Page 169 of Crown of Briars
“Please keep him away from here,” I whispered to the castle. “Pleaseread his intentions. He wants to destroy this court. He wants to destroy my husband.Please keep him away.”
Slowly, I released the handle, and I could have sworn I heard the faintclickof the locking mechanism engaging.
I blinked, eyes wide. I hadn’t known the doors could lock. But perhaps I’d imagined it.
Another deep breath.
I turned and faced the room, searching for Ramia or Enzira. My heart sank when I realized the room was empty.
Well, shit.
Chewing on my lower lip, I thought quickly, then hurried over to my pouch of gemstones.
“Azure, are you there?” I asked, clutching the amber tightly in my palm.
“Sybelle! Thank the gods. I’ve been trying to stay quiet so as not to distract you. Is that horrible captain gone? What in all the realms is he doing here? Where are you right now? An entire army of human soldiers appeared out of nowhere, and?—”
“I know. It’s a bit of a long story.” Azure had only been able to hear the words uttered from my lips, so I quickly filled her in on the most essential information I’d gleaned from Gerard. When I mentioned the death of my father—by Orla’s hand—I faltered, my chest cinching painfully.
“Holy gods. Sybelle, I—I’m so sorry.”
I nodded. An unexpected lump of emotion tightened my throat. Father’s death was no great loss to me. And yet… I hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to him. Or utter the many things I’d kept buried inside for so many years.
Now, I would never get that chance.
Because of Orla.
I shook my head, pushing aside my emotions to focus on a plan that was forming. I grabbed my pouch of gemstones and shoved it in my bodice, wedging it between my breasts. I had no idea which ones I would need, so it seemed like a good idea to bring them all.
“Azure,” I said. “Do you know where the shadow storm is?”
“Yes. I had to fly west to avoid getting sucked into it. It’s like a massive tornado, tearing apart the lower towns of the kingdom.”
I thought of the refugees—the fae families who had been escorted into the castle. They had likely fled such a storm.
Were they safe now? If the army breached the gates, all those innocent fae—the mothers, the children—would die.
I had to stop this.
“I—I think I might have a way to end all this.” I took a shaky breath. “Are you with me?”
“Of course,”she said at once.“Sybelle, I am with you to the end. I trust you implicitly. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
Heat stung my eyes, and I blinked rapidly, finding it difficult to swallow. “Thank you, dear friend. For now, I need you to stay out of sight. Gerard doesn’t know about you, and we need to keep it that way. I’ll get him outside of the castle. Stay close by. And, when I say go, I need you to come get me.” I paused and took a breath. “For this plan to work… you’ll have to fly us into the heart of the shadow storm.”
Azure only paused for a moment before she said,“Very well. I’m assuming this has to do with breaking the curse?”
“Yes. Are you able to do it?” If I wasn’t certain the shadows couldn’t harm her, I would have never asked her to do this.
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Az.” I glanced at the door, anxiety twisting my heart. Where were Ramia and Enzira? Had the Earthen soldiers made it inside the castle?
Were my two friends already dead?
And what about Varius? He was strong, yes, but even he wasn’t indestructible. With a sizable army and the element of surprise, he could be overpowered.
Panic seized my chest, and I found it difficult to breathe.
