Page 88 of Unseen Eye
“Fuck it. You guys go on without me,” I whisper, just as they notice I’m not with them.
“Eva,” Izzy hisses, her voice sharp, “we don’t have time for this. Come on. You’re going to get us caught.”
“We still have a few minutes,” I reply, not waiting for their response before shooting up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. I don’t have to look back to know who’s right behind me, quickly catching up.
“Evil little thing,” Cal whispers, letting me lead the way. His eyes glisten with curiosity—and something else. Pride?
We duck into a closet twice to avoid guards, the cramped space forcing us close together as we hold our breath, waiting for the footsteps to pass. The first time, Cal wraps his arms around me, pulling me against him. I can feel his heartbeat, frantic and in sync with mine. The second time, we press ourselves against the wall, bodies tense and ready to spring into action if needed. Finally, we reach the door.
“Think the queen’s in there?” I ask Cal, my voice barely above a whisper.
“There’s only one way to find out,” he says, flashing a mischievous grin. “Go hide in the closet.”
I shoot him a look but follow his instructions, ducking into the closet as he knocks on the door. Yes, literally just knocks, then darts to join me, shutting the door behind us, leaving only acrack to peer through.
“Fucking smartass,” I mutter, smacking him lightly.
“What?” he says with a shrug, still looking out the crack. “It seemed like the simplest option.”
We wait another thirty seconds or so before Cal decides the coast is clear, and we slip inside. The king’s room is grand and glamorous, everything shimmering with the gleam of gold. The sheer size of it could easily fit ten of my cottages from Pinebrook. I move toward the office, careful not to disturb anything too much as I sift through papers. We can’t take any of this with us—he’ll know someone was here.
But one missive catches my attention. It’s from one of the academies in the southern part of the kingdom, the same one Leigh mentioned before. It reports an increase in attacks, several students killed in the latest. They’re requesting additional soldiers. My heart drops. That academy is near the border of Providence. Gods, I hope the human realms aren’t under attack too. I put everything back where I found it and join Cal, who’s standing there, frozen. His face is pale, like he’s just seen a ghost.
“Cal, what is it?” I ask, noticing the tight grip he has on something in his hands. Slowly, he opens his eyes and looks at me.
“It’s my mother’s ring... This bastard has had it this whole time. We never found it after the attack. We thought whoever did it took it to pawn.” He looks down at the ring he’s holding, and I audibly gasp. It’s beautiful—a large crystal at the center, shining brightly.
“The crystals from the caves I took you to that first day,” Cal says with a sad smile. “My mother loved it there. My father wanted her to always have a piece of her favorite place with her.” He stares at the ring for a long moment before setting it back down, his expression heartbreakingly resigned, like he’s saying goodbye to her all over again.
“Take it,” I whisper, my voice fierce with conviction.
“He’ll notice it’s gone.”
“So what? Fuck him. You deserve this, Cal. She’d want you to have it.” I take the ring and press it back into his hand. “Damn the consequences.”
Cal looks at me, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and something breaks in his gaze. “Eva, you have no idea what this means. My mother... she was everything to me.” His voice falters, then steadies. “She’d have loved you, you know. I—”
Before I can respond, we hear sounds outside the door, shattering the moment. In a blur of motion, Cal grabs me, shuts the door behind us, and whisks us into the closet next door, all before I can blink.
“Have you always been that fast?” I gasp.
“What can I say? I’m a fucking legacy,” he says with a smirk.
“More like a conceited legacy, if you ask me,” I mutter, but then he covers my mouth with his hand as voices approach—it’s the queen.
We overhear her talking with someone I don’t recognize, must be an adviser.
“...Yes, I want the guards doubled. We can’t afford any more mistakes,” the queen says, her tone dripping with authority.
“But Your Majesty, what about the girl?” the adviser asks.
“Eva is a complication, but nothing we can’t handle. Keep an eye on her. As for Callon, he’ll get what’s coming to him. He thinks he’s clever, but he has no idea what we’re capable of.”
She stops outside the door for a second before heading inside, shutting the door behind them.
“What the fuck was that?” I glance at Cal, but he’s wearing that cold mask again.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he says, his voice flat. We slip back down the staircase and out the second entrance, finding Theo and Izzy waiting for us by the forest.
