Page 88

“There is one small hiccup to this plan,” Thicket said. “When we went inside the Phoenix Sanctuary to rescue you, Bern was captured. We were on our way to get her back when we ran into you.”

Alouette’s expression darkened. “Change of plans. You head back to Sleeria. I will write to my father telling him to send his army and that I won’t be far behind.”

“That’s too risky. What if you get captured again? I should go with you.” King Artus wouldn’t honor their agreement and send his army if Alouette wasn't with them when they returned.

“I will be able to escape again,” Alouette said. “There aren’t a lot of prisons that can hold me. But every second you are away from Vindrya is a risk.”

“Alouette is right,” Elian said. “You are the one who needs to get back. I will go with her to get Bern.”

“But—” Thicket protested.

“Let me do this.” His eyes were pleading. “It’s my fault she got captured in the first place.”

“You don’t have to do this alone.”

“You have an entire kingdom relying on you. If you go and get captured, then what is the point of all this?”

“You can’t expect me to sit back while my best friend is sitting in a prison cell.”

“She’s my friend, too,” Elian argued. “I grew up with her and while you were under the sleeping curse, she was the only thing that was familiar to me.”

“We are not getting anywhere with this,” Alouette said, rising. “Let us get some rest. We cannot get inside the palace now anyway. We will wait until the middle of the night, then we will decide.” Her eyes swept across the table. “Deal?”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Alouette had not only managed to escape from capture, but commandeer a hefty amount of coin from some poor unsuspecting Desert Kingdom citizen. They used it to buy changes of clothes, some food, and one additional room at the inn.

“Girls with girls,” Alouette said, spinning the key on her finger.

“The Princess is not leaving my side,” Marcellus said, crossing his arms.

Alouette raised a single eyebrow, eyes flicking between him and Elian. “How interesting.”

Marcellus’ jaw ticked. “There is nothing interesting at all.”

“Are you sure about that? I think her fiancé would say otherwise.”

“It’s fine,” Elian said. “I will stay with Alouette. Marcellus and Lotta can stay with Thicket.”

Alouette’s brows shot up but she didn’t question it. “Fine then. I guess we will see you in a few hours.”

Thicket glanced at Elian one last time. His fingers came up to touch something hanging underneath his tunic, a determined look hardening his expression. He didn’t look back as he followed Alouette down the opposite end of the hall.

The moment they stepped into their suite, exhaustion caught up to Thicket. It was an effort to drag herself across the floor to one of the two small beds tucked in the corner and drape herself across the end with a sigh. Unlike the tavern, their room was thankfully cool, a gentle crisp breeze emanating from the enchanted walls. It felt nice against her sticky skin.

“Would you like to use the bath first, Thicket?” Lotta asked.

Thicket waved her hand. “You go. It is going to take me just as long to get up.”

With a nod, Lotta folded her fresh clothes under her arm and disappeared behind the bathroom door. Marcellus sat in a nearby chair, legs kicked out in front of him and his arms crossed. Thicket closed her eyes, fighting the call of sleep. It was made a bit easier by the feeling of eyes pressing against her, making her stomach flip with self consciousness.

Lotta came out and handed Thicket her set of clothes, but she shook her head and told her to let Marcellus go next. For once, he did so without protest. When the bathroom door opened for a second time and a waft of steam hit the cool room, turning the air thick, Thicket knew there would be no more stalling. She forced her aching body up and scuffled to the bathroom. Her change of clothes was already waiting for her, folded neatly on the side of the counter. The bath was already drawn. Who had done this and when, she had no clue. The fuzziness of her mind was creeping in from all corners, eating away at everything but the view of the tub. She slid in.

The warm water was like a hug to her soul. If she thought it had been a struggle to get out of bed, getting out of the bath proved exponentially harder. She didn’t bother doing anything with her hair other than drying it, not caring if it left the strands a frizzy mess.

When she emerged, she found Lotta curled up in the bed by the far wall, the blankets tugged all the way up to her chin, rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

“She’s already asleep?” Thicket asked Marcellus, who was perched on the second bed.