Guilt riddled me. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t snuck out like that, tricked him into getting drunk...” I covered my face with my hands. “And after he opened up about everything. He told me about how he became the playboy prince, about his role in mediating between his family and how hard that was on him.”
I hated myself in that moment.
Leoni’s eyes widened. “I’m glad he opened up to you. He doesn’t talk to anyone about his problems. His sister often worried he bottled it up so much that one day he’d explode from all his feelings.” She put a hand on my arm. “Don’t feel bad. You did something few have been able to do: you got him to talk to you.”
That took me aback. I hadn’t known Loch was that closed off.
Leoni studied me with awe. “I can’t believe you’re an actual princess. The princess of the sky court.”
“Yes, let’s talk about that.” Driscoll pressed his hands together. “Can I see your wardrobe?”
“Prince Lochlan is missing, and you want to see her clothes?” Leoni asked.
Despite all the awful things that had happened, I smiled. I’d missed this. Far more than I’d realized. I threw my arms around the both of them. “Thank you for coming,” I said. “We are going to get Loch.”
They shared a look, some conversation happening between them that I didn’t understand.
Driscoll smirked. “Loch, huh? Not Prince Lochlan?”
“The prince,” I quickly corrected, cursing myself, but by the sly glances they passed each other, I knew they were suspicious, and I was not ready to reveal what had happened between me and Loch. Especially not in front of Saestra.
“Okay, how are we going to break Loch out of the sky prisons?” Driscoll asked.
Leoni squeezed her eyes shut like the idea physically pained her. She would be committing a crime, and I knew it went against everything she stood for as guard of Apolis.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said to her.
She took a deep breath. “It’s my duty. Guards are sworn to protect their king, queen, and all heirs at any cost, above all else.” She held up her head. “That’s what I’m doing.”
“Okay, then.” I swallowed, thinking through our options. “You have your earth magic,” I said finally. “Leoni has water magic, and I have...” Well, I had magic that wasn’t reliable. “I have sky magic,” I finished weakly. “Surely we can band together and get him, then get the bloody skies out of here.”
I said it like it was simple, but in reality, it would incredibly complicated.
In my week here, I’d learned a bit about the guards’ schedules and how the prisons were guarded, but I certainly didn’t have enough information to make a foolproof plan. The longer we waited, the more danger we were in.
My father would have everyone looking for me.
“If only there was someone on the inside whom you could trust,” Leoni murmured.
We all slowly turned on Saestra, whose eyes widened as big as saucers. She swallowed, hands wringing together in front of her.
“How badly do you not want to be queen?” Driscoll asked.
She chewed at the inside of her cheek, then gave a sharp nod. “I think I have an idea.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
POPPY
We walked into the castle without Saestra.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Driscoll asked as his head swiveled back and forth. “Because I am not made for prison. Although I do have a prison fantasy about being arrested by a sexy guard and taken right up against the prison walls?—”
“You’re not going to prison,” I said quickly, not sure I believed my own words.
“And if you were going to prison, a guard would never do something so unprofessional,” Leoni added.
“That’s why it’s called a fantasy.” Driscoll scoffed. “Honestly, do you have a sexy bone in your body?”
