One
Vox
“This is so bad. So fucking bad.”
“I know. You’ve said that on repeat for the last hour.” I recognized the voice, but couldn’t place it. “What were the other options? Let him die? You can try explaining that to my sister.”
There was a pitiful groan in the background. “No way. At this rate, we won’t have to explain anything, because the Baron of the First Line is thirty minutes from the fucking gates of Rewill, his son is in my basement, bleeding from a gut wound, and I’m going to be tried for treason or something.”
My heart pounded in my chest. My father was here? I had to agree with the first voice; this was so fucking bad. Groaning, I twisted my body. I had to stand. Had to find Avalon. Had to get the fuck out of… wherever we were.
My mind felt cloudy, and thoughts that were just there within my grasp kept darting away at the last minute. I tried to remember.
As we’d gotten to the gates, something had seemed weird, so I’d peeled off from the group. Alucius had abandoned me. I’d stolen clothes.
Stanlus…
I shot upright, regretting it immediately, as a pain that burned like fire shot through my stomach. That fucker hadstabbedme. He’d tried to kill me.
“Whoa! Wait, it’s okay.”
Opening my eyes, I saw the concerned face of Bach Halhed. He had the same color eyes as Avalon. I’d never noticed that before.
“Not okay,” I panted out. “I have to find Avalon. We have to leave.”
Bach’s expression grew solemn. “I agree with you, but you’ve got a pretty severe gut wound. You almost died. You still could.”
I swallowed hard. “Noted. Now take me to Avalon. We need to go.”
Bach exchanged a glance with the other man, who just shrugged. “One of the maids told Ren that my father had them locked up, waiting for Baron Vylan to arrive. So they’re likely in the dungeons.”
A cold sweat broke out across my skin. I wasn’t sure if it was from pain, my injuries, or the idea of what my father would do with Avalon, Lierick, and Hayle, if he got his hands on them. I reached out and grabbed Bach’s shirt, dragging him closer to me. “We killed Yaron. If my father gets his hands on Avalon, he’ll slit her throat in retribution. Or worse. You need to get herout.”
Bach’s face hardened, and he nodded. “Okay.”
The other guy exhaled through his nose. “They killed Yaron Vylan? We are so fucked.”
On that, we could agree.
The two men got me up and helped me change into different clothes that weren’t soaked in blood. Bach’s hands were careful as he peeled me out of my shirt that was tacky with blood. “We can’t sneak you out; everyone knows everyone in Rewill. The best we can do is hope that they think you’re Ren as we get you out the gate.”
I shook my head. “I can’t leave without them.”
Bach winced. “I hate to tell you this, Vox Vylan, but you’re absolutely no help to anyone right now, injured and bleeding. The best thing you can do is get a head start, so when I get them out, you won’t slow them down.”
I blew out a breath. Even critically injured, I was probably more powerful than Bach Halhed. But he wasn’t wrong that I would slow them down.Fuck.
At that moment, there was a sharp bark outside. Maybe it was all the time I’d spent with them lately, or perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but I was fairly sure it was Alucius.
“Open the door,” I grunted, and sure enough, Hayle’s giant hound prowled into the room.
Ren’s grunted, “Whoa,” was the only sound as she came right up to me and sniffed the bandages around my stomach, letting out a low growl.
“I’ll be fine. I could have used your help, though,” I grumped at the hound. She huffed, and then Epsy ran up her back to stand on the top of her head. Wrapped around his paw was a tiny blue ribbon.
What does that mean?
“She’s not in the dungeons,” Bach breathed. “She’s in the attic. In her room.”
