine and offer what I hope is a reassuring smile, but she doesn’t reciprocate and only hides further under the curtain of snow-white hair.
The houses are made of the same gilded stone as thestronghold’s walls. However, most of them are crumbling under neglect. A few even have broken windows that are boarded up. In comparison, the sparkling walls of the castle reflect the fiery horizon like a burnished mirror, casting everything in a golden glow. Instead of creating beauty, it only serves to enhance the disparity.
“Grammie always read stories to me of the fae folk at bedtime when I was little. She used to tell me how they’re beautiful beyond reason, and the riches found in their cities is a sight to behold. But these people, they’re…”
“Emaciated?” I offer.
“Yeah, and just…sad. I mean, they’re beautiful, sure, but—”
Rhett’s tone is bitter as he cuts Sam off. “That’s what war does. For fifty years, King Orion has drained all the land’s resources for his army while his people starve. Yet he feasts at the palace alongside his noblemen. Why do you think so many of us cross back to the human world, even though we’re still viciously hunted by vampires?”
We advance further into the portion of the city that reminds me of the slums at the edge of Ashville. The cloying smell of urine and garbage stabs at the back of my eyes and burns a trail straight to my brain. If I thought the houses looked bad before, these are in a state of ruin, while fae that resemble wraiths wander the streets blank-faced or curled up in shaded corners. I wonder what’s in those bottles they cling to with desperate hands. It must be something to numb their suffering.
Narrow, barred windows line the portion of the stronghold’s wall we are approaching. We enter through another portcullis—this time smaller—but heavily guarded. The carriage comes to a jarring stop. As one soldier dismounts, I notice half of the convoy is gone. They probably separated at some point, and the douchebag commander is not among them anymore.
When the soldier ambles toward us and unlocks the fortifieddoor at the rear of the carriage, my eyes snap to the other set of keys dangling from his belt. I elbow Sam before tilting my head subtly toward them. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed by Kaiden, Malik, or Rhett. We push up one by one at the speed of snails. My head swims with the movement while pins and needles follow in the wake of blood circulating again in my extremities.
“Make haste,” the soldier snaps.
Sam and Thalia are the first to get out. Malik and I follow. The second he steps next to me, I push him as hard as I can into the soldier, catching him by surprise. “You fucking, bastard,” I bellow.
“Whoa. What the fuck, Iris?” he plays into it. At our back, Kaiden and Rhett have gotten into their own fight, hurling insults at each other. The rest of the soldiers dismount in a frenzy, running toward us.
I rush at Malik. “Do you think I’m stupid? I saw how much water you drank. You think you’re better than all of us, huh?”
Kaiden and Rhett are tackled to the ground with matching grunts. Malik takes advantage of the momentary chaos to snatch the keys and let them fall to the pavement. He kicks them toward Sam. At the same time, the guard unsheathes his sword and points it at me. I halt, millimeters away from the tip. In the corner of my eye, Sam is bending while pretending to tie her shoelaces. She palms the keys she hid under her sole before slipping them into her hiking boot.
“Kneel!” the soldier bellows, spittle flying out of his mouth. His face is the color of a pickled beet while his eyes bulge out of his head.
I can’t stop myself from throwing him a defiant glare. Before I can move, a heavy boot collides with the back of my left knee. The impact is teeth rattling as I land on my palms and knees. White-hot pain pulses from my injured hand all the way to myshoulder.
“You filthy bitch,” he spews, elbowing Malik out of the way before closing the space between us and fisting my hair. Strands snap from the root as he forces my head backward. He punches me so hard, my head flies to the side. Skin splits. Blood gushes out. I swallow the scream bubbling up my throat. The dipshit hit me right in the same place as the fae I fought back in that clearing.
“Motherfucking piece of shit,” Kaiden growls. I can hear him thrashing while spewing more profanities.
Anger prickles the back of my neck. It trickles down until it ignites every cell, but I can’t risk putting us in more danger right now. So I clench my aching jaw and breathe through it until the trembling in my limbs subsides.
“Stand, bitch! And if I have to wait one more second, I’ll shove my sword down your throat.”
The effort of the fight has completely drained me. Not only that, but the world is whirling around me in fuzzy circles, so when I try to get up, my body careens to the side. Malik is quick to catch me by the elbow and stabilize me.
One of the other soldiers shoves us toward the open metal door. “Fucking move already.”
I glance over my shoulder as I advance alongside Malik. Kaiden now has a shiner to match Sam’s. “You okay?” he mouths, wrath stiffening his spine as he catalogs every single injury of mine in his head and obviously makes a hit list.
I nod, then turn my head back when the soldier snaps again that we’re being too slow. We’re led through a narrow corridor that smells of mildew and despair. At least it offers a bit of reprieve from the blistering heat. At the end, we descend a set of spiraling stairs. The low-lit sconces throw creepy shadows over the grimy stone walls of the empty cells. They separate us, locking me, Sam, and Thalia in one cell and Kaiden, Malik, andRhett in the other across the hall. The soldier’s disappearing footsteps echo in the cavernous space.
