It’s not snowing, but it’s freezing, and neither of us is dressed for it. We’re still wearing our clothes from the masquerade—which means there’s nothing to cover my shoulders, most of my back is bare, and Kaidren still wears his gray suit, sans shirt.
I hug myself, rubbing warmth into my arms, prickling with goose bumps. Kaidren slings an arm over my shoulder, huddling me against him for warmth. “We need to stop at your house. Quickly.” I’m shivering so hard, it’s difficult to speak as we shuffle forward. “We’ll need food and warmer clothes to survive the night.”
“Is that a good idea?” Despite his objections, Kaidren allows me to steer us toward the Vale manor. “That’s the first place they’ll look.”
“They don’t know we’re missing yet. Soldiers patrol the dungeons, but their rotation is irregular overnight.” A tidbit of information I picked up from my time with Flynn. “We have at least an hour and a half before anyone patrols our corner of the dungeons and finds us missing. We’ll be long gone by then.”
“Gone where? You never told me where we’re going.”
I tighten my arms around myself. “Back to Ophera.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
THIEVES IN THE NIGHT
With the intricate laces up the back, it would’ve wasted more time and effort than it was worth to get me out of my ball gown, so I leave it on. I’ve blanketed it in a coat, cloak, and heavy sjaal from the Vale manor, and thrown an additional sweater and pants in a bag to change into when we reach our destination for the night.
Kaidren and I keep our heads ducked as we clamber into the sky cart. This time of night, there are only two that are operational, and this one’s attendant is Tallus. Fortunately, he’s rarely interested in making conversation.
True to form, he stands on one side of the cart, while Kaidren and I sit on the opposite end.
For most of the ride, we don’t speak. I wait until we’re about five minutes from the base of the mountain to spark up a conversation with Tallus. Over the years, I’ve come to learn his habits. I know exactly what I need to say to coax magic out of him. “Do you like working the sky cart?” I ask.
Kaidren frowns at me, no doubt confused why I’m choosing now to speak, after an hour of silence.
Tallus looks uneasy. “Yes. It’s a great way to see the mountain.”
I’m still cold. He means what he just said. Which I alreadyknow—after all, we’ve had this conversation before. I nod as though this is new information. “Do you have family?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What do they think of your job?”
His tone is gentler as he speaks of them. “They love it. They’re jealous I get to see this view every day.”
“They’ve never seen it for themselves?”
Tallus tenses. He always does. “Um . . . no. Of course not. They don’t work in Virdei, so we’re not allowed to have them in the sky carts.” The heat of his lie is welcome in the night chill. He’s right that allowing his family to use the transportation up and down the mountain for recreation isn’t allowed. But, of course, he’s done it. Who wouldn’t?
I nod as if I believe him. The heat of his lie soaks through me, and I grab hold of the tshira sparrow trinket on my bracelet, pulsing magic into it for safekeeping.
Tallus eyes me warily, trying to see whether I believe him. He’s tense for the rest of the journey.
When we reach Ophera, I pull up my hood. “Thank you.” I slip off a glove and touch my bare hand to my tshira talisman, pulling the magic.
Kaidren exits the cart first and holds out a hand to help me down, but I don’t follow him right away. First, I give Tallus a few coins.
He perks up, pocketing them quickly. “Thank you, ma—”
My fingertips are on his forehead before he can finish.
Heat flows from me to him. His eyes flicker closed as I tug at his memories like loose thread, unraveling his recollection of the past hour until there’s nothing left.
He collapses to the floor, unconscious.
I grab Kaidren’s hand and flee, pulling him after me.Kaidren’s jaw is lost somewhere on the snow-covered ground as we sprint away. “What the hell was that?”
“Magic.” We slow our pace when we’re a safe distance from the cart.
