Page 68 of Fear the Flames
“It’s mainly a precaution for confidentiality, but it served its purpose today as well,” Cayden adds on.
“Runes!” I shriek while scrambling to my feet. I rush toward Cayden’s desk to find a piece of paper to scribble on.
“You saw runes?” Saskia asks.
“Yes, the snakes led me there,” I confirm.
“Of course,” Ryder mumbles. “I love those trusty snakes.”
“They were actually very nice until they hissed at me.” A little pushy, but still nice.
“I shall behead them on your behalf,” Cayden mutters.
“Shut up; they might hear you!” I snap at the two of them. They exchange a confused look before nodding slowly. Saskia snaps her fingers in my direction and tosses a pen through the air. I lift my hand to catch it and lean against Cayden’s desk. I conjure the runes from my memory and scribble them as best I can. I’ve never been an artist, but after I add a few lines and dashes to my swirls, I think it looks okay. Saskia leans over my shoulder to check what I’ve created.
“These are silencing runes.” She takes the paper from the desk and holds it closer to her. “Where did you see them drawn?”
“They were on the door frame the snakes led me to, but I couldn’t actually get through the door.”
“Did anything happen to the amulet when you got close to the door?” Cayden asks.
“It was like the closer I got to the door, the more powerful the amulet grew. It kept pulsing on my neck. It felt alive.” I drum my fingers over my lip, “I think it’s the room where the dragons are kept. There were too many soldiers for it to be anything else. The roar one of your spies reported could have happened when the door was open, but what else would a magical amulet lead me toward inside that castle? Nothing else matters to me.”
“Fair point.” Cayden looks at me with a calculating expression before nodding his head. “Can you relay every turn you made from the moment you got into the castle to when you got to the door?” he asks while dipping his quill in a pot of ink.
Saskia walks over to a trunk in the corner and pulls out a folder of maps. She carries them over to Cayden’s bed and lays them out to fact-check them. The details flow from my mind with ease. I’m thankful for my memory at times like these. Sometimes, remembering everything is a curse, but when it comes to strategy, it’s an advantage. I list off every twist and turn to Cayden and Ryder while Saskia filters through maps, recalling soldier placements, the number of soldiers, and how many servants were roaming. I don’t let my eyes drift toward Saskia when she directs questions at me, knowing there is a risk of seeing a map and losing my train of thought. I keep my eyes between Cayden and Ryder, who both drag their quills over blank sheets of paper to log my movements.
The tent is quiet for a few moments after I finish. Ryder makes his way over to Saskia to help her filter through maps, and Cayden is finishing up whatever he’s writing. We have just gotten inside information. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips, but it breaks out into a full grin when Saskia turns around with a few maps in her hands.
“That was brilliant, Elowen!” She briefly smiles at me before returning to her maps. I’ve never worked as a team with anyone other than Finnian, and I doubt the three of them have ever invited someone else into their circle, but something about this feels natural. “I’ve been piecing maps together based on my spy reports, but you’ve just given me what I’ve been missing,” her smile grows wider with her words. She grabs the list from Cayden, and her eyes flash back and forth between it and her maps. Her smile is replaced by a contemplative expression. “Do you think you’d be able to detail a route from the back gate to the dragon chamber? I think the back gate may be your best option.”
“The back gate?” I ask slowly.
“It would give you the most coverage. I have more maps in my tent, but your knowledge can verify them,” Saskia says, grabbing papers from the desk and looking up at me expectantly. I feel the smile melt off my face, and I put together a passive expression in its place.
“I won’t be able to create a route from anywhere in the castle other than the dungeon.” The tent falls so silent that I hear Cayden grip the side of his desk. Ryder’s nostrils flare as understanding washes over his features, and Saskia’s face drops. It’s better they know now that they can’t count on me to create maps for every entrance. Honestly, Saskia probably knows more about the castle than I do. “It was a fact you all need to know so that we canstrategize around my lack of knowledge. Nothing else about it needs to be discussed.”
