He pushes through the door and peeks out, then ushers me in. It's Fen's quarters, though it's clear Fen's not the one who's been sleeping here. "Levi has taken my place," Fen says with venom in his voice.
I look at the disheveled bed and unfamiliar clothing that litters the floor and I seethe with rage. "That bastard."
Fen opens a few trunks until he finds what he's looking for. He hands me Spero—my sword—and the dagger Daison made for me before he died. Then he hands me clothes. "They will be too big, but they're better than nothing."
I shrug them on over tender skin as he also undresses out of his rags and into his leather armor. Light but still offering some protection. I try to look away when he's naked, but don't quite succeed. He catches me staring and smiles for the first time since the dungeon. "There will be plenty of time for that later, Princess."
I'm flustered but don't turn my eyes away. "I hope so."
And I mean it. I'm tired of waiting. Tired of second guessing. We aren't guaranteed any kind of future. I want to live my life now. Which means being with Fen. Loving him. Regardless of what the future holds. I spent so much time worrying about who would make the best king, I failed to consider that fate might conspire to take the choice from me altogether. I almost lost him once in the battle, and again at the hands of Levi. I won't lose him to my own foolishness now.
He raises an eyebrow at me as he pulls on his clothes. He says nothing with his mouth, but so much with his eyes. For a moment it's almost easy to forget everything that's happened. Everything we are running from. We are in his room. We are safe. We are together. But we can't let our guard down. He takes three long steps and is standing in front of me. He raises his finger to my cheek and runs it down my jaw. "This face, these eyes, this mouth, filled my thoughts every moment I was imprisoned. I feared I would never see you again."
I reach for his hand and hold it against my face. "I'm not so easy to get rid of."
He leans in and his lips find mine. It is a moment I have dreamt of every night. The feel of him. The taste of him. I don't want it to end. I want to lose myself in his embrace. But we are nearly out of time. We could still be caught. We could still be killed.
We pull away from each other with great reluctance and grab our swords. It's time.
It doesn't take us long to make our way out of the castle. Fen knows even more secret passages than I; this has been his home for longer than I can even imagine.
I show him the note, and he nods and leads us to the barge. I can see the questions in his eyes, but we both know this isn't the time. First, we must escape and get somewhere safe.
I have no idea where that somewhere is, but I know it's not here.
The moons are high in the sky by the time we make it to our meeting place: the docks, which I have only visited a handful of times. Usually, they're bustling with people unloading delivered goods or freshly caught fish. There is laughter and the smell of wine and the river. Now, it is quiet, dark, but for a few torches in the distance. Black waters shimmer under the pale light, and a small boat sways on the waves. From a distance I see a man cloaked in black, standing on shore with his back to us. It isn't until we get closer that I realize who it is.
Fen grabs my hand and stops me. We both hold our ground, drawing our blades. Baron leaps in front of us growling, as the man turns to face us.
He grins and holds out his hand. "Brother, you don't look nearly happy enough to see me."
Fen growls. "What are you doing here, Dean?"
Chapter 3
THE BLACK LOTUS
"I know where you're going. And I know why. But consider this, before you act rashly. Your people have fallen. They need their prince. What will you choose, Prince of War? Who will you save?"
—Ace
We are both dumbfounded. Why is Dean here? I was expecting Asher. Maybe Ace, though the way he was behaving during the confrontation with Levi makes me question his loyalty now.
Fen strides up to him. "What's going on, Dean?"
The Prince of Lust smirks. "Good to see you too, brother. You know, we should probably table the questions until we find a place where you're not in danger of being hanged, don't you think?"
Fen turns to me, and I walk toward the boat. "He's right," I say. "We have to go. We can sort it out later." I place a hand on Fen’s shoulder and whisper in his ear. "There’s no reason for a trap. I was already under Levi’s power."
Fen mumbles something about "Levi’s power" and "other dangers."
As I'm about to step onto the boat, something flies through the air.
And impales my shoulder.
I look down in shock, the pain not yet reaching my mind. A feathered arrow sticks out of my body.
There is a moment of pause, as if time has stopped, and I hear nothing. Then it all comes rushing back: noise, screaming, a frenzy. I reach for my sword but my shoulder spasms in pain, and I cannot grasp the hilt with my right hand.
I grow lightheaded and fall to the ground, my knees hitting the rocky earth with a thud.
Movies make getting shot by guns and arrows seem so easy. Guy gets shot, guy looks down, shrugs, keeps going.