“We can’t let them use Lettie,” Miri whispered. “They can never take her blood.”
Cass didn’t answer, because they both knew the kings would wait. Queen’s blood was the only thing capable of dismantling the protections the Storm Queen put in place, and until Lettie’s name day, she would not be a true queen. The sorcerers would attempt to take her then. But the kings were no fools. They understood that a queen was the only one who could prevent the sorcerers from overtaking the realm. They would have a plan in place to prevent such a thing, probably to drain her in a public display and let her blood spill over the square. They would be safe from the sorcerers’ grasp.
Both sides played a dangerous game. No matter who won, it was the realm who paid the price.
“They’ll be watching the ports.” Cass sighed, returning to the more pressing issue of their continued escape. “We’ll have to swim ashore north of Stormskeep and continue on foot until we can find a safe route in.” He did not have to say the rest—that sorcerers would be everywhere and that Miri’s face could be recalled by anyone old enough to remember. Stormskeep was her home, its citizens her family. They would not forget. “I’ll sneak into the shelter deck and find us some clothes.” His gaze raked over her hair. “Maybe see if you can sort that out.”
Miri hiccuped a laugh, but it made her chest hurt. “Daring words for a man who’s nearly bare beneath a stolen robe.”
Cass’s expression was solemn, and she had the feeling he was grateful he had any clothes at all. He rose to his feet, muttering, and Miri’s smile melted into something more genuine.
Cass had returned with hard bread and two sets of dusty clothes, and Miri was dressed as a crewman, baggy pants tucked into her boots and braided hair stuffed beneath a worn cap. Cass had tied a block to the monstrosity that was her costume dress and drowned it in the river, in case the ship was searched at dock. They were safe from being reported since the crew had given them passage, because the kings wouldn’t care whether they’d intended to help or not. In the days that had followed Miri and Cass’s escape, the other sorcerers would have discovered the footprints out of the ash and that Cass had not been burned. The kingsmen would have been questioned and would have admitted that the captive girl had fainted and that she’d had to be carried as they approached the tower.
Traces of their presence and details of the previous assassinations would be tallied. Miri and Cass would be found out.
They leapt from the boat without warning to the captain or crew. Cass had waited for an opportune moment when the crew was distracted so that he could tow Miri with him as he swam toward shore. The fewer who witnessed their departure, the better, and Miri saw none appear to take notice, if they’d seen them at all.
“How long do you think we have?” Miri asked as they walked through the low grass that bordered the river. They would make for the trees and do their best to stay out of sight. Her eyes had not yet adjusted, and the open air seemed too bright.
“Days,” Cass said. His linen shirt clung to his skin, his hair was dripping, and his chin was dark with stubble. “It will be much harder, but we will have more help.”
Miri’s stomach went tight. Terric and the others had been gathering support, drawing together the last of the queensguard and those loyal to the true heir. They would risk everything, all in on the last chance to save the realm. She stumbled, and Cass’s hand latched onto her elbow to steady her. His gaze came to hers, searching, and Miri reined in her emotions. “I’ve got it,” she said. “Sea legs, is all.”
Cass gave her a look, but she kept on. They walked through thin trees over rolling hills and rich soil and plants greener than anything she’d seen in ages. Familiar scents assaulted her at every turn. Miri’s chest swelled in a deep breath, and her fingers itched to touch the trees and the earth and the undeniable sensation of home. When she glanced at Cass, his eyes were on the forest, and she could see the change in him as well. They had been dragged as children out of Stormskeep, the only place that had ever felt safe and secure. They were there to take it back.
Cass’s gaze met hers, but they didn’t speak. They only moved forward, toward the late-day sun. The location of his exit from the boat had not been an accident, and he led them to a small farm that must have been a full day’s walk from the keep. It was late summer, warm as the sun set on a field of wheat and the call of goats echoed from their pen near the barns. Miri’s thumb pressed against the gold band on her finger, and she reminded herself that she was Bean. They had not a single pack or possession aside from the stolen clothes they wore, but Cass strode forward with a confidence that lent her strength. He left her by the stable while he met with the proprietor and returned by the time the animals had lost interest in their new visitor.
They’d been given a small cabin near the rear of the property, and as Cass fetched water for the heating stove, a woven basket of food and a stack of fresh clothes were delivered.
By nightfall, Miri and Cass were fed and clean and wrapped loosely in soft blankets beneath thin nightclothes despite the heat. It felt good to be in a bed, over steady planks that didn’t sway with the current of the Maidensgrace. The bed was large in the single room, and Cass sat at one end with Miri at the other.
She shifted closer, used to his presence, and leaned her back to the wall beside him. “You’ve not asked me to tell you,” she said. Her voice was soft, and she was hesitant to break the pleasant peace. He’d always asked her before to tell him of the kingdom and the man she would kill and the method in which she planned to do it. But not with Stormskeep and Nicholas.
Cass frowned. “I want to tell you not to do it. After everything, I still want to ask you not to risk it. I warn you that I know it will be the death of you, and my brothers have tried and failed.” His eyes met hers. “That I’ve watched them die trying.”
“Why don’t you?” she whispered.
“Because I know it’s wrong. I understand why you must.”
She’d made a vow, a promise that could not be broken. Cass had made a promise, too, one that she would force him to break. He could not keep Miri alive, because Miri was walking to her death and because Miri’s vow had been an order by their queen.
Miri swallowed the words that bubbled up, unable to give them voice. She couldn’t stomach the idea of losing Cass, but Cass could never be hers. He was bloodsworn. He belonged to the realm. His duty was to protect her, and it was law and his honor that demanded they not be so near. But he wasn’t wrong. Miri would be gone soon. There would be nothing left to protect.
“Cass,” she started, but her voice died away, because in his eyes was an answer to her fears. She leaned forward, watching him as she reached to trace a thumb over the edge of his lip. She had touched him there before, to brush away a spot of honey, and Miri had wanted nothing more than to press her mouth to his.
He did not move to her, but Miri shifted nearer. When she finally brushed her lips over his, Cass’s eyes fell closed in what felt like release or surrender. His strong hands slid over the thin shift that covered her hips, and he drew her closer.
The blanket fell away as his warm lips parted beneath hers, deepening the kiss. Her hands went to his chest then his neck, touching his bare skin, and the presence of him flooded her. She wanted to be nearer and to press herself to him and get lost in the comfort that he’d always provided, the relief she’d felt from the constant loss and knowing what was to come. She wanted to let herself fall. But as grateful as she was to be touching him, part of her would not allow herself to be content in his arms—not while Lettie suffered.