Page 75 of Hearts on Fire
“Has it not been enough? How much longer do you need to stay here before you take a chance to leave? A few more days? Months?” Elex propped his hands on his hips with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Should I come back in a year or two?”
The man grumbled something under his breath as others laughed.
“The sooner we attack, the higher our chances to win,” Elex explained, his expression turning serious again. “King Edkhar thinks the war is over. I don’t want to give him any time to recover from yesterday's battle and to replenish his army.”
At the sound of King Edkhar’s name, men cursed and spat.
“I want him alive,” Elex warned. “You have every right to hate him for the way he’s been treating you. But this is very important. The king has to stay alive.”
Twenty-Two
ELEX
He would have reached the Bozyr Peak in minutes had he flown. But he chose to hike on foot alongside his men. Only when the king’s castle walls rose above them did he unfurl his wings.
“I’ll sneak in to open all the doors and gates,” he told Voron. “Lead them to the main gates of the castle, then have them spread out once inside the walls.”
The sky fae nodded, adjusting the ruffled cuff of his silk shirt.
Elex had been a little surprised to see Voron come along. He’d expected him to stay behind and let the gargoyles fight their wars on their own. But the sky fae must have grown too bored after the years spent in the gloomy Desolate Peak to miss out on the action.
Like the rest of them, Voron had walked, though he certainly could have flown instead. Sky fae came in all shapes and sizes. Some had tails, horns, or even hooves. Those who looked like Voron were called “highborn.” All the highborn had wings. Elex imagined Voron hid his, just like gargoyles did.
Voron had kept up with the marching pace Elex had set without a complaint. And now, he took his orders without pushing back.
Elex searched his army for the bearded man, Gabrik. He spotted him nearby and gestured for him to come closer. The man proved resilient, keeping to the front of the line all the way from the Desolate Peak. Elex needed his caution to counteract the sky fae’s coldblooded determination.
“Voron will take half of the men south around the castle,” he said to Gabrik. “Take the other half and circle the Bozyr Peak from the north. Spread out and use every door, window, and gate you can find to get in the moment they open. But stay away from them when they’re closed. My opening them won’t be safe for anyone nearby.”
Amber stepped forward, adjusting the new bow on her shoulder, Voron’s gift. She had mostly kept up with the gargoyles. Elex had only managed to talk her into allowing him to carry her once for a short period of time during their long, grueling hike.
“I’ll show you a way to sneak in,” she said.
He nodded somberly. The last thing he wanted was to drag her back into the hornet’s nest of the king’s castle. But he agreed it was best for them to stay close to each other.
He drew her slender body into his, wrapped his arms around her, and took off. He flew low, staying in the shadows cast by the surrounding rocks and avoiding the lookouts.
The main gate in the castle’s outer wall was closed. It usually was kept open during the day to let in the merchants from the valley or to allow the female servants to move in and out of the castle a little easier. Only the many gates in the inner wall were usually closed and guarded during the day.
The lack of guards at the locked main gate told Elex it wasn’t closed out of extra precaution today, but probably because no one cared to open it that morning. The king and his men must be celebrating heavily. And the guards and servants would be busy catering to them.
Once he reached the spot where Amber used to practice with her bow and arrows, he flew over the castle’s outer wall. No one stopped them. Clearly, King Edkhar felt confident after his victory, letting the security slack.
“There is a breach over there,” Amber said, leading him to the spot where the inner wall had crumbled. The remaining part of it was so low, there was no need for him to use his wings. They climbed over it, then she led him to a similarly dilapidated wooden door low on the side of the castle.
“Lots of things need to be fixed around here,” Amber observed.
They certainly did. It hurt him to see the signs of neglect and ruin in his family home. King Edkhar’s resources had been clearly spent elsewhere.
He placed his hand on the door. The warm touch of the castle’s magic was like a handshake of a friend. He used a tendril of it to turn the lock open. The hinges didn’t screech when he shoved against the door.
“I put some lard on these,” Amber explained, touching the metal scrolls of the hinges. “They’re pretty rusty and used to be very noisy.”
A smile tugged at his mouth, tenderness spreading through his chest with warmth. He wished he could kiss her. Only a kiss could cost them both their lives. Just past the narrow passage behind the door, life boiled over with the noises of running feet, clanking of dishes, and yelling between the servants. It was the time of the royal midday meal, which was at full swing, by the sound of it. The king prided himself on his celebrations, and the end of a decades-long war would be a great cause to celebrate hard.
Keeping an eye on the end of the corridor, he drew his sword. He planned to blast all the doors, gates, and windows open at once, not leaving anything to chance. But for that, he had to get to the middle of the castle, to use the magic at its core.
“Be safe,” Amber whispered, gripping her bow so tight, her knuckles paled.