Page 40 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

“Are you sure?” He looked concerned. “Brebie would tear my tail off if I let something happen to you.”

“What can happen to me here?” I pointed at the sky above the arches with flowers. Winged figures soared around the palace in a wavy pattern, surveying the grounds below. “These are royal guards, aren’t they? They’ll keep an eye on me.”

He scratched the back of his head, hesitating. “Well, if you’re sure…”

I touched his forearm. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just walk a little and will be back in my room before lunch.”

He looked worried but seemed relieved to be released from his babysitting duties.

“Honestly, don’t let me keep you,” I insisted. “I’m sure you have lots of work to do.”

He nodded, then gestured forward.

“The gardens stretch all the way to the river this way. You can walk here freely, as well as to the right. To the left, the river comes close to the palace wall. I wouldn’t go that way. There isn’t much to see until the palace gate, anyway.”

When Kanbor left, I proceeded on my way along the path. The gardens seemed enormous, but I kept the tall towers of the palace in my view at all times. There was no risk of getting lost and after staying in my room for the past two days, getting some exercise felt rejuvenating. Blood flowed to my arms and legs, warming me up. My cheeks flushed, too.

This was the first time I’d ever left the palace since I got here. Other than the brief ride with Voron that day, I’d never been to the city beyond these grounds.

Kanbor had mentioned the palace gate. Before I even finalized the decision, my feet had already turned to the left instead of continuing straight.

The gardens were beautiful with their intricately shaped shrubs and the variety of flowers in pastel colors, but I hoped to glimpse what lay beyond the palace gates. Or at least to see how well the gates were guarded.

Huddling in my cloak against the chill in the air, I walked briskly around the palace. Kanbor was right. The river came very close to the wall here, cutting sharply into the grounds. There was just enough space for a pretty path with border plants on each side.

I followed the path to the wide courtyard in front of the palace. It led to the gates, guarded both from the air and on the ground. People moved through, in and out. Most were merchants, with horses and wagons in tow. Servants were coming and going.

The guards stopped and questioned everyone coming in, but mostly ignored those going out.

This was my chance to test whether I was a guest or a prisoner in Elaros.

Pulling the fur-trimmed hood of my cloak a little lower over my face, I joined the stream of people leaving the courtyard.

I peeked around the backs of the people in front of me and could already see the streets of the city paved with pale gray and beige cobblestones. Some buildings appeared to be carved from marble, matching the palace walls. Others, more modest ones, were made from rocks painted in white and pastels. All of them were much shorter than the king’s palace, only two to three stories high.

Most people moved along the streets either on hooves or tails, with highborn flying just above the crowd. But there were some highborn on the ground, too. With their wings hidden, they visited stores or strolled in the company of those who couldn’t fly, likeariensandsnakanas.

“Wait!” A guard rushed to me, and my heart sank.

I was so close to getting out.

“You’re Lady Sparrow, aren’t you?” he said.

I pushed back my hood. It was useless to hide now. “How did you recognize me?”

“You can’t leave the palace without an escort appointed by the High General.”

He didn’t answer my question, but it was safe to assume my cloak had betrayed me. The silver-stitched velvet stood out among the simple fabrics worn by the majority of the people in the courtyard. That and the lack of hooves or a tail, too, of course.

I sighed. “Let me guess whose orders those were.”

“The orders of the High General.”

“Of course.” This had Voron’s controlling, hyper protective signature all over it.

The guard grabbed my arm. “I’ll need to take you to him now.”

He sounded grumpy, clearly annoyed having to interrupt whatever he was doing to deal with me.

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