“Stay here,” he growled at it as best as he could while still trying to keep his voice down.
The creature heeded him none and bounded forward anyway, desperate to reach Kestrel’s heels.
“It can’t come with us,” Leighton whispered to her, a pleading look softening his brow. They had already had this conversation on the way here. A fox couldn’t climb a stone wall, after all, and the poor thing seemed very attached to her. He worried that if they allowed it to wait at the bottom for her, it might start yipping and barking, impatient for her return.
Kestrel squatted down to give the fox’s head a scratch. “You’ll have to wait here with Micah.”
The fox gave a dissatisfied whine, but after one more behind-the-ear rub, it sauntered over to the other brother.
Kestrel stood back up, giving the creature a farewell wave. Micah looked as if he was trying to tell her he’d take care of the fox, but the fear in his eyes was distorting the expression into more of a grimace. She had to turn away.
“Once you’re inside, just remember,” Leighton whispered again, continuing forward and taking his time with where he placed each and every step. “This is a creature of darkness. It relies on sound to hunt its prey. It will not know where you are as long as you are careful and quiet.”
Kestrel nodded and mimicked his path, each placement of her foot an exact recreation of his.
Whenever they neared a thick tree or shrub, they crouched behind it and waited a few moments, listening for anything that might be moving about from beyond those dark, stone walls. All that answered was the low wail of wind that billowedout the gaping hole where the double doors had once stood. The shrapnel of wood lay scattered about the entrance, and Kestrel shuddered to think of how mighty something must’ve been to obliterate them like that, and how he was so certain the monster was still inside.
The sea breeze carried with it the acrid stench of decay, and more than once Kestrel had to shield her nose to prevent herself from gagging.
Leighton, however, seemed impervious to it. He didn’t so much as flinch when they began walking out into the open again, the rotten air blowing so fiercely it jostled his hair. Stench or not, she wouldn’t let him down. Especially not when no one had ever trusted her with such a dangerous feat before.
Thom would’ve never allowed her to risk her life like this.
And for good reason, he said in her mind again.
This time, Kestrel made sure not to utter anything aloud, but she growled back into her head,Shut up!and that seemed to do the trick.
With the gaping entrance swiftly approaching, Kestrel let her gaze wander up the front walls of the castle. The stones themselves were smoother than she expected, but there were still enough chinks and cracks that she knew she could handle it.
The only problem was, she saw no windows.
Kestrel tapped the golden epaulet on Leighton’s broad shoulder. His head twisted to her, and she pointed up at the windowless walls. Now that they were this close, she didn’t want to make a sound.
Leighton peered up and then back at her, confused.
“Windows?” she mouthed.
He tilted his head, indicating toward the side of the building, but he didn’t move toward it.
Kestrel’s brow pinched at first. She thought he’d betaking her to the windows to ensure her safe climb. But then she realized he was exactly where he needed to be: at the entrance, awaiting her distraction so that he could then run inside and finish the job.
Kestrel nodded her understanding. But when she started to step around him and make her way to the side of the building, he reached for her hand.
The gentle touch stopped her in her tracks. Her breath caught in her lungs as he pulled her hand up to his chest with the gentleness of a lover.
Kestrel looked up to him, expecting to meet his fiercely blue eyes and to fall desperately into the intoxicating allure of them again. But instead, she found his attention fixed on her hand, on the place where his thumb was twirling her ring.
“You can do this,” he told her, and it sent her heart drumming. “Dig deep and you’ll find the power you need to end this.”
The drumming stopped, confusion settling in. “To end what?”
Without another word, Leighton ripped the ring off her finger and shoved Kestrel backward.
She stumbled, feet tripping and catching on the broken pieces of the door beneath her, until she lost her balance entirely. She was sent crashing into the darkness beyond the entrance of the fortress, landing on debris. A loud boom echoed down the derelict hall behind her.
Kestrel’s mind was a cyclone. Her heart a thunderstorm. Both banging and churning and flooding her with alarm and confusion.
Her helpless eyes met Leighton’s. “What’s happening? What are you doing?”
