Page 58 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

It lit up the entire passageway, and I permitted only the four of us to see it, eliminating the risk of anyone else spotting it through cracks or holes in the walls.

“What the—” Eiric’s jaw dropped. She then recovered. “I thought you were the king of darkness, frost, and nightmares. How are you wielding light?”

I didn’t want to waste time answering such juvenile questions, but she was important to Lira and had helped us escape. So I gritted my teeth and responded as politely as possible. “My nightmare magic includes powerful illusions. I’m allowing you to see light, but I’m not actually wielding it.”

The entire way appeared like the underground portion of the rightful Unseelie castle Dunscaith in Cuil Dorcha, which had scared me as a young boy.Lira, you lead, and I’ll stay at the back since we can communicate this way.

She frowned but, thankfully, didn’t argue and moved to the front.

When she slid past Finnian, he tried to smirk at me, but with all the bruising around his face and eyes, his arrogance fell short. His attempt to get under my skin at least proved that the Seelie hadn’t come close to dampening his spirits.

Still, as her body brushed his, the urge to punch him took hold. I clenched my free hand to keep myself in check.

As soon as she moved past him, rationality returned to my head. Thankfully, the urge to hurt Eiric wasn’t there when Lira moved past her.

“Everyone, keep up with me. Once my parents are alerted, they’ll know how we escaped and will come looking for us.” Walking faster, Lira led us down the hidden passage, taking us toward the dungeon.

Eiric had no issues keeping up, but Finnian struggled, stumbling over his feet. I’d have been doing the same if Lira hadn’t partially healed me, though my legs and body remained sluggish because I needed to eat and drink.Sprite, you need to slow down. I know we’re in a hurry, but Finnian and I haven’t eaten anything since we’ve been here.I could already feel my magic draining, but I kept that to myself. I didn’t need her worrying about something she couldn’t control.

Her shock pierced the bond.Father and Mother didn’t feed you? Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve brought you both something.

Despite the horrible situation, I felt my cheeks lift because of how innocent she truly was.I didn’t need you sneaking food or water to us and tipping off anyone who might have been watching. Besides, you would’ve been upset and confronted your parents, which I suspect would’ve changed them from ignoring me to punishing me physically, which would make this escape more difficult. It was better for you to not know.

The entire goal of the Seelie royals had been to prove I wasn’t important by never visiting or feeding us. I wasn’t even worthy of torture. Little did they know that I didn’t care if they found me important or not. All I cared about was retrieving Lira and taking her home. Their opinions didn’t matter because they meantnothingto me.

That was still something I should’ve known. You were keeping information from me.Her hurt struck my chest and heart.

Love, have you not protected me by withholding information of your own? Do you not remember that a certain cousin of mine attacked you in the bathroom?

Her upset changed to anger, heating my blood.If you remember, thorn, at the time, we weren’t together. You were still declaring you’d kill me and all that jazz. Not a good comparison, and frankly, you just pissed me off more.

From somewhere far behind me, the king’s voice echoed down the passage. “She used the blazing tunnels—if we don’t find them before the guards do, it won’t matter. We’ll deal with her when they catch them.”

We’ve got to move faster,Lira linked.You and Finnianhaveto keep up.She quickened her pace, and this time, Finnian didn’t struggle.

It had to be due to adrenaline because, suddenly, I wasn’t struggling so much either.

Each time we twisted and turned, I expected us to come to an exit but was disappointed. It was as if Caisteal Solais was never-ending. My heart pounded quicker than my feet moved, and I tried to keep the edge of hysteria away, knowing it wouldn’t help.

When we took the next turn, the passage ended in a wall of concrete.

Lira’s shoulders heaved as she bent down and searched for the lever to open the door. However, she kept running her hand around the bottom.

I… I can’t find it,she linked as her fear strangled me.We’re going to get caught.

I took a deep, steadying breath. Then I felt our connection latch on to my calm and push it toward her. I linked,Sprite, how can I help?

Excitement leaped through the bond.You just did.Her hand stopped moving, and she pressed her finger into a very small slit.And just like the other door, this one slid right open, revealing the worst exit we could have.

The opening revealed a cliff that would require Finnian and me to fly down or get flattened. Even though we were immortal, that didn’t mean we could withstand a four-hundred-foot drop. I tucked my illusion magic safely back inside me, not wanting to drain myself any further.

Lira and Eiric didn’t hesitate, flapping their wings with no issue.

However, malnourished as we were, Finnian and I struggled to walk, let alone put all our weight on wings that had been bound for days. Maybe I’d been foolish after all, not getting Lira to bring us something to eat, but I hadn’t wanted to put her more at risk.

She turned to me, eyebrows raised, waiting for Finnian and me to follow.

Go back to Caelan and let him protect you,I linked.I’ll find a way out of here, but go help the Unseelie. They need one of us right now.

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