Page 100 of Fear the Flames
“Wait until you’re sure they’ve seen us. It’s dark, so we may be able to stay hidden,” I add.
A bird whistle sounds through the air; it starts out at a lower pitch but gets higher toward the end. Cayden’s eyes turn wild, and he whips his head forward. The bird whistle sounds for a second time, the exact same as the first.
“No,” Cayden whispers. “It can’t be.”
The bird whistle sounds for a third time, but this time Cayden answers it with the same bird whistle. I slap my hand over his mouth. “Are you insane? Now isn’t the—” He cuts me off by slapping his hand over my mouth. I glare at him, but his eyes are still glued to the mouth of the cave. Whoever it is, answers Cayden’s bird call with a new one, higher in the beginning and lower toward the end. Cayden drops his hand from my mouth.
“Ryder,” he growls, stalking toward the opening of the cave before I can stop him.
“Ryder?”Shit.
Cayden stops at the edge of the cliff, staring down as he clenches his fists at his sides. “Oh, angel,” he raises his tone loud enough for Ryder to hear, “we have guests.”
Guests.
Multiple people.
I rush toward the front of the cave to stand beside Cayden, peering down the cliffside. Three hooded figures make their way up. Their faces are shrouded by the shadows of the setting sun, but I don’t need to see their faces to know which one is which.
They followed us against orders.
I should have known Finnian would follow me. I should have left him at the castle instead of taking him to the border with me. Cayden is probably thinking the same things about Saskia and Ryder. We should have given them a timeframe of when we would leave but never let them watch us leave. I would have followed Finnian. Cayden would have followed Saskia and Ryder. Even I would have followed Saskia and Ryder. We’re both fools for expecting them to stay put.
I walk back into the cave, followed by Cayden, waiting for them to make their way to us. “Did you plan this?” I ask him in a rough tone.
“You can’t be serious.” He looks at me like I’m insane to accuse him. I mean, he did seem genuinely shocked. Cayden doesn’t seem like the kind of person to fake emotions easily, considering his range of emotions consists of angry, horny, flirty, and sarcastic.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you and Ryder have been practicing bird calls for years,” I dryly reply. He rolls his eyes before facing the mouth of the cave as the three of them enter.
They look between each other while fumbling their words, trying to find the right ones. I can’t even make out what they’re saying—it just sounds like anxiety-induced gibberish. Finnian looks as red as a strawberry, Saskia’s dark eyes are darting around the cave like she wants to look anywhere other than us, and Ryder is flailing his arms so much that he looks like a rogue vextree.
“I wish you would have told us you were coming to our new home,” Cayden speaks above the gibberish, his tone dripping in sarcasm. “It may make Elowen insecure for you to see our new place like this.”
“Yes, it does,” I add to his sarcastic bit. “I would have really loved a warning. We could have swept the floor for you or gotten the guest rooms ready.”
“Oh, angel, don’t you worry,” Cayden turns to me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, “your very presence cancels out all the cobwebs and dirt.”
“Please, forgive our manners.” The mock smile melts off my face, and a glare grows in its place. “Can one of you tell us what the fuck is going on?” I hiss. Cayden removes his arm and turns toward them. He tucks his hands into his pockets, looking incredibly rigid and irritated.
“We went back to the tent, and had every intention of following the original plan, but the more I looked at the map we made of the castle, the more I started to doubt it,” Saskia begins.
“Then when Saskia started to doubt, I did,” Ryder adds.
“Where do you fit in all of this?” Cayden directs his question to Finnian, but Finnian’s eyes remain fixated on me.
“I was reading your letter,” he says in a quiet, even tone. My throat bobs, but my hard eyes still blaze with frustration.
“Yes, the one where I named you my heir should I die in the very place you’re standing in,” I argue.
“That’s not an option,” Cayden states as he whips his head in my direction, unphased by my heir comment, but Saskia and Ryder both exchange a glance at the piece of information. I can feel the intensity laced within Cayden’s stare against the side of my face, but I can’t bring myself to meet his eyes. I need to focus on Finnian.
“He’s right,” Finnian says as his features take on a dark twist. “I failed to protect you once, and I’m not making that mistake again.”
His eyes display no trace of regret for crossing the border, only fierce determination. If I were in his position, I don’t even think I’d be able to hold off as long as he did. This heist isn’t just about me, or Cayden, or dragons. It’s about him too, and how it will affect him if something goes wrong. I’m still frustrated he’s here, but I can’t be angry with him. I’d be a hypocrite because it’s exactly what I would have done. I look down at the cave floor and take a deep breath, letting go of the sharpest parts of my anger. He has just as much of a choice to be here as I do.
“Good,” I slowly look up from the cave floor and meet his determined stare, letting the fire that blazes in me shine through my eyes, “because I’m awful with a bow, and I don’t plan on dying before I ride a dragon.” A broad smile stretches over Finnian’s face, and he nods his head, determination bleeding into satisfaction. We’ll get what we deserve and deal out our vengeance to those that deserve it.
“I do not doubt either of you. As I said to Elowen, if any two people could pull this off, it’s the both of you. But we couldn’t just stand by and worry every day,” Saskia says.
