Amber eyes flashed in front of my face, filled with accusation. I shoved the image away and reached for my bow.
The thought of butchering an animal without the need to eat it was distasteful.
But not as distasteful as the thought of a conversation with Sabium. Of standing that close to him and not ripping out his throat.
“You kill him, and we have no way to find—”
“I know. I won’t kill him. Have our friends arrived?”
“See for yourself.”
Pushing the curtain aside, I looked down into the courtyard, where several men waited, all dressed in dark green overcoats.
“Good.” I glanced at Marth, who was waiting by the door, dressed in the same color. He was the only one of us the king would not be looking for. He nodded to me, and I slung my bow over my shoulder, taking the quiver Galon handed me.
Everything we had done so far—all our plans, years of waiting, and each endless minute of travel—all of it had led to this. I would control my temper, curb my instincts, and secure my invite to the castle.
And then, Sabium would pay.
I spent the next several days cleaning the floors in the servants’ quarters, until Nelia was finally pleased and I was allowed to clean the rest of the castle—although she’d insisted I had to prove myself once more by cleaning the lower levels.
On my fourth day in the castle, I caught sight of Tibris. Something in my chest relaxed. If anything had happened to him, Vicer would’ve found a way to get a message to me. But that hadn’t stopped me from imagining the worst. My brother winked at me as he walked past with several other men, all of them carrying large crates. He was wearing tight breeches that fell to his knees, a maroon waistcoat embroidered in gold, and a shirt with…frills. I gave him a smirk.
When he returned, he nodded to the other men. “I just need a word with my sister.”
“Don’t be too long,” an older, bearded man said.
“Are you okay?” Tibris asked.
I nodded. “You?”
“Yes. Prisca…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I know where the entrance to the dungeon is.”
My heart stopped. “Truly?”
“Yes. I set everything up for tonight.” His mouth twisted. “But I’ve just learned that the king is traveling overnight and I may be sent as part of his entourage.”
“I’ll go,” I said. “Just tell me where it is.”
“I don’t like the idea of you going alone.”
“Tibris,” I said warningly, and he sighed, handing me a few pieces of parchment—all of it in our code. I studied the map on top of the pile, and my heart beat faster in my chest. This was the key to our plans. With this, I could find Asinia.
“I’ve been working on the guards.” He nodded to the parchment—and the instructions I’d have to decipher later. “But I need you to promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise.”
“Loukas. Let’s go.”
“I’m coming.” Tibris squeezed my hand. “Good luck.”
That night, I studied the parchment. As usual, my brother had done his research. The guards were replaced at midnight, which meant the best time to get near the dungeon was right before the change, when they would already be tired.
Vicer had said the prisoners were fed once a day—in the morning. I’d still need to watch out for the guards adding new prisoners. Each shift had one guard who was in charge of the dungeon keys. Those keys hung on a large ring from their belt.
I would need to freeze time before they noticed me, take those keys, and sneak into the dungeon. I couldn’t risk getting locked in, which meant I needed to keep the keys. The most dangerous part would be the time I was in the dungeon. If the king’s guard noticed the keys were missing, I was dead.
But Tibris had helped there too. According to his note, he’d made friends with those guards, offering them several of the many bottles of wine that didn’t meet the standards for the king’s table. By the time I arrived, the guards should be deep into their cups.
It was risky. But I needed to see Asinia. Needed to give her hope. There was no point being in the castle if I wasn’t actively finding a way to get her out.
The other women were already in bed when the clocktower struck eleven. Most of them were sound asleep, although Auria was tossing and turning. Wila had sneered at me when she’d walked in, making it clear she wasn’t interested in friendship.
With a deep breath, I pulled my power to me, jumping out of bed to drag Galon’s cloak over my nightgown. Stuffing a pillow under my blankets, I bolted for the door.
This would be the most I’d used my power in days. And while I’d practiced on the mercenaries while we were riding, this was much, much more important. I dropped the thread of magic and tiptoed down the hall. If only I could freeze time for longer.
I lost myself in fantasies of freezing the entire castle for hours at a time, free to do whatever I needed to do.
Scuffing sounded, and I froze, peering around the corner. Nelia was walking down the corridor, a lamp in her hand. I sucked in a breath, freezing time once more. I wanted to conserve my power, but at this point, I had no choice.
Breaking into a sprint, I careened past Nelia and down the stairs, feeling the thread slowly slipping through my fingers.
By the time I’d reached the lowest level of the castle, that thread had fallen from my grasp. Time resumed, and I was sweating with the effort of holding it as long as I had.
Urgency crawled through me. I needed to move faster.
Tibris had said the entrance to the dungeon was next to the wine cellar. I crept toward it, my heart pounding in my throat. The door looked like it opened to some kind of storage room or closet. It was only the muffled sounds of the guards’ voices that made me pause.
“You hear something?” one of the guards asked, and I scowled down at my traitorous foot. Weeks of traveling with the mercenaries, and I was still no better at sneaking.
“Sure. I heard the sound of me opening another bottle of this wine,” the second guard laughed.
Thank you, Tibris.
Closing my eyes, I reached down, down, down into the place where my power resided. I needed more than a few seconds. I needed enough time to steal the keys and open the door. I needed to get far enough down the stairs that the guards wouldn’t hear me.
I visualized each move I’d make while the guards gossiped about the queen’s ladies. Apparently, one of them was particularly inventive in bed.
Asinia was on the other side of that door. Asinia, who probably assumed she’d been left to die. I didn’t have time for fear. Didn’t have time to second-guess myself.
I opened my eyes.
And time stopped.