Page 220 of Lady of Starfire

“Rydeon,” he said. “We go to the Necropolis.”

“What?” Ezra demanded, mouth gaping. “She is a princess.”

“And it is her people we go to save,” Callan replied, taking the weapons from Azrael that he was pulling from some pocket realm. “She would make the same choice. They both would.”

“And what of her? The woman you supposedly care so deeply for?” Ezra asked, his face reddening with anger.

Callan paused, turning to face him fully. “You can question my motives and my character. Frankly, you should. But never question my feelings for my wife again. Am I clear?”

“Your wife?” Ezra stammered, jerking back a step. “She never said… When?”

“Not important,” Callan said, taking the cloak Juliette had gone to retrieve for him. “I need you to go back and learn as much as you can about what is happening at the Windonelle castle. When we return, we will figure out our next move.”

Ezra was still staring at him in shock. “You expect me to leave my queen locked up?”

“No. I expect you to gather information so that we can figure out the best plan to retrieve her when we return. Can I entrust that task to you, Ezra?” Callan asked, moving to stand next to Nuri.

Ezra stared at him a moment longer before giving a sharp nod.

In the next blink, Callan was standing in one of the passages of the Necropolis. Mordecai and Nuri were gone before he had a chance to ask where exactly they had dropped them.

“Thoughts?” Callan asked Azrael, scanning the dark alcove and trying to get his bearings.

“I can scent them,” Azrael said. “Mortal and immortal scents alike.”

“Lead the way,” Callan gestured, palming a dagger to have at the ready.

They crept along the passages, and it took far longer than he would have liked to figure out which part of the Eternal Necropolis they were in. North of the royal crypt if he was calculating right, and the farther Azrael led him on, that’s exactly where they were heading. The only plausible explanation Callan could come up with for why they were there was the mirror gate.

He didn’t know much about them, but he’d spent some time trying to research them in Avonleya. The task proved rather difficult with most of the books written in languages he did not know. But from what he’d picked up from their various meetings and from Scarlett, they could connect to other places in the realm and possibly other worlds, which would explain why Alaric would want to use it. It did not explain the people being herded here though.

They stopped when they came to a passage that would lead directly to the center. The sounds of the people growing louder. Crying children. Women trying to console them. Men demanding answers. Guards and seraphs barking orders.

“Can we get closer?” Callan whispered.

“Not without being detected,” Azrael murmured back.

“Nuri and Mordecai are there. They have to know we are coming,” Callan argued. “They will provide a distraction of sorts.”

“You are going to put our fate in the hands of Death’s Shadow?” Azrael deadpanned.

“She has cared for these people longer than I have,” Callan said, ignoring the sting of truth at those words. “She came to get us to help in the only way she could work around her orders.”

“Valid point,” Azrael said.

“Let’s get closer. If things go to shit, you Travel us out and we regroup,” he urged.

They changed positions so that Callan was leading the way now, sticking to the walls as much as they could. When they neared the end of the passageway, Callan realized they would have a perfect view of the mirror.

Until a seraph stepped into their path.

Azrael was yanking Callan back by the shoulder, but they both immediately relaxed when they realized it was Mordecai. The seraph’s gaze connected with theirs for the briefest of seconds before he turned his back on them. His wings flared, blocking the view of the passageway and effectively hiding them.

“We are not wasting innocent blood until we have figured out what is wrong with the mirror,” the commander said.

“Maybe innocent blood is needed to fix it,” argued another seraph.

“Are you arguing with your commander?” came a silky purr.

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