Page 168 of Crown of Briars
“The only thing powerful enough to destroy the stones is the same magic that created the curse. The dark shadows.”
“The dark shadows,”I repeated.
“Yes. The most powerful concentrated area of the dark shadows would be the shadow storm itself.”
Shadow storm?My thoughts were raging, my mind working frantically to stay one step ahead of Gerard.
But everything he was revealing to me shattered what I thought I knew. My confidence was broken.
Make a plan,I told myself.Make a plan!
An army was here, attacking the Shadow Court. Varius’s people.My people.
But I knew how to break the curse. I could end this.
I needed to somehow take the bloodstone from Gerard. I had Wraith Killer on me, and I knew I could best Gerard in a fight. I had done it before.
But I didn’t know if I could kill him. Not with an army about to burst through the doors.
And if I didn’t kill him, he could just travel through the shadows. As soon as I stole the bloodstone from him, he would know what I was about to do. He would teleport to the shadow storm and stop me.
“We have to leave, Sybelle,” Gerard was saying as he grabbed my wrist again. “We don’t have much time now.”
I nodded quickly. “I know.” I had to get away from him. Ineeded to talk to Azure, to form a plan with her, but I couldn’t do that with him listening. “I just—I can’t leave without Ramia.”
Not a lie. I would never leave without her.
His lips thinned, and I knew he was about to suggest I leave her here.
“I will not abandon her to be slaughtered!” I shouted. Let him think I was referring to the brutal unseelie fae.
In truth, I feared what the Earthen soldiers would do to her.
Gerard sighed. “Fine. Let’s go get her.”
I shook my head. “You can’t. The castle is enchanted. It will sense your ill intent and it won’t let you pass through its doors.”
Gerard’s eyes narrowed.
“Trust me!” I pleaded. “It did the same thing to me when I first got here. When you open a door, it sends you wherever it thinks you need to go. But it trustsmenow. I can get through. Let me go to my rooms and fetch her, and I’ll return to you. I promise.”
He held my gaze for a long moment. He knew I could not lie to him.
And Iwouldbe back. I had to return in order to get the bloodstone from him.
Somehow.
He nodded tersely. “Be quick. I will wait for you.”
Relief filled my chest, and I gave him a quick smile and squeezed his hand in mine. Then, I took off toward the door, half expecting him to snatch my arm and stop me.
But he didn’t.
Please, please, please,I thought, internally begging the castle to be on my side. When I opened the door, my own chambers awaited me.
The knots in my stomach loosened slightly as I cast one last reassuring smile over my shoulder. Gerard only offered me a grim nod in return.
I stepped over the threshold and eased the door shut.Roaring filled my ears, but I kept my hand on the knob and held it there while I counted to ten. Inside, my pulse hammered with each panicked breath I took.
