Page 30 of Favored By the Stars

Thorn nodded, but his face was grim. "Beauty can be as deadly as blades in the fae realm. We must find those passages quickly. They should be around here somewhere, but I'm not sure of their exact location."

Wyn stepped forward, her fingers tracing the air as if following invisible threads. "I might be able to find them with a seeking spell," she offered, her voice tinged with excitement and apprehension.

But a gnawing worry tugged at my thoughts. "Wait," I said, grasping Wyn's arm gently. "Before we do anything else, can you check if we're being magically tracked? We need to know if the courts can follow us. If they can, then we at least need to account for that as we move."

Wyn's face grew serious as she considered my request. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in concentration as she murmured words in an ancient tongue. The air around her shimmered, and I felt the hair on my arms stand on end as she wove her spell.

After what felt like an eternity, her eyes fluttered open. "I don't sense any tracking spells on you or Thorn," she said, relief clear in her voice. "But..."

"But what?" Thorn pressed, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his sword.

Wyn's gaze met mine, worry clouding her features. "There's something else. A presence I can't quite identify. It's not following us, exactly, but it's... aware of us. Watching."

I gave her a nod. "As long as it doesn't seem to come from the courts, then we can deal with that later." I had at least a couple of ideas about who would be keeping an eye on us, and a chill ran down my spine at the thought. The beauty of our surroundings suddenly felt oppressive, as if the very walls were observing our every move. I glanced at the flowering vines creeping along the corridor, wondering if they were more than mere decoration.

"We need to move," Thorn said firmly. "Wyn, can you locate those passages?"

Wyn nodded, raising her hands as tendrils of golden light wove between her fingers. The magic danced and swirled, forming intricate patterns in the air before us.

As Wyn worked her spell, I held my breath, acutely aware of every sound echoing through the corridors. The distant clanking of armor sent my heart racing anew. Were the guards getting closer?

Suddenly, Wyn's eyes flew open, blazing with an inner light. "There!" she exclaimed, pointing to a seemingly ordinary section of the amber wall. "The passage is behind that panel."

Thorn wasted no time, his powerful hands searching for a hidden latch or mechanism. I joined him, running my fingers along the warm, smooth surface, feeling for any irregularity.

A shout from down the hall made us all freeze. "Check every room! They can't have gone far!"

Panic clawed at my throat. We were out of time.

Just then, my fingers brushed against something, a slight indentation, barely perceptible. I pressed, and the wall shimmered, revealing a narrow opening.

"Quick!" I hissed, ushering Wyn and Thorn through. Just before I slipped in myself, a familiar voice rang out behind us. "Going somewhere?"

I spun around to find Volker standing at the entrance to the room, his expression unreadable. My heart leapt into my throat. How had he found us? And more importantly, whose side was he truly on?

Thorn's hand flew to his sword, but Volker raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not here to stop you," he blurted. "I want to help."

"Why should we trust you?" I demanded, even as hope fluttered in my chest. I knew he was Wyn's mentor, but that didn't mean he'd be okay committing treason against the fae courts, which was exactly what helping us was at that point.

His gaze softened as it met mine. "Because I made a mistake in letting Wyn come here alone and I won't let her put herself in harm's way again." He looked at each of us. "Let me come with you. I can help."

I hesitated, torn between the need for allies and the fear of betrayal. But time was running out, and we could hear the distant sound of approaching footsteps.

"Fine," I said tersely. "But if this is a trick..."

Volker nodded solemnly. "I understand. Lead the way."

I jerked my head toward the passageway and followed him inside; the panel sliding shut behind us, plunging us into darkness.

“You know, I half expected you to be Ronan,” I murmured, mainly to myself.

Thorn didn’t miss it though and he whispered, “Ronan’s family lives far to the south and he went to check on them to make sure the corruption hadn’t reached them. He won’t be back at court for a while yet.”

I nodded and then realized he probably couldn’t see me since we were standing in utter blackness, with the echo of our words and ragged breathing the only sounds. Before I could speak again a soft glow emanated from Wyn's palm, illuminating a steep, winding staircase that seemed to descend into the very heart of the fae realm and stealing any thought of our friend who was, I hoped, safe with his family.

"Where do you think this leads?" Wyn whispered, her voice tinged with both excitement and fear.

Thorn's face was grim in the ethereal light. "To safety, I hope. But in the fae world, nothing is certain." Volker murmured his agreement softly, which wasn't particularly encouraging.

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