Page 98 of Wings of Ice and Steel

‘I have to get out.’ Nieve closed her eyes, leaning her head on the door.

‘We all have to get out, Iceling. Believe me, I’ve tried. The wards are strong.’

‘There must be a way.’

The prisoner shifted, slow feet padding towards the bars. There was a soft, metallic sound as though he’d gripped them in his hands.

‘I need to get out, too… I’m getting weak. The guards, they speak of you. They called you ‘formidable’.’ He paused, as though considering. ‘I don’t know what you’ve done to land yourself here, but I’m guessing you hold as much love for the Guild as I do… I think there’s an opportunity if you are as quick as I hope—if we work together.’

He sounded exhausted from the effort of speaking. Nieve wasn’t sure he had the capacity to help.

‘Go on…’ she muttered.

He sucked in a breath. ‘I need a promise from you first, a bargain.’

That woke Nieve up.

‘A bargain?’

‘Bound in runes. That way we can both trust we won’t be stabbed in the back.’

She released a low hiss.

‘It appears I’m out of options,’ she muttered, angry with herself for even considering it. ‘What is it, exactly, that you want from me?’

‘I need a promise that if you succeed in getting out you will help me return to my people.’

Nieve fell silent. Assuming they got out, she and Ariadnne would be fleeing the Guild. Perhaps she could get something in return.

‘If I help you get out, and I’ve made no promises yet, I want you to first help me find Ariadnne. She comes too. No Ariadnne, no bargain.’ She clenched her jaw. ‘If we successfully return you to your people, you will do everything in your power to hide us from the Guild.’

‘Ariadnne?’ the prisoner’s voice questioned. ‘She is the female dragon, yes? The varanya?’

‘She is.’

The voice paused, then asked, slower, ‘And what is she to you?’

‘Important,’ Nieve spat back. He didn’t need to know the details.

‘Then yes, I agree to your terms.’

Nieve’s eyes widened at how easily he accepted her proposal. Finding and rescuing Ariadnne would reduce both their odds of escaping unscathed. She wasn’t sure whether she should be grateful for his quick agreement, or concerned.

Ultimately, she needed to get out of her cell, whatever his motives. She swallowed.

‘And I agree to yours.’

She hoped she wasn’t making a grave mistake.

‘Very well.’

The other prisoner’s voice took on a deep timbre as he began speaking Illiruthian, the archaic language of runes. He was talented, and the sealing words settled on Nieve in a fleeting blanket of warmth, testing her willingness before dissipating in a faint shimmer of blue. The deal was done.

‘So… what’s your big plan?’ she asked to distract herself from the peculiar tingling in her arms. She thought she could hear the prisoner slump back to the floor.

‘Well, I believe I can offer you a chance—but it will be up to you to take it.’ He paused as though collecting his thoughts. ‘As you are aware, each time they bring our meals they lower the wards to open the door.’

‘Yes, and the second guard has an arrow aimed at our throats the entire time in case we twitch,’ Nieve retorted, unsure where he was going with his idea.