Lure

  Chapter 10

  CEARO

  I had it figured out. Finally. Our path was not a straight shot, but that would work in our favor. It would be much less obvious if anyone followed. Not that anyone would follow. I would not let them.

  Getting over the wall would be risky, but I thought it would work. Earth seemed happy to be useful again. The place I had chosen was surrounded by houses, but they were deserted for now. The Seelie had all gathered at the front of the castle for one of their despicable shows. I checked and it was not him. It would have turned into a massacre had it been. They had brought out the last human left from last season for a final display. This human would make a different sort of escape today.

  I triple-checked the houses anyway before running and leaping over them to get to the castle. I put my back to the wall, far below but directly underneath his window. I inched toward the corner around which the Seelie were cheering. I peeked at them. As expected, they were riveted. Not a single one noticed my slow movements in the shadows.

  The guards were just as engrossed in the show as the crowd. I considered letting them be, but if they were true guards at all, they would notice the noise that would be coming from their tower shortly. That would not do.

  I slipped behind them and through the door, brushing them lightly as I passed. They turned, but the door was already closing before they got a good look at me. They glimpsed only my hand disappearing into the tower that they were supposed to be blocking. They followed me in to retrieve me.

  “Miss, you are not supposed to be in here,” one guard said. I had disappeared under the stairwell. “Miss?”

  “Let us escort you back to the show,” Guard Two offered. “I’m sure the finale will be a spectacle you won’t want to miss.”

  The door clanged shut. I stepped out from under the stairs and smiled at the guards. A smile should set a person at ease. But not mine. My smile is vicious and creepy. It is the result of rarely smiling, of finding my only moments of contentment in my enemies’ deaths. They were holding him prisoner. They were now my enemies. And as I started toward them, they seemed to become aware of that fact.

  One of them turned to run. In his haste, he forgot to open the door. He slammed against it and fell to the floor. I was mildly impressed that he didn’t allow himself to stay stunned for more than a second. He scrabbled on the floor, but I was on him before he regained his footing. Roots shot up from the ground to wrap around his limbs. I stole his dagger. I slit his throat before he found his voice to scream.

  I let him drop, and the roots receded. I turned to his partner. He had been staring, petrified, the whole time. Some guard. Not as impressive as the other. He was not even trying. His whole body shook, and so did his voice as he stuttered out, “Y-you’re the girl from the stories.”

  It was not a question, so I did not answer. I took a moment, since I clearly had plenty, to wonder how he knew. Were my eyes flickering to give me away? Or was he smart enough to have deduced it? I strode up to him, got close enough to see my reflection in his wide, horrified eyes. It was the former.

  “P-please don’t kill me. I didn’t do anything. I won’t say anything.”

  I could have explained. I could have told him that he had not broken the rules of his role, but I was breaking mine. I could have told him that everyone has something they were willing to break the rules for. I could have told him that he was between me and my something.

  Instead, I slashed his throat. He died quickly. I burned the bodies and scattered the ashes out a tiny window with a breeze. It was like they had never existed.

  I climbed the stairs. The topmost landing was empty. I assumed the next set of guards were inside the prison hall. They were probably taunting him. My grip around the stolen dagger tightened.

  I hit it against the door, the walls, the floor. It clanged loud enough to draw the guards out. Perfect.

  “What — ” He did not finish.

  I sent a burst of sparks straight up. Hundreds of bats erupted from the rafters and swarmed us. The guards swatted at them. They flung their bodies wildly in their useless attempts to avoid the bats. I was completely still as I watched. Finally, one stepped too close to me. I had only to nudge him and he tipped over the edge of the stairs. His partner followed him shortly after I snatched his keys. The fall had likely killed them. I wanted to burn them for good measure, but I was less inclined to waste time.

  The bats were clearing out. I let them be. The Seelie in front would probably think it was planned as part of their finale. It was a tragic accident that the guards, disoriented from the mass of flying bodies, had fallen down the stairwell.

  I had a clear path to the door. I took a deep breath. I stepped carefully into the hall. It was quiet. You could hear the chaos of the bats outside but this room was perfectly still. I moved forward, holding my breath. His cell was right where I expected. He stared at me, his soft, brown eyes full of questions. I stared back, my body tense, my heart threatening to break out of my chest.

  I would not despair over his imprisonment.

  You will get him out now, Cearo.

  I would not be despondent at his forgetfulness.

  You knew it would be this way, Cearo.

  I knew. I had prepared. But not nearly enough.