Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 48

** LAST CHAPTER!! YAY!! I think this is the longest one I've ever written... I had to split it into three parts!! So the next chapter is actually the last. There's probably a ton of mistakes that I missed while I was editing, so bear with me.
Has anyone heard Taylor Swift's new song The Archer? it came out yesterday and I'm obsessed with it. I was listening to it on replay as I was reading over the ending to this book and now I'm emotional. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy. Stay tuned for an epilogue.**

Chapter 48:

Lyla had no idea how much time passed. It must have been hours. Eventually, her sobbing frayed into whimpering, which tired into sniffles, and at some point she fell asleep.

She dreamt in nightmares— of mermaids and anger and a girl in a golden gown. When she awoke, it was to the sound of the lock jiggling in the door.

Lyla scrambled backwards towards Camille's dresser, pulling her knees up to her chest. The door rattled and she waited with frightened, bloodshot eyes for Lucien or Camille or one of the guards to march through. But they didn't. There was the sound of shoes scuffing the floor outside and a few voices whispering. A soft silence followed, and for a moment Lyla could only hear her own quick, panicked breaths.

A head peered around the door. Two bluish-green eyes scanned the room underneath a head of silky brown hair. "Lyla?" Jamie whispered.

Jamie? Lyla was too shocked to move.

"Lyla!" Eli's voice boomed, and a second later he popped up beside the familiar brunette. "Where are-"

"Hush, Eli!" Jamie scolded him. "If we're caught, we're both- Lyla!" She rushed forward as soon as she caught sight of Lyla trembling on the floor.

Lyla's cheeks were still raw from crying, gown wrinkled from sleeping on the floor, and her hair matted into knots. Lyla was certain she looked almost feral. She wanted to say something, but she was still scared stiff, and when she opened her mouth all that came out was a sob.

"Shh, dear, it's alright," Jamie soothed and knelt down beside her. She pulled out a shawl from her satchel and bundled it around her shoulders.

Lyla wondered how she was here. Jamie looked remarkably well. She wore a fine violet gown with gold accents, her hair was shiny and her cheeks rosy, and she smelled like peonies as she wrapped Lyla in a tight hug.

"Lyla, are you alright?" Eli had come forward, too, and spread his arms around the both of them. "We were so worried!"

Jamie shrugged him off, rolling her eyes. "We can have a happy reunion later," she said, standing. "Are you hurt? We must leave immediately, before someone sees us."

"I'm fine. Why..." When Lyla spoke, her voice was a croak. She cleared her throat. "Why are you here? I thought you left, and Eli... " Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, now from relief and confusion and a whole range of emotions that she'd long since needed to release.

"I returned, of course. With help." Jamie helped her to her feet. "I found Eli outside the palace, half mad with worry. He said Ari and Aveline were arrested and that you were gone. He broke us in here."

Lyla wrinkled her nose at him, tugging the ends of Jamie's shawl tighter around herself. "I thought you didn't want to involve yourself."

"No, what I said was that I didn't want to do anything impulsive and land myself in prison, as you obviously did." Eli gave a shudder as he glanced about Camille's room. "You were trapped in here with her?"

"I do not wish to speak of it." Lyla belatedly realized that her words sounded like a comical jab at Camille's expense, but she found she could barely think of the past twelve hours without feeling nauseous.