Page 80 of The Court of Secrets
“I know.” He smirked, dimpling his cheek. The sharp edges of his face looked even more angular under the orange light. A cool wind circled us as light spilled around jagged rocks. “We’re here.”
I blew out a tense breath as he pushed back the stone door and revealed the moonlit grounds. The briny air indicated we were near the port just beyond the castle.
I turned toward Blaise. His eyes were striking under the pale-white gleam, bringing out the silver from the smoky-gray. A gust of wind tousled his jet-black hair. He looked carefree without his crown. As did I. He gazed up at the pinpricked stars shimmering against a canvass of inky black. “It’s a great night to commit murder.”
My eyes widened. “Jeez. Can you try not to enjoy this so much?”
“Vahaga deserves a far worse fate than death at the end of your blade,” he said slowly, his voice lowering. “He tried to have you killed. For that, I will enjoy every second of this.”
“You’re sure he’s in the forest?”
“My men confirmed it.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You can trust them completely?”
His expression darkened. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Who knows you’re here?”
“Only Morgana,” I said. “Nissa thinks I’m in my chambers with a headache. Luckily, no one will know how I could have got out. The guards have been instructed not to disturb me. The tunnel connecting to my room needs to remain a secret. Imagine if people knew there was a direct way into my room.”
“Someone really should close those tunnels.” He winked at me as he pulled the hood of his navy-blue cloak over his head, flattening his dark curls.
I glanced at the castle and the flickering lights in her windows. One of those belonged to Morgana, who was safe in her room. I had made sure to have three guards watching her and a maid in her room, so she’d have an alibi for tonight. I couldn’t have anyone think she was behind Vahaga’s death. She’d be suspected immediately because of Marissa. Unbeknownst to them, Morgana had been possessed my the necromancer. He’d pushed through then moved to collect my poor lady’s soul. I couldn’t let the lords or anyone know. They might have found out their own queen had been compromised too.
I inhaled sharply, and the salty air stabbed my lungs. “Let’s get out of here before we’re seen.”
“Come on, love.” Blaise tangled his fingers with mine, and we escaped into the night, never pausing to look at anyone or anything. We appeared as two lovers, traders maybe, or even pirates. My brown boots reached my knees. I’d pushed the dagger in the side of one, feeling its hilt as I made my way toward the tree line. The forest appeared to go on forever, and in a way, it did. It reached all the way from the docks—around the edges of Magaelor with roads and cities built between large areas of trees—to the mountains separating Magaelor and Niferum.
“I know you’ve made arrangements to return to Niferum,” I said as we reached the fences that warned lunas to stay out of the sacred part of the forest.
He didn’t look at me. Instead, he climbed the fence with a grace I didn’t have. I footed the wood panel but almost toppled when I sat on top.
“I could have flown us.”
“For the final time, it would draw way too much attention. Lunas are not accustomed to seeing wings.”
His wide smile shone his pearly whites as he caught me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “They will be one day, when we unite our kingdoms.”
My heart swelled, but I kept my composure. “If we unite them.”
His whisper tingled my neck. “One day.” He kissed just below my ear, then pulled away.
The feel of his lips lingered on my skin as I followed him under the protection of the shaded canopy. Time-chiseled trees greeted us as we stepped along the uneven ground, navigating around sprawling roots that had forced their way through the mud. Wisps of moss hung between branches, and the smell of wet bark and rain made me smile. The forest breathed life. The needle-covered ground led us to the older part of the forest. Thick evergreen firs grew sparse, replaced with graying tall trees with contorted branches and skeletal leaves. On the ground, the occasional white bone glittered under the moonlight, peeking through low hanging branches.
“We’re close.” My breath rattled as we walked. What once was known as beautiful and immortal, a place to be revered, had darkened. My heart pounded when I heard the babbling of the wide river. Jagged rocks led us into a clearing. There, the high priest’s robes were discarded on the bank.
“Where is he?”
“In the veil,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “We can’t see him, and he can’t see or hear us either. We need to wait for him to come out.”
His mouth twisted as he looked at the white robes. “Will he be naked?”
“Yes,” I said and hid us back under the cover of the trees. “We’ll wait for him to get dressed. He will put down his staff when he does. That’s when he’ll be at his weakest. I need you to fly to his staff—it’s his best weapon—while I go for his throat.”
He smirked. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but smile. “You should break it, before you drop the staff into the river.”
His eyebrows raised a little. “Won’t your ancestors try to stop him?”
