My focus bounced between him and the window in disbelief. Was he really thinking what I thought he was?
Escape,I mouthed.
He dipped his chin.
I didn’t dare draw attention to myself and look back at our captors, who still argued over where to steal my powers.
Holding three fingers up, Artton indicated that he’d count down. I tilted my chin at the others in a silent question, my heart dropping as he shook his head—it would just be the two of us. Without magic, they wouldn’t be able to break their bonds. With Caius’ order, he’d never risk my freedom bywastingprecious time to free the others.
My heart was in my throat as I held Tarrin, Sidrick, and Kaelun’s gaze in turn, all of their expressing seemingly screaming one thing:Go!
It took everything I had to keep myself from fracturing.
Three.Artton tapped his fingers once against his thigh, letting me know he’d started counting down whether I was ready or not.
Two.
One.
In a fluid movement, Artton stood, breaking his bonds with the full force of his fae strength before magic like I’d never seen erupted from him. It passed by me with no effect, but my own powers stirred in its presence, and I knew instantly that he’d tapped into his arcane powers.
“Run!” he yelled, and I scrambled to my feet, moving as fast as I could toward him as he made for the window.
I didn’t look back at the grunts and heavythud thudof Thaddeus and Wymond taking the brunt of whatever magic the summer fae had thrown at him.
I’d have to ask Artton to teach me that neat little trick if we got out alive.
Catching up to him, we sprinted for our lives, the thin glass barrier between us and possible freedom a mere ten paces away. That close, my mind began planning ahead. Our pace couldn’t relent until we cleared the palace grounds for Artton to valen us away. It would be no small feat get through the heavily guarded grounds, but thick woods on the opposite side of the small garden between us would provide ample cover. Most importantly, if we couldn’t valen until clearing the wards, neither could Wymond.
A loudcracksnapped my thoughts back, and I glanced back to find Artton had shielded us from an attack.
“Come on,” Artton called, reaching out a hand behind him for me to grab.
We were mere strides away from the window when he pulled in the air around us, compressing it before throwing it at the glass.
I braced myself for the window to shatter, hand up just in case.
Nothing happened.
“Fuck,” Artton bellowed, skidding to a stop. “Fuck!” he screamed again, looking around us for another exit.
“What…” My words died as I saw the tell-tale shimmer of a barrier. My stomach dropped as I understood just why Wymond didn’t care if he ripped the power from me here—we weren’t surrounded by windows; we were surrounded by shields.
Quickly, I stepped up to the barrier, doing everything I could to ignore the clashing magic behind me as Artton gave as good as he took, his shield taking hit after hit from Thaddeus and Wymond.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and searched for the Mother around me. Our connection was weak, but she was there. I dug into my core, and while my powers were still temporarily dormant, I could feel her resonance. Remembering how I’d done it at the borders, I raised my hands and placed my palms against the invisible barrier.
Searing pain shot through my palms, and I screamed, hitting Artton as I jumped back. He paused his attack, tending only to his shield as he focused on me.
Haunting silence fell, and I looked past Artton’s bulk to see why the magical assault against us had stopped, and the satisfied maliciousness on Wymond’s featured had my chest clenching like a vice.
I hissed, my attention snapping to Artton as he turned my palms up, revealing angry blisters. They stung like the hells, but they also itched as my fae body mended the wounds, and I was grateful that at least enough of my powers had returned for that benefit to manifest.
“You can’t get us through?” Artton asked, and I had to give him credit for being calm.
“I can try again,” I said.
I made for the barrier, then stopped.
