Page 36 of Cages and Crowns
“Tatus.” My pulse skips and I step away from the table. “He’s with your aunt and uncle. I couldn’t let him stay here. I was afraid of whathewould do.”
“You sent him away?”
“I was trying to keep him safe, Nylah. I promise. He is alive.” I step farther away from the table. My footsteps silent.
Tatus.
He’s alive.
Tears prick my eyes, and I can feel my pulse quickening. If I can somehow get out of the palace, out of the capital, I can get to Tatus. I can be with my son. I turn away from her, reaching for the door, but something prevents me from opening it again. Something at the back of mind telling me not to leave her.
“Tell him I love him.” I hear her whisper, her voice barely audible. “I loved him so much.” I glance over at the torture instruments, my eyes catching on a small blade. Without thinking, I snatch the thin metal into my hand and run back to the table.
“This is for him.” I whisper as I shove the blade into the lock. The restraint around her wrists clicks open and I reach for the ones on her ankles. She’s shaking, her body trembling, but she doesn’t move when the last one falls away. “You are free, Elaenor. Go.” I urge her, but she just shakes her head.
“I will never be free as long as he’s alive, Nylah.” She reaches up and pulls off her blindfold. Her blue irises are bloodshot, her pupils ten times their normal size. “Find your son. Be happy.” Her lip quivers and she lays her head down, sliding the blindfold back on.
“Elaenor, you can leave. You can escape.” I plead, my hand grabbing hers.
“I have no desire to live in a world where I will always be on the run. My place is here until he no longer breathes.” I don’t answer. I just stare.
This young girl, no more than eighteen, has been brutally raped and tortured. She has been abused for months, and I’ve spent almost all of them hating her. Hating that she has him.
But she saved me. I would be the one on that table if she didn’t exist.
I almost was.
A tear escapes my eye, trailing down my cheek.
She’s sacrificing herself. She’s prepared to die, just to ensure he does.
She’s doing it for me and for Cynfael. For herself.
“Every day I spend with my son, every breath I watch him take, I will think of you. I will not let the world forget your name, Elaenor, but you betterfight like hell.” I say, my voice wavering slightly.
This won’t be the last time I see her. I can’t let it be. Because if it is, that means he has won, and I can’t live in a world where that is the truth.
I turn away from her, my hand finally closing around the handle of the only exit. I pause, only for a second, before I open it and run up the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Bound
The palace is silent as we near the wall. The trip across The Delaquar was quick and uneventful, mostly due to Enzo’s ability to shift into a sturgeon and drag the boat across. I wanted to fly us, but it would only draw attention.
We crossed under the half-demolished bridge to Chatis, docking on the other side. There wasn’t a single guard manning the lake, watching for intruders. I silently thank Tobias for his stupidity and ego. We looked across the bridge once we were on land. We stared at the barren rubble that used to be Chatis. Used to be Elaenor’s home.
All we could see was stone in large piles and trees knocked over, their leaves burned to a crisp. Smoke still lay heavy above the remains, as if it is forever burning. I don’t allow myself to think about the bodies underneath the wreckage. All the people who will be forgotten by the world as time moves on.
By the time we reach the wall, the sun has set. We are both out of breath, exhausted, but we push on.
“Where did Scarlett say to enter?” I whisper as we lean against the stone wall.
“She said the stables have an entry point into the palace, we just need to get through without being seen.” I nod and push off the wall. He’s silent behind me as we follow the wall along.
I think we are both in disbelief. Disbelief that we are here, in Noterra, planning to rescue a queen that has always been a figment of my imagination. Not an actual woman. I knew she was here, all these months, but she wasn’t real until today.
Until right now.
