Lady Nelyssae gave me a patronizing smile as we skirted around the castle. “Shouldn’t that have been obvious?”
“What the hell is your problem?” I spat out.
The smug lady placed a hand on her chest in surprise. “My problem?”
“Yeah. All you ever do is try to make me feel like shit.”
“Excuse me?” She harrumphed. “I only tell you as it is. It’s not my fault that you’re so ignorant.”
Screeching to a halt a short distance from the main entrance, I yanked my arm from Niadhir’s grasp and whirled on Nelyssae. “Ignorant? If you were dropped into my world, you wouldn’t survive a day.” A predatory grin crept across my mouth. “Even less if I was coming after you.”
“Storm!” Niadhir said, aghast.
The arrogant lady jutted out her chin. “Resorting to threats is only the sign of a weak mind.”
“Weak?” A laugh laced with madness dripped from my lips. “How about I show you just how weak I am?” I took a threatening step forward.
The horrified scholar made as if to intercept me but he had nothing on a trained thief. Darting to the side, I slipped right past him. Lady Nelyssae’s beautiful face filled with terror when she saw me advance on her. Raising her hands, she took a step back. A body packed with hard muscles slammed into mine.
“That’s enough,” Shade’s said in a voice brimming with authority. His strong hands restrained me before I could reach Nelyssae.
Thrashing against the assassin’s grip, I spat curses at her over his shoulder. “If you ever make me feel like shit again, we’re gonna finish this conversation. And that time, Shade won’t be there to protect you.”
Niadhir had gathered up the frightened lady in his arms and patted her on the back in order to calm her. Glancing towards the wall, I saw Elaran emerge from the bushes. He gave me a quick nod before taking up position next to the distracted princess as if nothing had happened.
Since he had his back to everyone else, no one but me saw the amused expression on Shade’s face as he bent down towards me. “Don’t you think that was a bit overkill?”
“Are you kidding?” I whispered back. “I considered punching her in the face but figured that was a bit overkill.” Making a show of struggling against his arms, I hid the satisfied smile on my lips. “Elaran gave the all clear. We pulled it off. The latches are off the chute now.”
The Master Assassin smirked at me. “Yeah, I saw. Should we keep at it for another minute? To really sell the bit.”
I snorted. “I think we’re alright.”
Stopping my thrashing, I stared expectantly at him until he released me. Once he had, I transformed my face into an apologetic mask and looked to Niadhir and Nelyssae with the appropriate amount of shame in my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I lied. “I don’t know what came over me. It must’ve been all that sun going to my head.”
“Yes, well, I did warn you about the effects of too much sun.” Niadhir cleared his throat. “Perhaps you should retire to your room and think about how you can avoid a situation like this in the future.”
The sheer ridiculousness of that statement made me want to chuckle like a lunatic but I managed to suppress it and instead dropped my gaze. “Yeah, I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
Niadhir gave me a grave nod as he returned Lady Nelyssae to Shade’s arm before leading me up the stairs. “That sounds wise.”
I adjusted my dress to better hide the coils of rope currently wrapped around my body. Stealing them during that very calculated episode when I suddenly took my clothes off in a rowboat had been a piece of cake because Niadhir had barely dared look at me when I was indisposed. Thank Nemanan for his prudishness. I grinned as we moved towards my room. Now, I both had a way to climb up and down the chute and the end of it was unlocked. And I’d given Lady Nelyssae a piece of my mind. A most productive day indeed.
21.
The halls of the castle lay deserted around me, despite it only being a few hours after dinner. Opening the chute, I peered into the darkness. There was no way to know for sure if this would work. Apart from trying it. After tying the ropes together, I secured one end to the handle on the inside of the metal plate and let the other disappear down the hole.
“Come on, Lady Luck. Help a thief out.”
Sending a prayer to Cadentia, I braced myself on the wall and climbed through the opening. With one hand on the rope, I pulled the plate shut behind me. The world turned pitch black.
