Page 106 of Unraveled
It’ll be a tight squeeze. I shed my coat, my weapons belt, and my dress, until I’m left only with my cotton slip and my undergarments.
As I push through the bars, I find a barrier holds me back. A shield that’s too similar to the veil. My breath fogs in front of my face as I press my body against the thin membrane, and the morning dew clinging to it seeps over my skin like a kiss of ice.
I close my eyes and feel for the makings of this ward. It whispers to remain inside. It sounds a lot like Ash, and it makes me more determined. Pressing my hand to it, I unravel it, like cutting through strands of twine, until the shield has broken away enough to let me through.
No one is in the carriage, though I find traces of blood in the driver’s seat and in the back where a large imprint marks the place a body lay over a handful of empty sacks. I help the horse next, lifting the weight of it with trembling arms and a push of the same wind spell that saved my life so many months ago.
The darkness in my arm grows an inch, and I swallow, going back for my cloak so I can hide the traces of the curse taking over my body.
I find four fresh sets of tracks by the edge of the forest, trailing along beside the castle walls. One set of smaller feet, likely Nera’s, and three larger ones. I frown as I lean down to study them. I have no clue how to make sense of where they’re headed, nor have I ever hunted for anything in my life. But what I lack in skills, I make up for with determination.
If the wards didn’t allow Ash in, for whatever reason, I can undo a section of it and grant them entrance. He can lecture me about leaving after they’re inside.
I hear voices in the distance as I approach, keeping myself carefully hidden by the darkening skies of early afternoon and our misty surroundings. Finley is the first one I see, specifically his coat and the gentle slope of his wide shoulders. I rush forward, and adrenaline makes my senses sharp with every little twig that snaps under their feet or mine.
My heart leaps to my throat as I draw closer and don’t find Ash’s wings. Nor Nera’s slim body. And the voices are less familiar.
I pause, shifting behind a tree trunk as a crawling sensation runs down my back. Staying in the shadows, I move in, getting closer and closer.
“You almost killed us running that carriage against the gate,” a man wearing brown trousers and a white shirt sneers, brushing a hand over his bald head.
I press my body against a tree, attempting to calm my loud breathing as I try to understand everything unfolding in front of me.
“It usually opens for me,” Finley says, and his expression is strained as they continue walking the perimeter. “You weren’t supposed to come here. The castle won’t let you in, I told Skylar as much.”
Finley’s working with the scientists? I peek out from behind the tree and my heart tears. Had he betrayed us all along? Or was he taken hostage in the forest?
“It will let us in, eventually. The broken king has little time left.” A second man laughs, and the sound brings ice to my veins. “We want the gold, and if you want your niece to keep her manor—and you, your freedom—then you will get us inside.”
So, that’s why we ended up in the strixes’ house that night in Hedrum. It’s likely why Ash’s and Nera’s glamours had disappeared. It wasn’t a coincidence. Nothing ever is. I grab at my throat and remember drinking the night brew he gave me, and how ill I’ve been for days.
“I’ve paid my share for that freedom.” Finley’s jaw tenses, and I see licks of green magic hover around his fingers. “Nera was off-limits. I only gave her Mia’s necklace for you all to locate the castle. Nothing more.”
“The bargain wasn’t for the princess’s life, it was for your niece’s,” Bald Head says before spitting to the side.
“I have to admit, I was surprised she wasn’t a beast anymore...”
My blood freezes as I listen to a voice I know well. I shift in my spot, trying to keep my feet light as I peer around the other side of the tree trunk. I’d recognize Irene anywhere. Even deep in a fae forest, hidden under the layers of a thick cloak.
Chapter 36
“Your sister broke Nera’s curse,”Finley says.
I hide again as pain weighs down my heart.
I’m close to the castle. I could run back to Naheli, wherever she is. I could try to get the conscious lunargyres somewhere safe before they get inside. My skin glows as I lose control of my emotions.
“Where is she? Where is Mia?” The clicking of a gun being loaded echoes in the forest silence, and even the creepy crawlies seem to wait with bated breath.
The scent of magic wafts around as Finley’s aura comes through to protect him from the threat of gunpowder and lead.
“She’s alive. I kept the promise I made when we met in Hedrum. You weren’t supposed to come here and shouldn’t have hidden in my wagon. There’s a spirit in there that will tear you all apart.”
Except I don’t know if Naheli is even here. Perhaps Ash is too injured, and so she can’t remain in this realm.
I may faint.
“If you think for a second I wouldn’t come here for her, you’re delusional.” Irene’s voice is bitter and calculating. I almost leave my hiding spot to stop this madness. “She better be alive, Finley.I don’t care what blood contract you signed with Skylar, I’ll end you.”
