Chapter Five Jasalyn

Chapter Five

Jasalyn

"Y OU CAN KEEP STARING AT that door, but even your glare isn't going to put you on the other side of it," Remme says the next morning. I turn said glare on him, and he chuckles and offers me a mug of coffee. "You might feel a little less like something from the bottom of my boot if you hadn't been so determined to sneak away last night."

I snag the mug from his hand. "I don't know what you mean," I mutter into the cup.

"Sure you don't. I saw you watching me and Natan. What were you planning to do? Run back to the palace on foot? Or maybe you were planning to steal one of our horses?" He gulps from his own mug. "Do you even know where we are? Would you have known which way to go?"

I wouldn't have had a clue, which is why I'd planned to use my bracelet to call my goblin, but goblin bracelets are invisible to everyone but their owner and I'm not planning to reveal the only advantage I have in this mess.

Not that it mattered. There was always someone awake. Always someone watching. Kendrick's clearly more adept at dealing with a captive than I ever would've imagined.

The coffee is rich and like an answered prayer. Brie says I drink too much of it, but dark black coffee is one of the few things that inspires me to get out of bed in the morning. Thank goodness this isn't a tea-drinking group. "Where are Kendrick and Natan?"

"They had someone they needed to see this morning," Remme says. "They'll be back soon."

I frown at the four packs piled by the door. They weren't there last night. "Going somewhere?"

"We're always going somewhere, Princess. We're not in this godsforsaken realm because we're looking to settle down."

I roll my eyes. " Where are you going?"

"Feegus Keep. It's a few days' ride from here and is the primary stronghold for Mordeus's remaining followers."

"You think Mordeus is there?"

"The dead king?" Remme snorts. "Unlikely."

"The sword?"

"If we're lucky." He takes another gulp of his coffee. "We're looking for Mordeus's son. If he's there, then Mordeus's most prized spoils will be there too."

I've been so focused on getting away from Kendrick and his friends that I never considered the benefits of staying. If I go back to the palace, my sister will send me away to Misha's court. There, it would be difficult to hunt for the remaining guards from the dungeons, even with my ring, and it would be impossible without it. If I stay with Kendrick while they search for their special sword, they would take me to the doorstep of my enemies.

Do I have the courage to end them without the Enchanting Lady?

The cottage door opens and Kendrick strolls in. The cottage seems smaller the moment he walks through the door—or everything else seems less significant.

How did I forget how tall and commanding he is? How piercing his eyes are?

He looks me over with a calculating sweep of his eyes. "Good morning, Princess. I wish I could say you look rested, but you don't."

"Is that the kind of sweet talk you're using to get me to kill your Eloran bad guy?"

"Don't mind him," a feminine voice says behind Kendrick. "He wouldn't know charm if it smacked him in the face."

A woman peeks out from behind Kendrick. She's as short as I am, but unlike me, no one would ever mistake her for weak or fragile. She has fierce written all over her. It's no one thing—not the sword strapped to her back or the miscellany of knives at her hips. It's not just the tattoos that cover her ivory skin or the fact that her light brown hair is shorn close to her scalp. No, this woman's ferocity comes from within. It's the look in her eyes and the instinctive way she balls her fist and scans the room, as if she's sure her next foe is going to jump out from a dark corner at any moment.

And flowing down the middle of her back—

"That's my cloak." I hop off the bed. "And my boots. "

She grins. "Turns out, we're the same size."

Kendrick sighs heavily. "Skylar, take them off."

"What? I wanted to know what it was like to walk in a princess's shoes." She unties the cloak and lets it fall to the floor. It's all I can do to keep my feet rooted where they are. If I scramble to check for my ring, they'll know it's something they should keep from me.

It has to be there. She never would've found the pocket, not with the way I disguised it.

If I have my cloak, then I have my ring.

"And my boots?" I say, not that I care much about the shoes, aside from having something on my feet.

"Nice to meet you too," she says. She lifts one foot at a time as she loosens the laces and lets them fall to the ground. She winks at me before she turns to pour herself some coffee from the pot sitting by the fire.

"What'd you find out at the palace?" Remme asks her.

"Inside? Total chaos," Skylar says. "Lots of infighting and finger pointing."

My stomach clenches as I imagine what my sister must be feeling this morning. I promised myself she'd never have to rescue me again, and now she thinks I'm missing.

"Outside, they're keeping it quiet," Skylar says. "They don't want anyone to know she's missing. But why wouldn't they sound the alarm? Get everyone looking?"

"Because they don't think she was taken," Kendrick says, sneaking a glance at me. "They think she ran away with her secret lover."

"My what ?" I squeak.

