“If at any point, you decide you wish to leave, I will whisk you out of there and deposit you safely inside your chambers.”
Eislyn’s neck felt hot, and she swallowed hard. She could not do this. It was a terrible idea. Beyond that, it was scandalous. The prince should be attending this party with Reyna. His betrothed, not her. Not to mention that she was more than just some random girl. She was his betrothed’s sister. If anyone found out, the whispers would swirl through the castle faster than wildfire.
“Do you trust me?” Thane asked in a low voice. She met his eyes, asking herself that very thing. Could she trust Thane? Would this turn out to be a viciously terrible idea?
“Okay.” She let out a slight gasp at her own words, shocked she had agreed to it. “I will go. For a few moments. And then we will leave.”
* * *
That night, Thane appeared alone at her door just after the Danu and Brigantu had reached the highest point in the night sky. It signalled midnight, a time that Eislyn had rarely seen. She was not entirely certain she should be seeing it now either.
He had donned black trousers, a black tunic, and a long black cloak that brushed across the floor as he shut the door quietly behind him. Eislyn’s heart thumped as he gave her an appraising glance. It turned out that she had done well to anticipate tonight’s dress code. She wore her own black trousers, borrowed from Reyna’s trunk. Her mother’s brooch fastened at the clasp of her cloak. It was one of three. Each of the sisters had been gifted one at her death.
“Very good,” Thane murmured as he crossed the floor. He came to a stop before her, reached out, and touched the brooch. “You should remove that.”
“Why?” She reached up and fingered the ice glass. It was the only thing of her mother’s she had requested to keep.
“It is expensive,” he explained. “And while your silver hair can be explained away, a brooch with the ice fae sigil cannot.”
She could not help but take a step back. “Is it not safe for ice fae at your revels?”
“I asked you to trust me.” He held out a hand, palm up. “Either do or do not.”
With a sigh, she unlatched the brooch and dropped it into his hand. He whisked over to her hawthorn jewellery box and placed it gently inside.
“Good. Now, we are ready to go.” He held out his hand again. This time, she slid her hand into his. To her surprise, his fingers were warm to the touch. He led her out into the corridor, placing a finger to his lips.
Her heart beat hard. None of his guards were anywhere to be seen. They were truly going to sneak away without protection, only weeks after she and her sister had been targeted by an assassin.
“Do not fear,” Thane whispered with a smile as he led her down the corridor. “You are not alone. I will protect you.”
Eislyn’s heart beat hard. She wasn’t certain which she feared most. An assassin jumping out of the shadows or her sister’s betrothed protecting her with his life and body. She nibbled on her bottom lip as they swiftly rushed down the curving stone stairwell. Shadows clung to their skin as they descended into the underground depths of the castle.
Eislyn had not told Reyna about her plans. Her sister would have locked her in her room, and Eislyn wouldn’t have blamed her. This entire adventure was a wild, terrifying thing, and yet she found she could not stop her feet from moving.
They reached the bottom step and rushed through another dimly-lit corridor. Thane gripped her hand tight, pulling her to a dead end. A stone wall loomed before them. There was no door in sight.
Thane pressed a palm against the stone and took a deep breath. “I need you to swear that you will never reveal what you are about to see to anyone.”
Eislyn’s heart banged against her ribcage. She did not like to swear—no fae did—and especially not for something that she had not even yet seen. Still, her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and this was the most alive she had felt in years. “I swear it.”
Thane shot her a crooked smile and pushed against the wall. Eislyn watched, hands clenching and unclenching. At first, nothing happened, at least not that she could see. And then the wall began to move. Tremors shook through the stone. She stumbled back, eyes wide as the very wall before them vanished into nothing. Another corridor now stretched out before them, and at the very end of it, she could see the churning sea.
“How?” she whispered, eyes wide. “That is magic, Thane. How?”
He merely shook his head. “I do not know. I suppose it is like the last grasps of magic that your own kingdom has held onto. You have your familiars, do you not? We have this miserable escape route. There are other tunnels beneath the castle, but this is the only one hidden by magic.”
“Not all of us have our familiars,” she reminded him. “The fae who were alive before the Fall managed to hold on to theirs. Any fae born since then…”
“Ah, I see,” he said with a kind smile. “Reyna has one. I merely assumed that others did.”
“Reyna is different in more ways than one.” She shrugged. “She is not the only one with a familiar, but they are few.”
“Well, then we can comfort each other in our lack of magic.” He held out a hand and grinned. “Although what you will see tonight will surely be just as good.”
And so Eislyn took Prince Thane’s hand and followed him to the sea.
* * *
