4
GRAVE
The ringing of the chimes sang sweetly through the cool night air. Leaning against the wall of my townhouse, I let out a heavy breath as I stared at the blackened ground. Audryn had breathed life into the castle’s atrium—fruit and vegetables growing with a simple touch. I’d never seen Divine magic come so effortlessly; she alone could change Kuroden’s future.
“What’s the deal with you?” Micah swatted the back of his hand into my stomach. “I’m giving you an update, and your head is among the stars.”
“Nothing,” I lied, and shifted my gaze to the star-specked sky. “What about the eastern seeps? How many are slowing?”
“Again, nearly all of them. Only a few have remained unaffected. But don’t think you can sidestep the question—what gives?” he continued. “You’re gone for weeks and then refuse to let me in the house when you’re back?”
I’d known Micah since we were children. In fact, I didn’t have many memories from before he’d come into our lives. He was mine and Amalee’s brother in every way, but in name. When his mother fell ill and was spiraling downward, he wasmoved into the bedroom across the hall from mine. Our mothers had known one another since childhood, so it only made sense for the closest person to the dying woman to take in her child.
“Col!” he griped, seeing my distraction. “What is going on with you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I mocked. “Let’s see. Our key resource continues to dwindle, and I don’t even know where to begin to fix it.” I dragged a hand through my hair.
I might’ve brought Audryn here against her wishes, but I wasn’t going to force her into helping. I wasn’t sure she’d even be able to.
“There’s got to be a solution we just aren’t seeing.” I shook my head and sighed.
“Fuck yeah there’s a solution. You need to contact your father’s family, they can do some weird shit with their magic and?—”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not,” I snapped. “Not only would that violate the treaty, but I wouldn’t rely on a single one of them for help.”
Micah kicked his boot against the slats of the covered front porch. Steamy breaths filled the air between us as we both considered the issue. As the Captain of the Guard and the unofficial regent, he felt the weight of the situation closing in just as much as I had.
“Look, I know he was an asshole—I hated him too,” he continued cautiously, “but we’re running out of options. We can’t keep up with the demand for crude, yet you come back and tell me we need to pull an extra fifty barrels from our reserves.”
I nodded. It wasn’t a great plan, but if Audryn saw how desperate Kuroden was, maybe she’d offer to help. Everything we’d tried so far hadn’t worked. Depending on her was a risk,but her Divine ability was greater than anyone who’d tried to make the repairs in the past.
Overhead, a window slid open. Micah stepped to the edge of the porch so he could look up the side of the three-story building. I pulled him back under before he could get a good look. I raised a finger to my mouth, motioning for him to remain quiet. He looked at me curiously, but complied.
A full minute passed before I heard clunking feet slide against the side of the building. A smile crept over my mouth, and my friend threw his arms out, not knowing what I had found to be so amusing. With a raised hand, I motioned him to wait and pointed a finger up.
Boots skidded against the narrow ledge of the second floor and stopped; the silence of the night enveloped us as the escapee waited. There was a loud thud on the roof of the porch followed by footsteps to the edge; our eyes trailed the sound.
“What the fuck?” Micah mouthed at me.
I smiled back and mouthed. “Wait.”
The roof creaked, and I watched as the toes of two boots made their way into view. The shins of the absconder dangled briefly, and then two perfectly curved thighs dropped down. It took everything in me not to rip off a boot and tickle her, but with my luck she’d fall and break a leg.
Audryn shimmied down slowly. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight as her exposed abdomen moved into view—her shirt had gotten caught during her descent. Micah tracked my sight, and his eyes lit up at the scene.
Carefully, Audryn lowered her body until she hung from her fingers. An eight-foot drop stood between her feet and the ground. Not realizing we were watching, she looked at the railing of the porch and tried to latch a toe, but it was out of range.
Crossing my arms, I cleared my throat, and her gaze shot to me. Wide-eyed and mouth hanging open, she looked betweenMicah and me before losing her grip and promptly falling. It all happened too quickly. And despite my effort to lurch forward and catch her, she fell down and back onto the gravelly land.
I darted to her side, where she lay gasping on her back. Face twisted, she fought to catch her breath. Micah met my side, getting closer to her than I would’ve liked. He placed his palms on her stomach to run his healing magic through her, and I nearly struck him for it.
“Don’t. Touch. Me,” she said, her breaths short, as she clutched her ribs. “Either of you!” she panted as her eyes darted to me.
I put my hands up and drew back.
“I was just trying to help.” Micah started.
“Don’t,” she gasped, wincing through each struggled breath.
