"Varna, what are you—"
The distant echo of footsteps approached, cutting through our reunion like a blade.
Chapter
Thirty-One
Astroke of good luck prodded those footsteps right past our cells and farther down the hall. Once they faded into silence, I lunged toward my barred door.
"We need to get out of here," I whispered to Varna. "Which is stating the obvious, I know, but General Ehuna said that Tannin and some advisors have a meeting here late this afternoon. I intend to be there when it starts and end him."
"Feels like we’ve done this before," Varna said.
"Right," I muttered. “But this time, it’ll actually work.”
It had to. I wouldn’t accept any other outcome.
With a flicker of concentration, I summoned the magic within me, filling the air around me. The lock on my dungeon cell opened without a sound. After checking both directions down the long hall, I slipped out and freed Varna as well.
"Show-off," Varna teased.
She looked even thinner and frailer in her dirt-smeared smock than the last time I’d seen her. Dried blood crusted her knees and palms. The shadows under her eyes were testament to the hardship she'd faced, yet here she stood, steady as an oak.
"I’m an old pro at this, remember?" I joked, though my pulse ricocheted between my ears. "Come on. We've got a fortress to infiltrate."
We slipped out into the hallway, moving with the silence of shadows. Our steps were light, the stone corridors cold. Every so often, I'd pause, sniffing the air for the metallic tang of the guards' magic.
"Left here," I instructed, guiding us through a narrow passage.
The walls felt close enough to smother, the darkness almost tangible. My instincts were on high alert, every creak and shuffle magnified tenfold.
None of the sounds came from us, though. Varna could also be as stealthy as a wraith when she needed to be.
At the sound of a door opening in the next hall, she pressed herself flat against the wall. I mirrored her, barely daring to breathe as a pair of guards sauntered by, their conversation a low rumble.
Before the door shut, we slipped through it and continued up the stairs. Tension coiled in my stomach. Each corner turned was another chance we took, each door bypassed a potential alarm not yet sounded.
The fortress seemed to stretch onward and upward endlessly, a maze of stone designed to confuse and disorient. But I had a nose for magic and a bone to pick with the man who thought he could play puppeteer with my life.
“What’s the plan when we find their meeting?” Varna whispered.
"It's all about the element of surprise," I whispered back.
“That’s it? That’s the plan?”
“That, my magic, and a few tricks up General Ehuna’s sleeves.”
"Let's hope your magic is as good as your confidence," she said. “And how are we going to find the meeting in the first place?”
"Trust me," I replied, my smile fierce and wild. "When it comes to sniffing out trouble, I'm your girl."
Varna chuckled softly. “Oh, I believe that.”
"Wait a second," I murmured.
Hugging the cold stone wall, I took a moment to catch my breath, my heart booming against my ribs. A narrow corridor stretched out before us, dimly lit by flickering torches that cast more shadows than light.
Two guards, their voices hushed but carrying in the still air, discussed their orders with the casual disdain of men too comfortable with their power.
