Page 91 of Of Masks and Fury

“We need information. We can’t let this chance slip by.” I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent, letting his strength flow into me, but stepped away quickly, this time me adjusting a weapon strapped to my thigh.

While time ticked down and my anxiety heightened, we perched on the edge of the bed, holding hands.

“This will end, and when it’s over, I’m going to show you Syllavar in the spring,” Trew said, his voice low. “When the valley flowers bloom and the air smells like honey and new grass.”

“I want to meet your people properly,” I said.

“They’ll love you.” He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. “How could they not?”

He leaned in, his lips brushing mine in a kiss that deepened. But a flutter of wings at the window announced Pherin’s return, cutting it short. She swooped through carrying three ribbons.

Blue from Lexie on Pherin’s left leg. All teams were ready.

Right leg: Blue from Kerralyn. The fire was ready to be lit.

And tucked close to her right wing, another blue ribbon from Derren, telling us the hidden passage from the wine cellar would work for our plan.

I slid off the bed. “It’s time.”

There was no turning back now.

We arranged my bed to make it look like I was sleeping underneath the blankets. Trew added a touch of magic that would mimic my soft breathing.

“Even a snore,” Trew said with a sly smile. Another sweep of his hand, and my hair splayed across the pillow.

“That’s unsettling,” I said.

“Effective though.” He offered his hand.

I took it, and we strode to the window.

We climbed out onto the narrow ledge, the night air cool against the exposed skin at my neck. Below us, the courtyard lay empty and dark. Above, stars scattered across the sky, white specks on midnight cloth.

Trew went first, scaling down the stone wall. I followed, my fingers finding holds in the familiar stonework. I couldn’t count the times Addie and I had snuck out like this to run through the gardens or to go into town and stroll through the market.

We reached the window of the empty suite below mine, and Trew pried it open. We slipped inside, moving silently across the floor.

The rooms smelled like dust and stale fabric. Furniture had been draped in cloth, portraits were covered, and everything looked abandoned and forgotten.

Trew pressed his ear against the door to the hallway, listening. After a moment, he cracked it open, checking the corridor beyond.

“Clear,” he whispered.

We stepped out into the hallway and hurried down the hall, ghosts in my own home moving through shadows while the castle settled into its evening routines around us.

Pherin landed on my shoulder as we reached the servants’ stairs, her tiny body tense.

Trew’s hand found mine in the darkness, and he gave me a quick squeeze before releasing it to grip the hilt of a blade.

We opened the door and descended into the depths of the castle.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

TREW

The servants’ stairs on the end of one wing descended into darkness thick enough to choke on. Each step creaked under my boots despite careful weight distribution, the sound amplifying in the narrow stairwell until it felt like we were announcing our presence to the entire castle.

I led with Isi close behind, her breathing steady despite the terror that must be clawing at her insides. This woman was brave beyond measure, following me into the bowels of her father’s castle to question a prisoner who might hold the key to everything.