Rolling out of bed, I quickly pulled on my leathers and boots. Dividing my hair into three sections, I braided each of them separately before twining all three together. It didn’t appear a crown braid was necessary today, but I still wanted it out of my face.
I had just finished securing my braid when a quiet knock came at the door. I approached it, remembering what Griff had warned, and heard him quietly announce himself. Opening it for him, he slipped inside, still in the same pants, but he had found one of his typical black shirts and boots.
“With the wards up in here and also surrounding the castle, I can’t teleport us out of here.”
“How far do we have to go before you can?”
“To the yard in front of the castle. Luckily, it’s early enough that not many people are awake, but we will need to be stealthy if I’m going to be able to steal you away. You game?”
I grinned. There was no real reason to sneak around the castle. With Griff as the Champion and me being the princess, unless we ran into Zachariah, we could pull rank on anyone we ran into. But his way sounded more fun.
My hand clasped in his, he led us through the halls, keeping tight to the walls. When we heard footsteps, he spun me into the alcove we had just passed, hand snagging the curtain to close it, just as they walked by. It was a tight fit for both of us, and he was pressed up against the wall, with me clenched against his chest. One of his hands tickled my ribs—accidentally, of course. I let out a giggle, but his hand clamped over my mouth before it could escape. The absurdity of hiding in my own castle, the intimacy of being pressed this close to him, the lingering adrenaline from everything that had happened—I couldn’t help it. Another giggle bubbled up and I tried to choke it down.
“Hush,” he admonished me, but his eyes glimmered with amusement.
When he removed his hand, I whispered, “It’s like a littles’ game of hide and seek.”
He couldn’t stop the answering grin, and for a moment, his mask fell away entirely. “Finn and I used to play that. I always won.”
“Let me guess. You’d just teleport somewhere he couldn’t find you.”
His soft laugh rumbled through his chest. “Drove him absolutely mad. He’d search for hours while I watched him from the roof.” He peeked his head out of the curtain but hurriedly drew it back in, all traces of humor gone. My mirth disappeared as I heard the soft voices.
“Are you telling me it happened again?” I felt bad for whoever was on the other end of Zachariah’s questioning.
“Yes, my lord. We’re finding that every High Day, the Veil grows thin.”
My blood ran cold. The Veil failed more on High Days? This seemed like important information to know.
“We need to—” Zachariah’s voice cut off as more footsteps approached. Unfortunately, they sounded as though they had stopped right outside our hiding spot.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I didn’t need Griff’s hand once again at my mouth to tell me not to make a sound. I focused on controlling my breathing, ensuring that I took as shallow breaths as possible to keep the sound down. By the feel of Griff’s chest against mine, he was doing the same.
“They’re getting bolder, regent,” the other man was saying.
Who was getting bolder?
“This is not the place,” Zachariah reprimanded sharply. “We will talk more in my office.”
We waited in tense silence as the footsteps walked on, until they had faded entirely.
“What does your instinct tell you?” His voice tickled my ear, sending an involuntary shiver through me.
I closed my eyes and imagined the scene on the other side. “They’re gone,” I murmured back, brushing my own lips over his ear.
He went very still for a moment, his hand at my waist tightening, before nodding stiffly. Setting me aside, he squeezed past me to peer out. With another nod of confirmation, he grabbed my hand, and we continued to make our way out of the castle.
My mind raced with unanswered questions. The Veil weakened further on High Days? Permanently or temporarily? Who was getting bolder? And who was Zachariah discussing this with, in secretive tones, rather than with the full council?
We made it to right outside the gates without further incident. As Griff opened his arms and I stepped into them, I was grateful for the chance to escape whatever new crisis was brewing in the castle, and welcomed the now-familiar sensation of teleporting.
Chapter
Nineteen
Peace would be nice. I don’t think I’ll ever feel it again in this lifetime. Maybe the next.
—From the journal of Violet Andrever
