My best friend nodded along as we worked through the rest of our plan.
We kept our cool all the way through the evening meal, even laughing along when another Seer told a joke. Lyriasthe suspected nothing as she bid us a good turn through the lush garden.
Sunlight struck the sentinels’ armor like divine judgement, momentarily blinding me, as we stepped outside.
We nodded to them and looped our arms together. I leaned on my friend for support as we strolled toward the fruit trees a short distance away. Even exaggerated my limp for good measure.
“They won’t suspect we’re trying to escape if I can scarcely walk on my own,” I muttered under my breath when Heraphia shot me a concerned look.
“Smart,” she laughed, though it was forced and threaded with strain. “They’ll think you’re harmless. Little do they know.”
A giggle joined her mirth, further masking our escape. Let them think we were two silly females out for a stroll. Their assumptions would be their downfall.
We paused, bending down to pick up a few battered oranges. Then, we tossed them one by one into the underbrush. A Sightkeeper emerged from between a group of massive palms at the sound.
“Sorry, we were trying to get them out of our path,” Heraphia apologized, eyes widening and lower lip sticking ever so slightly out.
The male raked his gaze over our forms in a way that made my skin crawl. I resisted the urge to adjust the straps on my dress.
“Carry on,” he ground out eventually.
We wasted no time in getting away from him. My bestfriend glanced over her shoulder before we rounded the corner toward a small pool in the center of the garden.
“He’s not following us,” she whispered.
Yet the tension in my shoulders didn’t ease. I didn’t trust that there weren’t others around, keeping a close watch on us.
The sun softened further, casting the gazebo in a golden haze. A wide, stone staircase led down to the water. Once again leaning on my friend, we approached the still pond. Lilies floated on the surface, their fragrance curling in my nostrils and taking root.
I glanced up, finding two males chatting as they made their rounds.
Neither paid us much attention as we settled on a bench beneath a few low trees, their limbs reaching for the water.
“There should only be one more group,” Heraphia stated, blinking rapidly.
Without virelthorn suppressing her visions, her intuition was sharper than mine. It didn’t take much for her to peer into the near future.
I was immensely grateful for her sacrifice, to continue to wander into the violent darkness so that I didn't have to.
True to her word, three more sentinels passed by a minute later. They took a harder look at us, but they didn’t stop.
“Now,” I hissed once they were out of sight.
In a blink, we crouched and dipped our hands into the silt of the pool. Slapping handfuls over our hair, we darkened the telltale gleam of silver and pearl. Then, we rubbed more on our skin to blend in with the twilight.
The sun disappeared over the horizon, casting an eerie, haunting glow over the garden.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, diving into the undulating well of light in my chest. As I tugged the threads andwove wings at my back, I offered it a silent plea to aid us in our escape.
Heraphia pulled hers into existence too, a few light flaps lifting her off the ground. White feathers glittered as she spun a slow circle, head turning on a swivel.
Once she gave the signal, I joined her in the sky. We dove into a thick part of the garden, impassable except for the path cutting through it.
Sharp thorns battered my exposed skin. Feathers snagged on branches like the palace trees didn’t want to surrender me to the cloud forest beyond. I gritted my teeth and kept pushing through. We had to reach the treetops and fly over the walls.
I checked behind us for any sign of pursuit.
There was none.
