Page 108 of Born of Starlight
When I didn’t speak, Elsie continued, “Firose must have sent one of her defectors to open the Egress. She knew you were headed to Luz, knew the Queen was working against her after seeing that memorandum. I believe her show of force was simply to prove how weak the realm is against her. Did you ward the Egress?”
“Yes, I have.”
Elsie glanced at her unbound wrists once more.
“So, have you figured a way out of the Keep, then, thief?”
She gave me a confident smile that was so much like Fen’s it nearly knocked me off my feet. “Of course. It will be much easier now that you’ve released the shackles. I was still working on a way out of those. I can scale down to the lower balconies and, from there, make my way out. Easy as one, two, three…”
“Well, this should make it even easier. It belongs to you anyhow—” I plucked the purple vial of invisibility serum from my pocket and held it out to her for the second time. She met my eyes with skepticism that gave way to confusion.
“You’re not what I expected…”
“People keep telling me that.”
Elsedora let out a faint huff of laughter. “I expected you to be more likeher. You seem a perfect match for my brother, truly.”
I could have ended up like Firose.If not for Amara—if not for being shown what genuine, unconditional love looked like. If not for leaving that tower. “I’m not—”
“Oh, but you are.” Her eyes lit with amusement. “My brother has written ballads and poetry for dozens who stomped on his heart well beforesheever did. He fell often but never very hard. Something tells me that may have changed in our centuries apart.”
“He hasn’t fallen—” I tried to deny it, but Elsie crossed the room to the window with lethal grace and speed.
Soon Elsie would be gone, into the night.Free—just as Sybilla had requested. But I still had one more duty to the Queen.
Sybilla had said,“Break Fen’s sister out of the Keep. Tell her to approach her lord about sending aid.”The Queen had been purposefully cryptic about who ‘her lord’ was. I should have asked herfarmore questions.
“Wait!” I stopped her. “Tell King Darvanda that if war is waged…we request his assistance.”
This was a risky bargain. I wished I could shake sense into Sybilla. Elsie paused as she pulled back the curtains.
I added, “There is no way I can train all of those soldiers to use any useful magic or defense in a week’s time. You know that as well as I do. We are sitting ducks. We have a mutual enemy.”
“He’ll want to know what’s in it for him…the price will be steep.” She was straddling the window frame with the invisibility serum tipped to her lips.
“The Wasteland wards. We will lower them all. If magic-wielders wish to return, we will give everyone a fair trial. We can reunite the realms.” That part Sybilla had not instructed me to say—I hoped I hadn’t taken too much liberty.
Elsie lowered the vial for a moment. “The wards are already broken—how do you think Firose got her lackeys here? How do you think I am here? And who says anyonewishesto return to Henosis? Who says we won’t just come with force and take your lands?”
My heart pounded. “I can’t imagine the Wastelands being a pleasant place to live,” I reasoned.
“Then you judge a place by its name, my friend. Some in the Wastelands look at those wards as a blessing.”
Elsie turned toward the window but smiled over her shoulder.
Darvanda would not come to our aid. Firose would approach with an army of Wasteland defectors—she would possess magic long forgotten by this realm and use it against the people of Henosis. We were fawns sitting in an open field with wolves approaching from all angles.
“Tell my brother we will meet again soon.”
Elsedora downed the invisibility serum and silently slipped out the window.
* * *
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows,I could see it had begun to rain. The droplets steadily pattered against the palace windows. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and the mingling of golden light and droplets falling tempted me to go outside.
Cutting through the gardens would be the fastest route to Fen’s bedchamber anyway.
I pushed open the heavy silver-embellished door and met the lukewarm, breezy air. A gentle sun shower graced the gardens as the birds began their morning song.
