Page 24 of Court of Lies and Deceit

“Now,” I whisper to Draven. “The stairwell is clear.”

He nods. While he keeps a small cloud around us, and I keep my magic pouring into the guards, we sprint down the hall and then skid around the corner. Just as I said, the door to the secret stairwell is now unguarded.

Yanking the door open, we dart into the stairwell and run up the steps two at a time.

A few of the guards start moving back to their positions.

Alarm crackles through me.

I pour more magic into their worry.

It makes two of them drift back to the windows, but the third one, the one who is supposed to be guarding the middle section of this stairwell, continues back towards his post.

“Hurry,” I hiss at Draven.

He picks up the pace, taking the steps three at a time. And that’s when I realize that he was slowing his pace earlier so that I could keep up, because now I’m the one falling behind. Pushing myself, I run with everything I have up the steps.

My breath saws through my throat and my heart pounds.

The guard is almost back at his post now.

We just need to make it past his floor.

Just a little more.

Draven darts past the second-floor landing.

To his right, the door that the guard left through begins to open.

Panic pulses through me.

I leap the final three steps up to the landing and then throw myself up the next couple of steps. Right below me, the door opens fully. A strong hand wraps around my wrist and hauls me up the next five steps. I suppress a gasp.

My heart slams against my ribs as my feet connect with the steps again and I find Draven right there in front of me. He slowly releases my wrist. Standing still as statues, we listen to the guard close the door and then shift his weight on the landing inside the stairwell right below us.

I let out a silent sigh of relief.

After exchanging a nod, Draven and I quietly sneak up the final set of steps.

Another plain door meets us when we reach the final landing. The guard who was supposed to be standing on the other side of this door is still anxiously watching the fire from a window two rooms away. I keep pouring my magic into that flame of worry in his chest, to make sure that he remains there, and then I give Draven a nod.

He gently pushes down the handle.

Opening the door, he slips into the room in a silent and fluid motion. I follow quickly behind.

Then I draw up short.

Blinking, I stare at the luxurious bedroom around us.

It’s empty.

I frown. How can it be empty? This is supposed to be Danzo Wolfstalker’s bedroom. And it’s the middle of the night. There is no reason for him to be anywhere else.

Then it hits me.

Of course. The explosion wokehimup too. That spark of worry that I felt from this room wasn’t a guard. It was him. In hindsight, it makes sense. I wouldn’t want a person standinginsidemy bedroom, watching me sleep, every night either.

Draven, who once again doesn’t look the least bit worried, simply turns to me in a silent request for directions. The sight of it makes my heart squeeze tightly. His faith in me and my abilities is unlike anything I have ever experienced, and it makes my soul thrum with something so steady and warm that I almost forget how to breathe.

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