Page 68 of Throne of Ice and Blood
“Hello, Selena,” Kath replies in an equally soft voice.
She is sitting on the other side of the planter, behind my back and a little to the left. When I pretend to sweep my gaze up and down the street, I can only just make out her red hair from the corner of my eye.
I didn’t even hear her walk over and sit down. But since Kath is a member of the human resistance, and a pretty high-ranking one too, I suppose she does know how to discreetly move through a crowd.
“You’re a hard woman to find,” she says.
Tilting my head down, I pretend to watch the stones below so that no one will notice that my mouth is moving when I reply, “I know. I’m under almost constant surveillance. Did you get the messages I left?”
“Yes. But it has been a while since your last one now.”
“I’m still trying to find the other entrance to the tunnel. But for that, I need an excuse to go out to the east side of the mountain when it’s still daylight.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
I adjust my position a little so that it won’t look suspicious that I’m sitting in the exact same way for too long. Once my mouth is once more hidden from view, I begin asking a question that I have been wondering about ever since I realized how the Red Hand is getting in and out of the Ice Palace.
“Kath?” I begin.
“Yes?”
“Why can’t the Red Hand do this? If he can get inside the castle, why do you need me to find a route to the treasury?”
Her red hair swings slightly in the corner of my eye, as if she looked up and down the street to make sure that no one overheard me. Then she lets out a soft sigh. “Because the Red Hand is our secret weapon. He’s not involved in the heist. The heist ismyresponsibility. He only focuses on assassinating strategic people. We could never risk him being captured just for a surveillance mission like this.” A soft laugh, barely more than a whisper, escapes her lips. “And besides, he kind of just does whatever he wants.”
I suppose that makes sense. The Red Hand isn’t just a skilled member of the human resistance. He is their most important symbol. If he were to be captured, they wouldn’t just lose a capable operative. If Draven were to arrest the Red Hand, it would gut morale and destroy the hope and revolutionary momentum that the resistance has built.
“Makes sense,” I reply.
“I need to move soon, otherwise they might start to notice me,” she whispers back. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes. After the heist, I need to get out of the city.” I swallow down a sudden sense of dread. “Draven is going to hunt me to the ends of the world once he realizes what I’ve done.”
“Figured as much. We’ll try to set up a plan for how to get you out.”
“It’s not just me. There are three more fae in the palace. I’m getting them out too.”
Kath falls silent. I desperately want to turn around and look at her, but I force myself to keep my eyes on the buildings ahead. The soldiers from the Black Dragon Clan are still hurling furniture and decorations out of the windows while Draven stands there in front of the humans, staring them down and daring them to protest. A loud crash echoes between the stone walls as a cabinet hits the ground. The people who were passingthis part of the street hurry past while casting worried glances at the unfolding events.
“Just getting one fae out of the city will be difficult enough,” Kath replies at last. “But four?” Her hair swings in the corner of my eye as she shakes her head.
I grip the edge of the planter hard. “I’m not leaving without them.”
Once again, she falls silent. Then she lets out a soft sigh. “Then you’re gonna have to convince someone I’m not even sure exists.”
“Who?”
“According to my brother, who has listened to one too many bedtime stories in his life, there is supposed to be a fae woman living out here in Frostfell who helps smuggle other fae out of the city. I’m not sure if she’s real or if this is just a myth, but I’ll talk to my brother. If he knows where to find her, I’ll leave the instructions at the drop point.”
“Thank you.”
“I really need to go now.”
“Then you…” I trail off, because the hint of red hair has already disappeared from the corner of my eye.
A few moments later, I find Kath walking down the street in the other direction. I slide my gaze back to Draven, who is once more threatening the humans.
Drawing in a breath, I straighten my spine as resolve pulses through me.
