“Over there,” Lora replied.
On their way over, she caught sight of Rhay laughing with Ilario. His smile was carefree, yet Lora knew there was a hidden layer of despair there. After their conversation in her bedroom when Rhay had given her that piece of information about the secret door, Lora saw him in a new light. He wasn’t just willfully ignorant, he was scared. Like her, he was trapped in this place, tangled up in Karwyn’s game.
Eyden’s steps quickened, pulling Lora’s focus back to their mission. Grabbing the fabric of her long dress, she hurried after him. The dagger strapped to her thigh gave her a strange sense of comfort.
As they neared the exit, Varsha straightened and pushed herself off the wall to meet them halfway. A sly grin spread across Varsha’s lips. She couldn’tknow,could she? Lora straightened her hair self-consciously.
“Well, this will make our cover easier than I thought,” Varsha said, sniffing the air around them as she leaned forward. “You two reek of sex.” Eyden coughed, his hand covering his mouth. Flustered, Lora smoothed down her burgundy dress.
Looping one arm around Lora’s and one around Eyden’s, Varsha only grinned and led them forward, right to the two guards at the door.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Varsha said, her voice bright and sultry. “What a night to be alive, isn’t it?” She pulled her mask back for a second, letting the guards see her face.
At the scrutinizing look of the guards, Lora had to fight the urge to lower her head, hoping they wouldn’t recognise her with the mask and different hair colour. Besides Layken, no one had really seen her up close that often.
“Varsha, always a vision,” one of the guards said. “Where are you all headed?”
Varsha’s smile was pure seduction. “You know me, I’m always looking for entertainment.” She tilted her head to Lora, then Eyden. “We’re off to my room. Have a good night, gents.” Varsha pulled them forward, and the guards smiled as they walked past them.
Once they rounded the corner of the palace corridor, Varsha dropped their arms, but her smile was still present. “Now, where are we headed? Lora didn’t have time to tell me much with Layken always on her heels.”
“Downstairs. There’s a door we need to find,” Lora said, already stalking towards the staircase. Finally, she would be able to make some progress. They could find whatever Rhay was so afraid of acknowledging. She could still hear his voice in her head.I see you,he’d said. Although his words were quite ambiguous, she thought she caught his true meaning—that despite turning his head, Rhay saw that Lora would do no such thing. Rhay might not have the guts to see this palace for what it truly was, but he had enough courage to help Lora do so.
Lora was pulled from her thoughts as they reached the ground floor and a guard halted them in place. “What are you doing wandering around here? Lower your masks.”
Varsha glanced at Lora. If she removed her mask now, her cover might be blown. Her art studio was nowhere near here.
“We were looking for a quiet place,” Lora said, surprising Varsha. She stepped closer to the guard. She could feel Eyden behind her, ready to strike and defend her if need be. But she didn’t need him.
Faster than the guard anticipated, Lora slammed her knee into his groin. Her opponent doubled over, and Lora reached for his sword, pulling it out of its sheath. Before Lora could call her win, the guard gripped her wrist, twisting hard. She struggled to hold on, but then something hit the back of her opponent’s head and his grip loosened as he sank to the ground.
Eyden was standing behind him, a small dagger in hand. He had used the hilt to knock the guard out.
“Good effort,” Eyden said, his gaze lingering on Lora in a way that made her toes curl. “If you had used your fire, you could have taken him.”
“Thanks for stepping in,” Lora said, thinking about training with more weapons, not her fire.
Eyden laughed dryly. “NowI get a thanks.”
“Hate to break up your foreplay,” Varsha said, tilting her chin at the guard. “But this will raise suspicion.” Even though he wouldn’t recognise them, leaving any trace of their mission could be their downfall.
“If I can get my hands on a guard’s uniform, I bet I could manage to escape into the palace with no questions asked next time,” Eyden replied. “I’ve thought about it before—knocking out a guard in Chrysa, sneaking into the palace in disguise—but it seemed like a foolish idea considering the wards placed around the palace. Already beinginthe palace…that’s another story.”
Lora shook her head. “If you take this fae’s uniform, they will know to keep an eye out for a false guard.”
Eyden’s ice-blue eyes met hers. “What do you suggest, then?”
Varsha was first to reply. “I know where the guards’ rooms are. I’ve gotten to know a few of them.” She smirked. “We can steal a uniform without creating too much suspicion.”
Lora relaxed. It was good to have a plan, but they couldn’t turn back now.
Eyden knelt next to the guard, a lazuli crystal in his hand. He turned it over in his hand before pressing it to the guard’s forehead. Varsha’s brows drew together; she seemed as confused as Lora was.
When he got back up, Eyden said, “Farren spelled it. The guard won’t remember what hit him. Let’s go.”
With no time for questions, the three of them walked deeper into the palace. Remembering Rhay’s words, Lora let her instinct guide her.
The atmosphere grew eerie as there was no sound except for their quiet footsteps. That was until another pair echoed through the hall. Eyden was the quickest to react, pulling both Varsha and Lora into a path to their left, he flattened himself to the cold stone wall.
