Page 133 of Of Stars and Lightning
A quick inquiry to a courtier told her Nina was out of the castle with Gaven since midday but couldn’t say the reason or when they would return. Sawyer continued her aimless wandering as she couldn’t focus on much of anything other than the Jinn’s foul smell, its rotting, orange skin engraved to the back of her eyelids every time she blinked.
He’s working with the Jinn.
Out of all the insanity her father had done, and was surely capable of, she never would have guessed he was working with the enemy. Not only their enemy, but their world’s.
Sawyer couldn’t breathe. Too many things needed to be spilledinto the air, or else they would rot within her, but she needed to find Nina.
“Sawyer?”
She swirled around, the motion making her sway. “Alix,” she breathed shakily. “H—have you seen Nina?”
Alix rushed down the hall, signaling for the kingsmen behind him to close the doors. His attention roved all over her. “What’s wrong?”
“I—I just need to find her.”
“Did you find Samara?”
“I need Nina, Alix.”
Someone within your castle is lying.
Her breath came in shallow puffs as the room spun. Maybe she shouldn’t tell Nina—perhaps no one was safe, and she was doomed to carry the worst fucking news herself until everything came crumbling down.
“You’re shaking, love.” Alix threw his cloak around her. “Are you sure you are alright?”
Someone within your castle is lying.
As Sawyer was about to burst into flames with uncertainty, she felt her.
Nina and Gaven walked through the Castle gates, both sharing similar solemn expressions. Gaven quickly turned right toward the stables, giving Sawyer and Alix a curt nod before disappearing into a cluster of red cloaks.
Nina’s ivory skin was pallid, and her usually bright green eyes were muted as she finally stepped up beside them. She looked back and forth between them. “What’s wrong?”
“I need your help with something.” Sawyer grasped her arm. “Quickly.”
She took a couple of steps before Nina eased from her grasp. “Sawyer, I’ve learned to not go alone with you when you’re this erratic.”
“Are you sure I can’t help somehow, Sawyer?” Alix’s tone was laced with concern, his honeycomb eyes narrowing.
“I—uh.” Having two trusted individuals’ input might bebetter, but at the same time the more people dragged into it, the more danger they would be in. Unfortunately, if Sawyer didn’t tell someone, she would quite literally boil from the inside out.
“Actually, can you find Penny, Al?” Nina gave him a sweet smile.
“She was running some errands for me.”
Sawyer arched a brow at her, but Nina merely shrugged. Later.
“On it.” He gave them a final assessing glance. “Let me know if you all need anything.”
Sawyer and Nina were left on the courtyard for seconds before Sawyer resumed dragging her across the lily fields. Mercifully, Nina didn’t protest as they maneuvered through the crowds, finally reaching the corner of the yards.
Sawyer looked around for a private place, but the realization no such thing existed on castle grounds smacked her along with a cool breeze. Finally, she swerved to the one place she knew would be empty, a place not even her father dared send spies.
The Pantheon was ominous in the day, but the darkness cast a whole other level of gloom over it. The gates were ajar, and the ground was hidden with fog, forcing Sawyer to slow her steps.
“Sawyer, what in the world??—”
“Shh.” Sawyer grabbed Nina’s hand. “A little further.”
