Page 57 of Echoes of the Raven
My steps are firm and purposeful as I make my way to my bedchamber, the plan that has been brewing inside my head quickly refining itself.
“At times, our options are limited to the unfavorable, the extremely unfavorable, or the downright dreadful. Nonetheless, the choice remains,”Nana said.
There is no doubt in my mind that Amira’s choice fits the last category, and I can’t let that be the fate she dictates for those less fortunate. She will bend the fae to her twisted vision because their choices are few and all bad, but mine show a glimmer of hope, and I now understand I must act because I’m fortunate to have a better choice than they do.
In my bedchamber, I swiftly gather a rucksack with warm clothes and a few supplies. I hide it under the bed, then go in search of Jago. I find him only moments later, turning the corner down the hall and heading in my direction.
“There you are. Been looking for you,” he says.
“I was with Nana. I need to talk to you.”
He stops in front of me. “Esmeralda and Gaspar are here. I finally tracked them down.”
I had forgotten he was still trying to locate them.
“That was no easy task,” he continues. “They moved their settlement, and the troop was getting ready to leave Castellina. Caught them just in time.”
I hesitate for a moment, thinking I should let Amira talk to them while I handle my own plan, but in the back of my mind, something locks into place.
“Where are they?” I ask urgently.
“In one of the waiting rooms in the central building.”
“Who saw them come in?”
Jago frowns. “Just a few guards.”
“Good.”
He cocks his head. “Um… why?”
“There’s a slight change of plans.” I grab his arm, whirl him around, and start walking back toward my bedchamber.
“And by slight, I take it you mean major.” He gives me a raised eyebrow in question.
I say nothing.
“Vaaal?” He stretches out my name, begging for an answer.
“You know me too well.”
He throws his head back and groans. “Bugger me sideways! I knew the peace couldn’t last. What now? Do we leap off the battlements and hope we finally can shift and fly? Or do we steal the crown?”
I slapped his arm. “Don’t even talk about that.”
He puts his hands up. “So what is it then?”
“I can’t tell you right now.”
“Great.” He slaps both hands to his cheeks and drags them down, looking as if he’s done with life altogether. “Now I’m really afraid.”
“You have a choice, as always,” I say.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. You can craft your own destiny. I’m sorry if I made you a victim of mine.”
“A victim?” He narrows his eyes. “Didn’t you say you were just talking to Nana?”
