Page 187 of The Trials of Ophelia

“We’ll have to climb,” I said, remaining emotionless. Scanning the ivy-wrapped side of the manor, I twirled my necklace around a finger.

This was no longer our trap to lure the queen in with my presence, to set up the ingredients we’d worked to gather on short notice and spin a web for her. No, now Kakias was the black widow, and we were the prey.

“Why climb?” Rina asked, eyeing me warily, but I kept my mask up.

“We can’t very well walk through the front door,” Barrett said. Briefly, I remembered when he first arrived in Damenal and scaled our gate when denied entrance. Now, he stretched up to grab a thick vine and planted his boot on another.

“Don’t impale yourself again, Prince,” I joked, tightening my hold.

“It only happened once,” Barrett scoffed, surveying the high walls stretching toward the snowy gray sky. “This looks less problematic.”

“And what about the ritual?” Santorina curled her fingers into the blackened plants. Her pack was slung across her back, supplies intact, but the plans for them burned away. There was no time for mixing potions—no time for establishing a carefully crafted boundary.

“We’ll have to figure it out quickly,” I said.

Backup plans. Tolek and I had worked them out for a reason. But none of them involved us getting betrayed, by Trevaneth, nonetheless.

Sapphire released a low huff from directly behind me and nudged my shoulder.

Whirling, I tangled my fingers in her mane and held her face steady. She was warmer than usual, her breath fogging the air. “You were a beautiful distraction, girl,” I whispered. “We’ll be back soon. Wait here for me.”

Without allowing myself to get emotional about parting with her, without acknowledging I was torn, leaving a piece of my soul behind, I turned back to Barrett and Santorina. Head to toe in leathers, with determination setting her features, the latter was a fierce predator, and Barrett’s face was etched with vicious determination as he bid his wolf pup goodbye.

We all knew what we were scaling toward right now. The possibility of this not ending in our favor. And none of us would relent.

“Let’s go,” I said.

They nodded.

And we climbed.

I was grateful for my leather gloves, though I usually hated not feeling Starfire or Angelborn against my palms. Most times, that thin layer of flexible material made me feel like I had less control, but now, as thorns stabbed into my hands, I was glad they weren’t piercing skin.

Up and up we went, silent but for the strained exhales and shifting of plants beneath our boots.

When I reached the roof, I dragged myself over the edge, careful not to let my weapons clank against the tile. It was flat, though, which was a blessing. Easier to scamper across.

Barrett pulled himself up next, only breathing a little heavier than usual. Rina came not long after, ponytail swinging behind her.

“You okay?” I checked.

She nodded, flushed cheeks burning in the chill air.

Then, an all-too recognizable voice drifted up to us, slicing through the empty night like a freshly-forged sword.

“It’s been frantic, untamable…” The words were low mumbles.

We crept to the edge of the roof on silent feet. There was a gap of about two feet, and then a delicate edge of brick bordering a wide glass ceiling. Snow gathered along the iron panes. We wouldn’t be able to jump across—couldn’t know if it would hold our weight.

Through the skylight, the interior courtyard was visible.

Kakias paced within. My Angelblood heated upon seeing her.

The queen wove between thick stone columns engraved with images I couldn’t decipher from here. Plants lined the perimeter, branches bare of greenery, and orbs of yellow mystlight decorated the top of each pillar, casting columns of illumination that melted into shadowed gaps.

“She should be here soon,” the queen grumbled. My skin tingled. “It’s been days already. How is she truly so slow?”

Indignation shot through me, hands clenching, but I clamped down any response.

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