“Man, it’s dark in here,” I muttered.
With the plate closed, I couldn’t even see my own hands but it was the only way. If someone happened upon the open chute with a rope tied to it, I’d be in real trouble. Not to mention that I needed the support from the metal sheet bracing against the wall in order to lower myself down the rope. And then when climbing back up again, of course. After sending another prayer to the Goddess of Luck, I started down the square-shaped passage.
My breathing sounded unnaturally loud, but I knew it was just the confined space playing tricks on my ears so I tried to block it out and concentrate on the rope. Time crept by while I tried to imagine running free across the rooftops instead of crawling through a space so small it would make a tight-shelled crab claustrophobic. Eventually, I felt the knot tying one rope to the other under my hands. I continued downwards. The bottom had to be close now.
Empty air met my palm. My heart skipped a beat and I gripped the line tighter with my other hand before I could get them both back on it. Damn. I was out of rope. Stretching my legs as far down as I could, I tried to locate the bottom. They swung through the chute without finding purchase.
“Really, Cadentia?” I grumbled.
The end could be a finger’s length below or it could be fifty strides and it was impossible to know which unless I let go of the rope. If it was too far, I might not be able to get back up. Blood pounded in my ears. Godsdamn it. I drew a deep breath and let go.
Fabric flapped around me as I slid down the chute. Panic welled up in my throat like bile when I kept gliding downwards. The end had to be here somewhere.
A jolt shot up my ankles as they slammed into something hard. It gave way and I tumbled out of the opening and onto the ground outside. Stones scraped against my legs. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled to my feet and ducked behind the nearest jasmine bush. My heart thumped in my chest.
No alarm rose. Putting a hand to a leaf-covered branch, I carefully bent it down and peered out. Moonlight bathed the courtyard in silver and cicadas played in the bushes but other than that, there was not a soul in sight. I let out a soft exhale while forcing my racing heart to slow down.
“Alright, so far so good,” I whispered to myself. “Now, all we need is a way past the gate.”
After sweeping my gaze over the area one more time, I snuck forward. There was another building next to the castle that I had never seen up close so I decided to start there. Gravel crunched under my feet as I darted across the stones.
When I got closer, I realized that it was actually multiple buildings clustered together. A gigantic white dome with a set of grand double doors far larger than the ones to the castle was flanked by two much smaller square-shaped structures. I squinted at it. What on earth was that used for?
The strange glass-like material was cool under my hand as I pressed my palm against one of the great doors. There was an odd atmosphere to this whole building. It felt ancient. Otherworldly. Whatever was in here had to be important. I bent down to study the lock on the doors and see if I could get them open.
Footfalls echoed across the courtyard. Shit. Making a split-second decision, I sprinted towards the square building on the right. If it had the same complicated lock as the dome, I was screwed. Praying fervently to Nemanan that it was an ordinary one, I skidded to a halt in front of it. The footsteps drew closer. I dropped to a knee and whipped out my picks.
Relief surged through me when I saw that it was a standard lock. It clicked open within seconds. Sending
heartfelt prayers of thanks to Nemanan, I slid inside and closed it behind me.
Three large carriages met me on the other side. The smooth floor was silent under my feet as I tiptoed forward to examine them further. They looked familiar. Realization hit me like a basher’s bat to the face as I traced my fingers over the metal wall. Prisoner carriages. This was what they’d used to bring us here.
The door was yanked open. Crap. My eyes darted across the room. Depending on how many people were about to enter this carriage storage, there might not be any place to hide. Except... I looked up. It would have to do.
Grabbing a hold of the window set into the side of the metal coach, I hauled myself up until I could reach the roof. The dress tangled around my legs. Silently cursing the thief-hating garment, I used my arms to draw myself over the edge and rolled to safety. I dared a quick glance down.
Captain Hadraeth stalked across the floor. I yanked my head back down and pressed myself as far into the carriage roof as was humanly possible. That treasonous heart of mine thumped so loudly in my chest I was afraid it would make the metal underneath me vibrate.
