Aerity spotted the chest at the end of the room and pointed. “Wait. Is that . . . ?”
“It is,” Harrison told her. “This tunnel leads north outside the royal walls. The Ascomannians are here. They’ve taken our staff to safety. Their navy has met with ours and awaits further battle in the bay. And what’s more, they told us there is rumor of help coming from both Toresta and Zorfina.”
“Seas above!” Aerity clasped her hands under her chin and beamed, closing her eyes in thanks. If what he’d said was true, and they overthrew Prince Vito, Aerity would spend her entire rule trying to repay the other three kingdoms.
“Does this mean we can leave?” Paxton asked, placing a hand on Aerity’s back.
Harrison grinned. “We’ve just been waiting on word from you.”
A low rumble began in the walls around them. They all looked up, staring at the shaking from feet stomping overhead, and then gaping at the sounds of Kalorian war cries from above.
“They’ve found out you’re gone,” Paxton said. “Go, go, go!”
But Aerity didn’t need to be told. She was already running.
Prince Vito and Rozaria stood in Princess Aerity’s empty chamber, with Nicola silent behind them. In the hall Martone shouted orders to half-drunk Kalorian soldiers, who ran about, confused. A tight knot had formed in Rozaria’sstomach as she considered what might have happened.
“She could have tricked him—”
“Silence,” Vito said in a sinister whisper. “He has made a fool of us. Perhaps now you will finally learn not to trust.” He turned to her with a sneer, and Rozaria locked her jaw in defiance. She was the only Kalorian alive who didn’t fear him, but at that very moment he seemed unstable and capable of lashing out. She kept her distance.
Vito walked the perimeter of the room, skirting the edge of the bed as he ran his fingertips along the downy covers. Menace glistened in his eyes. Rozaria did not want to believe that Paxton had helped the Lochlan queen to escape. He was different, wasn’t he? He’d made her feel things she never allowed herself to feel for men. But how could an unarmed girl overtake a strong Lashed? It only made sense that he had helped her. They were missing,together.
Rozaria sensed Nicola behind her, and felt a surge of dread: Had she been wrong about the hunter all along? Her two closest comrades, Nicola and Vito, had not trusted him, and she ignored their doubts.
A flare of disappointment singed her from the inside. Nicola must have sensed her mood because she silently moved next to her, their arms touching, as if to let her know she was still there. Still at her side. Rozaria raised her chin and felt the shame of her jaw trembling. She hadn’t cried since . . . she couldn’t recall. Never, perhaps. Tears were a sign of softness, weakness, which was not in her. This burning in her eyes, itwas brought on by sheer rage at Paxton’s duplicity.
She would look him straight into his eyes as she killed him. Better yet, she would make him watch as she killed his precious queen. The thought eased the stinging behind her eyes.
Prince Vito’s hand trailed the walls until he came to a bookcase. Rozaria moved forward to see what he was staring at. Her mind went back to the king’s study and the bookcase there that opened to the hidden room. Vito’s head spun to her; he must have realized it at the same time.
“Martone!” Rozaria called. The man ran into the room, at her command. “Ready your weapon.”
He unsheathed his wicked knife and went to Vito’s side. Beside her, Nicola pulled out her dagger. The prince felt along the books until he came to three joined ones, and then he pulled downward. Martone moved to the opening to protect them, ready to attack. Rozaria held her breath, staring hard as the dark room took shape, but her anticipation fizzled to disappointment at the sight of empty space. Martone stuck his head in and whipped it back to Prince Vito, wide-eyed.
“It’s a passage!”
“What are you waiting for, idiot?” Vito asked. “Go! Find them!”
Martone rushed in, with Prince Vito, Rozaria, and Nicola following. With each lever they came to, the brute yanked it down and gave an unnecessary war cry into the empty chambers they revealed. “Shut up, you fool,” Prince Vito said afterthe second time. “You’ll alert them.”
Their journey ended in a small room with a chair and a trunk. Martone silently pushed the lever and charged into yet another empty room. Vito cursed and fisted his hands. If they had gone into any of those rooms, it would have put them back into the castle. Every Kalorian was on alert. They would be found.
They were quiet, thinking of what to do next, when Rozaria realized she could hear a murmur of voices below . . . coming from the chest. She pointed. Nicola fell to her knees and wrenched it open. The girl leaned into it, feeling around, and then yanked up a panel to reveal an opening with ladder rungs.
“Well done, Nic.” A thrill of victory shot through Rozaria. “We’ve got them now.”
Chapter
45
The tunnel was long. Too long. Aerity would so much rather climb to fearful heights out in the open than be confined in a low, dank space with bugs of all manner crunching underfoot. Judging by the labored breathing and frequent stifled sounds from Wyneth and Vixie, they weren’t loving this either. Especially since Furball practically had to be pulled along to stop him from digging at protruding roots or swiping up crawling things as snacks.
Aerity had no idea how long they’d been moving, but it was long enough to have to stop and rest several times, and continually drink water. Though it was winter outside, they were sweating from the quick pace in the confined space. Thepassage seemed to go on forever. Finally,finally, Harrison called, “The exit is ahead!”
One by one they crouched through a smaller hole and entered a shaft that went straight up. Aerity grasped the wooden rungs and kept her mouth closed against the falling dirt from Harrison’s boots above her. At the top, Harrison grasped her hands and helped her up. They came out of yet another giant trunk inside a small room with old barrels, sacks, and dusty shelving. An Ascomannian and a Lochlan soldier were there.
“Where are we?” Aerity asked, brushing herself off.
