I gave my old friend a smile. “No more worried than I ever am. We will just need to be clever in what we do.”
A knock sounded on the door, but Orion did not wait for a response before bustling inside, his salt-and-pepper hair all askew. “My lord, Aradia never returned to her chambers after her dinner with you.”
Frowning, I stood, knocking the settee back several feet. “What do you mean she didn’t return? Wasn’t she escorted back?”
Orion flicked his eyes to the floor, his cheeks growing pink. “I’m afraid there was a bit of a mix-up. She slipped out of the Great Hall before anyone realized.” His gaze turned to Callista. “Did you not see her leave?”
Callista frowned. “No. After our lord left the dinner, I told her to stay and enjoy the meal. She did. Or at least, I thought she did.”
“Dammit.” I slammed my fist against the wall. I should have known she would make another attempt at an escape, especially after our dinner conversation. Before leaving the hall, I should have ensured someone else had eyes on her. Shaking my head, I breathed through flared nostrils. She was a wily little thing, especially for a mortal. And much bolder than I would have thought.
“I am sorry, my lord,” Callista whispered.
“Do not apologize, Callista,” I said. “The fault lies with me.” Shaking my head, I whirled toward Orion. “She’s going to get herself killed out there. How near is Panos?”
“Not far, my lord. If she runs west, she’ll no doubt encounter his camp.” Orion rested his hand on the golden pommel of his sword. “What would you have me do?”
“Stay here.” I grabbed my spear from where I’d propped it up against the wall. “I’ll go after her. Keep watch in the southwest tower. If you see any movement at all in the trees, lock everyone inside the Great Hall.”
“But, my lord—”
“Donotfight,” I said firmly. “Not until I return.”
Orion looked as though he wanted to argue. He hated standing down, just as much as I did. But the four of them could not take on the approaching enemy without my help. They were strong fighters, yes, but they needed something more than swords. My hand curled around the familiar spear, and power thrummed in my veins.
“Dammit, Aradia,” I muttered to myself as I shoved a steel helmet over my head.
Callista peered back at me through the thin slit at my eyes. “Do not be too hard on her, my lord. She doesn’t truly understand.”
“And I hope to the gods she never does.”
10
Aradia
Mist slithered through the dense trees. I hugged my arms tight around my body, stumbling down the dirt path that led away from Yuto’s castle. Escaping during the darkest part of the night wasn’t ideal, but when the opportunity had presented itself, I couldn’t turn it down.
It might be the last chance I ever got.
After Yuto had stormed away, Callista had left me to dine on my own. As soon as she’d turned her back on me, I’d made my move. I’d been shocked no one had stopped me as I’d whispered through the ruins of the castle, but not shocked enough to cast a single glance behind me as I fled.
My feet tripped on a hidden root, and I lurched forward. Knees slamming into the ground, I bit back a cry of pain. I gripped my tiny knife tighter in a trembling fist and stood, glancing around and hoping to the gods that nothing had heard me. I wasn’t stupid. I knew this forest was dangerous. Yuto just wasn’t any better.
A terrible crunch echoed in the forest that surrounded me. My heart froze in my chest as I cocked my head to the side, listening. Another crunch, quickly followed by another. Fear slithered through my veins like venom. Memories of my first day inside of Inishfall flashed in my mind. Those creatures could be watching me. And this time, there was no one to fight them but me.
Trembling, I held the knife out before me. I shifted on my leather boots, eyes locked on the dense trees. At any moment, a monster would loom from the shadows.
The branches parted. My breath hitched.
And then a man slithered before me like a snake from the ground. He was tall and reed-like, his skinny arms and legs almost too long for his body. His dark clothing hung off his frame like rags, jagged and ripped and worn too thin. Dark, matted hair hung into luminous eyes that glowed a silver white.
Swallowing hard, I held up my knife. He might not be those creatures, but something about the way he moved made me think of evil itself, lurking in the dark.
“Well hello,” he said with a wide smile that showed off two rows of very sharp teeth. “This is certainly an interesting surprise. I did not expect to find a mortal girl here. Tell me, where did you come from, little thing?”
I frowned and took a step back. He looked human. But he sounded like something from the pits of hell, his voice all sharp edges and pain. “Nowhere interesting. Please, step aside. I have somewhere I need to be.”
He tsked. “Mortals have never been very good at lying.”
