“So will you?” Melanthius whispered, words prickling with an excitement I could not fully give myself over to. “Come with us?”
I hesitated, my focus caught by the clopping of hooves outside anda distant shout from another stable boy.
“Think it over,” Melanthius insisted, placing a hand on my shoulder. “There’s still three days till the wedding. So just…take your time. All right?”
I shook my head, fear and adrenaline bubbling up into a quivering smile.
“I don’t need to. I know what I want.”
14
As dawn’s rosy fingertips brushed the sky, we were hauled out of bedand set to work.
After three grueling days of preparation, it was finally thegamos, the day of the wedding ceremony.
I was back in the kitchens, surrounded by the familiar faces of my childhood. It was pure chaos prepping the wedding feast, bodies scrambling to and fro, tempers bubbling over like the pots on the fire, all while the king’s attendants barked endless orders.
Just one more day of this life, and then tomorrow…tomorrow. Only the Fates knew what it would bring.
“Melantho?”
I jerked my head upward, nearly slicing my finger instead of the vegetables in front of me.
“W-what?” I blinked, realizing Callias was standing beside me, his brows furrowed. “What did you say?”
“I said, I’ve been put on wine prep.” He gave me a pointed look.
“Oh.” I nodded slowly. “That’s…good.”
It was better than good; it was exactly as our plan had intended. With Callias on wine duty, he could ensure the stock was double its usual strength—triple even. And the drunker our masters were, the easier it would be for us to slip away unnoticed that night.
Callias slunk closer. “Are you all right? You seem…tense.”
“I’m fine.”
He braced a hand on the worktop and leaned into me, the turmoil of the kitchens drowning out his next words. “Are you sure you still want to do this?”
It was a question I had turned over and over in my mind the past few nights. But each time, no matter how frightening my thoughts became, my answer remained the same.
“Yes.”
“But have you really thought this through? Have you considered everything that could go wrong?” Callias pressed, a rare shade of seriousness darkening his voice. “Because death is hardly the worst outcome. Even if youdomanage it, what awaits you in those mountains… I’m only saying this because I care for you—”
“Stop. Just stop it. I’ve made up my mind.”
“Very well,” Callias sighed, pulling away. “You know I will still help you in any way that I can.”
I nodded vaguely, too distracted by those icy claws of fear sinking into me, threatening to shred what little hope I clung to.
I knew Callias thought our plan foolish; he’d said as much when I first asked him to come with us. I had dismissed his doubts then, choosing to see them as cowardice. But now they felt far more real, far harder to ignore.
Perhaps he was right. Perhaps thiswasmadness.
“Before I forget, I have something for you. From the princess.”
My mind snapped back to Callias. “The princess?”
“Penelope,” he clarified. “She found me when I was leaving Castor’s chamber this morning. She was looking for you. Asked me to give you this.”
