Despite the scene I’d witnessed, though, I couldn’t find any others like it. In the few memories I encountered with Jassin, there were no more glimpses of cruelty or depravity. In Thuridan’s mind, Jassin was a shining figure. He’d protected him. He’d raised him. No wonder Thuridan resented me for Jassin’s death—I’d practically killed his father.
“Why was he so different for you?” I whispered, more to myself than Thuridan. “What did he stand to gain?”
He loved me! the faerie lashed out, his voice coming at me from every direction.
“No.” My tone was pitying but firm. “Jassin didn’t love anything. He didn’t know what love was. I was inside his head, too. I saw everything.”
I was so intrigued that I forgot we had an audience, and every word I said out loud was being quietly cataloged and filed away by the desperate prisoners filling these cells. This time, Thuridan didn’t respond. I could taste his fear—it had a fruity flavor, like wildberries—but he was careful not to let any terrified thoughts form. I had my claws buried deep inside him, and Thuridan was managing to keep secrets from me. His resilience was both admirable and annoying. I gritted my teeth and prepared to go even further, knowing if he fought me again, we’d both pay a price. I began my search anew and opened another door.
This time, I went still at the sight of Lyari.
She faced Thuridan, both of them in these very dungeons. He stood in front of a door I’d never laid eyes on before. The passageway was so dim that I shouldn’t have been able to see Lyari’s face, but thanks to Thuridan’s fae eyesight, I could see her almost as clearly as if she were a photograph in my hand. She wore her Guardian uniform, of course, and her long hair was in its customary braid. What wasn’t typical, however, was the paper bag she held in one hand, in place of the sword hilt it was usually wrapped around.
“What are you doing here?” Thuridan demanded, unable to hide his flash of temper. He’d been trying to avoid her. He’d taken an extra shift because of it. Two extra shifts.
The other Guardian glared at him, and her expression was so familiar, so Lyari, that my own heart roused with longing. It felt like years had gone by since I’d seen her last. I forced the feeling aside and refocused on this memory I’d stumbled upon.
“…eaten all day. From the sounds your stomach is making, it seems I was correct, of course. You won’t do a very good job guarding this cell if you’re light-headed with hunger,” she said crossly, thrusting the bag out again.
Thuridan followed the movement of her fingers, thinking of how beautiful they were. I recognized the tightness in his chest because I’d felt it in my own—longing. Desire. From the ferocity of it, I would guess that Thuridan had been in love with Lyari for a long, long time. But he was wary of his feelings, just as strongly as I edged around what I felt for Collith and Laurie. Interesting. Very interesting, I thought, taken off guard.
Lyari rolled her eyes. “Stop overthinking it, Thuridan.”
Hearing his name on her lips sent a rush of unexpected heat to Thuridan’s groin. This was instantly followed by an even stronger, more familiar reaction. When I felt the true extent of his fear, I knew I had him. But my victory was tainted by reluctance; I wished it hadn’t involved Lyari.
The memory wasn’t over yet, and I was too curious to withdraw. Thuridan was still fighting against the wave of feeling, and it felt as if Lyari’s voice came from a distance when he heard her ask, “Did someone hit you in the head?”
Realizing that she’d caught him staring, he scowled to hide his embarrassment. “Take your food and your pity. I want neither,” he snapped.
“Pity has nothing to do with it,” Lyari snapped back. “We’re not children anymore, Thuridan, and I’m not one of the bullies who tormented you. Can’t you let the past be the past?”
Thuridan gave her a scornful smile. “That’s right. I forgot how quickly you can forget things—like your honor, for one thing. Your dignity, as well. Tell me, do you keep the Nightmare’s bed warm for her, or do you just sleep at her feet like a dog?”
Lyari looked back at him, and her face cleared of all emotion. Without another word, she dropped the paper bag at Thuridan’s feet, turned on her heel, and left him in the darkness. As the sound of her footsteps faded, I decided this was the memory I’d use for the first phase of our plan.
It’s precisely because you’re a Nightmare that you must be the one to free him, Laurie had said. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Once we’d talked about it in more detail, I couldn’t help but agree. Tricking whatever Guardian was on duty would be far more time efficient than torture or bribery, neither of which would’ve been guaranteed to work, anyway.
There was no more time to waste—there hadn’t been any to begin with—and every moment that passed posed a risk of discovery. Though it felt cruel, I flexed my will effortlessly. In the next breath, Lyari started screaming. Collith’s cell, I whispered to Thuridan. It’s coming from Collith’s cell.
Thuridan stood there, his spine ramrod straight, eyes narrowed. Lyari’s cries didn’t stop, and I sensed his heartbeat quicken as he allowed himself to wonder if they were real. He couldn’t see me, couldn’t remember meeting me in the passageway, and while his mind worked, I fanned the flames of his agitation as if I were exhaling on a bed of tinder and sparks. I felt the exact moment Thuridan let the fear claim him.
Just as we’d hoped, he fell for my illusion hook, line, and sinker.
Reacting faster than I anticipated, Thuridan disappeared in a blur of movement. I cursed under my breath and bolted after him, hefting the sword up with my aching arm. I could see Thuridan’s shape, a dim shadow off to the left. If he entered the cell and I wasn’t there, I’d lose precious seconds backtracking. So much of Laurie’s scheme came down to timing. I swore again and ran harder.
I caught up with Thuridan at the exact moment he pulled at a deadbolt, grunting with effort. Flakes of rust fluttered toward the ground. I’d been down here several times now, and not once had I wondered where the tunnel ended—my loudest instinct was always to get out as quickly as possible. But the tunnel didn’t end with a final cell.
It ended at a door.
It was the same one I’d seen in the memory with Lyari. There was something eerie and forgotten about it. The wood was warped and rotted, and the iron bar that rested in two thick brackets was covered with rust.
Collith was behind that door.
We no longer had the mating bond or the Court bond to sense each other by, but I knew, as sure as I knew my name, that I was right. The door hinges released a series of shrieks and moans, and I winced at the racket. Hopefully any Guardians that might’ve heard would just assume it was Thuridan.
As he rushed over the threshold, I made sure I was touching him, pressed close to the faerie’s back in hopes of confusing the spell. It worked.
Thuridan searched wildly for Lyari. Using my magic with cold efficiency, I set the memory of her on a loop and withdrew from the Guardian’s mind. He stared at the far wall, seeing Lyari arrive at the dungeons all over again, holding that paper bag in her hand. Omar mentioned that you took his shift, and I know for a fact that you took Malachi’s, too, she said in her brisk way. It seemed safe to assume that you haven’t eaten all day. From the sounds your stomach is making, it seems I was correct, of course.