Page 65 of Echoes of the Raven
So many marching steps—which I immediately recognize as the Guardia Real—aren’t common at this time of night. Someone, or more precisely, numerous someones are headed in our direction.
25
VALERIA
“La Matadora is yours now, son. See that you kill many enemies with its sharp blade.”
Rey Vicente Plumanegra (Casa Plumanegra) - King of Castella - 1981 BV
We stand frozen under the gently swaying banners that hang high above us. The vestibule is open, with balconies running all around it on the second level. It’s a wide-open area, the worst possible place to get caught. There is nowhere to hide. Our only hope is to slide behind one of the columns that hold up the balconies.
“Here!” I urge Rífíor.
As I slip behind the thick pillar, I stand sideways and make sure to stay out of sight of the approaching steps. A moment later, Rífíor stands directly behind me, so close that I can feel his warmth. I stiffen, feeling a heated blush go up my neck.
As the guards move across the vestibule, I take small steps forward, rounding the column to make sure we remain hidden. The entire time Rífíor is right behind me, matching my movements. I feel his breath near my ear, and I want to scream. This proximity is painful, a reminder of all his lies and the way he used me.
It seems like forever before the guards pass and move on. I’m about to step out of our hiding place when Rífíor takes hold of my waist and yanks me back, and I end up flush against his torso, his long fingers circling my waist.
For an instant, I’m confused and think of Bastien pulling me tightly against him, wanting something I can’t give him. But when I hear more steps accompanied by my sister’s voice, I realize there’s more than the guards to worry about.
“Why would she take the amulet, Renata?” Amira asks in a pained tone. “What does she intend to do with it? By the saints! I never thought she would betray me like this.”
“She’s only misguided, Your Majesty,” Renata says. “I’m sure she thinks she’s doing the right thing.”
“No. We talked about this. She knows what going against me means.”
Her words cut me deep. I don’t mean to betray her. I mean to save her from making a terrible mistake. I only want what’s best for her and Castella. I don’t want her throne, which is what she seems to be implying.
I take a step forward without even thinking. I want to tell her once more what a terrible mistake she’s making. Maybe if I find the right words, I will be able to change her mind this time.
Rífíor’s hands tighten around my waist and keep me in place as Amira and her adviser rush across the vestibule after the guards. They’re headed to my bedchamber, which they’ll find empty. After that, Amira will send her guards all over Nido and Castellina, and if we’re not out of here already, Rífíor will end up back in a dungeon cell with me as company.
Once everyone is out of earshot, I jerk away from Rífíor and throw him a nasty glare over my shoulder.
“Keep your hands off me,” I sneer.
He inclines his head. “As you wish, princess.”
“Besides, you reek,” I retort, hoping to embarrass him.
He shrugs as if it’s all the same to him. “Not through any fault of my own. You really should treat your prisoners better.”
I would give him a detailed list of all the ways I’d like to treat him and depriving him of a bath is the least of the nasty afflictions he should suffer. But we don’t have time for that, so I hurry across the vestibule and dash down the passage from where the guards and my sister emerged.
We have to hide a few more times before we make it to the small library. We find more guards than normal rushing through the corridors, likely on their way to join the first group we encountered. Regardless, we get there unnoticed.
I hate that I have to let Rífíor know about another secret passage in Nido. We already had to seal one, and this one will have to follow the same fate. Luckily, there are others. I’ll just have to safeguard their existence and location more fiercely from now on.
Reaching behind a bookcase, I retrieve the gas lamp and the two rucksacks I stashed there earlier and toss one to Rífíor. He catches it one-handed and weighs it up and down.
“Just a few supplies and coin,” I say by way of explanation.
My rucksack also contains my Plumanegra key, which may come in handy to prove my identity.
Next, I pull out Father’s fae-made sword: La Matadora. The blade is immune to espiritu. It’s been hanging on a wall for a long time, but if I’m going to Tirnanog, it will be more useful than a rapier—even if I can’t wield it as dexterously. I hang it across my back.
Frowning, he peers at La Matadora. “Where ismyweapon?”
