Sadie shook her head. “Not that I’ve noticed.”
“Good. Then we can talk freely and come up with a plan.” It would be hard to strategize without first knowing the abilities of their group. Mara seemed like a redcap, right up until their night together when she was affected by the Faerie dust. The way her fangs and claws grew . . . those weren’t known traits in redcaps. That was High Fae . . . but which bloodline? She had said she didn’t know much about herself. And what of Sadie? Was she full redcap, or was there something more to her too?
“A plan?” Sebastian scoffed, tearing Vareck from his thoughts. “Don’t be so naïve. Acting now will only get us killed.”
“Seriously, Bast?” Lines formed on Sadie’s brow as a clear look of distaste etched onto her face.
“Seriously,” the prince mocked her in return. “I told you we should have stayed in the cave, and now look where we ended up. Any survival training that I have endured insists that you stay where you are. That way others can find you.”
“That’s probably the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” Sadie hissed.
“You found me that way, did you not?” Sebastian gazed up with a smirk, his dark bangs drifting in front of his eyes. He looked a lot different unshaven and a little disheveled. His robes from the night of the ball were torn to better suit the environment. Yet, how he had survived for this long with his spoiled history and bad attitude was truly a mystery to Vareck.
“Not the point,” Sadie shot back.
“Oh yes, because following the Ohkal-whatevers worked out really well for us, dear Sadie.” Sebastian’s approach was begging for Vareck’s talons across his face. If only he had let loose back in the bedroom in the castle when he caught him kissing Mara. At least then he had an excuse.
Mara glanced over in his direction, shooting him a small but tired smile. How did she do that? It was as if she knew the weight of the situation was wearing his patience thin. His lips twitched upward, trying to return the gesture.
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared, nephew. Learn to shut up and listen to a drop of wisdom from time to time.”
“Oh, wise and powerful Uncle, I never knew a woman’s nonsense was—”
“Whoa.” Mara sat up slowly, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Put those words back into your mouth before I shove them down your throat.”
Despite his annoyance that they couldn’t even agree to stay on task, Vareck couldn’t help feeling a flutter of pride for his mate. What could he say? He liked it better when she was glaring daggers at Sebastian. It certainly made it feel like they had something in common. “Enough. Focus on the matter at hand. We don’t know how much time we have. For all we know, this could be the night that the fire is meant for us.”
“Right,” Mara mumbled, watching as Sebastian indicated for the rock monster to work on his shoulders before closing his eyes again.
He couldn’t believe his nephew was such a fool. “Are you all well enough to fight?” The sisters both nodded, Mara not even taking a moment to hesitate. If anything, she was certainly resilient and determined. And stubborn. He let out a small sigh, searching his brain for a solution to their current dilemma. Vareck dared to dip his fingertips into the bowl of fruit, pulling out something that resembled an apple. He might have thought it was one, were it not for the fruit’s deep-purple skin.
He took a bite; the flesh crisp against his teeth and the smooth, sweet flavors danced on his tongue. He wasn’t about to admit that it was good, the only reason he was even indulging was because he needed his strength. “Do these creatures have a routine?”
“Routine?” Sadie asked.
“Yeah, do they sleep or take shifts keeping watch?” Mara said.
“They light a fire every night. I’m not sure if the Okalri actually sleep, but they sort of like . . . power down?” Sadie scratched the back of her head.
“Power down?” Mara pressed, looking confused.
“I mean, I’m sure they’re not actually off.” Sadie bit her bottom lip, tilting her head to the side. “They curl up, looking almost like boulders when they do. Once they shut their eyes, their runes start to sort of pulse under the moonlight. Then yeah, I suppose there is something like a watch. A few of them circle the perimeter outside, but for the most part I guess they sleep.”
“Yes, startle them while they rest. Nothing could possibly go wrong,” Sebastian muttered under his breath.
Vareck ignored his nephew, taking in the new pieces of information as a plan formed. “That seems to settle it, then. Night is our best opportunity to escape.”
Corvo
The pitter-patter of his tiny footfalls echoed down the halls of the grand castle. Corvo sniffed about, little tufts of the hair in his ears twitching in every direction. Besides the servants who were only good for snacks, everyone of importance seemed to be impossible to find. His connection with Vareck didn’t count when he needed to get ahold of literally anyone else. Where was Dorian? Lorne? Kaia? Hell, he’d even talk to Chef Marcus at this point.
Compared to the cold, marble flooring beneath him, Corvo yearned for the hot desert sands of Thyam. Odd that of all places he had found his master in his own realm. And with that annoying nephew, no less. His tail flicked impatiently, picking up the pace as he skirted down another hallway. He had no idea how they got there, but he knew he was their only way out. Corvo couldn’t help but feel a little useless in this form.
Funny that he had once been an all-powerful demon god, ready to crash his will down upon the realms of many. Now, well . . . now he got the occasional itch behind his ear that he used his back foot to scratch and licked himself to take a bath.
With a running jump, he scrambled up to the closest windowsill. Each pane of glass was frosted over by the snow. His ears flattened as he let out a small breath, rubbing the fur of his head against the window. The panel was freezing, but at least it would clear a view for him out into the courtyard. Corvo huffed when it wasn’t enough to see, moving back and forth again as he rubbed his whole body across the glass, his fur sticking up as a result of the moisture.
A giggle echoed to his right as one of the maids held a hand to her face as she walked past. If she was trying to hide her amusement, she was doing a terrible job. “Who are you laughing it?” he called out. She stiffened her shoulders as she increased her pace. “I just did your job for you. You’re welcome.” Free window cleaning and not even a moment of gratitude? Ungrateful mortals. Curses ran through this mind as his eyes turned back to the icy world outside. Dorian was a creature of habit, and Corvo fervently hoped that wouldn’t change today. He watched as his target entered the courtyard, sitting down in the same place he did this time every day. He turned to the hallway, focusing on his magic and he hopped down into a void of shadows.
As if the cat had blinked, his body appeared on the bench to Dorian’s right. The man flinched, air hissing between his teeth. “What the hell? Must you always drop in like that?”
“What? Tall, dark, and brooding can’t handle a little spook? Your secrets are safe with me if you help meowt.”
“Did you just . . . was that a pun?”