Because you nearly broke Kaelen,I almost say.And Eres.And you nearly broke me.
But I don’t say that.
“Because you’re ours,” I whisper, and the word slips out before I can reshape it into something safer. “And because I was faster than Kaelen.”
He lets out a low huff of something that might be amusement and sits up more fully, swinging his legs off the bed. He winces again, then steadies, his shoulders squaring. “Get dressed.”
I blink. “Your newfound obedience didn’t last long.”
“I want to take you somewhere,” he says, looking at me. “It’s important. No fighting required. Will you come?”
My stomach dips. “Darian, Eres just—”
“You need to see this,” he says, and his tone leaves no room for argument. “And besides, Kaelen gave his permission. I asked him after Sera was injured.”
That stops me.
I dress slowly, my hands a little unsteady as I lace my boots and scrub at my teeth with minted paste. Darian pulls on his shirt and outer layers with stiff movements, wincing when he lifts his arms. The blows he took are still affecting him. I can see it in the sluggishness of his fingers.
When we step into the corridor, the castle is in full movement around us. Soldiers in leather hurry past, weapons strapped to their bodies and faces grim. Someone hauls a crate of arrows. Another carries coils of rope. Eldritch’s voice echoes from somewhere down the hall, barking about rotating watch patrols.
No one looks at me too long. Perhaps they’ve decided there’s no time for suspicion inside Umbraxis when death is already approaching the gates. “We should help.”
“We will.” His hand slips into mine. “This first.”
Darian leads me through familiar passageways at first, the ones I’ve learned since being dragged half-dead into Umbraxis. Past the healer’s quarters. Past the council chamber. Down the main stairwell, where banners bearing the Duskbane crest hang heavy and dark and dusty from lack of cleaning.
Then he turns down a narrow side corridor I’ve never taken.
It slopes downward, growing steeper and colder with every step. “Is this where I find out you’re tired of hosting a rebel Lightbringer and get buried beneath the ground?”
His finger flicks at my nose. “I will never grow tired of you.”
My skin prickles. “How far down does this go, exactly?”
“Far enough that nobody can accidentally discover it.” We pass two guards, stationed at a door reinforced with iron bands. They straighten when they see Darian, eyes shifting to me and tightening with suspicion. They look far more alert than the boys Kaelen put on my cell.
Darian lifts a hand. “Kaelen gave permission.”
The guard hesitates, then steps aside, unlocking the door. It swings inward with a soft groan, and warmer air pours out. It takes me a moment to place the scent.
Not herbs, exactly. Something…sweet.Like baked bread. And something else layered beneath it; the faintest scent of soap and woodsmoke and the chalk I used for learning back in Solvandyr.
My heart stutters.
Darian steps through first. I follow, and the door closes behind us with a heavy click. The corridor beyond us stretches long and straight. The stone here is smoother, older. Torches line the walls. There are doors along both sides. Some open, some closed.
From behind one, I hear a soft giggle.
Agiggle.
My breath catches, and I stop walking.
Darian glances back. His eyes are steady, but there’s something tender there too. “Come on.”
We walk, and I listen.
The giggle becomes louder, joined by another voice. A small, high-pitched argument ensues about something trivial and yet fiercely important. Small feet patter on stone. A soft thump like something dropped. A woman’s voice, older and firmer than the chorus of disappointment that follows it, scolds gently.
