“Do you think you could stay here until morning? Keep them out as long as possible?”
I knew I was asking too much, but Havah only nodded, remaking my bed with my heaviest winter bedding and stuffing pillows under it to form a princess-shaped outline. “I’ll tell them not to disturb you—and pretend I’ve just come to check on you if they do come in.”
I hugged her on impulse. “Thank you, Havah.” My throat was tight. I couldn’t waste any more time. I tied an extra knot at the top of my travel bag. Pulling it over my shoulders, I tied it again over my chest as a precaution.
At the edge of my enormous balcony, I threw the rope of bedsheets over the ledge, wrapping it around the rail and tying it tight.
Each summer, men dove from the cliffs into the water below. The warrior’s leap, they called it. As long as you leapt far enough out, there were no rocks and the water was deep. It was the height that was terrifying. I’d never braved the jump—my father would never have let me—and I’d never had a desire to.
My balcony was two stories higher.
But it was designed for privacy. Which meant it was the only part of the entire castle that was left unguarded.
Leaning over the thick stone ledge, I tested the rope, before swinging a leg over to follow. The bedsheets dangled in mid-air, the same way my heart dangled in my chest, dropping into my stomach. Would they reach low enough?
I couldn’t find the will to move. Straddling the stone railing, I stared down. The water below was pitch-black and clouds passed over the full moon, darkening the skies and hiding the stars completely.
Havah stood in the doorway, hands clutched in front of her mouth to keep her thoughts to herself, though I heard each one of her fears just fine.
I had to jump. No one would ever expect it.
For the millionth time, I tried to conceive another way out. But the guards were loyal to my father, which made them loyal to Amir. I’d never make it. This was the only way.
CHAPTER 6
Arie
THE DARK WATER RIPPLEDin the moonlight. Tightening my grip on the bedsheets, I awkwardly climbed over the stone railing until I was hanging from the edge along the outside. My muscles seized up. It took enormous effort to slide down the sheet at the pace I intended, without slipping.
My arms burned with the effort of holding my weight plus the bag full of food, which threw me off balance whenever the wind blew. When I reached the first knot, I sucked in a breath. What if I hadn’t tied it tight enough? I braced myself for a fall, but the knot held.
Hand over hand, gripping so tightly my fingers grew numb, I reached the end of my makeshift rope with much too far left to fall. The cliff diving took place much lower than this, and even then, only the most skilled swimmers attempted it. What if I sunk so deep I couldn’t find my way to the surface?
And what about the Mere? Would they interpret a princess entering their kingdom as a threat?
Stark terror gripped me. But there was no going back now. My trembling muscles would never carry me back up. Cramps took over my arms, making it hard to keep my grip. I swayed there, suspended at the end of my rope, gathering the nerve to jump.
