Page 73 of Of Glass and of Gold

But what if it wasn’t? What if what happened between Melody and me tonight had become something unrepairable? A rift too wide to close? Words long tucked away for this very fear of what would happen once they came to light. They’d become a festering wound, oozing malice and tainting something once good.

The knob on the banister groaned under my squeezing grip. I blinked at her door before deciding a little more space would probably be for the best. Swiftly and silently, I slid into my room, biding my time until I could sneak out of this house and leave these troubles behind.

The evening air held more moisture tonight, and I was grateful for the warming weather.

I hoped that I wouldn’t still be chasing my tail after these kidnappers come the next winter season. A tug deep in my chest reminded me I may not even live long enough to see another snowfall. I shook the thought away, filling myself with a false confidence that what I had planned to say to Dee during the next meeting would convince them to change course. To find another way.

Leverage. Hopefully, I had enough.

I waited atop the grassy knoll under the starry sky, but tucked myself between the small enclave of trees. The thought of surprising Chol sent butterflies soaring in my stomach, and I was glad to have something to distract me after the incident with Melody.

I waited, crouched in the shadows and tall grasses, becoming one with the darkness and gentle sway of the leaves.

My father had taught me techniques of breathing, and slow, deliberate movements. Mastering the body, the mind, and the soul. Ever since he’d passed, the part with my soul had been disconnected, but I’d learned to compensate with the others. Perhaps why, even during the grueling hours of training and practice with Odion, I returned day after day.

Before the hour mark had passed, I spotted movement from the ledge, the part where the city above dropped to South Harbor. A barely worn path, accentuated by flattened grass, lined by blue moonlight, had me guessing that was the route he usually took. Definitely a time saver considering how long it would take to walk the winding slope from Sunvale to the edge of South Harbor.

He rode the grass like a ship on the waves, a steadying hand dragging behind. If I hadn’t been watching, I may have not heard his landing. Nimble and hushed, something crafted from years of training. I found myself wondering where he would have learned, and more importantly, why.

He bypassed the thicket of trees, stalking to the edge of the knoll to overlook the village. Scanning the streets below, I knew he thought he arrived first.

Exhaling on the updraft of the breeze, I prowled behind him, out of his view. Startling someone trained in the art of fighting, who bore weapons with instincts to draw on before an opponent could blink wouldn’t bode well for me, so I remained a few feet away as I said, “Took you long enough.”

He spun, fast as lightning, with a hand stretching over his back, grazing the pommel of his sword. “You meant to do that, didn’t you?”

A coy shrug of my shoulder indicated I wouldn’t be revealing my secret. I closed the distance between us, bringing myself to his side to assess the view. “Any information for me?” I asked, arms crossed while pretending to survey the land before us while I basked in my payback for the last time he’d caught me off guard.

“Straight to business then? Are you not going to ask about my day?” He mimicked my pose, shifting on strong legs into a more casual stance.

“I’m sorry. How was your day, honey?” The mocking nickname came out as sweet as the word itself. I adjusted to look up at him with adoring eyes and batting lashes.

A lighthearted chuckle from behind his mask sent tingles running along my arm. I was so happy to be here, with him, after the day I’d had. Something familiar to anchor myself with.

“Careful, I could get used to that,” he teased, and the remark smothered my insides with a pleasant warmth. “I may have something, but I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I didn’t offer for the lady to go first.” He performed an exaggerated bow.

Hm. Get used to that. Meaning he might not have a woman in his bed at night asking him similar questions. “Ah,” I raised my eyebrows. “In that case.” I playfully jabbed my elbow into his side, feeling compelled to touch him in some way before telling him that Mr. Gallagher did indeed have magic, though he chose not to use it often. Clemmons Braht’s parents had attended meetings previously, before their time of mourning for their son. It’d all been further confirmation that Alaina’s intel had been correct.

Chol briefly repeated a story I already knew, how the former king had sent a silent decree through the land, summoning witches in secret to bestow gifts to children. What I hadn’t known was how much of an influence the previous queen had been in that decision. He expressed it as a bedtime story, like one he’d been told many times as a child, and spoke of it with fondness.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that even after all that, there’s enough hatred still flowing through the blood of our people that they’re silently being annihilated. The kidnappers' organizational skills are great considering it’s been going on for months with not so much as a whiff of growing resentment. If it wasn’t for you, Ella, I shudder to think how much longer it would have gone unnoticed.” His gloves groaned from the tight fists he formed.

“We’re gonna handle it. Together, right?” I placed my hand on his arm for a touch of reassurance. His fists loosened.

“Together.” Within a few moments he collected himself and went on to tell me good news about a group that sits between kingdoms and operates outside of either rule, and the suspicious activity along the channel that divides Highcrest from Windguard.

“Are you able to learn more? To ask this group to look into it further?”

He took a deep inhale of night air, and on a breath full of regret, said, “I don’t know. There’s not an established relationship there. The first convoy went only a couple of days ago.”

My lips twisted in thought. “Do you know much about the trade route along the Splits?” The river that cleaved the two kingdoms, The Serpentine Line, named for its snake-like bending pattern, had been given the pseudonym ‘the Splits’, since it split the kingdoms.

“I should know everything. Who do you think was the one who deemed the activity suspicious?” The way his eyes slanted told me he held a cocky grin beneath the midnight fabric.

I shook my head, doing my best to eat my smile. “One day, you’re going to have to tell me the role you play around that castle.” I cast my gaze toward the ocean so it didn’t seem like I was pressing for information he wasn’t ready to share.

“One day,” he repeated in a hushed manner.

“Shall we go scope out the docks?” I asked.

---