Page 59 of Only Flames Remain

“I wanted to wish you farewell and take Quinnick with me to the library,” Enora said.

At the sound of Enora’s voice, Quinnick stretched, hopping off the bed to join her. He was still sleepy, too.

Enora gripped my shoulders and pulled me against her. She wordlessly slipped something into my satchel over my shoulder, her lips against my ear. I did not dare ask about it as heavy footsteps approached.

“Ready?” the voice asked, becoming all too familiar.

I nodded once in resignation, my smile tight. “Where is Voirel?”

“Already en route with Emrys. We will meet her there.” Wherever ‘there’ was.

I faced Enora with a stiff smile and bid her farewell, hoping it would be mere days before I saw her once more. She had promised to keep an ear to the ground to listen for rumors. Noor, the historian, was not only ancient…but she was also the castle gossip. She knew all the comings and goings of everyone at court.

I turned toward Sorin. His eyes were heavy this morning, dark circles visible beneath his gaze. His wings were pulled taut at his back, the darkest ink with just the hint of a red hue among the outer membrane. They reached into a formidable claw at both the top and the bottom.

They flitted; his irritation visible. “We’d best be on our way. I was hoping to arrive before King Mavros and Queen Odessa come searching for us,” he said, tone clipped.

I glared at him. “They don’t know we are going?”

He shook his head once. “My brothers will inform them upon our arrival.”

I cast one last glance at Enora over my shoulder before following Sorin toward the curved staircase that would lead us down toward the main hall. When we reached the top of the staircase, I turned left to descend, my hand on the hewn stone.

Sorin kept walking.

“Aren’t we leaving?” I asked at his back, gesturing to the stairs before me.

He stopped, turning to me with brows raised. “We are, indeed.”

I cast my eyes down the staircase toward the main entrance, a question clear in my gaze.

He shook his head. “This way.”

I adjusted the strap of the satchel on my back. After another moment of hesitation, I followed. Was there another exit in the palace that I didn’t know about?

When we made our way toward his chambers and through the grand double doors, I was completely and utterly perplexed.

“Where are we going?” I asked at his back.

He approached the double doors that led to the balcony and opened them, beckoning me outside onto the veranda. I followed; my brows knitted together as I watched him skeptically. He pulled the doors shut behind us.

“What are you doing?” I asked, scanning the balcony. Was there a hidden staircase here I didn’t know about?

“We are leaving for Stormgaard,” he replied simply.

“And how do you plan to do that?” I asked, gesturing to the balcony that, while quite large, clearly led nowhere.

Sorin tsked as if the answer should have been obvious, pointing toward the wings on his back.

My expression fell, stomach dropping. “You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack, I fear.”

I shook my head back and forth, backing toward the railing until the cold metal was pressing against my spine.

“No. No.” There was finality in my voice that didn’t appear to register with Sorin.

“I’m afraid the only answer is yes. You don’t have much of a choice,” he pointed out.