Page 69 of Eluvonia
Chapter 27
AERIS
The halls of the castle are unnervingly quiet as I make my way toward Kaida’s room. I take my time, dragging my fingers along the smooth banisters and lingering at the arched windows. There’s no real rush, not with Kaida and Declan gone. With nothing to do, the silence stretches out endlessly, like a yawning chasm I’d rather not peer into.
Turning a corner, I nearly run into four guards barreling down the hall toward me, their armored boots clanging like a hammer on an anvil.
“There she is!” one of them barks, pointing straight at me.
I freeze, my stomach doing a neat little flip. “W-What?” I manage, my voice stumbling over the single syllable.
Before I can take a step back, rough hands grab my arms, jerking me forward with enough force to send me to my knees. The stone floor bites into my skin, and the coldness seeps through my leggings.
“What are you doing? Stop this!” I snap, twisting in their grip. The guards don’t listen. Instead, they wrench my arms tighter, pinning them behind my back.
“Aeris, Fae of Kaida Varek,” one of them announces, his voice dripping with authority, “you are under arrest for espionage and aiding the Fae rebels.”
I blink, momentarily stunned into silence. My brain scrambles to catch up with the words. Espionage? Rebels? What in the ever-loving hells is going on? I try to tilt my head up to look at the one speaking, but another guard’s gloved hand shoves it back down, pressing me toward the floor.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, my voice climbing an octave as panic sets in. My breath comes quicker, heart pounding against my ribs. This has to be a mistake—some insane misunderstanding.
“The commander wants to see you. Now,” the guard to my left growls, his grip bruising my shoulder. They haul me to my feet, twisting my arms painfully as they clamp iron shackles around my wrists. The cold metal digs into my skin, biting like frost. Before I can process it, they shove me forward.
“Wait, I think you have the—” I start, craning my neck to look at the guard to my left, hoping for a shred of reason.
“Don’t speak to us, Fae scum,” the guard on my right interrupts, his voice a sharp bark. He punctuates his words with a rough shove to my head, forcing it forward. “Save it for the commander.”
I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste copper, growling low under my breath.What the fuck is happening?My mind races, clawing at explanations. This isn’t real. It can’t be.
They march me through the grand corridors. My boots scuffagainst the polished floors as I stumble, struggling to keep up with their brutal pace. Before long, the towering double doors of the throne room loom ahead. My stomach twists into knots.
They shove me through the doors and force me onto my knees again. The commander stands at the center of the room, his presence like a storm cloud darkening the space. His expression is carved from stone—grim, unyielding.
“Aeris,” he begins, his voice as cold and sharp as the iron binding my wrists. “I assume you’ve heard the charges against you.”
I roll my eyes, even as my heart races. “Yes, the guards oh-so-nicely informed me,” I bite out, sarcasm lacing my words. My shoulders ache from their grip. “What is going on, sir? I have no contact with anyone outside these walls.”
The commander doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tosses a piece of parchment onto the floor in front of me. It flutters down like a falling leaf before landing just within reach. “Explain this,” he orders, his voice a whip crack. “We found it on one of the dead Fae rebels in Arboriscyne. That’s where you’re from, is it not?”
I glance down at the parchment, my stomach lurching as my own handwriting stares back at me. The note details guard rotations, strategic points, weaknesses in the castle’s defenses. Information that only a select few would have access to. My breath catches, my chest tightening painfully.
“Sir, I swear, I’ve never seen this before!” I say, my voice shaking as I look up at him, wide-eyed and desperate.
The commander’s gaze doesn’t waver. “I’m not surprised you’d say that.” He turns to the doors and motions sharply. “Bring her in.”
The doors creak open, and a short, plump Fae woman in a kitchen uniform shuffles into the room, wringing her hands nervously. Her eyes dart to me, then quickly away.
“Speak,” the commander orders, his tone brooking no argument. “Tell us what you saw.”
The Fae hesitates, her gaze fixed on the floor. “I saw…” she begins, her voice trembling. “I saw this Fae in the training room one day while I was passing by to deliver food. She was speaking to a male Fae slave, looked to be from the stables by his clothes. They were talking in secret, and then I saw her hand him a note. Like that one.” Her eyes flick to the parchment on the floor, and she quickly looks away again.
My jaw drops. “Why are you lying?” I demand, my voice sharp with disbelief. I stare at her, searching her face for a crack, a tell, anything that would explain why she’s doing this. “What’s going on?”
Before she can answer—if she even plans to—the doors open again. Shura strides in, flanked by a few guards. Her sharp, predatory smile immediately sets my teeth on edge.
“Well?” the commander asks, his gaze drifting to Shura.
She steps forward and hands him a stack of letters and maps. “We found these hidden in her shared quarters, under some clothing,” she says, her voice slick with satisfaction.