The Guard Captain’s hunting footsteps echoed against the walls as he strode through the room. Straining my ears, I tried to follow his path around the carriages. They paused right below me. Blood pounded in my ears.
And then he moved again. His steps grew fainter until the sound of a door being pushed open finally cut through the pounding in my ears. I peeked over the top of the roof just in time to see the captain’s white armor disappear into the night beyond. The lock clicked back in place.
Rolling over on my back, I let out a long exhale. I had barely dared breathe these last few minutes so I had a lot of missed oxygen to make up for. That had been close. Stroking the metal beneath me, I let a smile settle on my lips.
But now we had a way to get past the gate. I sat back up and started down the side of the carriage again. All we needed was a guard’s armor for Elaran and we could ride right out of here in the very same thing that had brought us in. Ha! They would never see it coming.
22.
Cold glass met my skin as I knelt on the floor. I cast another quick glance around the empty corridor before sliding my lockpicks into the waiting lock. A soft click sounded. Straightening, I pushed down the handle. Light from the hallway spilled into the darkness beyond. With my hand still on the cool metal, I waited. No sound or movement. I slid inside.
Strong hands grabbed me. I sucked in a sharp breath between my teeth. The door slammed shut next to me right before I was yanked to the side and spun around. My chest hit the wall with a slight thud. A muscled body pressed into mine from behind while an iron grip locked my arms behind my back.
“That’s how you ambush an intruder breaking into your room,” Shade whispered, his lips only a breath away from my ear.
“Show-off,” I muttered into the wall. “And I already told you, you just got lucky I stumbled when you were breaking into mine.”
The Master Assassin drew his fingers around my throat and then towards the back of my neck. “Is that right?”
His touch sent an involuntary shiver through my body. For some reason, I was having trouble thinking straight so I almost missed it when his grip on my wrists loosened. Instincts kicking in at the last moment, I yanked my arms apart and twisted away.
“And that’s how you get out of an ambush.” I smirked at him from a few strides away.
Shade let out a pleasant chuckle. “Only because I let you.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that.”
Striding across the room, he made for the candle on the white wooden desk. Flames flickered to life, casting dancing shadows on the wall. The assassin turned back to me. His face got stuck somewhere between amusement and curiosity when he took in the state of my body.
“Been making trouble, have we?” He nodded at the red scrapes on my legs and the rumpled and stained dress I was wearing.
“Always.” I grinned at him. “I’ve found our way out.”
Genuine surprise filled his black eyes. “How?”
“I climbed down the chute and scouted the area. They store prisoner carriages in a building across the courtyard. If we steal a guard’s uniform, we can have Elaran impersonate one of them and drive us right out of here.”
“Impressive.” He gave me an approving nod before confusion settled on his face. He tilted his head to the right. “How did you even climb the chute without rope?”
“Who says I did? I stole some rope from that rowboat today.” I frowned at him. “What did you think I was doing when I just out of the blue decided to go swimming in my underwear?”
Surprised laughter rose from his chest. “I don’t know. I thought you were just being your usual stubborn rebel self.”
Tipping my head from side to side, I concluded that he had a point. I did have a certain flair for disregarding the rules that governed normal people’s social interactions.
I nodded at the wall behind him. “Window or door?”
“How did everything look when you were sneaking around out there?”
“Empty.”
Shade jerked his chin towards the designated entrance to his room. “Then let’s go with the door.”
After blowing out the candle, we slipped out the door and set course for Elaran’s room.
The startled wood elf let out a sharp hiss and whirled around as a thief and an assassin snuck across the threshold. He released a huff and shook his head at us.
“I’ll never get used to that,” Elaran muttered. Abs and toned arms tensed and then disappeared under white fabric as he pulled on a shirt. “Can’t you at least knock?”
“I don’t knock.” I gave him a light shrug before plopping down on top of his tidy bed. “But I have found a way out.”
“What?”
