‘So most of the guards are still loyal to Matthias?’ I whispered.
Glesni held my elbow when I missed a loose stone, cursing as I stumbled. I smiled my thanks. Her mouth lay in a thin line, her dark eyes glinting in the weak candlelight from the almost empty kitchens.
‘Most of us are still loyal. We decided a rebellion against the arrogant bellend would be pointless with Matthias a prisoner. We’d risk his life. So Asher appeared to flee with the otherguards who’ve refused to bow to that stepfather of yours. Took Skye with him.’
‘And they’ve been using the servants’ hallways to stay here?’
Glesni grunted, lying against the stone wall as a group of guards stood smoking cigarillos under the shelter of a tree. They chatted, stamping their feet against the cold, laughing for an eternity, before throwing their stubs and striding off. Glesni took my hand in hers, leading us towards the rear of the castle. The gardens were wilder here, and a low mist hung around the ancient trees and tangled plants.
‘Is that ordinary mist?’
‘’Fraid so,’ Glesni replied, before whistling low. Her eyes lit up as another low whistle replied. ‘That’s them.’
We’d barely turned the corner before I was swept up into a huge embrace.
‘Thank the Gods.’ Asher placed a kiss to my cheek as Skye dragged me away and threw her arms around me. I hugged her back, fighting back tears.
‘Ifan told us you’d died.’
Her voice broke as I took her in. How she could be on the run and still look ready to go to a ball was beyond me. She’d tied her coffee-coloured locks into an intricate braid pinned to her head. A dark blue top was tucked into harem trousers. Pain flashed in her green eyes.
‘Fucker tried to…Tried to kill her and the wolf!’ Glesni cried.
They both stared at me, mouths open.
‘He…I’m so sorry.’ Skye grabbed my hands.
‘And you shared a womb with him.’ Asher clicked his tongue.
‘Where’s Matthias?’ I asked, eager find him, despite the odds against us.
‘Down in the dungeons,’ Asher said.
I raised my brow as he took Skye’s hand.
‘My soldiers are hiding in the sand dunes. They’re waiting for the word, and then we’ll head back to the castle, attack from within.’
‘But we need Matthias first,’ Skye cut in.
I nodded, my chest twisting at the thought of him in the dungeons, alone.
‘And the plan?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, about that.’ Glesni rolled her eyes, while Asher cleared his throat. ‘I’m more of a…spontaneous type of captain. We’ll go in…assess the situation and attack as we see fit.’
I glared at him. ‘That’s the plan? No actual plan?’
He held his hands up in mock surrender. ‘It’s the only one we’ve got. I know how we ran those dungeons, but Drufaera might be a different matter. Having a plan is actually the weaker option here.’
I gripped the bridge of my nose. ‘I see why you and Matthias work so well together. Perhaps we could start actually behaving like a king and a captain once all this is over?’
‘And we have two Anomalies and a wolf with us,’ Skye said, tugging Asher’s hand, leading him to a plain stone wall. She placed her hand against the pale grey stones, feeling around, murmuring to herself, when a low stone scraped forward.
‘Are you for real?’ Glesni hissed, staring wide-eyed at the small gap. ‘How do you expect me to get my arse through that?’
‘I could always get Pablo to bite it.’
The corner of her mouth twitched as a flame ignited in her hand. ‘It’s been a long time since anyone bit my ass. I might enjoy it and stay there.’
