Page 42 of Within the Flames

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Eleven

"Why are you looking so smug?" Jared demanded between bites of his breakfast. "We haven't gotten any closer to breaking the castle's defences and you wouldn't let us do anything fun last night."

"Too right I didn't," she replied, carefully avoiding his real question. "There are far too many people about for us to do that." And she didn't want her night time activities reported back to the kelpies. It was one thing them knowing she had four men, quite another for them to do it and get caught.

And then there was Luc...

Her gaze strayed to the daimon, who was busy chatting with Cam, no doubt about some mystical and ancient being the rest of them hadn't heard of. So long as she was told about whatever beast it was before she had to face it in the flesh. Though that was seeming less and less likely as time went on. There was certainly more to this world than she first thought.

"Macey? You didn't answer the question."

She ignored him, her attention already on a frazzled looking Amber barging out of her tent.

Right on schedule.

"Izban?" she called. At first, it almost seemed like she was just calling for him. But Macey could hear the concern in her voice.

At least that meant the Ice Warden had done what she'd expected him too. Guilt welled up inside her at the thought of hiding this from the others, but she knew she had to. For this to work, they couldn't know.

"Have any of you seen Izban?" Amber asked, reaching the fire around which they sat.

"Was he not with you?" Cam asked, breaking in his conversation.

Amber shook her head violently. "No. His spot in our tent is cold too. He hasn't been there in a good while," she said before anyone could ask her how long he'd been gone.

"When did you last see him?" Rónàn asked, ushering her to one of the log seats and handing her a steaming cup of tea.

She took it reluctantly, but Macey could tell she wanted the support of her friends. Her heart broke a little for the beithir, this next day or so wasn't going to be easy for her. Not in the slightest. And if this went wrong...

It didn't bear thinking about.

"Was he alright last night?" Rónàn continued with the questions.

"He seemed to be, yes. Perfectly normal. He kissed me goodnight and then we..." She scuffed the dirt with her shoe, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Beside Macey, Jared nodded, confirming she was saying exactly what Macey thought she was.

"And then he was just gone?" Rónàn's face pulled into a frown, as if he just couldn't work it out.

Macey stayed silent, not wanting to reveal what she knew. Now wasn't the time, even if it hurt her friend in the short term. Amber would understand it was for the good of them all. And the world.

She looked up at precisely the wrong time, catching Luc's eyes. The daimon gave her a knowing look, like he'd seen what she was up to and worked the rest out. The implications of that were ever so slightly terrifying, but she didn't break.

"We'll find him," Rónàn assured the beithir. "He has to be in the camp still, there's nowhere else to go."

"If only that were true," Amber muttered, giving a haunted glance at the Keep behind them.

Macey didn't turn to look. She didn't want to face the place she'd been held captive until she had to. Maybe that was the coward's way of dealing with things but at this point she didn't care. She'd rather be a coward than a quivering mess and that's what the castle would leave her as, she was sure of it.

"He can't be there," Jared butt in. "If he is then he'd have found what we've all failed to so far."

"Maybe he did. Maybe he called his aos si and found a way..." Amber's eyes grew large, as if becoming convinced that was true.

"He tried that already," Cam pointed out. "I doubt it would work any better the second time."

They all nodded and relief flooded Amber's face as a result. She was so worried for him, which only tore Macey up inside. She didn't want to be doing this to her friend but it truly was safer if she didn't know the truth.

"I'm sorry, I know we don't have time for this. Just give me a little longer and I'll be ready for the day." Amber's face changed suddenly, growing from drawn and worried to determined. This time it was admiration which flooded through Macey. Her friend was truly a very special woman. Her bravery and determination were something to be admired.