Chapter Forty-Four
THE SPY
We snaked through Maripol under the cover of Dom’s shadows. Finn melted into the crowd to connect with a few rebellion spies that were stationed around the city, seeking any crucial updates that might hinder our mission.
The rest of us convened near the castle, observing the soldiers that patrolled the entrances. The overseers of Nolan’s fortress exhibited nothing beyond the monotony of habituated patrols.
Korin hadn’t showcased an ounce of fear. I worried my lip contemplating the risks she was taking at being here. I had no doubt her power would be coveted by the king. Her affinity would be helpful in this attempt to rescue Delah; I just wished she wasn’t a young girl without much experience.
As if my thoughts nudged her, she met my gaze, stern determination hardened her soft youth. Perhaps I didn’t give her enough credit. She regarded the Keep, the ground beneath us trembling in anticipation. Dom flashed a dark look toward her, and the subtle movement ceased.
Staff, soldiers, and visitors of the castle slowly trickled out as daylight waned into the bruised sky of dusk. Finn returned with food that we hastily ingested.
“It’s time,” Dom announced. We each retrieved plugs to put in our ears, shoving them in as far as they would go.
With a nod, Bowen receded into the darkness. He made his way toward the entrance of the castle, creeping just beyond the road that curved its way to the main gates. He removed two vials, verifying their contents. Briefly touching his own ear plugs, he tightened his cloak and pulled out his lucky pine cone. I stifled a laugh as he kissed it. What a special relationship those two had.
He fisted the two vials in his hands, extending his arms as far from his body as he could. His shoulders rose in a deep breath before carefully removing the caps, dripping the contents into the grass. He briskly retreated, dropping the evidence while keeping to the shadows.
Shards of glass scattered across the cobblestones. I counted the seconds between exposure and impact. The release of the elixirs oozed among the stone cracks. As the contents kissed the air, bubbles formed as if boiling.
The elixirs retracted the air around them. I braced myself. The sound of an explosion reverberated against the castle walls, followed by profuse gray and red smoke that billowed thickly outward in a menacing blanket. The threatening red haze indicated a noxious poison.
When Bowen explained the tonic’s impact, he’d simply stated, “Run from the red, and you’ll be safe,” along with an unnervingly wolfish smile. None of us had any intention of being close enough to test his warning.
At the sight of the roiling smoke, we bolted for the entrance of the castle. The soldiers guarding it abandoned their immediate posts to investigate the uproar. We slipped into theKeep, our heads down, skirting through shadows, as our feet carried us purposefully to our assigned destinations.
Bowen infiltrated the grounds behind us, easily blending in among the crowd. He and Finn raced toward the dungeons after Dom shrouded Korin in opaque darkness as she followed behind them. My fingers readied to shape my affinity. I darted toward the Vestal tower.
The commotion at the gates triggered a wave of apprehension amidst the guards within the walls. Unsheathing blades sang with an icy hiss across the Keep. The soft clicking scales of a fortress filled with dreki prickled the hairs on my neck, unnerving me.
I sank into the space within myself that knew no fear. Dom would follow me once he saw everyone to task, but I didn’t linger. Leashed rage came unbound, and I took gratifying sips of it. My anger hardened into focus propelling me forward.
I ceased blinking, allowing tears to gloss my eyes. The path ahead of me teemed with scurrying people whose auras surged in my vision. Many were filled with varying shades of colorful light, but others, clearly devoid of it. I tried to avoid those that emanated death magic, desperately hoping to evade their detection. My fingers itched to form an iced-out longsword. Not yet.
The sun retreated, leaving only torches and starlight to aid in the guards’ frenzied manhunt. I stealthily approached the Vestal tower, noting the broad-shouldered man guarding it. The sound around me ceased and a slight pop in my ears gave me pause. A silencing shield warded the tower.
The scales of the dreki before me blended into the surrounding darkness—the power pulsing from him enough of a deterrent to warrant only one to guard the entrance.
His canteen met his lips, lighting my trigger finger. With a subtle gesture, the guard began choking. I forced the water hedrank to climb back up his throat and fill his lungs. He doubled over seeking air, his hands clawing at his throat. His eyes watered as he slowly lost color in his face. Frantic gasps left his chapped lips and he slowly collapsed, his vacant vertical pupils still glistening in the scattered torchlight. My bloodlust raged on.
As I approached the door, I stalled at the iron lock. Perhaps freezing it would dislodge its springs and bolts enough to break it. Warmth crept up my spine a second before Dom appeared at my side. “There you are.” I grinned.
“I’ll always come for you.” He brushed my arm. “Bowen and Finn are searching the dungeons right now. I tucked Korin away in a pocket of shadows.” His eyes strayed to the lock on the door, immediately opening it with a satisfying click.
“I could have done that,” I grumbled.
We walked through the heavy door, shutting it quietly behind us. “I know you could have, but it pleases me to do something for you.” We stared at each other, the heaviness of our mission pressing down on my shoulders. His shadows spun out in a warm burst, grazing my arms before surrounding us.
I turned to lead the way up the winding staircase. Before I could take a step, Dom grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him. He swiped his fingers lightly across my forehead, from temple to temple, then across his own, whispering a small prayer.
“For protection,” he muttered. His reverence confounded me, but if the great god Elyon listened to anyone, it would be Dominus.
“Thank you,” I whispered. Dom kissed my forehead, and together we ascended the stairs.
The absence of guards lent an eerie quality to our urgent search. We passed several rooms on our quest, but all were dark and abandoned. There were no footsteps, no echoes of voices. It was as if the entire tower had been deserted.
We neared the top of the tower, the stairs revealing a landing with hallways opened toward numerous rooms. Dom spoke in my mind, courtesy of Sieren’s mysterious tonic,I can quietly unlock each door, but we need to be quick. I’ll do two at a time; you take one and I’ll take the other.His apprehension filled my mind along with a tenderness he couldn’t hide.
