Page 102 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

“Like what? Do you need some unicorn dust? It does wonders in getting menexcited.” She leaned closer, whispering in my ear. “I’ve heard lately it can take some effort to get King Tianeup to the task.If you know what I mean.” She winked.

“No. It’s not that…” How could I ask her to help me escape? Wouldn’t that make her an accomplice in murder? I couldn’t risk Dove’s life. I couldn’t drag her into this mess with me.

“Ooh,” she teased. “You don’t need any help to get him hard, do you? That means you’ve accomplished more than most. No wonder the king is so smitten with you.”

He was smitten alright. Smitten all the way to the floor with a dagger sticking from his chest.

I drew in a shaky breath, coming up with the story on the spot.

“Actually, he isn’t as much into me as everyone believes.”

Dove’s eyes flashed with excitement in anticipation of gossip. “He isn’t?”

“No. Not even close. In fact, I think he’s going to send me away after tonight.”

“Where?”

Onto a spike. Under an axe. Onto a scaffold. Into a noose… However they would decide to execute me.

I closed my eyes, drawing in some air slowly, in an attempt to calm my nerves.

“To the menagerie, most likely,” I said in a hollow voice.

“Oh, sweetie, that’s awful.” She spread her arms to take me in.

There was genuine empathy in her voice, which disarmed me. I leaned into her hug, trying not to break into tears.

Dove patted my shoulder. “Not all is lost. Maybe you’re mistaken. Or he’ll change his mind.” I shook my head, but she continued optimistically, “We shall petition Queen Pavline to keep you here. And High General Voron. The queen is fond of you. And Voron is friendly with you, isn’t he?”

Even if I hated Voron, I couldn’t ask him to help me get away with such a grave crime like murder. I couldn’t ask him to risk his life for me.

“He’ll be returning to Elaros tomorrow,” Dove said.

“Who? Voron? I didn’t know he left.”

“Yes, he did, this afternoon. On the king’s orders.”

“Where did he go?”

She hiked up a shoulder. “I don’t know. Some boring state business, most likely. But he’ll be back tomorrow. We can talk to him then—”

“No.” I shook my head. “You know, Dove, no one can argue with the king if he has his mind set. I need to leave. That’s the only way.”

“Leave where?” She blinked at me.

“There is a world outside of the palace and Elaros City, isn’t there? We don’t get to see it often, but it exists. People live there. I could find a place among them, too.”

“Do you mean the human world?”

I didn’t consider that yet. I was speaking of the rolling hills of Sky Kingdom, the farms and the towns I had no chance to see yet.

“Will you go back home?” Dove asked.

The human world hardly felt like home to me now. But I couldn’t disregard that possibility, either. No one here would find me if I crossed the River of Mists.

I sighed. “If I have to. But I’ll try to make it in Sky Kingdom first.”

My priority right now was to get as far from the palace as possible.

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