Page 39 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
Eldryan laughed, but it didn’t sound as relaxed as before. “Guess I have to watch my back during our next session.”
No, I thought grimly.Ihad to watchmyback.
Because nothing made sense in the Citadel and I had no allies here.
Only enemies–starting with Zandyr.
Chapter
Eleven
EVIE
The most important rule of surviving in an unknown location was getting your bearings. Safety and exit points, nooks to hide in, shortest paths to them, the most exposed spaces, any and all dangers.
A task made infinitely more difficult by the army of guards stomping after me everywhere I went. My skin crawled each time I went out. Orwewent out, because I couldn’t leave mydingy cottagewithout three dozen escorts silently guarding me. People stared, and when I mustered up the courage to stare back or–skies above forbid–smile, they skittered away.
But today, I’d managed to evade the guards. I’d faked nausea and dashed into some thorny bushes that grabbed onto my dress and didn’t want to let go, but now I was quickly mapping out the most remote and shortest paths around my house. Nobody needed to know I’d studied them.
I saw the way the guards had watched me when I’d ventured to the outer wall, looking for any cracks that might help meclimb in case I needed to run for my life. I’d found none–the black stones were as polished as the throne room floor, smoothed by time.
Right at the end of the main street, leading toward the palace and grand temple, each battling the other for the title of the most gilded, was a heavily embossed gateway spearing the walls. Massive trees bloomed purple and pink right next to it–but I was more interested in what was outside.
Beyond the jungle trees and vines, my ears picked up the bustle of a city, so very different than the quiet of the wilderness.
“That’s the Blood Brotherhood Capital,” Goose had said when I’d brought it up. “We live in the sacred Citadel, Phoenix Peak.”
Wonderful. “That’s an interesting name.”
“And fitting. It’s the heart of the Blood Brotherhood, reconstructed after the great fire. Where we have our most important temples, the palace, the sacred Archives, the secondary residences for the Brotherhood Elite members, and where we station the top tier of the prince’s army,” he’d said. “And very few are allowed inside these walls. It’s an honor.”
Thesewalls meant there were more. The Capital must have been totally fortified, with different barriers depending on rank, like the strongholds in the fairytales.
That little nugget of information only made me want to explore even more. On my own. Incognito. Put on a good pair of pants, some sturdy boots, a dark coat, and simplyroam.
"Oh, no, Your Grace," Goose had stammered when I’d asked him about opening the gates to the Capital. “We’ve been instructed to protect you. You can’t leave Phoenix Peak without being accompanied by the prince. Not before the wedding.”
Which either meant the city wasn’t safe for me or they thought it wasn’t safefromme. Why, Goose hadn’t been able to tell me. He hadn’t been informed, either.
The last time I’d seen the prince had been during our little spat in front of his otherworldly parents. I shouldn’t have given him the satisfaction of letting him get under my skin. I doubted he’d be in the mood to give me a tour of his super secret city, so I went at it alone.
Or as alone as I could be while guarded all the time.
I made a sharp turn to the left, using the thick shrubs and statues as cover. If I squinted, I could barely make out the jagged roof of my house. Good, good. In the distance, the sun dipped past the dome of the Archives building and the tallest palace tower. Vines crawled up its sides, winding and twisting. It was begging to be climbed, honestly, but I had more important things to do first.
I heard armor clinking before they’d even rustled the leaves. The guards had found me. I sighed and quickly navigated the thicket, resurfacing on the path right behind the guards, who looked around hectically for me. I cleared my throat loudly.
“She’s here.” The biggest one sighed. He had a weird resemblance to Fabrian’ guard who’d stuck to me like a bad smell before the wedding, tall and wide enough to block a door. But there was no meanness in his eyes, only a tiredness that clung to the bags underneath them. “We’ve been instructed to follow youeverywhere. You know we can be punished if we don’t keep you in sight at all times, right?”
I sucked in a breath. No. No, I did not. “Good thing you didn’t lose me, then.”
The guard shook his head, while the others grimaced at me. “We need to get you back to the house.”
His voice was rough salt, much older than the age obvious in his calloused palms and forehead wrinkles. Weary and worn, but fighting against it.
I blistered. “AmIbeing punished?”
“No, you’re being called on.”