Shade strode past him and dropped into the chair by the desk. “Apparently, that whole stunt with the rowboat wasn’t just about being defiant.”
Elaran frowned at the assassin before shifting his gaze to me. “It wasn’t?”
“Seriously?” The mattress creaked as I threw my arms in the air in an exasperated gesture. “You make me sound like a three-year-old.” I glared at the wood elf. “Do you want to hear about our way out or not?”
Matching my scowl, he just spun his hand in the air a couple of times, telling me to get on with it. I blew out an irritated breath but recounted the events of the evening anyway.
“How’s anyone going to believe I’m a star elf?” Elaran challenged once I had finished. He drew his fingers through his auburn hair and flicked it over his shoulder. “I don’t exactly look like them, do I?”
“We’ll hide your hair under the helmet.” I tapped a finger to my thigh. “And we’re leaving when it’s dark so they won’t be able to see your eyes from atop the carriage.”
He considered in silence for a moment before loosening his frown and giving me a nod. “When?”
“I think I have a way of liberating a set of armor,” Shade cut in. “I can do it tomorrow.”
We all exchanged a glance. Anticipation hung like a curtain of mist over the room.
“So, we’re escaping tomorrow night then?” I asked.
Elaran and Shade looked at each other before turning to me. “Yeah.”
A soft knock sounded. I shot up from the bed and whipped towards Elaran. On the other side of the room, the Master Assassin did the same.
“You expecting someone?” Shade pressed out in a hurried whisper.
Panic and confusion were mixed on Elaran’s face as he shook his head. Another knock came. The elf shooed us towards the side of the room.
“In the closet,” he hissed. “Hurry!”
Neither of us hesitated as Shade and I darted across the cool white floor and dove into the large piece of furniture against the wall. Wood groaned in protest as we landed and drew the closet door shut until only a small gap remained. Thuds echoed as we tried to disentangle our limbs in the cramped dark space.
It was already a tight fit inside the closet and we both also wanted to see out the gap in the door, which made it even more difficult to find a comfortable position. Shade’s muscles shifted against my body as he moved around me.
“Quiet,” Elaran hissed again. “I’m opening the door now.”
Hidden in an army of white garments, I spied through the slit in the closet door while the Master Assassin stood pressed against me from behind, peering out over my head. I could almost feel his heartbeat against my shoulder blades.
The handle clicked as Elaran pushed it down and opened the door to reveal the mystery visitor outside his room.
“Princess Illeasia,” he blurted out and stumbled back a step.
“I’m sorry about just showing up at this hour unannounced.” Her silver dress billowed behind her as the princess swept into the room and closed the door behind her. “I couldn’t sleep and there’s just something I wanted to tell you. Well, several things, actually. And some of them I can’t say but I really want to and other things I...” She trailed off and let out a nervous laugh. “And now I’m just rambling. Sorry.”
Elaran cast a quick glance at the closet. If I’d had more room to move, I would’ve facepalmed. Drawing attention to the thing you want to keep hidden by looking straight at it. Classic rookie mistake. When all this was over, I’d have to make a list of shady things I needed to teach Elaran.
“It’s alright.” The wood elf took a step towards the princess. “What was it that you wanted to talk about?”
Illeasia closed the distance between them even further. “My mother has brought a lot of visitors here over the years, and I’ve spent time with all of them, but this is the first time... I mean, I haven’t felt like...” Gems clinked in her sparkling headdress as she raked her fingers through her glossy hair. “What I’m trying to say is that I’ve never met anyone like you before and I didn’t expect that and during all these weeks we’ve been...” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m rambling again.”
It took all my considerable self-control not to audibly gasp when the princess placed her elegant hands on Elaran and pulled him forwards. Her lips ravished his while she kept a tight grip on his shirt. The stunned wood elf tensed up at first but then leaned into her embrace and placed a hand on the back of her neck. I stared at them in utter shock. What in Nemanan’s name was going on?
A Storm of Glass and Stars (The Oncoming Storm Book 4) Page 14