“I can draw up finalized maps, and then we can go over them together. I’ll come back later tonight.” Saskia puts her maps back into the leather folder she pulled them from. I’m glad she moved on quickly; sympathetic expressions are one of the many reasons I don’t disclose information about my time in Imirath. I don’t need or want sympathy. I both need and want revenge.
I plaster a fake smile on my face, which is second nature to me at this point, “That sounds perfect.” Cayden stares at me with a harsh, icy expression and holds out my moonstone necklace. He can see right through what I’m doing. “I’ll leave you to your maps,” I say while taking the necklace from him, walking around the desk, and closing the curtains between our rooms.
Once I’m alone, I put my necklace back on and fiddle with the pendant. I always thought I would shatter to the point of no return if I saw my cell again, but I’m still standing. Just because I’m cracked doesn’t mean I’m broken. I never got the chance to examine my room last night or this morning, so I kick off my boots and squish my toes on the soft carpet. The carpet, and fire that now burns in the center of my room do a good job of keeping the cold out.
The seating area consists of a long couch and two armchairs, all made of the same worn brown leather. Knitted throw blankets drape along each piece of furniture—all donned with throw pillows ranging in shades of blue, purple, green, and red. A small smile forms on my lips when I think of Cayden juggling the colorful throw pillows, clad in armor with a sword strapped around his waist.
A simple gold lantern sits in the center of the coffee table and is bordered by stacks of books. I sink onto the couch and pull the stacks toward me. The first is a series of journals:Healing Remedies, Medicinal and Poisonous Herb Guide, Gardening and Harvesting Instructions, Tales of the Last Dragons,andBreeds of Dragons Recorded Throughout History. My heart swells in my chest as I reform the stack and push it back in its place. I pull the second toward me and can’t stop my jaw from unhinging. I can’t believe him! I spread out the colorful clothbound novels and confirm my suspicions; it’s a stack of romance books. My smile morphs into a full-on fit of laughter. Now, I imagine Cayden browsing the romance section of a bookstore to find me the most scandalous novels.
I remake my romance tower, but keep the deep red novel separate, and carry it over to my bed. Which I now can see is a hue of sage green with gold embroidered flowers. I sink onto soft surface and lift the book to my nose, inhaling deeply. I whip my head around to make sure nobody saw that, but thankfully I’m alone. The three of them left Cayden’s room almost immediately after I shut the curtains.
I lay on my stomach, prop myself up on my elbows, and flip to the first page. The words give me wings and carry me away from reality. Books have always been my light when the world feels dark. I always had healing and training, but nothing could make me feel as alive as a book. Some of my favorite nights were the ones when I didn’t stop reading until my candle melted down to the candlestick and the sun bled through the night sky.
My neck is incredibly stiff, and I roll onto my back after the second hour of reading, resting the book on my chest. My arms have also gone numb, so I let them limply rest next to me. Finding a comfortable reading position is so hard. I’m only allowing myself a five-minute break because I have a feeling the characters are about to kiss…or do something else. A giddy feeling rises in my chest, and I kick my legs in the air, just thinking about what will happen in the story. I pick the book up again when the feeling returns to my arms and hold it over my face.
“New book?” I drop the book on my face and mutter a curse into the pages before whipping my head around to face the entrance. A familiar freckled face with reddened wind-kissed cheeks greets me. We don’t move for a few seconds. We just take each other in. Emotion swells in my chest at the sight of him, my best friend. Pain twists his features, and his eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Elowen….”
I slip off the bed and rush forward, not wanting to hear his words just yet. My arms wrap around his lean torso, and I breathe in his familiar citrus scent. Finnian may look like autumn, but he smells like summer. He wraps his long arms around me and rests his chin on top of my head.
“I don’t like fighting with you,” he murmurs after holding me for a few moments.
