I pause midway out of the cell. “YouassumedI was dead?”
“Well,yes. Don’t act like there wasn’t an equal chance of you being dead as there was of you being captured.” At his exasperated look, I smirk instead of arguing with him. “Anyway, we need to hurry before anyone realizes you’ve escaped.” He takes the cloak he’s wearing off and hands it to me before we head down the darkened corridor.
“Is there anyone else here?” I hadn’t heard a single noise made by another fae for a while.
“No. All the prisoners prior to your capture were brought to where they are doing the testing with the mages.” He turns right, more cells lining the walkway on either side. The scent of mold and wet earth is heavy with each breath, and I nearly cry out in relief when I spot a staircase ahead, ready to breathe fresh air. “It’s where Father has been this whole week, which is likely why no one came down to visit you. They are all prepping for the big celebration.”
“The celebration…” I pause, stopping part way up the steps as I stare at my brother’s back. “How many days did you say I was down here?”
Navin looks over his shoulder. “Five.” His brow lifts. “Why?”
Five days… “Fuck!” I growl, running up the steps until I pass him.
“What is it?”
“Aria,” I answer, an uncomfortable thread pulling taut in my chest. “I was supposed to meet her today. It’s been a week.”
We reach the top of the stairs, and I lurch for the handle, but Navin stops me with a hand at my shoulder. “Listen first.” My impatience scratches at my skin, and a feeling I haven’t acknowledged since Daiya left me to bear the consequences of our relationshipaloneburns acidic in my stomach.
Navin lays his ear against the door, its wood rough and likely as ancient as the rest of the surrounding rock. When he confirms we are good to move forward, I open the door and bolt through it, annoyed to find more stairs.
“How far down are we?” I ask as I take two steps at a time, Navin following my lead.
“Do you not remember the trek down?”
“They knocked me out when they captured me outside of my warehouse. They must have been watching it ahead of time.” Shaking my head, I clench my jaw at my failure. I should haveknownI wasn’t alone that night.
“Did your informant tell them?”
“No,” I bite out quickly. “She wouldn’t. It’s my fault. I got careless, and instead of killing one of the targets I’ve been watching for weeks, I went for the easier prey.”
We reach another door, pause another moment to ensure we are alone, and then continue up another flight, that rage within me growing with every step. “Let me guess? A guard?”
“An asshole.” I press my hand along the grimy stone wall as we climb, dizziness making my knees buckle beneath me. “So same thing.”
Navin snorts as we reach the landing at the top and a set of double doors this time. He presses his ear to one of them, eyes closing as he listens to the sounds beyond.
“Is it normal for there to bezeroguard presence up here?” I ask, pulling the mask of the hood up until my lower face is covered.
“Everyone is at the celebration,” he answers, signaling for me to back up as he pulls one door open. “There is a big announcement Father has been teasing behind closed doors.”
We step out of the dungeon and into the first floor of the palace, golden light flooding my eyes and making me squint as sunlight pours in from the large windows across the room. I senda message to Sunis down the bond to meet me as fast as she can at the landing post outside of my room. We’ve only practiced landing there once, since the risk of getting caught is much higher, but I hope to capitalize on the distraction of my father’s gathering.
“Is Sunis coming for you?”
“Yes. I need to go up to our rooms.” Navin nods and alters his direction to lead us there. Already, I can hear Father Yamin’s voice from where he speaks in the palace courtyard, a wide expanse of space only accessible to those the king invites. “Do you know what he’s going to announce?” At my brother’s lingering silence, I glance his way and find his face contorted into a grimace. We reach the twisting staircase that will take us up to our wing of the palace, and as my thigh muscles protest the climb, I vow to killeveryguard who locked me up in that dungeon. “Navin.”
He sighs, running a hand over his hair, the locks braided down his back. “No. Well, I have a hunch, but”—he lets out an incredulous laugh—“it’s impossible.”
My brows knit as I study him, Navin purposefully keeping his gaze ahead to avoid mine. Father Yamin’s voice is somehow louder on the second floor, carrying through the glass windows and sliders with ease. That irritating impatience returns as his words press into my ears, his topic of choice once more a supposedmiraclebestowed upon us by the gods.
“And so, without further ado, I give you that which can only be explained by a benevolent god. One who has finally reconciled all of our misgivings and wrongdoings, all in thanks to our king! A male who has led his people back into the light! You cannot question the cost of a pious and virtuous society, not when the reward is a fallen prince brought back from the dead!”
Both Navin and I falter in our next steps, our eyes meeting over a chasm of confusion before we rush to one of thenearby glass sliders, opening it and stepping out onto a small balcony. The air is brisk despite the afternoon hour, and though unimpeded sunlight casts the courtyard below in a buttery glow, shadows lurk at the corners. Guards, dozens deep, line the space in every direction, their silver armor gleaming. My father sits upon his throne at the top of the stone dais, his black spire crown making him look even larger. Next to him, my mother wears a gown of dark plum, her headdress beaded with gold and pearls. In front of them both is Father Yamin,His Holinessin his traditional black robe with his hand outstretched to the right, as if waiting for someone to join him.
And then someone does.
Walking out from a line of guards is a fae male. He’s tall, towering over the father and the brethren that flank him. He moves with just the slightest limp, and his hands stay fisted at his side as if ready to throw a punch at any moment. My mother is already standing when he gets close, her outstretched for him. I lean in closer, noting thetearsthat play down her cheeks, a show of emotion I’ve never seen from her before. As if they’ve all just realized who the male is, a gasp rolls over the crowd in a wave, fae standing from stone benches as they grip the arm of the person next to them or clasp their hand over their mouth.
