Page 101 of Wings of Ice and Steel

He stared at her for a minute before softening. ‘Liren’reith.’

Nieve’s brows rose. That was a mouthful. ‘I think I’ll call you Liren, if that works?’

He rolled his eyes but nodded.

‘I’m Nieve, by the way.’

He nodded again. ‘I think I’ll call you Iceling,’ he said with the ghost of a smile.

Nieve snorted and motioned them forwards. Liren moved his hands to cloak them, but Nieve stopped him.

‘Save your energy.’

He’d be no good if he passed out.

She found Sascha’s secret door behind the tapestry of a distant landscape. The doorframe was under a clever illusion, appearing part of the wall, but the edges were palpable beneath her fingertips. It was locked. Of course it was locked, and she poked the keyhole in frustration.

‘I don’t suppose picking locks is part of your skillset?’ she threw over her shoulder, contemplating blasting the lock with her ice.

‘As it so happens…’ Liren’s lip twitched.

He stared in begrudging admiration at the disguised door before glancing to the side. Nieve followed his eyes and saw that an old timepiece had caught his attention, displayed on a sideboard nearby. He strode over and began to dismantle the piece of art.

‘Is there a point to that?’ Nieve tapped her foot, fingers twitching to act. She didn’t have time—

‘Aha!’ Liren brandished the fruits of his labour; the long, dainty second hand and a firm spring which he was already working to straighten between practiced fingers.

‘Oh…’ Nieve watched as the Shadow inserted his makeshift lockpicks into the lock, moving them deftly. ‘You’re full of surprises.’

‘I know. Ladies first.’

He gestured to the dim corridor as the door swung open and let Nieve brush past. The passage was a straight run through the castle walls, chinks of light breaking through tiny cracks in the wall barely lighting the way. Liren sneezed.

‘Sorry, dust,’ he gasped.

‘Should be used to that after the cells.’

‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you.’ He chuckled quietly.

Nieve didn’t find it funny. Somewhere at the end of this corridor, Ariadnne was hurt. Unless she was wrong and she was somewhere entirely different. They needed to move faster.

A door, sealed with a bolt on this side. Nieve slid it free and winced at the metallic clang.

Quietly—so quietly—she nudged the door to reveal the library, a quick glance assuring her it was empty.

‘The varanya’s wing should be empty,’ she whispered, slinking forwards. ‘It’s for varanya only,’ she explained when Liren glanced at her.

He pursed his lips but stayed silent.

The corridor outside echoed with the tick tick tick of a tall timepiece. Nieve led them on, keeping close to the walls. In the back of her mind she wondered how long they had until the dead guards in the cells were found and the alarm was raised.

She motioned for Liren to pause at the corner before the varanya’s suite. If Ariadnne was here, there would be a guard at her door. She slowly peered around the bend.

A tall, serious guard with a chiselled jaw stood in the corridor. Nieve rejoiced inwardly—it was a good sign, but they still needed to be rid of him without raising the alarm.

She kept her back to the wall and mouthed ‘guard’ to Liren, lifting a finger to indicate there was only one. His lips tightened and he nodded, patting her shoulder to indicate she move and let him look. Shrugging, she did as he asked.

He assessed the corridor beyond, his fingers moving in a strange pattern before summoning a wisp of power. He flicked his wrist.