The noiseless action is impressive, but useless. If there is someone else down here, surely they’ve heard us talking and?—
Vesper. When was the last time I heard the click of her wings?
“Come,” Lachlan commands, barely giving me a chance to obey before he splays a palm against my back and pushes me back up the tunnel toward the statue of Alanthe and Sir Melloway. “Hide behind here.”
I grab his arm before he can rush away. “Wait! What if something happens to you?”
He gently pries my fingers from his mail, then flips his hefty sword and catches it single-handedly. “It won’t.”
I nearly roll my eyes, though I don’t doubt his prowess. He passes me the stardrop. “It will fade without proximity to mymagic, but the novillum should keep it from completely going out on you. Hide it in your pocket to block the glow. If you hear anyone coming other than me—I’ll warn you through thediamhrán—whip the drop out and blind them.”
“And then what?”
“Run.”
He’s off, stalking down the tunnel and leaving me gaping. Not to mention with a thousand questions. How long am I supposed to wait? How doeshenot need the stardrop? Does his gift allow him the ability to see in the dark?
Despite my misgivings, I settle behind the statue, doing what I’m told and waiting for my bodyguard to deal with the trouble then come back to fetch me.
It’s hard to tell how much time passes with no outside light to track; the only things to count are my breaths. I’ve taken about seventy when I hear the faint echo of droning wings.
Vesper.
It sounded close. From the end of this corridor, even. A frantic, stuttering buzz, like she’s trying to free herself. It’s followed by a pitiful whimper, and there’s no way I can hide here like a coward and not try to help her.
Lachlan, I call through thediamrhán.Lachlan!
What’s happened? Are you alright?
Someone’s got Vesper.
Don’t move. I’m coming back. I’ll?—
An agonized screech pierces the darkness, and before I know what I’m doing, I bolt out from behind the statue. I cannot see a thing, flailing blindly until I crack my knuckles against the wall across from the alcove.
There’s a faint glow at the end of the tunnel, and as I creep toward it—one hand on the wall for guidance while the other’s wrapped around the stardrop in my pocket—I hear a small crack, followed by another wail.
The glow brightens, and I peek my head around the corner to find Vesper lying on the ground cradling her hand against her chest. There’s another stardrop next to her, highlighting her in a bright aura, but she’s alone.
“Oh, Vesper,” I whisper as I tiptoe over, and she releases her hand as soon as she sees me. Two of her tiny lavender fingers are broken.
Who would dare hurt a creature so small? I am so distracted by the fury boiling in my veins that I barely notice her shaking her head and pointing behind me with her intact hand.
“Food!” she croaks out. “Careful food!”
A gloved hand clamps down onto my shoulder, and I’m whipped around to face a short, wiry faerie man dressed all in black beneath a hooded cloak. He raises a large knife above his head, and my reflexive will to survive kicks in as I snatch the stardrop from my pocket. I close my eyes and shove it toward his, wrenching free when he bellows. I dart away to scoop up Vesper, then hold her against my chest as I scramble toward the crypt entrance.
My assailant recovers, and his footsteps soon gain on us.
Moonlight spills beneath the door ahead, and we’re close. So close. I clutch Vesper tighter, careful to avoid her injured hand, while holding the stardrop out to light our way.
I pound forward, we’re nearly there, and?—
Something slams into me, and I tumble forward with only a fraction of a second to toss Vesper aside before I crush her. My assailant lands on my back, and I feel the cold press of his knife against my neck. He pulls a vial from beneath his cloak, thumbing off the cork and bringing the glass to my lips.
“Drink this or I’ll slit your throat,” he grunts in my ear.
I press my lips closed, straining my neck away from his knife and struggling to free myself as he jams the vial against my mouth.
