Page 3 of A Deception of Courts

Kayne nodded, unkempt ginger curls falling across his brow. He outstretched his hand, unfurled his pale fingers and revealed the twig with three distinct golden leaves.

Leaves from the city of Aurelia.

Althea’s breath caught in her throat. “Itisthem.”

I felt a swell in my chest as I regarded my friend. There was no concealing the smile that leaked across my face. “Elinor did it, just as she said she would.”

“Never underestimate the bond of friendship. My mother and Elinor have been close since childhood. If there was ever a connection powerful enough to send ships to sea for us, it would be them.”

Kayne fisted the golden leaves, crushing them to powder in his palm. Elinor’s letter from days ago had promised her aid, but seeing the hue of the leaves and the golden dust it left stained across Kayne’s fingers, it all became extremely real.

There was only a flash of excited anticipation before it all came crumbling back down upon me. Reality did that, ruined a moment, sharpened the sense. Without it I might’ve lost myself in my hope, rather than the hard work still ahead of us.

Winds shifted, bringing with it a sharper scent which cut through the smells of the slums. My eyes stung. I blinked it away, unable to stop myself from wincing as the acidic scent invaded the back of my nose and throat, clinging there.

“Everything is in order.” I stepped away from the building and swallowed the urge to cough violently. “But if the signal doesn’t come from the castle, then we take faith in Seraphine’s confirmation Aldrick has left the city, and we move. Too much is riding on this to turn back.”

Soon enough, the horrific smell from the building would alert the intoxicated nightly wanderers of the Cage that something was wrong. This wasn’t the only building which bled such an aura. Spotted around the Cage were other empty Asp buildings, each one soaked with oil.

Ready and waiting for that one signal. Everything hinged on it.

I fixed my gaze back on the dark tower and waited. My anxiety was reminiscent of being suffocated. It felt as though a strong, gloved hand pressed down over my mouth and another pinched at my nose. The more time passed without the signal, the stronger the drum-beat of anxiety became. Someone was speaking, but my mind thundered as if an army of horses stampeded through it.

“Robin?” Duncan said, his tone suggesting it wasn’t the first time he’d spoken my name. “Tell me you are still with me…”

I ripped my attention away from the still-dark tower and looked toward Duncan. Even with the iron bracelet around his wrist, I was certain I felt the crackling of sharp, white-hot lightning dancing across his concerned gaze.

His hand worked circles into my back to calm me. It worked enough for me to fake my reply. “I’m fine, just focused.”

“You have a lot on your mind, but don’t allow it to drown you. Speak to me, share the burden.”

I swallowed, feeling as though knives filled my throat. “If I fail them–”

“If it brings you comfort, the fey in the Below will know no different,” he replied quickly. “Focus on what you can control and not what you can’t. Okay? Keep a clear head.”

I forced a smile. If Kayne, with his judging stare, or Althea, with her obvious distaste for the man who touched me, were not at our sides, I would’ve kissed him. Gods, I wished I could. The promise of losing myself to him was the reward I’d give myself when this was all over.

“Better?” he asked, dipping his face toward mine.

“Much,” I lied.

Perhaps fate was willing to join our band of unlikely allies. It wouldn’t have been an impossible thing, considering the group I stood a part of. A king, a princess, a Hunter and a mutilated human. Fate would’ve felt rather at home among our ranks.

Which is why she picked that moment to reveal herself.

Three quick and high whistles broke through the night. Shivers prickled across my skin as I threw my attention back to the tower in time to see golden, beautiful fire spark into existence. The glows of wondrous flame danced from within the tower. To anyone else looking up at the castle, it would’ve seemed normal. The occupants of the castle were simply choosing to occupy the tower this night. But to me, it was the signal we’d been waiting for. One Seraphine had planned with the few remaining Asps who still were inside the castle.

When the Hand leaves Lockinge, the tower will burn.

It felt as though time slowed to a near stop as I watched the tower begin to burn.

Then another fire started. An explosion rocked the Cage, brightening the night sky in a cloud of vicious flame. The sound was so jarring it restarted my heart, allowing the adrenaline to flow like a wild river through my blood.

Far in the distance, buried deep within the belly of the slums, an Asp hideout erupted in flames. I blinked and could imagine brick and glass raining down upon the empty streets, heat searing across the dirt-covered roads.

Screams from unexpecting humans.

Another explosion followed. This time from another pocket of the Cage. Then another. And another. One by one, the slums of Lockinge shook beneath the destruction of fire. One small spark, that was all it took, and the oil-soaked buildings burst into flames.

---