A human seer and an elven prince have one thing in common: a missing sister.
Seraiah's dreams have a habit of coming true, but when all her dreams turn into nightmares, she fears for her sister's life. Each nightmare is a little different, but they...
The castle was quiet as Kai buckled his sword belt in place and left his room. Guards fell in around him, and he couldn't help but notice the tension in them tonight. If Virelai's information was correct, it would start soon.
Kai had done all he could. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would be enough.
He had to trust that Seraiah had followed his instructions, and Kestrel would know to get them out. Then it would be up to the two of them to find Sterling and restore her to her rightful place.
A second set of guards entered the hall and headed directly for him. He could have turned away or gone back, but he knew it would do no good. The only way was forward.
When the guards reached him, they fanned out, blocking any passage.
"Come with us," the one at the center ordered.
Kai's other guards moved to block the way back.
He took a breath and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He wished he could have told Seraiah the truth, but it would have done neither of them any good—not when he knew how this would end. Telling her would have been purely selfish, and he was anything but that.
Kai released his breath and pulled his sword free.
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Seraiah stepped up to the balcony railing and looked down—a long way down. It would put them on the other side of the castle from the stables if they could make it to the bottom in one piece.
Kestrel lifted the seat of what Seraiah had thought was a simple bench and pulled out a coil of rope.
"How did you know that was there? Did you know this was going to happen?" Seraiah asked, watching Kestrel shake out the coil.
"These were the Queen's rooms, remember? They were prepared in case of any sort of attack," Kestrel answered. "And no, I didn't know this was going to happen, but I'm betting Kai did and didn't see fit to tell either of us."
Seraiah detected a hint of annoyance in Kestrel's voice as she knotted the rope around the balcony railing.
"He's been unusually secretive lately," Kestrel said, straightening up.
Seraiah thought back to Kai telling her Virelai had information he needed. This must be what she'd told him about. He'd known what was going to happen, and this was why he'd warned Seraiah to keep Kestrel with her tonight.
Kestrel yanked on the rope to confirm it was secure before she tossed the rest of it over the edge.
"Ready?" she asked.
Seraiah shook her head. She would never be ready to rappel down the side of a castle.
