I stepped inside.
Shelves of velvet pouches, old scrolls, and phials sealed in wax packed the tight space. I snatched a letter titled “Management of Human Population.”
It has come to the king’s attention that some have attemptedexperiments on humans with barrenness runes, which has resulted in unintended consequences?—
My stomach churned.
No wonder so many volunteered for the Rite. Better to die in white dresses with flowers in your hair than live knowing they controlled even this.
I nudged aside rolls of parchment, uncovering a jewelry box with shaking fingers. I shook it free. Silver. Heavy. Probably worth a fortune. I crammed it in my satchel, my hand aching.
A soft click echoed from below.
Footsteps. “Who’s there?”
Low voice. Female.
Rheya’s head whipped toward me, then to the floating lights in the hallway. She pressed her palm against the nearest one, and the threads of magic pulsed.
Light erupted, blazing like the sun. I threw my arm over my eyes as Rheya amplified the rune, magnifying its glow until the entire hall whitened.
“Go!” she hissed.
I shot down the corridor, fumbling with the brass latch in the window. I hauled it open, and freezing air poured in. Snowy gardens spread out far below.
I glanced at Rheya. “Let’s go!”
“You first. I’ve got this.”
“No! Not without you!”
“Dammit, Aelie.”
The footsteps reached the top of the stairs. Through the blinding glare, a shadow moved. I ran back and caught Rheya’s arm, yanking her from the light. The glow died to its normal amber, spots dancing across my vision as we sprinted to the window.
I shoved her toward the sill. “I’ll be behind you.”
She grimaced. “We’ll break something!”
“Better broken bones than a blade through the throat!”
Rheya cursed and swung a leg over the windowsill, shimmying down the ivy-covered wall. The vines strained, but they held.
I slung the satchel higher, my hand screaming as I gripped the wall. The weight of the bag pulled me sideways. Snowflakes drifted into my eyes.
Below, Rheya dropped the last few feet. She landed and sprang upright.
“Come on!” she hissed.
I slid down, but the vines snapped, and I plummeted, crashing hard into the ground.
Rheya helped me up. “You okay?”
I nodded and grabbed the satchel from the ground, then we bolted across the garden. Rheya headed for the gap in the hedges that would take us home, vanishing into them.
I followed, branches tearing at my clothes. We burst through the other side into a narrow alley as shouts echoed from the manor. We ran harder, our boots slipping on cobblestones. Left at the fountain. Right at the old oak. Another left. My lungs burned with the frozen air.
Then my boot caught on uneven stone. I hit the ground, pain bursting through my wrist. The satchel skidded across ice.
