Page 8 of To Sway a Prince
"The wards and sigils are intelligent. The magic that holds them together is wise enough to recognize certain elements of intruders."
I scowled even more. "What do you mean?"
A low laugh rippled through the cell.
My skin crawled. I didn't like this. And I didn't like this disembodied voice. It sounded like he was one of the Nolches. Souls who had chosen to become incorporated into a building of sorts. While I hadn't run into too many over the years, I still had strong opinions. What kind of person decided to incorporate their living consciousness into a building? It sounded like some sort of esoteric torment.
"I like you, Astraia," Caein continued. His voice hummed in my ears as if he had drawn closer. "And if you weren't someone I liked, you'd have been incinerated before you stepped across the ledge. There is little more precious to Ramiel than his dragons. They're all he has left. But he doesn't believe in killing the innocent. It would go against everything that being a Sentinel stands for."
I scoffed. "That's not what they stand for. The Sentinels guard the Chasm and keep the other kingdoms from leveraging it?—"
"The Sentinels protect the rest of the world from the creatures within the Chasm and the creatures of the Chasm from the rest of the world," Caein said, his voice firm as if he werespeaking to an unruly child. "The dragons assist in that. I assure you Zephyrus is as safe as any dragon here."
That hollow sensation agitated me even further. As I folded my arms, I brought my focus inward and tried to build my magic up again. It was difficult to do without food and rest. "I could have been an assassin though. Most assassins wouldn't be asked to target dragons."
Another chuckle followed as if that was a good joke. "Had you been an assassin, you would have encountered very different wards and sigils, little knotweaver."
I rolled my eyes at the ceiling, pretending to be unimpressed. "So the wards sensed my intentions? That's ridiculous." It wasn't. It was actually incredibly concerning. Very few magic practitioners could accomplish that.
"The wards sensed your connection," he corrected. "The bond between dragon and rider cannot be disguised any more than the bonds of family, friendship, loyalty, mates, and love."
My fingers curled against my collarbone. My energy was replenishing slowly. Keeping my breaths focused and steady, I channeled my magic throughout my blood and lungs. "Then you should be able to sense just how close I am with him. You know I can't leave without him." My magic surged a little stronger within me, pooling hotter in my solar plexus. The corded magic that bound the wards and sigils together became more clearly visible, the individual threads brightening on the other side of the door. Good. Now if I could just get this Nolche to leave.
"I realize this must be quite hard and exceptionally distressing," Caein said, his voice softening. "But there are forces at work here which you do not understand. Ramiel is not your enemy. Zephyrus belongs here."
I pressed my palm against the cold stone wall. "Why do you talk like he wants to be here? He's been with me since I was twelve. He chose that! He doesn't belong in a cage."
"This is his home. Ramiel did not steal him. He summoned him, and he was reunited with his family, and it was a joyous occasion. He has been missing for so long," Caein continued. His voice grew a little more distant as if he moved up higher toward the ceiling.
I steeled my expression. Zephyrus had left me? No. No! "If that was so, then why would Ramiel not speak to me? Why steal him in the dead of night like a thief? Someone used magic on me! I know the taste. I am not a fool."
"I suspect it is because he wished to avoid conversation and all its complications. You might ask him the next time you see him."
"If all goes well, I'll never see him again," I muttered.
"Given that you are here in the secured guest quarters of Ramiel's tower, I doubt you can forever avoid him."
That note of laughter and smugness annoyed me to no end. But let him laugh. I'd be out of here soon. Ramiel's magic might be unusually powerful and well masked, but I had my tricks. That thread I'd been worrying on the other side was pulsing brighter now, and the hollowness in my chest had faded.
Caein continued, that faint chuckle still in his voice. "I do not recommend that you continue to fight this. Either make peace with Zephyrus's presence here or don't. But perhaps if you make peace, Ramiel will permit you to remain." He stopped. The air chilled a little, then warmed. An odd contemplative hum vibrated above me. "We'll speak again soon, little knotweaver."
The shifting in the air above me confirmed Caein had left. Now was my chance to escape.
Returning to the door, I pressed my palms against the flat surface. The pulse of magic within me went at once to that weakened ward. There. Yes. I removed my blade and pressed the tip to the edge of the metal and focused. The metal warmed against my skin as I channeled my magic through it. Goldenthreads of energy spilled from my fingertips, weaving through the air as I searched for the ward's structure.
Yes! I'd found it—right in the center five threads I found a runic knot. It was complex, a rich purple, pulsing and living. Unlike the outer wards, this one shifted and writhed as if alive, sensing my intrusion. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. No matter how strong, every knot could be undone.
Breaths steady and focused, I hooked the energy from my blade into that thread and eased it toward me. "Got you now," I murmured softly. The thread resisted once more, then snapped free. The ward pulsed. Snatching at the next thread, I forced it out of its pattern as well. The ward sputtered.
That was all it took. I weakened the rest of it and swiped the threads away. Though the other wards and sigils pulsed in response, there was now a gap large enough to pulseport through. Closing my eyes, I envisioned Zephyrus's cage—the iron bars, the clean straw, his massive blue form waiting just beyond. I gathered my remaining energy and pushed.
My body folded and shot through that gap like Zephyrus diving into a canyon. Bile crept up the back of my throat and coated my tongue, my stomach twisting and rolling. Darkness engulfed me, then spat me out.
I struck the stone floor harder than intended, stumbling, then cracking down.
My head spun, and I knew I wasn't in the stable before I could even open my eyes. It smelled of old books, faded magic, and candle wax rather than smoke, hay, and leather. Eyelids fluttering, I struggled to focus.
What had gone wrong? And why was I even surprised? I'd slipped out of tighter and harder holds than that cell countless times before, but this was Ramiel's tower, so why not bungle it?
