Page 9 of Curse of Thorns
My lips curl into a smile.
“But,” she says slowly, “you do have one other ally we could call on.”
My eyebrows pull down. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asks sweetly, tilting her head. “We need someplace to hideout that isn’t here. Or did you think taking on a few dozen guards per day is good training for the Schorchedlands?”
I sigh. “I don’t want to tell more people about this than is necessary.”
“You told me. Your sworn mortal enemy. I think you can handle requesting help from one more person.”
My stomach sinks at the prospect, but it does make sense. “The Crumbling Court is the closest kingdom to the Wicked Gates in the realm.” It’s only thirty miles out, and I’ve considered calling on Tyadin before but didn’t have the nerve to do it.
“Ahh. It’s too bad we don’t have any friends anywhere near there,” Caelynn draws dramatically.
I smile, giving in to her bit, and her suggestion. “You don’t suppose that dwarf friend of ours would let us in?”
Her eyes brighten, and that makes it all worth it. “Only if you promise not to call him a dwarf.”
Caelynn
Rev insists I sleepin the spare room adjoining his for the night. This works well because I don’t need to leave his room and risk gaining the guards’ attention.
Tomorrow, we’ll set out on our trip to the Crumbling Court.
Tonight, I am in enemy territory. In a place that holds powerful memories.
I force my mind to focus on productive things rather than those dark or selfish thoughts—like why Rev would have a spare room connected to his or about my time in this palace a decade ago.
That’s an impossible task. My mind won’t stop swirling with so many thoughts and memories. I’m trapped in them.
I stare up at the ivory ceiling adorned with gold swirling designs. My teeth chatter gently. I bite my lip as I think of my second favorite time in this palace. It was my second day living in the shadows of this court’s palace. No one knew I was here as I desperately searched for a way out of my bargain.
And I sat in on Rev’s music lesson. I was pressed to the corner, shadows covering me so thoroughly I was invisible to the fae there. He played the violin so eloquently and I closed my eyes, feeling like I could hop inside his soul and live there forever.
I open my eyes and shake my head. Even memories like those are bitter in their sweetness and laced with acid. Because I can’t forget what came after.
