A figure in a black cloak—with a hood covering their head—stood by the line of dense spruce, their eyes planted on the palace’s silent walls.
“Wait here,” Roxanne whispered, drawing her bow as she ordered her horse to walk slowly in the direction of her target.
Florence and I froze in place; Roxanne closed the distance between whoever hid behind the bushes—
Roxanne lowered her bow, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she gestured for us to follow.
“Roxanne?” The figure got to his feet, walking towards us as we neared. “I thought I’d lost you,” Gabriel looked over at me and Florence. “The outskirt villages are in ashes,” he added, lowering his gaze.
“Have you seen anyone leave the palace?” Roxanne dismounted her horse, tying the reins to a nearby tree.
“Not a single soul,” he replied. “The palace seems vacant.”
“Tamira said half of the army is still here.” I jumped off of Florence's horse, before we all made our way into the bushes. “It must be a trap.”
Three silent pairs of eyes met mine as I scanned the empty grounds of my old home.
No guards stood at the perimeter of the palace, no Wurdulacs guarded the main gate. No candlelight flickered through the palace’s windows: only a withering wind whispered its spells, brushing over my hair.
“It’s quiet,” Florence whispered.
“Perhaps some of them left, like Caleb had predicted.” Hope shone in Roxanne’s eyes as she pointed her arrow at every entrance of the palace, searching for possible targets.
“If Kane is still here, he isn’t alone; he wouldn’t stay without protection.” I shook my head. My mind wandering through every possibility—
Damnation.
How did I not think of it earlier?
My heart banged against my rib cage. “I should go by myself.” I swallowed as the realization swept through me. “It’s a trap for me.”
“What do you mean?” Gabriel’s eyes met mine.
“Kane wanted me to join him,” I explained. “He made me kill Sandra to prove my loyalty.” I forced air into my lungs before continuing, “He was mad I wasn’t by his side from the very beginning, but Caleb convinced him I didn’t know any better.” I met Roxanne’s and Florence’s gazes. “Now that I’ve openly refused him, he will want retribution for my disloyalty—Francis is my bait.” A chill went through me at the words, yet Kane’s intentions were clear as day. “I should go alone, give Kane what he wants.”
“Are you mad?” Florence caught my hand when I got to my feet, pulling me back down.
“Perhaps he will let Francis go if he has me!” I hissed, fighting with Florence’s strong hold.
“No!” Roxanne hissed back. “He will not, and you know it.” She lowered her bow, looking around the perimeter of the palace. “Where do you think they are keeping him?”
“Probably the dungeons: same place he’d kept me.” I swallowed the growing lump in my throat.
“Then it should be easy enough,” Roxanne mumbled, her eyes searching for the small door connecting to the dungeons.“We won’t have to go through any obstacles like we did last time.”
I prayed to the Moon she was right, despite a small voice telling me the opposite.
“It’s time.” Gabriel unveiled an unused torch attached to his saddle. “We cannot wait any longer, we must leave the palace before the sun starts to rise. We have an hour, or we will be trapped in there.”
I watched the door to the dungeons carefully, as though it would open at any moment, and Francis would walk out unscathed.
“Ready?” Roxanne asked, looking over at all of us. Satisfied with our determined gazes, she took a long breath in before getting to her feet. “Let’s go.”
We jogged to the palace silently: our cloaks like shadows under the raising sun.
My heart stopped as my legs carried me back towards the place that had stolen everything from me; my lungs froze in place as my legs carried me towards the place that could give me everything.
Roxanne halted right before the entrance to the dungeons, gesturing for us to freeze in place.
