Oath of Rings

Chapter 11

Bex had never thought about breathing much before. Her body handled that for her, allowing her to focus on other things. Now she was very much out of her element, however, and every push of air out of her chest seemed to grate against her ears. It became obvious very early on that burrowing into the castle with Bayley wasn't going to work: she and the earth-etcher tried a few small practice tunnels around the campsite and Bex froze up every time, unnerved by her inability to see or move while underground. Her attempt with Sasha in the river hadn't gone much better, though it did at least clean away the dirt. Now she was a wet, shivering mess by the campfire, and the other three elementals were all trying to calm her down.

"Bex." Charlotte was kneeling in front of her, holding her hands. "We can use the spell. It works. We know it does. How many times did we test it?"

"But that's out here," Bex mumbled. "In the fresh air with hardly anyone around. We'll be in the castle and there will be people everywhere: the foreign prince, your father, your siblings, knights, guards, courtiers, cooks, attendants, retainers—"

"Attendants and retainers are basically the same thing," Charlotte interjected gently. "Yes, there are always a lot of people in the castle, but they're rarely in the same area at the same time unless there's an event, and the princes' feast is still days away. You won't even encounter half of those people you mentioned, I promise."

Bayley sat beside Bex and squeezed her shoulders. "You are one of the strongest people I know. You sailed from Ireland to England by yourself in that tiny boat! I could never do that. And you're not doing this alone. Charlotte will be with you and then Sasha and I will be inside so quick you won't even have time to miss us."

Bex's laugh sounded more like a gasp for breath, but she rested her head against Bayley's for a moment. "I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all. Like I'm going to ruin everything somehow. . . ."

"Don't be absurd." Sasha sat on the other side of the fire-forger. "You know what you're going to do? You're going to cast that spell with Charlotte and you'll creep into that castle and the only problem you'll have is trying not to laugh at how ridiculous everyone is." Charlotte shot her a look, but Sasha ignored it as usual. "Then you're going to steal some jewellery—not the swords!" she added emphatically, which made Bex smile. Her interest in the swords was well known among the elementals and now she realized if she had wanted one, she should have kept quiet about it. "And some gold and all that stuff we can trade or spend easily. Then we'll be out of there and before you know it, we'll be back on our boat and our only worry will be if we fortified the boat enough to hold all that glorious treasure."

And all of us, Bex thought bleakly, but WHICH of us? Charlotte still hadn't said whether she would be going with them or staying at Castle Flair, but at least Sasha wasn't doubting her loyalty to the plan anymore. "You're sure?" she asked, holding the air-archer's gaze. Though it made her feel a bit guilty, Bex had to admit she had the tiniest doubts about Charlotte. Bayley and Sasha would both be able to make getaways using their powers without hurting anyone, but Bex would be at Charlotte's whim as long as the blurring spell was in place. All the air-archer had to do was change her mind and then Bex would be exposed on the spot. "This is your father, your family, your home. If you don't want to do this anymore. . . ."

"I'm still helping you all. That hasn't changed." Charlotte didn't elaborate on her own fate, however; she simply kissed Bex's forehead and stood. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Bex pulled Bayley and Sasha into a huddle for a quick moment before standing. "Okay. Let's go. Everyone remembers the meeting spot?" To keep things simple—and to keep the others safe in case one member was caught—none of the elementals knew the others' routes: if they were interrogated, they couldn't tell what they didn't know. Bex knew that Sasha was coming up through a well, but she wasn't sure where the well was; likewise, Bayley would be tunnelling in to one of the lower levels, but the fire-forger didn't know a precise location. She herself would be staying as close to Charlotte as possible to keep the spell strong, and they would all meet in the treasure room. Charlotte had instructed her attendants to give her a signal—though they thought it was just so she could sneak away for a tryst—and that would be their cue to leave, no matter where they were or how much treasure they had gathered . . . if any at all. That was the point of the plan where failure was most likely.