Page 91 of Lady of Shadows

“What is he doing here?” Sorin growled. Briar had used his magic to clean up the vomit from the floor, but at the sight of Callan, Sorin thought he would hurl all over again.

“Tell your fucking pride to take a seat,” Eliza snarled. “You two are the two people in this Court who know her best. Where the hell is she?”

“He cannot find her,” Cyrus said. “We’ve already discussed this.”

“Yes, he can. He knows her. Where would she go?” She turned to Callan. “Where would she go, Prince?”

“To Cassius,” Callan said firmly. Sorin didn’t know how much Eliza had told him, but apparently it was enough that he grasped the gravity of the situation. “She would go to Cassius.”

Sorin shook his head. “That’s where she would want to go, but she knows it’s not safe. There are wards around the Tyndell Manor. He might not even be there right now.”

“Nuri?” Finn supplied.

“No. She would not go to Nuri,” Sorin said darkly.

“You males are so dense,” Eliza seethed. “Where would she go to feel safe? Before coming here, where did she last feel safe?”

“That woman hasn’t felt safe in years,” Sloan grunted from the far wall. “Why else would she be constantly in the shadows? I had never seen her unarmed until dinner last night.”

Everyone turned to him. This guard, who had always showen such animosity toward Scarlett, seemed to know her better than they thought.

“Except once,” Callan said slowly. “The day we surprised you two at your apartment. She was completely relaxed and comfortable and completely unarmed…and came to you for protection.” He could see the dread on his face as he looked at Sorin.

“Baylorin?” Cyrus said in shock. “Could she even Travel that far without proper training?”

“I do not know the depths of her power,” Sorin said, shaking his head. “She was…upset enough to unknowingly dive deep into her magic.”

The mortal kingdoms. He could portal to the border, but it was over a day’s ride nonstop to get to Baylorin. He would never get to her before Mikale tracked her down. He needed to Travel, and he only knew two other Fae who could do so.

“We need Talwyn and Azrael,” Rayner said quietly from where he stood near the balcony doors, always separate from the others.

“Ashtine could go,” Briar cut in.

“And report everything back to Talwyn? Take Scarlett back to Talwyn instead of here? I don’t think so,” Cyrus growled.

“She would not take her to Talwyn—”

“But she would tell Talwyn everything she learns,” Sorin cut in.

“The only other options are Talwyn or Azrael,” Briar drawled. “I would rather take my chances with Ashtine.”

“But Ashtine won’t be able to get her out. She’ll only be able to find her swiftly. We still have to get to her,” Eliza cut in. “We should leave right now. Sorin and I can go. We’ve done this before.”

Callan and his guards stood by silently, not being able to contribute anything, but the mortal prince looked sick with worry.

Were Talwyn and the Earth Prince really his only options? Sorin ran his hands through his hair.

“There is another way,” he said slowly. A very risky other way.

“What other way?” Eliza demanded.

Sorin’s eyes slid to Briar. “It lies beneath the Black Halls.”

Briar’s eyes went wide in shock and fear. “Absolutely not.”

“She could do it. She could get us there and back,” Sorin argued. “Talwyn would never need to know.”

“You are not seriously suggesting we let her out to ferry us across the border to themortallands,are you?” Briar demanded. “I know you are in a panic right now, but for fuck’s sake, get your head out of your ass.”

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