Then, she moves?—
Her eyes groan open, desperate to see his face.
“My— My daughter,” she rasps, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“I’ll find her. I’ll take care of her. But first, Your Highness, you need to leave Dravara,” the man murmurs, his eyes darting around, keen and alert.
My mother coughs, blood spilling from her lips. “I can’t. I can’t leave her,” she begs.
“You must. I’ll get you out,” he promises. “But first, you need to heal. I’m taking you to The Underbelly.”
The big-bellied man shakes his hood from his head, and rich, mahogany skin with eyes born for rebellion stare back at me.
Exactly as I thought?—
Fucking Gellesk.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
ELYSSARA
“She’s alive?”I demand, my eyes burning into Elandor like a brand.
The projection shrinks to nothing, the glow vanishing with the memory.
“Is. She. Alive.” I snarl the words like a threat, and my hand itches to palm my blade.
Elandor fidgets under my gaze, his mouth moving in silent attempts to speak.
“Yes or fucking no, Elandor?” Kael growls like thunder from the skies.
No one else dares to speak. They only watch, breaths held.
But Elandor stands, feet tripping over the legs of his chair as he stumbles forward. “Ah, if you’ll just give me a moment…” he trails off, patting the pockets of his robes in search of something. “Yes, in a heartbeat, you’ll have your answer,” he explains, as he pulls out a key from the pocket at his breast.
The key groans through the lock securing the heavy oak door to his chamber?—
Click.
He yanks on the bolt, and the door croaks open.
Elandor whispers instructions to a Shade wearing robes of monotonous gray at the door, and the spy races off, his footsteps barely making a sound.
The Shade disappears down the corridor, and for a long, heavy heartbeat, no one moves.
The air changes first.
Like history is being carved into my bones.
Like truth is being reshaped in my marrow.
It raises the hairs on my arms, hums low in my belly.
Kael’s hand finds the hilt of his blade, and Teddy straightens in preparation for…something.
Footsteps.
Soft at first, then steady.
