Page 90 of Of Masks and Fury

“If the guards can’t be diverted,” Derren said, “we’ll stop what we’re doing and come up with a different plan. This only works if we can do it cleanly.”

“Agreed,” Trew said.

Derren eased Lexie off his lap. “Once we’re in the dungeon, we’ll go directly to her cell. Question her, give her the supplies, and reverse the route to escape.”

“What about after?” Kerralyn asked. “Once you have the information, assuming she provides it. Will you leave her there?”

This was the question I’d been avoiding. Leaving her in that cell felt unconscionable.

“We’ll move her if we can.” I met Trew’s gaze. “My nanny’s old room on this level is rarely used. Lexie and I can take care of her and keep her hidden.”

“That’s additional risk,” Derren said from the door, Lexie standing beside him. “She’ll be weak, possibly unable to walk on her own.”

“I’ll carry her if necessary,” Trew said. “But Isi’s right. We can’t leave her there.”

Lexie and Derren kissed, her hand gripping his tighter for a moment.

“Be careful,” she said.

He cupped her face and kissed her quickly again. “Always.” With that, he left, slipping out into the hallway.

Lexie turned back to face us. “I’ll prepare the suite this afternoon, make sure it’s stocked with everything she might need.”

Trew tossed his drawing into the fireplace and the flames consumed it. “We should gather supplies now.”

Over the next hour, we compiled what the woman might need. Mae brought herbs and bandages under the guise of restocking mypersonal supplies. Kerralyn brought food from the kitchen. Lexie provided clean clothing.

Trew packed everything into a leather satchel and shouldered it.

He slipped out into the hall to return to guard duty, and I went to my bedroom to prepare for dinner.

The meal that evening was a complete waste of time when people were in danger. I sat with Lords Alfred and Finley on either side of me, stabbing the food on my plate while Alfred leaned close and whispered veiled comments about hidden doors, his gaze probing as if testing me. Then he’d lean back and blandly discuss his horses.

A total façade.

My father drank heavily, his eyes distant and brooding. He kept peering out the windows and twisting his head to study the door as if he expected a sudden attack.

I counted the minutes until I could excuse myself, my nerves tightening with each forced smile and careful well-thought-out response.

Finally, my father dismissed us with a distracted flick of his hand.

Back in my chambers, my ladies helped me prepare for bed, their familiar attention soothing despite my racing thoughts. After they’d left, I paced the room alone for at least an hour, going through our plan again and again, until Trew slipped inside my suite.

“Almost time,” he said quietly, waving toward the darkness outside.

I nodded and moved to my wardrobe, pulling out the leathers I’d worn for training sessions with Commander Thorne. Black pants, a fitted tunic, and soft boots that would make almost no sound on stone floors.

Trew checked our weapons while I changed. Sword, daggers, and throwing knives. We’d turn ourselves into walking arsenals.

Getting ready for potential violence made the danger of what we were attempting feel even more real.

When I emerged from behind the dressing screen, heat flared in his golden eyes.

“You look like the woman who tripped and stabbed me,” he said. “Dangerous and beautiful and utterly unafraid.”

“Actually, I was terrified back then and I am now. Not for myself, but for you and our friends. If we lose anyone to this, I…”

He crossed to me and braced my shoulders before adjusting a dagger strap at my waist. “You may be afraid, but you’re doing it anyway. That’s what courage is, Minx. Not the absence of fear, but the refusal to let it stop you.”