Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
The day began with running.
Not my preferred way to begin the day, but when men dressed in black like goddamn ninjas showed up on your doorstep with swords drawn, you didn’t have much of a choice.
We ran to lead them away from Adeline, Jasper, and Saida. Nylian reassured me that Saida knew how to use a sword—which I took to mean the princess had more skills than I—and could help Adeline keep Jasper safe. Right now, the wizard and his chipmunk mentor were the last barrier to the poison recipes we took from Lady Covington. If there was something wrong with the antidote we’d made for Orian, those books were our only chance of correcting it.
Plus, there was still the fallout to come from killing the King’s Poison Maker and burning her house to ash. I had a feeling the books would come in handy for smoothing over that little ripple with the kingdom of Lockeheim.
The early-morning sky was growing lighter, taking on hints of pink, orange, and pale blue, promising to be a wonderful day. The streets were still empty. Here and there, vendors were setting up their stalls and pulling back the curtains on their shops. A hint of baked bread and other tasty breakfast treats were filling the air. My stomach would have been grumbling if it weren’t for the mad dash we were on to the castle.
It was like they were trying to herd us. Every turn we made toward the palace was met with more fighters. Sometimes we would push through, cutting down the assassins and surging forward a few blocks, and others we would have to detour when there were more than we could manage.
Twice we ran into the City Watch and Nylian retreated. Killing assassins was one thing. Hurting the soldiers in the place he called home wasn’t something he was willing to do.
After defeating one small group, we ran two blocks and darted into an alley to catch our breaths. I leaned against the wall, panting for oxygen, while sweat trickled along the side of my face. Each gasp was a razor blade to my throat. Wolfrest was in the tight grip of fall as the air carried a crisp chill, but I could barely feel it as the heat rose from my exhausted body.
Nylian leaned on the wall beside me, his chest rising and falling as heavily as mine. In his defense, though, he was doing most of the fighting. I was in there with my sword, deflecting and striking as he taught me. But I also wasn’t above fighting dirty, since I didn’t have the skill and speed they had. I hadn’t lost a limb or an organ yet, so I took it as a win.
“You still glad you haven’t been sent home yet?” Nylian huffed.
“Fuck you! I’m having the time of my life,” I replied with a laugh. “Wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Nylian wheezed a rough laugh. “I always knew you were crazy.”
“Just crazy for you, baby.”
We were both flushed, sweaty, and exhausted, but I wouldn’t have missed Nylian’s smile at that moment for anything in the world. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I was determined to wake up to it for the rest of my life.
“Once this is over, I swear I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk,” Nylian threatened.
I pushed away from the wall and patted his stomach. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” I eased over to the entrance to the main street, peering down it. No sign of those ninja wannabes yet. Just a few workers carrying loads of goods to the shops and residents. “How much farther is it to the palace? And do you have a plan for getting inside?” I turned to face him and shoved my hand through my hair, pushing sweaty strands away from my eyes. “I can’t imagine the royal guards are going to let you waltz right up to Orian’s bedroom.”
“Palace is three more blocks away, and you’re going straight through the front door.”
“What?” I hit one of my ears with the heel of my palm. There was no way I’d heard him correctly.
Nylian reached under his tunic and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which he handed to me. I opened it and scanned its contents. It gave the bearer a direct pass to the king. The most important part was that it contained the official seal for Duke Thallan Elrich.
“Something Uncle gave me before we left Blackscar. He thought it would clear the path for us. Just get to my father and tell him you have the antidote.”
As we left his secret residence, Nylian gave me the antidote to carry because he was sure all the assassins would expect him to have it. Now it looked like he’d always had another plan for me.