“You have been very helpful, Lady Cadence,” he said, his voice steady but arrogant. “I trust I don’t need to tell you what will happen to you if you are lying, or if you betray our confidence.”
A memory drifted to the surface of my mind, unbidden.
“I say we kill her now and take our chances against the Prince.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. This man had been at the campsite. Eleanor had revealed my pregnancy, and he’d called for my execution.
And my father had chosen him to come threaten me? The implications of that choice made me shiver.
“I’ll be seeing you,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts.
The dagger fell away, and his hold on me vanished. I waited a few seconds before turning, hoping to glimpse his face. Buthe was gone, and in his place lingered the cold, heavy weight of dread.
Now all I could do was hope I hadn’t put those I cared about in danger.
Chapter Forty-One
Callum
Sneaking out of the palace had proven easier than I expected. Cloaked in shadows and silence, I slipped past the sentries patrolling the wall that encircled the inner sanctum of theUnseelie Kingdom. They clung to the illusion of safety provided by the towering stone, trusting it more than their own instincts.
Tonight, that trust worked in my favor.
Beyond the gatehouse, the narrow road stretched toward the village, but it was the enticing darkness of the forest that beckoned me closer. I headed toward the looming trees, surrendering myself to the shadows as I followed the route I had mapped the day before. The sun would soon crest the hill, and I needed to be far from the palace when it did.
The woods seemed to embrace me as my boots sank into the soft, mossy earth, silencing my movements so as not to betray my presence. Soldiers roamed the woodlands, serving as a constant reminder that I had to remain hidden until I reached my destination.
I tugged my hood down, shrouding my face even though no one was near enough to see me. As I pressed deeper into the tangled underbrush, the dimness lifted, and the world around me gradually brightened. Streaks of indigo splashed across the sky, signaling that dawn would soon chase away the remnants of night.
“You’re late,” a voice said from the darkness.
I froze, my hand darting to the dagger at my hip.
“Henry?”
A large, burly figure stepped out from behind a tree, rolling his sleeves to his elbows, unveiling forearms corded with muscle and as broad as my own legs.
“Expecting someone else?” he asked, tilting his head, sizing me up as though I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “You don’t look like much.”
A slow grin spread across my face, and I curled my palm into a fist. Vines slithered across the damp earth, weaving around his feet. He remained oblivious as they coiled higher, yanking him off the ground so fast that he had no time to scream.
“I might not seem like much,” I said, directing the vines higher. “But that means little if you can’t stay on your feet, doesn’t it?”
Henry grumbled something unintelligible, but he didn’t resist. I lowered him to the ground, and his head connected with the forest floor, a dull thud echoing in the silence.
He cursed, irritation flaring in his eyes. “You’re not one to forgive and forget, eh, lad?” he said, rubbing his head as if that might ease the sting to his pride.
“First, I’m not a lad, and second, this kingdom stole my sister from me, so forgive me if I don’t trust easily.”
“Fair enough.” He hesitated, weighing his next words. “Me and mine may be Unseelie, but we owe no loyalty to a king who turned his back on us. We’re not your enemy.”
“You might not be my enemy, but you’re not my friend. I have one purpose here: to help free my sister. So, tell me, are we doing this, or did you intend to keep wasting my time?”
Henry grinned, a spark of mischief lighting up his eyes. “I can appreciate a man who gets straight to the point.” He nodded, as if weighing his options, then gestured forward with a flick of his wrist. “Follow me.”
As we plunged deeper into the forest, the trees loomed taller, their branches intertwining overhead, blocking out all signs of the approaching dawn. Henry moved with surprising grace for a man of his size, gliding through the underbrush, not so much as rustling a leaf beneath his feet. I matched his pace, my senses heightened, scanning the dimly lit surroundings for any hint of danger that might signal a trap.
“How much farther?” I asked, my voice quiet and cautious.
