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“They put Faline and Albert in confinement, but—oh my God. What did they do to you?”
“But what?” I said impatiently.
Eliza’s brows were lowered in concern. “You look as if you’ve been beaten half to death. And … is that a crossbow bolt?”
“But what?”
I watched her sigh. “But they’re fine, if Anise is to be believed. So is Cali, except they threw her in the dungeons.”
“The dungeons?” Relief charged into me so hard I could scarcely breathe. Tears gathered unbidden, this time in relief. “She’s alive?”
“Her cousin is petty, but not to the extent of murder, clearly.” Eliza’s face dropped into horror. She reached toward my ear, but I moved my head away, wincing at the movement. “Why are you bleeding from your ears?”
“My magic gave out,” I said, wishing I didn’t have to worry her.
Eliza’s eyes went wide. “Tell me you didn’t confront my father.”
“There’s no hope for him,” I said, and I couldn’t find any more anger in me, now that I knew Cali was alive. “He’s lost for good, I think.”
“He’s despised his daughter from birth. You’re his favorite person in the world, and he nearly killed you. He murdered his devoted, competent queen to crown some pretty little idiot. He’s been lost for a good while now, Beric.”
She grabbed my chin, raising the lantern to look at where blood was drying down the side of my neck. The quick movement sent sharp pain deep in my head, as if a stake was being driven through me from ear to ear.
She held me there, before turning my head back to face her, her brows drawn low. “You didn’t hear what I just said.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re lucky it was only your eardrums and not your entire head.” She frowned as I pulled away from her grasp, but made sure to look at me head-on when she asked, “Why did you confront him alone?”
I didn’t know what to say. A moment of desperation. I thought I’d lost Cali, and had nothing else to lose. A futile hope that perhaps he hadn’t done what I thought he had.
“I can’t leave Cali alone in that dungeon,” was all I could think of.
Eliza chewed on her lip. “We need a plan.”
“We’ll come up with a plan after Cali’s safe.”
“I understand what you’re feeling, Beric, but I’m not sneaking through the walls for entertainment purposes—they would have taken me too, no doubt, if I hadn’t hidden the moment I saw a slew of guards upon us. And the guards were given the command to bring you to the queen. By order of the king, whether or not he had anything to do with it.”
“He had nothing to do with it,” I said, bitterly. “He didn’t even know what I was talking about when I confronted him.”
“All the more reason to keep to the shadows.”
I couldn’t argue with her. There was too much risk if we exposed ourselves without a way out, even with all our magic combined.
“I have to see her, first.”
“If I move too much stone around in daylight, people are bound to notice. We should wait until nightfall.”
“I thought she was dead until a minute ago, Elle.” I winced. I must’ve spoken too loudly, moved too many of the muscles near my ears. “Please.”
She sighed. “Okay. But then we hide out and get some rest. We’ll need all of our strength tomorrow.”
“To kill the king.”
A grave resolve overtook her as she nodded. “To kill the king.”
We made our way through the palace in a passage so narrow I had to squeeze through it sideways—a small price to pay to keep the guards off our scent. To allow me to see Cali alive and well.
