Page 124 of The War of Wings
My hastily packed bag was slung over my shoulders as I passed from the empty corridors into the darkened kitchens. The castle was asleep. A few weeks ago, a midnight trip to the kitchens in the Eserenian castle had been an act of rebellion that cost Wrena her life. It was the same night I learned there was another side to Castemont. Now, it was my final stop before I set off to kill the man who’d been responsible for all the pain.
I wasn’t even sure what kind of fruit I’d dumped into my bag or if the bread I’d snatched would keep for more than a day. I didn’t care much. I just needed to go.
But I skidded to a stop when I saw the outline of a figure standing near the enormous cast iron stove.
“I’m sorry to startle you,” Ludovicus whispered, and as soon as I heard the sound of his voice, my hand flew to my chest.
“Fucking Saints,” I cursed. “I don’t have time to talk, Ludovicus. I need to go.”
“Where?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek as I reached for a hunk of cheese wrapped in wax paper, trying to fight off the rising tears. “Malosym has Cal. Remember that secret I told you? It’s coming to fruition. And it has to be me. The imbued blade is gone.”
His reaction to my words was not what I expected. There was just enough light coming from the torches in the hall to see him swallow hard, but otherwise, his expression was unchanged. No surprise, no dread, no questions as to where the blade went.
I paused my steps, my eyes locked on him. “What aren’t you telling me?”
His lips parted, a short breath escaping as he stared at me for one long moment. “He told me he was going to find Malosym.”
My brows raised for a moment before they furrowed. “But…” My stomach bottomed out as my ears began to ring. No. No, no, no, no, no. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think of anything beyond the truth that had just landed like a stone to the face. “He’s going to try to kill Malosym.”
“Yes.”
“He told you?” I demanded, that hysterical outrage rising in my chest again.
“Before he left. I outfitted the blade with a hilt. He asked me not to tell you where he was going, but I thought it was important for you to know.”
“Did you tell him my secret?” I breathed, my insides a turbulent storm.
“No,” he answered quickly. “No, I didn’t.”
My hands tore through my hair. Malosym hadn’t simply captured Cal. Cal had all but walked into his grasp and surrendered. “Saints fuckingdammit!” I roared, the sound of my voice echoing through the quiet kitchen. What a fucking fool! An idiotic, overly heroic fuckingfool.
Footsteps sounded from the corridor, and my rage subsided for a split second as my eyes met Ludovicus’. Panic struck his face before he hit the floor, unceremoniously shimmying beneath the work table in the middle of the room.
“Queen Petra?” a melodic voice chimed through the darkness, and suddenly Queen Irli was in the doorway, flanked by two guards.
My heart jolted in my chest at the sight of her, at the knowledge her son was just feet away from her right now and she had no idea. “I’m so sorry if I disturbed you, your Majesty,” I stammered, trying to get a hold of myself as a guard lit a torch inside the doorway. I held tighter to the strap of my bag, hoping maybe she wouldn’t notice it hanging over my shoulder.
“Oh, you did no such thing. I couldn’t find sleep tonight.” She nodded to the guards, who stepped outside the kitchen, as she floated toward the countertop, her eyes on the bowl of fruit I’d half-emptied into my bag. She reached for some kind of citrus I didn’t recognize, her thumb digging into the skin and peeling it back. “I know I could send for something to eat, but sometimes the walk does me good.”
“I understand.” The citrus smell hit my nose and made my stomach churn.
“You’re going, aren’t you?” she asked nonchalantly, popping a slice of fruit into her mouth.
“I-I… Yes,” I answered, heaving out a deep sigh. “I am.”
“You did tell me you have a hard time simply waiting.”
I shifted on my feet. Waiting right nowwashard. All I could think about was sprinting from this castle. “Unfortunately, waiting is no longer an option.”
“I’ll let Laion know to ready the forces,” she said, her voice even. She seemed so unbothered, so composed despite the knowledge of what was to come. Or, what she thought was coming.
“No,” I finally said. “I’m going to do this on my own. If all goes well, the gathering of the army will have been for nothing. You have my sincerest apologies, Queen Irli, for disrupting your life here and asking so much of you and your kingdom.”
She stepped forward, and for a moment I couldn’t read the look on her face. But she reached for my hand. “There is no apology necessary. Do you realize every single king and queen came here for the sole reason of boasting their wealth? And now? They’re a unified force, one that includes leaders from across the entire realm. They have one purpose, and that purpose is goodness.Youare that goodness. The world needs more leaders like you. If the cost of that is lending our city to your army, I’ll gladly open our coffers.”
I couldn’t help the scoff that escaped from me. “With all due respect, Queen Irli, I do not believe I am the embodiment of goodness.”
