Page 148 of Veinblood
“Easy.” Sacha’s voice comes from above my head. “Take it slow.”
When everything comes back into focus, I find myself lying across Sacha’s lap, my head against his shoulder, beneath an overhang of rock. It’s still dark, but I can see our small group sitting nearby.
Every part of my body aches. I can still feel the echo of the power that tore through me, a tingling awareness that makes my skin hypersensitive to touch. I feel drained, both mentally and physically, and my head throbs.
“How do you feel?” Warm fingers touch my chin and tip my head up.
Sacha’s eyes move over my face, a slight frown creasing his brow as he studies me.
“Still tired, but better.” I sit up, pushing my hair out of my face.
“Here.” He hands me a waterskin, and some cloth-wrapped food. “You need to eat before we move. Your body burned through everything it had.”
Unwrapping the cloth, I force myself to eat the bread and cheese, then wash it down with the water. It helps clear the remaining fog clinging to my mind. Sacha watches me the entire time, and gives a satisfied nod when I swallow the last mouthful.
“Good. We’ll continue on shortly.” He lifts me off his lap and stands. “The plan remains unchanged. We will approach under the cover of shadows. Thera will use her Earthvein powers to create handholds in the outer walls. Once inside, we will find the four commanders and kill them.”
I stand cautiously, bracing myself in case I sway or worse, collapse, but my legs stay steady beneath me. Mira walks over to me, her eyes sharp as she examines my face, then looks down at my hands. I follow her gaze. My fingers are curled into loose fists and I straighten them, then frown. My nails hold a silver sheen that wasn’t there before.
“You seem determined to shorten my lifespan along with yours.” Mira’s voice holds a dry note. “Are you well or do you need to rest for longer?” She glances over at Sacha. “We have time. There are many hours before dawn yet.”
Sacha doesn’t argue. “If Ellie needs to rest, then we will rest.”
I shake my head, ignoring the way the motion makes myskull ache. “No. I’m fine. We can go.” I walk toward my horse, testing my balance with each step. “The longer we stay here, the more risk there is of someone seeing us. I’m ready now.”
After a moment of charged silence, Sacha nods. “Very well, then. Mount up.”
We leave the shelter and begin the final approach to Greyhold Keep. The fortress comes into view. It sits on a low hill, walls rising toward the sky, with a single watch tower standing sentinel over the main approach. A few lights flicker along the walls, hinting at sentries keeping watch. The approach offers very little cover. Anyone attempting an assault would be exposed to crossbow fire from above. It’s exactly what Sacha described—a fortress designed to withstand a conventional siege.
But we are people with very unconventional abilities.
“Gather close. We will need to leave the horses at the bottom of the hill.” Sacha draws shadows around us, somehow blending us in with the night.
We dismount as quietly as we can. Mira tethers the horses to some sturdy trees. The reality of what we’re about to attempt settles over me. Four of Sereven’s commanders wait inside those walls.
And we are going to try and kill them.
Tension holds my spine taut as we creep forward. Every snapped twig under foot sounds like thunder in my ears. Every rustle of cloth might as well be a battle cry. My heart hammers against my ribs so hard I’m certain the sentries above will hear it echoing across the hillside. But we make it to the walls of the keep without raising any alarm.
Thera places both palms flat against the stone. Power flows through her, and the wall responds to her touch. Stone flows like thick liquid as hand and footholds protrude from solid rock. She works slowly, drawing out the stone in a way that limits the noise and won’t bring guards to check.
Eventually she steps back and nods. “It’s ready.”
We climb in single file, slowly and silent. My muscles burn from the effort of pulling myself upward while trying to keep quiet. Sweat makes my palms slippery, despite the cool night air. I’m terrified that every pull upward will be my last, that my grip will fail and send me plummeting to the ground below, where I’ll break every bone in my body. Every scrape of boot against stone might as well be a shout to my heightened senses.
But eventually, we reach the top. Still masked by Sacha’s shadows, we climb over the wall’s edge and drop quietly onto the walkway.
The first sentry dies without making a sound. Shadows wrap around his throat and mouth while he stares out at the darkness beyond the walls, watching for threats that will never come from the direction he expects. His body slumps against the wall, and Sacha arranges him so he appears to be resting rather than dead.
We make our way down into the courtyard, keeping to pools of shadow between torches. The main keep looms before us—three stories with narrow slits for arrow loops rather than proper windows. Most of the garrison will be sleeping in the barracks across the courtyard, a low structure with smoke rising from itschimney. A few guards patrol the grounds, but they look more like men going through the motions rather than soldiers on high alert.
The Veinwardens spread out. One by one, the patrolling guards fall. Kael takes the courtyard sentry with a blade between the ribs, catching the body before it can fall and make noise. The man barely has time to register surprise before death claims him. Mira and Corwin work together, moving like dancers who have performed the same deadly routine a thousand times before. Throats are opened, bodies positioned to hold the illusion that all is well. Within minutes, the courtyard belongs to us.
“Keep watch. Ellie, come with me.” Sacha’s voice is pitched low, but it reaches everyone in our little group.
The Veinwardens and Veinbloods take up positions around the now-empty courtyard, where they can see all approaches and be ready to take action should anyone come out of the barracks and discover the missing guards.
I follow Sacha through a narrow servant’s entrance into the keep proper. We climb a steep staircase, until we reach the top. A long hallway stretches before us with doors on either side. Tapestries hang on the walls between the doors depicting Authority battles. The scenes show soldiers in red crushing enemies beneath their boots. Sacha’s fingers flex, and I wonder if he’s fighting the urge to tear them down.
