Page 76 of The Jester

“It makes sense for us to all use different exits. No sense in us all being compromised if one tunnel is captured.”

Yarrow nods, satisfied. Then he inhales deeply, flexes his shoulders, and says, “Then let’s go, my friend. Let us leave this hellish place and never, ever return.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

ALANA

Briony is waiting for me outside. I must look as shocked as I feel, because she takes one glance at me and grabs my hands. “Alana, what happened?”

I can’t speak, just shake my head at her and start running in the direction of the dungeons.

When we reach them, Briony taps on the door. She is holding her breath, but releases it when she sees the guard who answers.

“Roan,” she says. “Yarrow told you?”

“Yes, he told me.” Roan ushers us inside. “Let’s hurry.”

As the fae in the cells begin to stir, Roan rushes to the door and unbolts it. “What’s happening?” snaps Maura, dragging herself to her feet.

I run over and grab the bars. “It’s happening. We’re getting you out.”

I expect there to be a flurry of movement, but no one moves an inch. They just stare at me.

Yanking open the door, Roan steps inside and begins unlocking the chains from around everyone’s necks. When he reaches Maura, she flinches.

“We have to hurry.” I gesture for them to start filing out, but they seem too stunned. It is Raine who speaks up.

“I don’t want to die,” she says, resting her hand on her belly. “I have too much to live for, Alana. I’m not risking it.”

The air is practically trembling with fear. I can feel it even with my gates up. So, I do the only thing I can think of... Perhaps it’s wrong. Perhaps it’s breaking some kind of unwritten rule or breaking a barrier that shouldn’t be broken. But I can’t afford to stop and think about it. There isn’t time.

I close my eyes and lower the gates in my mind. Immediately, their fear crashes over me like a tidal wave, threatening to pull me under. But instead of crumbling, I let it wash through me, absorbing it into my very being.

Then, just as I did before, I reach out with my powers, imagining their fear as a tangible thing, a dark, heavy mass that I can grab hold of and pull away. I focus on each person in turn, visualising their fear as a separate entity, and with a deep breath, I begin to draw it out of them.

It’s not like before, when I took away their pain. This is different, more intense, more personal. I feel like I’m reaching into their very souls, touching something sacred and private. But I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Not now.

As I work, I feel the atmosphere in the room begin to shift. The air grows lighter, the tension easing. I open my eyes and see the fae starting to stir, their expressions changing from terror to confusion to tentative hope.

“What did you do?” whispers Briony, her eyes wide.

“I took away their fear,” I reply, my voice shaking slightly. “I had to. It was the only way.”

I wobble a little, but Briony catches me and wraps her arm around my waist until I am steady.

Maura steps forward, her gaze locked on mine. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she says, but there’s no anger in her voice, only a sort of resigned understanding. “But thank you.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “We have to go. Now.”

This time, there’s no hesitation. The fae move quickly and, as they finally start to file out of the cells, I turn to Briony. “Shouldn’t Finn be here? He said he was going to meet me here...”

Briony looks towards the locked door. Roan rushes to the corner of the dark, cavernous space that Eldrion uses as his dungeon. He starts to move things aside. I step sideways so I can see what he’s doing. They look like empty sacks. He’s tossing them behind him, forming another pile, then he says, “Can someone help? I need to move him.”

Pen steps forward. “What do you need?” But then his eyes widen and a wave of nausea washes over him. I slam my gates up, but too late. It washes over me too, and I clutch my throat as I bite it back down.

“We need to move him.” Roan looks up. He’s holding onto a pair of ankles. Rawk’s ankles.

“Rawk...” I knew he was dead. But seeing him. Like this... Grey, and sunken, and rotting from the inside out... I turn away and clench my fist, bringing it to my mouth to try to hold in the vomit swirling in my gut.

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