Page 195 of Scourged
“I don’t know what we’ll face in there,” she said softly. “But I do know that I’m thankful to have all of you by my side while I do.”
“We are with you, Mariah.” The words passed Andrian’s lips without a thought. The others murmured their agreement, and Mariah’s lips tilted up in the hint of a smile.
“Let’s go rescue my family.”
Andrian’s angerwas a cool fire as he stared at the spires of the castle at Khento from behind the tree line, the stone piercing the bright cloudless sky. The eight of them knelt together in the dense underbrush, scanning the castle in silence.
The parapets lining the castle walls were empty. No guards walked alert with bows and arrows. Just as it had been when they’d escaped the last time.
Everything about it made Andrian’s skin crawl.
“Alright,” Quentin said, shouldering his pack. “Matheo, Trefor, you know the plan?—”
“Wait.”
Quentin stilled, and they all turned slowly to Mariah. A mask of cold determination was painted over her intoxicating features.
“I’m changing things. I’m going up to the front door and knocking.”
Sebastian made an exasperated sound, and Drystan blanched. But Andrian …
A smirk twitched at his lips. Mariah had never been one for hiding in the shadows, always opting to embrace the light. Of course she would want to walk right in through the front gates.
That’s my girl.
“Mariah. Absolutely not. That is a terrible idea.” Sebastian shifted, his knee dropping to the moss-covered ground. Mariah faced him slowly, blinking with mild disinterest.
“We have a plan for areason. Let Quentin and the others lay their diversion while we sneak in through the gardens. Just because we suspect a trap doesn’t mean we need to walk right into it.”
“They didn't just take my family for no reason, Sebastian. They took them to get tome.” Mariah’s words were so low they were almost a growl. “I want those lords to look me in the eye and tell me why they thought they could get away with threatening my own. I have the full power of the queen, and I’m blessed by two goddesses. Who in there can stop me?”
Sebastian made a frustrated groan. He glanced at Andrian. “Please, Andrian, tell her this is a bad idea.”
Andrian prickled, brows pushing together in a scowl.
Of course he despised the idea of Mariah putting herself in danger. But she was right; who could stop her?
And he never wanted to be the man who told her to stand by while others fought her battles. She could burn the whole world down herself, and he’d be there proudly at her side.
“Actually,” he said in a low voice. “I agree with Mariah.”
Mariah watched him with a feverish brightness in her forest green eyes and a slight tilt to her head.
“I agree that she should not be afraid to make her presence known. But the rest of us still need to split up.” He met Sebastian’s hard glare. “Here’s our new plan …”
Andrian braced his feet,hands shoved deep in his pockets, as Mariah’s fist connected with the massive castle door.
His idea hadn’t exactly been well received; not at first. But the more he’d explained, the more Mariah’s eyes had sparked, her mind working to catch up with his.
By the end, even Sebastian couldn’t argue against the logic.
They’d split into three groups. Sebastian, Drystan, and Feran would slip in through a servant’s entrance by the stables while Matheo, Trefor, and Quentin went through the gardens. Sebastian’s group would comb the castle for Mariah’s family, and the moment they found them, they would alert Mariah through their bond. Quentin, Matheo, and Trefor would set off their diversion in the gardens—which Andrian still wasn’t sure what it would be, exactly, but was ensured it would guarantee their escape.
Meanwhile, Mariah and Andrian would walk in through the front door. No matter what chaos Quentin created, nothing would cause as much commotion as the queen herself appearingon the doorstep. The focus would be on them and away from the three men searching the castle.
And once Mariah’s family was out and safe, well … hopefully Quentin’s diversion, and their own magic and swords, would be enough.
That was the part Sebastian had liked the least. But even he couldn’t deny that unleashed, Mariah and Andrian’s magic together—light and shadows—would be unstoppable. Even against other wielders.