Page 29 of A Cage of Crystal
“To spy on me.”
“Highness, please don’t hate me for what he’s asked of me. I have no intention of betraying you, but—just like my cousin has always said—I am weak of mind, and I find it rather difficult to say no.”
Cora’s lips flattened into a line. She just had to bring up Mareleau again. Every mention of the woman had Cora itching to prove she was the opposite. She sat up straighter. “You aren’t weak-minded, Lurel. Your father is a powerful man and he has his reasons for distrusting me and my brother.”
“But I don’t distrust you in the least. Either way, you’re a princess. Should you demand it, I’ll go to my own room. Although…I really have put myself ill at ease about the ghosts, especially now that I know about…about the queen’s room.” Lurel’s voice climbed higher until it ended in a squeak. “My quarters are in that hall.”
Cora nibbled her bottom lip and cast a glance at the setting sun once more. Lurel’s presence would put a hitch in her plans. It was why she hadn’t snuck out to clear the crystal the night before. But at least she’d determined that Lurel was a deep sleeper. The girl had spent most of the night snoring from the other side of the large bed. Cora had tested her ease of waking when she’d left the room to visit the toilet, but Lurel had remained in the depths of slumber.
Cora released a resigned sigh. “You can stay.”
* * *
It was nearingmidnight when Cora finally left her room. Dressed in her shift and teal riding cloak, the amber crystal weighing down one of her pockets, she entered the hall outside her room, finding it empty. Her shields were down, allowing her to sense nearby emotion, but every strain of feeling that reached her was calm. Muted by sleep. On silent feet, she crept down the stairs. Unlike when Morkai had the run of the castle, there weren’t guards pacing every corridor, so she didn’t have to worry about evading them. In contrast, the castle was far more heavily staffed than it had been under the duke, which made the servants’ passage a risk. So instead, she kept close to the walls, kept her shields down, and made her way straight from the keep to the kitchen.
Her heart climbed into her throat as she tiptoed out the same door she’d fled through when she’d escaped the dungeon, following the same path that led to the ivy-covered gap in the castle wall. She wrapped the elements around her, concealing her, masking the sounds of her steps. It might have been an unnecessary precaution, considering she’d yet to come across anyone, but the memory of what she was doing now echoed the escape she’d made almost two months ago, reminding her of when sentries stalked the wall, when a beastly creature shadowed her steps, pursuing her into the crevice—
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to pause and look around. This was not the Ridine Castle she’d escaped from. Morkai’s men weren’t patrolling the wall this time, only a few bored sentries near the gate. And the Roizan wasn’t nipping at her heels. It was gone. Dead. Like Morkai.
With her nerves settled, she proceeded the rest of the way to the wall and located the opening. The narrow crevice wasn’t the most welcoming of places, but it was her ticket to momentary freedom. Shoving the ivy aside, she plunged into the dark fissure.
14
Anxiety tickled Cora’s chest the deeper she went into the pitch-black crevasse, but soon a calming presence cut through every dark emotion.
I’m here, Valorre said from the other side of the wall.
Emboldened, Cora rushed the rest of the way out of the opening and found her friend standing on the other side. The moonlight glinted upon the slender horn at the center of his head and sent his white coat gleaming. Her heart swelled in her chest as a sudden wave of emotion constricted her throat. This was the first time she’d laid eyes on Valorre since the battle.
She was so relieved, so overjoyed at seeing him that she ran to him at once. He startled only a little as she threw her arms around his thick neck and buried her face into his hide. It wasn’t something she’d done before. Valorre wasn’t a pet, after all, but a fae creature. A person. And his temperament wasn’t always cuddly. But Cora couldn’t find it in her to care. Not with his soft coat pressed against her cheek, the aromas of dirt, leaves, and soil surrounding her, wrapping her in a blanket that felt so much more like home than a dusty castle did.
Yes, I am quite soft, aren’t I?Valorre said, bumping her shoulder with his muzzle.You will find the base of my ears are soft too. Perhaps you can scratch them?
With a chuckle, she stepped back and gave in to his request. “I missed you, Valorre. I…I think you’re my best friend.”
Ah. That’s nice. Teryn is my best friend.
She halted her scratching, mouth falling open as her euphoric joy turned to indignation. “Teryn? Why the Mother Goddess is he your best friend? You hardly know him.”
He rippled with something like laughter.I think it’s called humor.
She blinked at him a few times, at the twinkle in his russet eyes, and arched a brow. “You were teasing me.”
It was fun.
“Then I am your best friend, right?”
Yes, I suppose you are.
She rolled her eyes at his begrudging tone. “So, you’ve been so bored without me that you learned humor in my absence. How does that work? Aren’t fae creatures unable to lie?”
That sounds false to me.
“Well, it was a very rude joke. Teryn, of all people.” Her heart stuttered. Even saying the prince’s name brought to mind their last encounter. The anger she’d expressed to him. Her humiliation over having been promised to his brother at his behest. The note he’d sent that she’d thrown in the fire. The meeting he’d requested that she never attended. What was it he’d wanted to tell her?
You miss him too. Like you missed me.
She forced her thoughts away and scoffed. “Why would I miss him?”