“She didn’t want anything to do with me, so why would she spy for us?” Eyden asked.
“Because she knows what’s at stake. She wouldn’t have come with us to Rubien if she didn’t. Do you have so little faith in her that you think she wouldn’t help?”
Lora did have too little faith in them to tell them the truth about her fae side, but Elyssa decided it was better not to bring up that particular point. That was for Eyden and Lora to talk out whenever they both stopped being so goddamn secretive.
Eyden shook his head. “She left me behind—twice.She left to meet Saydren without me and turned her back on me again yesterday. She doesn’t trust me. She doesn’t trust any of us.”
Elyssa took a deep breath, trying to channel her inner Farren and remain calm when she had the urge to throttle some sense into her brother. “You’re so slow sometimes.” He gave her a death stare. Others might find it threatening; she found it adorable.
“I told you, she didn’tleaveyou that day. She just didn’t want to put you at risk. No one could have known it would turn out this way. If I’d had more goddamn arrows—”
“It’s not your fault,” Eyden said, his voice sounding certain this time.
Elyssa crossed her arms over her battered black shirt. “Look, I know it fucking sucks. I know you care about Lora”—she held up her hand as Eyden was about to interrupt her—“and I know she cares about you too, even if she doesn’t trust you. She could easily have you arrested if she didn’t give a fuck. Whatever is going on with her, we’ll figure it out. Meanwhile, sheisour way in. No more holding back, remember?”
Eyden nodded. Standing up, he walked to his walk-in closet. The door was already open, his secret shelves partly visible. Most of them were now covered by a giant map of the palace. He had hand-drawn the map Elyssa had stolen a while back, and they’d been working on filling in details, updating it. Elyssa had always admired his drawing skills. She had a steady hand when it came to dealing with weapons, not so much with pencils or paint brushes.
“She could help us find out more. As the princess, she could sneak into places our source can’t get to. Find Karwyn’s witch and their spell books,” Elyssa said, joining him in front of the map. Farren would love to get his hands on more spell books. He’d studied the ones he had gathered throughout the years over and over again, mastering his skill as much as possible. But the royals must have a more intriguing collection.
Elyssa glanced at a familiar notebook on the closet floor. Next to it was the pen with the silver flower pattern she’d given Eyden as a child. The flower ornament was missing. Maybe he’d lost it. She found it funny he’d used it for as long as he had. She had given it to him as a joke. Elyssa wasn’t exactly a flowers kind of girl. Flowers died, weapons kept you from dying.
Eyden stared at the map. “I just…don’t understand her.”
“You’ve only known her for a few weeks. But that’s at least enough to know that she’s not the enemy.” Elyssa was sure of that much. She trusted her gut. And they’d need any help they could get in the battle to come. She’d been waiting for it her entire life—or since the death of her parents. Their memory, carved into her heart, fuelled everything she did, every risk she took.
“I’m meeting Ilario now,” Eyden said, looking over his shoulder. “I’ll see when the next event is or if Ilario has gotten a new order.”
Smiling, the revolutionary spark in her heart burned brighter than ever. She knew they were playing with fire, but they had both survived too much to let anything stop them. Liraen needed a revolution, and Elyssa would give anything to see it happen.
They needed to risk getting burned. Hesitation could get them killed just as easily.
* * *
Elyssa felt the ticking clock that was Jaspen’s whims as she took the familiar path back to camp through the shadowed alleyways in Chrysa. The afternoon sun was blocked by a cloudy sky.
Once Karwyn was out of the picture, she would set up her own home. Her mother had always taught her to aim high, and she did. Sometimes with a bow and arrow in hand.
Elyssa walked fast, scanning her surroundings, hood pulled tight so no one would recognise her as human. Jaspen had been planning a mission for this afternoon. A group had found a possible holding area for blood trafficking victims on the outskirts of Chrysa, and they planned to attack. Elyssa had volunteered. There was no chance in hell she was missing out.
As she crossed through the invisible barrier to the rebel camp, Farren came up to her. His empty stare and trembling chin told her something wasn’t right. Had they already left for their mission without her? She set her jaw. It was naïve of Jaspen to leave her out when she was the best fighter they had.
Elyssa increased her tempo until she reached Farren. He was panting, out of breath. “I’m so sorry. I would’ve told them to wait for you, but they left without telling me either.”
Elyssa glanced at the tents a short distance away. She noticed a group had formed in a circle. Her blood ran cold. “What the fuck happened?” She started forward, but Farren grabbed her shoulders and halted her, gently. She could’ve broken free easily even though his taller frame seemed to lurk over her.
“They were outnumbered,” Farren replied, grimacing.
“Spit it out,” she commanded. Elyssa didn’t have the patience for him to soften the blow. Farren hung his head, and when he looked up again, she saw fresh tears gathering in his dark eyes. Her own mood dropped into hell itself.
“When I came back from training in the woods, they had already left. I was about to call Eyden and you when they came back…everyone who survived.”
She swallowed hard, a bitter taste in her mouth. “Who?”
Farren breathed out slowly, the sound broken. “Iris.”
Iris.She didn’t deserve to die. If Jaspen hadn’t left without her, Elyssa could have possibly prevented this. A tightness threatened to crush her heart.
In a quick move, Elyssa shrugged off Farren’s grip and stormed forward, a dagger already in her hand. A comfort she had to hold onto desperately.
