Page 68 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

“I need to send a message. Immediately.”

“To who? About what? Have you figured something else out?”

“No,” I muttered grimly, tearing at my clothes to strip them. “And until I can, I need more eyes and ears here.”

She frowned. “For what?”

I met her gaze and braced, knowing she’d hear it all wrong, but it remained true, and I wouldn’t waver. “I need to get a message to your brothers. I need them here yesterday. And without the knowledge of anyone in Vosgaarde.”

“To do what?”

“To help us keep you safe, and uncover… whatever the fuck is going on here.”

22. Quiet Confidence

~ BREN ~

The night after Donavyn intercepted the message Ruin sent to the queen, we’d been invited to the Festival of Lights. It was the first of the unique events in the Fyrehold Festival, one that I’d been told ended in a stunning display of night flowers, whatever that meant.

While the entire city of Emberholt would stop to watch this display, only the most important and powerful nobles—and their pets—were invited to the king’s royal event on the shores of a large lake at the center of the Crown District.

I’d been wary of socializing after what we’d learned the night before. But we had no choice. No one, especially Ruin, could suspect that we drew closer to identifying his plans.

And we still didn’t know if Hanson was a tool to him, or an ally.

I’d never really enjoyed the balls and banquets. But this night was different—rows and rows of carriages and coaches rolling to the base of the Palace steps to carry us through the manicured woods to the lake and the festivities. Lady Faye was in spasms of joy when she was collected with Donavyn and me, along with Grace and a handful of others. We were held back from the first wave of carriages, to travel right behind the Royals. Even the queen—who usually seemed quite sour and brittle—was bright-eyed in her anticipation.

“You’ll enjoy this a great deal,” Faye said, resting a gloved hand on my arm and smiling knowingly, glancing between Donavyn and I. “Make the most of it. Oh, to enjoy my first Festival of Lights again,” she said, clasping her hands at her chest.

And yet, she dodged every question when I asked where we went and why. Donavyn assured me through the link it was simply bored nobles entertaining themselves, that he would have been warned if there was anything dangerous occurring. But I didn’t miss the tension in his shoulders as we passed into the shadows of the wood and he scanned left and right, watching for ambush.

When we eventually broke through the forest to claps and excited laughter from those already gathered, at first I was confused by the very tall hedge blocking our view of the lake, which we could hear lapping nearby. Only the beautiful, clear night sky overhead was easily visible.

Grace huddled at my side, relaxed, but curious. While Faye kept patting my arm on the other. “Oh, you’ll love it! As will your General, I’m sure.”

The royals didn’t seem to be in any hurry to fill us in. Servants circulated around the carriages, offering drinks and small sweets to nibble.

Half the nobles were already tipsy, so I eyed the drinks warily—some of the men could get handsy as the hour grew late. I didn’t enjoy the idea of being out here in the dark. But at least Donavyn was close—standing just behind me, letting Grace and Faye take my arms, but hovering like a protective shadow.

Then a high, clear chime of a bell rang through the night, and a group of the women to our right shrieked and hurried towards the hedge. I frowned, but Faye grabbed my arm and tugged me forward, as well. I grasped Grace's hand and looked over my shoulder at Donavyn.

But he’d been caught by the king and a couple of the other nobles.

‘What’s going on?’ I sent, dragging my feet as Faye fought to pull me into the wave of women clucking and giggling into the night together.

‘It’s a maze,’ Donavyn sent in a tired voice. ‘You ladies will enter first, and in a short while, they’ll free us to hunt you down.’

My brows shot up, but sure enough, as we passed through a nearly invisible gap in the hedge—hidden by clever cutting at angles between trees so that unless you looked at a gap head-on, it appeared as if the barrier was solid—Faye laughed with delight. “Hide girls! Go as deep into the maze as you can—the men have to come find us! And any man who corners you may request a kiss.”

I balked, but Faye dragged me forward, preening and grinning like a cat. I looked at Grace over my other shoulder and hissed, “Stick close!”

She nodded, wide-eyed, and we plowed into the hedge and into the confusing maze.

For the next half hour, the night was peppered with laughter and feminine shushing—until the bell chimed again, and then the women shrieked, apparently thrilled to know the men came for them.

Faye had led Grace and I deep into the maze by that time. But once we reached a dead-end with two benches and a shade tree, I flatly refused to go further.

“If I want my General to find me, I will need to remain in place for him to do so,” I said primly to Faye—who was determined to keep going. She wanted to find more drinks. Apparently, the servants circulated within the maze as well. But I pretended to be tired and fanned myself.