I freeze.
He peers around the dimly lit chamber, his frown deepening,causing the brows above his keen eyes to pinch tightly together. The atmosphere in the room shifts, becoming charged with a sense of unease.
The question hangs in the air, unanswered, as his voice trails off into a tense silence. The other Nightwings pause their murmured conversation, glancing around the room, their expressions morphing into ones of curiosity mingled with concern. Cardinal rises from his seat, and my heart rate spikes. Mytheïkósresponds to the panic, pulling the air from the space around them so suddenly, they collectively gasp. As one, the four of them stagger, clutching at their throats as their eyes go wide.
It doesn’t take long for the lack of air to take its toll. One by one, they collapse to the cold stone floor of the chamber, their bodies limp and unconscious.
I slam the ring back on my finger, and the magic snaps into stillness. A haze drops over my vision like a veil pulled tight, and I stagger back, chest heaving.
Too close.
It’s always too close.
Wasting no time, I dart to Cardinal’s side and kneel next to his still body. Holding my hand over his mouth, I exhale sharply when I feel the faint whisper of breath against my skin. I make quick work of checking the others, confirming they’re all still breathing, before I open the door to the cells and head down the narrow corridor.
When I reach Xan’s cell, I find Myna—the ring of keys hanging from her hand while she still holds the tray with the other—watching him with narrowed eyes. The man himself sits on the ground, head tilted back and eyes closed. I pull the concealing pendant over my head, shivering as the magic falls away, just as Xan opens his eyes.
“Have you come to talk my ear off again? I think it might be more painful than the visits from your boy, Raven.” He spits the name like it’s poison on his tongue.
“Raven is not my anything.” My heart splinters as I say the words, and I ignore the way Myna’s eyes dart in my direction. “Besides, I’m not here to talk your ear off—kind of rude, by the way—I’m here to break you out.”
“And how do you plan on doing that? If you hadn’t noticed, I’mcurrently dripping in metal and locked behind bars.” He lifts his wrists, displaying the cuffs still wrapped around them.
Fortunately, they still haven’t chained him to the wall.
“If you’re going to be so pigheaded about it, maybe I should leave you here to rot,” I say, glaring at him through the bars before I gesture toward the keys in Myna’s hand. “Ifyouhadn’t noticed, we have the solution to your little problem.”
Xan quirks an unimpressed eyebrow and regards us both skeptically.
“As fascinating as this all is,” Myna says dryly, “must I really remind you both, we’re on a time limit here.”
“Right.” I take a steadying breath. “First things first—let’s get you out of this cell and off these isles.”
I hold out my hand, and Myna passes me the key for the cell. I step forward and push it into the lock, turning it with a resounding click. A pained hiss passes through my clenched teeth as I grab a bar to pull the gate open, recalling the smallgoiteíaetched into the metal too late. From the corner of my eye, Xan lunges forward, and my stomach drops.
Fuck.
I’ve made a mistake. Raven and the Eagle both called him a weapon. A few brief conversations don’t make someone less of a stranger, so I have no idea how dangerous he is.
Xan snatches my wrist and pulls it away from the bar. His jaw clenches as he examines the patches of inflamed skin on my palm.
“You should have let me open it.”
I roll my eyes and yank my arm away, feigning casualness as I struggle to breathe through the panic that has my heart racing and my magic roiling under my skin. “Save the chivalry for someone who needs it.”
He laughs, a low and raw sound, more broken than amused. “Continue with your daring rescue, then, little bird.”
I snatch the ring of keys from the cell door’s lock and test each key against the cuffs at his wrists. One notches into place, the iron shackle falling, and I make quick work of the other.
The sound of pottery cracking pulls my attention from him, and I turn to Myna, eyes wide as she looks up expectantly from where she’sdropped the tray. Broken bits of pottery and gruel are splattered across the stone.
“You’ll need to take me out too.”
“I…” My heart pounds painfully against the cage of my ribs. The thought of harming her after everything she has done. Therisksshe has taken—
“May I?” Xan asks, brushing past me. I jolt from the contact, the thoughts eddying from my mind.
Myna goes still, a lethal glimmer lighting her eyes as they track him. He pauses in front of her, and I hold my breath as he seems to wait for her permission. Those dark eyes flick to me, a warning swirling in their depths, before she inclines her head.
