Page 32 of The King of Frost and Shadows

This was it.

The moment I’d been waiting for.

I was getting the hell out of here and never looking back.

10

LIRA

Though I wanted to turn around and race for the daggers, I forced myself to remain in the doorway, searching the darkness for any hint of movement. I needed to take my chance to escape, but I didn’t want to rush and fall into a trap.

Not sure what I was looking for; I squinted … but I didn’t see anything.

Another scream had me shuffling back and shutting the door. It was now or never, and if this was a test, so fucking be it. I needed to get the hell out of here instead of waiting for my death to arrive.

A faintclickinformed me that the door had shut, so I spun and raced into the bathroom to retrieve the daggers. Fortunately, I was able to fasten the one I’d brought from home to my ankle, and then I grabbed the dagger Eldrin had left after his attack.

As I reentered the bedroom, I heard more commotion outside, with someone yelling, “The attacker is toward the front of the castle!” followed by a group of guards flying by.

There was no way I could leave via the hallway, so I had only one option.

My breath caught as I turned to the windows, and the threat of tears burned my eyes. I would have to climb to safety and risk falling to my death.

But at least I’d die trying to survive and not at the hands of Tavish or any other fae.

Decision made, I ran to the window and lifted it, trying to open it as quietly as possible. I didn’t want to be careless and have someone walking by notice what I was doing. I gritted my teeth, and when the window was open about two feet, I locked the top in place and stuck my head outside.

The ledge had a small platform, so I held the extra dagger in my teeth and crawled outside. The cold air hit my face and body, and my gray gown puffed underneath me.

I suppressed a shiver, turned so that my chest was facing the window, and glanced to my right. There were fairly deep grout lines from where the smooth stone material had been placed together. Each piece of stone was five feet wide and four feet long. Scaling the wall would be difficult, but there were indents where I could place my feet and hands.

Needing my toes for leverage, I kicked off my flat-bottomed slippers, letting them fall below onto the rocky embankment, and pressed my toes into a crack. A sharp ache shot up my legs, but I held my breath and climbed.

I tried to ignore the chill, but my body quivered. The stone felt like ice, probably from the snow that continuously flurried around me. I moved inch by inch carefully, but the longer I remained out here, the more numb I became, except for my hands and feet. They were on fire.

My teeth clacked against the dagger, and I stupidly looked down. The area below me was, at minimum, a fifty-foot drop with pointed, jagged pieces of rock sticking out of a thick layer of snow. A dark, wolflike creature was standing right underneath me, his lime-green eyes glowing up at mine.

Nightbane.

Shit. He was watching me, and he was alone, but that didn’t mean his guard wasn’t coming.

If I was the Seelie princess, I needed my wings to come out now. My heart thundered against my rib cage as I became light-headed.

I faced forward, my nose pressing against the smooth stone as I flexed my back muscles. If the blasted things were in there, now would be a good time for them to make their debut. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could scale the side of the castle.

Of course, all I wound up with was a back spasm.

Great.

Focus, Lira,I chanted.One task at a time.I needed to get off this ledge. Then I could deal with Nightbane and whatever guards showed up. I’d either become free or die, but at least there would be finality to my dire circumstances.

With resolve, I moved again, though now I could barely feel my hands and feet. I thought about going back and seeing if I could find another way out, but when I glanced back, I realized I’d climbed halfway between the window and where the castle abutted the steep mountain.

I had to keep moving. Running down the hill would be easier in bare feet, even if I couldn’t feel them.

My body shook as I continued, increasing my pace. My right foot lost its grip, and I scrabbled for purchase but couldn’t offset the weight. My heart lunged into my throatas my body dropped. Flailing, I flipped frontward toward the ground.

I shrieked. The dagger dropped from my mouth, tumbling directly below where I’d be landing within seconds. I closed my eyes.

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