On silent feet, we approach Theo’s home. Ren quietly lingers behind me as the crescent moon casts a dim glow, just enough for me to find a way in. With a quick inspection, I find the home warded with three protection runes.
My palms press onto the wooden door, eyes closed and tuning into the energy. The runes are simple—easy to counter. I quickly etch a sigil onto the frame, stepping back as it glows briefly before the others begin to fade. With my hand on the knob, I twist and gently ease it open on a soft creak, pivoting to find Ren inches from my back. I jolt, not having sensed him there.
“How do you do that?” I whisper, eyes narrowing over my mask. Ren ignores me with a blank stare, swiftly motioning for us to split, and I go left. My adrenaline pumps, but I force my breathing to slow as I take calculated steps inside the home.
My eyes land on the shoes and clothes scattered near the windows before darting them from door to door and quietly striding down the hall. It smells like a bakery.
I gently ease open the first door—just a closet. A soft creak breaks the silence as I shut it and move to the next. The kitchen. A sigh slips past my lips, but that’s when I spot the last door across the hall.
My back presses into the wall as my hand grazes the knob, twisting it. My breath catches as I peek around the corner, finding a figure asleep inside the dimly lit room. Only one window near the bed.
On nimble feet, I quietly slip into the room, inching toward the bed just as Ren appears beside me. He throws me a curt nod—this is our target.
I tug back the quilts and immediately freeze. A jolt of adrenaline surges through me as my head whips toward Ren. His eyes are just as wide as my own. Our gazes lock.
“Did you know about this?” My tone is hushed, yet frantic and sharp.
His eyes meet mine as he slowly shakes his head, stunned. I’ve never seen him like this—shaken by the sight of the male lying before us.
It’s not a male but a boy, no older than ten, with wild, shaggy brown hair strung in all directions. He sleeps deeply, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
We certainly can’t take a boy from his home, away from his parents. Whom Iknowhe lives with just based on the larger shoes and clothes by the entrance. My breathing becomes erratic, the realization of it setting in. Taking a boy in the middle of the night—it’s wrong.
“I won’t do it,” I say firmly.
Ren grips my arm and silently leads me into the corridor, his voice low and firm as he whispers, “We have to take him. The king is expecting us to bring him back, and if we don’t, there will be consequences. You know that. Please don’t fight me on this. Not now.” He scans the area one last time as a lone, unexpected tear slips down my cheek, hidden by my mask.
“How?” I whisper, my voice cracking with disbelief. “How are you okay with this? You don’t question what the king does and now you’re just—just taking a boy while he sleeps. What about his parents? How do you even know this is our target?”
Ren doesn’t answer right away, his jaw clenching as he steadily holds my gaze. “I know it’s not right, but I also know what happens if we don’t obey King Elion. We don’t have time to question it, but he matches the scent. We can ask questions after we leave.”
“We were orphans once, or have you forgotten?” I murmur.
His brows knit, but he doesn’t look away. His gaze holds mine, almost pleading, as if he’s silently begging me not to fight him. That we’ll somehow find answers. And I want to believe him, but I can’t. My head shakes with disbelief, but still, I swallow the lump in my throat as resolve settles over me. I give him a curt nod.
“Fine.” I silently shove past him.
We’ll wake the house if we were to argue in their hall, so I remain quiet, refusing to meet his gaze over the quickness in which he’s able to accept his orders. We were orphans once and now, all of a sudden, he’s just okay with snatching a child from his home.
Stepping back into the room, we find the boy still breathing deeply when Ren pulls out a sleeping draft, pouring a few drops into his mouth, if only to ensure he remains asleep.Was that always his plan?
Ren cradles the boy in his arms, leaving me to gather a few of his clothes. I pause long enough to scribble a note on parchment, hoping the words will bring his parents some measure of comfort. That they won’t come looking for him. A quiet sniffle slips from me as I finish writing, leaving it to rest on his pillow.
The walk back to our horses is both achingly silent and unbearably loud. My tears dry, but the furious storm in my chest only grows as our steps continue. My eyes are fixed forward with a hard clench to my jaw, and I refuse to speak to Ren on the way back.
I’m furious at the king. Furious at Ren for doing whateverElion wants—no questions asked. We’re nothing but tools to Elion. Yet here we are, doing what we’re ordered to do.
But wasn’t that me just a few weeks ago? I surely wasn’t questioning my missions, but this is a boy. That changes things.
The night’s chill has eased, replaced by the heat of my fury and betrayal wrapping around me like a second skin.
When we finally arrive, I yank my mask down, eyeing Ren as he gently settles the boy inside the tent, pulling a quilt over him. But the moment he steps out, I shove him hard—my rage no longer being held back.
“How could you?” The scream tears from me before I can stop myself, then my angry fist connects with his nose. He recovers quickly, gripping my wrists, pulling me to his chest with a snarl.
“You don’t knowanything,” he growls, dark hair falling messily to the sides of his forehead.
We’re deep into the forest when I finally break—raw, broken sobs tearing free. Tears uncontrollably stream down my face as I struggle in his hold, trying to pry myself free. He only tightens his grip, pinning me against him as if letting me go isn’t an option.
