Page 35 of Fate and Flame
I watched the faces of the court as I passed them, but none were observant or cared enough to even register my presence. I hoped Nadra was able to navigate the crowds of people okay, but so far, she hadn’t complained. We made it to the kitchens safely, and I caught a glimpse of Iva.
She looked up, startled to see me, and dropped a small pile of dishes.
“Silly me,” she said, keeping her head down.
I bent to pick up a bowl and she whispered, “What are you doing here?”
“There’s no time. Get Roe and get out. The king has your names. He’s going to storm the compound. Go somewhere else. Go to the Weaver or the southern kingdom, Iva. Just go. Now.”
She didn’t hesitate. She dropped the dishes on the closest counter and rushed out of the room.
I prayed to the gods she made it safely.
Getting out of the kitchen doors was easier than taking the tunnels, since I was in uniform. Most of the servants kept their heads down and a wide berth.
We crossed the bailey and my eyes flickered to the pile of ash that was once the stables. The rebels had made quite a distraction in our attempt to save Nadra’s mother. I still wished I had a horse, but I was glad they didn’t have any either. It would be a foot race to the compound, and we had the head start. If we made it through the gates.
I looked up at the guards working the gate tower, hoping I’d get lucky and see another rebel working, but I recognized no one. I kept my head down and shuffled at a steady pace. Not many people were coming and going, but I slipped into a small group of guards just as I passed through the gate and no one said a word.
I wasn’t sure how far behind Nadra was, but I guessed she had to be a lot more careful through the people. If someone touched her, her bright red hair would give her away in an instant. I cut off to the side just down the road and waited until a hand slipped into mine and the most beautiful female in the world appeared before me.
I wrapped her in my arms and swung her around as she laughed until she cried. “I’m not worthy of you, Nadra. But I promise I’ll spend my entire life trying to be.”
She continued to cry in my arms, and I held her for several moments.
I pulled away, brushing her gentle tears with my thumbs. “I’m so sorry, love, but we have to go right now, or we are never going to make it in time.”
She wiped her fresh tears, stepping away. “But we need horses.”
“I’m sure the ones I left tied up are long gone.”
Her eyebrows knotted for a moment as she tried to find a solution. “Do you think the one I left is?”
“I’m not sure how many days have passed, but I would assume it’s gone too.”
“It would be worth checking though. If it’s still there, we could get back in plenty of time.”
“Yes, but if not, we might have lost our lead on foot.”
“It’s not far from here. I remember walking up this main road to the castle.”
An anchor settled in my gut with the choice we had to make. “Lead the way. Quickly.”
I followed her as she moved in the direction we were originally headed, but then she turned at a trickling creek and started going the wrong way. I couldn’t agree that this was the best choice, but she was right. If we had a horse, we would get there so much faster. She trudged on until she lifted her skirts to run. I followed as soon as I’d seen why. Not only did she have a horse tied up so he could drink from the stream, but it was a fae horse, a behemoth black beast with booming clomps as he begged to be released.
“You’re brilliant.” I pulled Nadra into my arms and buried my face into her curls. “Thank you.”
“I removed his bit so he could eat and drink while I was away.”
“You have no idea how many lives you may have just saved. Let’s go.”I grabbed her small waist and lifted her up onto the horse.
She shifted forward and I swung up behind her. I held her tightly, kicking the horse’s flank and springing him into a thunderous run back the way we had come until we were on a direct path, running for the rebel compound through the eternally frozen forest of dead trees with twisted dark limbs tangling through the thick evergreens. With fresh snow upon the ground, they could track us easily. But the damage had already been done and now the king would know exactly where to send his army, traceable footsteps or not.
I tried to ignore Nadra’s body moving against me as we rode, but I was only a male and I had been locked in with a mate that I couldn’t even see for a long time.
“I want to look at you,” I said into her pointed ear.
She laughed and leaned further back against my chest until I could look down at her beautiful face. “Better?”
