Suddenly, I sat up. I thought I’d heard—there! I leapt from the couch and rushed to the window, the sound of dogs barking mixing with the clatter of hooves and the bellowing of soldiers’ voices. The dim lantern light barely illuminated the procession as it rode into the courtyard in front of the castle. Was that a limp form across the back of that horse or a saddlebag? I leaned closer, but it was no good. I couldn’t see.
“I’m going downstairs.”
Kiva bolted upright. “Sure. And why don’t you just announce to the entire castle how concerned you are with Auma successfully escaping? I’m sure they won’t wonder if you had something to do with it at all.”
I glowered at her and resumed my pacing. She was right, but the knot of nervous energy in my chest was close to bursting. Just when I couldn’t take it anymore, someone knocked. Kiva sprang to her feet, flying across the room to wrench the door open. A rain-drenched and earnest-faced Ericen stood outside.
“We couldn’t find her.” His eyes lifted over Kiva’s shoulder to me. “I thought you’d want to know.”
My jaw tightened, but I said nothing as he turned on his heel and marched down the hall. Kiva closed the door and leaned back against it, letting out a breath.
“I’m going to mix the acid.” I crossed to the dining table where we’d set out our supplies. Kiva had had the foresight to swipe a pair of leather gloves from the training grounds, and though they made my fingers a little stiffer overlaid on my fingerless gloves, they were at least a barrier between my skin and the acid.
Kiva moved to the chair beside me to watch while I carefully measured out ingredients and mixed them together. Minutes later, I poured a muddy green liquid hissing into a glass vial.
“Hopefully, it’s strong enough to eat through iron,” I said.
“Oh good. I always love it when plans rest onhopefullys.”
I gave her a flat look. “Fine. Do you have anything iron we can test it on?”
Kiva pulled out one of her earrings and offered it to me. I grabbed one of our glass dinner bowls and dropped the earring inside.
Uncorking the vial, I carefully let a single drop out and shoved the cork back in. The liquid struck the iron and sizzled, and we watched as the earring slowly dissolved into nothing.
“It takes a little bit,” Kiva observed.
“I’ll pour more on the padlock, but we’ll have to make sure no one comes around for a few seconds.” I set the bowl aside. “The real problem is there’s no way to cover up someone’s been there. We have to make sure Razel doesn’t suspect us.”
Kiva’s face lit up, and she dashed into her bedroom, returning a moment later with Auma’s scarf. I resisted asking what Auma had been doing in her bedroom.
“She knows this belongs to Auma,” Kiva said. “They’ll be suspicious if they find it near the door, and if they’re still looking for her, this will make them think she’s still here and give her more time to get out of Illucia.”
“Perfect.” I took the scarf and wrapped the vial in it, then tucked them both in the pouch on my belt. I’d be wearing my flying leathers tonight. The plan relied on not running into anyone, but I wanted to be prepared if we did.
* * *
Later that evening, I went looking for Ericen, intent on finishing our conversation from earlier, but he wasn’t in the training grounds or his room. Finally, I found a servant who’d seen the prince near the northernmost tower. I followed her directions to a flight of spiraling stairs.
The air grew colder the higher I rose, a light mist filtering down the staircase, which opened to a small circular platform overlooking the city. Wind buffeted me the moment I stepped out, fluttering loose strands of hair around my face.
Ericen stood across from the door, leaning against the damp guardrail. Fog floated below, thin enough for me to see the glowing lights of the Colorfalls over the River Ren. Beside him stood Shearen, muttering in a low voice. Whatever he was saying had turned Ericen to stone.
When I stepped onto the platform, Shearen fell silent, glancing at me. He smirked, said something quietly to Ericen, and then brushed past me with a sneer. I glared after him before approaching the prince.
Ericen didn’t look up as I leaned against the wall beside him. His hands were clasped over the edge, his jaw clenched tight.
“Did you have to pick the coldest spot in the castle to hide in?” I wrapped my arms around myself. He didn’t smile, and my own faded. “I brought you something.” I pulled a small orange cake wrapped in a napkin out of my pocket and set it on the wall beside his hands. “Lyren said you had him make them.”
His eyes flickered to the cake, then back to the city below. “Why are you going through with this?”
I knew what he meant. Why had I accepted the marriage proposal? Why had I come to Illucia to marry the son of my kingdom’s greatest enemy?
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
Ericen finally faced me, the intensity of his stare making me flush. “No one makes you do anything. So why did you?”
I let out a breath, and it blended into the wind. “I’d turned my back on my kingdom long enough. It was time I did something to protect it.”