"Oh, look who's so pious," Skylar says, wrapping her hands around her mug. "Saving yourself for your future prince?"

I don't even have a boyfriend, and the only males I've ever kissed have fallen dead at my feet. The idea of my having some secret lover is beyond ridiculous . " Why in the name of the gods would my sister believe that?"

"It's a long story," Kendrick says, "but one that bought us some time."

"Enlighten me."

Kendrick and Natan exchange a look before Natan nods and heads toward the door, waving to the others to follow him.

Skylar groans. "I literally just got back from doing your scouting," she mutters. She turns toward my boots, but I snatch them up with my cloak before she can grab them. "I wasn't going to use yours," she says, spinning to grab a pair from a small closet.

When the others leave and pull the cottage door shut behind them, I tuck my cloak against me and return to my perch on the edge of the bed. I knead the fabric until my fingers connect with the ridge of the ring between layers of cloth. I release a breath.

Kendrick grabs a chair and swings it around to face me before taking a seat. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "We had someone plant some things in your room," he says. "It doesn't take much. A piece of jewelry, some dried rose petals, a love note—all hidden in places a simple search would turn up."

I shake my head. "That won't keep her from looking for me."

"Which is why we need to send someone back to the palace in your place."

"That would never work. My sister would see through them."

"But your sister plans to send you away to the Wild Fae territory, does she not?"

I frown. "How do you know that?"

He shrugs. "We have informants."

"It's one thing to take someone's form and quite another to convincingly become them." Then again, I've pushed everyone away so aggressively, maybe Misha truly doesn't know me.

Does anyone anymore? The true me? All that I am on the inside? Broken bits and grotesque scars and all?

"Felicity is very good at what she does," Kendrick says. His voice is gentler now, as if he can see the heartache in my eyes. "I've known her for a long time. She's agreed to take your form and go to the palace as you. She'll stand in for you so your sister doesn't worry and so we can search for the sword without the queen tearing her kingdom apart."

I have to force words out past the thickness in my throat. "And you trust her? No one gets that close to the queen. She could take advantage of the situation and—"

"I trust her like family," he says, eyes solemn. "In fact, she would like to meet you before going to the palace. She has some questions, and I think it might make you feel better as well."

I bite my bottom lip and stare into the fire as I think. The flickering and snapping is a balm to my nerves.

I don't like this, but I can't go back to the palace and be sent off with Misha like a child in need of a nanny. Sure, I could spend my days there and use my ring and my goblin bracelet to return to the shadow court each night. In theory, I could deny Kendrick everything he's asking and still search for Mordeus on my own, but my knowledge of the court is too limited. I'm running out of places to search, and I still have a list of males I'd like to introduce to the Enchanting Lady. Wouldn't it be easier to stay with Kendrick and take advantage of their knowledge?

"What will it be, Princess?" He arches a brow. "Are you in?"

"You're so sure you want me to kill this Erith?"

He wraps his arms around me and lifts me from where I sit, spinning me around and laughing. When he lowers me so my feet touch the floor, he's grinning, both of his dimples showing through the rugged scruff on his cheeks. We're still so close, barely a breath apart. He's strong and warm, and instead of wanting to flee his touch, I lean into it. Crave more. His ice-blue eyes search my face, and it's all I can do to keep myself from reaching up and touching him. "Gods above, woman. I could kiss you," he says, shaking his head.

I freeze. "Don't kiss me." I step back, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Promise me you won't kiss me."

He flinches. "It's a figure of speech. I wouldn't—of course." He searches my face and must see my fear there. "I promise. I just mean you'll be the hero of Elora."

"I can't believe you're really here," I hear myself say. The wonder in my voice is beyond ridiculous, considering the circumstances. I should step away from him. I never let anyone stand this close to me. But I can't. Because if there's anyone I wished I could have close in the last few years, if there's anyone who could understand how twisted I became inside during my weeks as Mordeus's captive, it's Kendrick.

His eyes crinkle in the corners with his smile. "Were you worried about me?"

"I never doubted you'd get out of there and make it home. I just didn't think I'd get to see you again."

He plucks a loose lock of my hair from my shoulder and toys with it between two fingers. "I didn't think I'd see you again either."

"Why not? It would've been much easier for you to find me than the other way around." Once again, I've said too much and wish I could take the words back.

He huffs out a breath. "What reason would I have to bother the shadow princess, child of Mab?"

My blood cools at the reminder, and I step back. He drops his hand and something flickers in his eyes I can't quite identify. Disappointment? "I can't help who my ancestors were or that my sister took that crown," I say. "No one asked me if I wanted the title of princess."

He shakes his head slowly. "We don't get to choose the burdens we bear, only how we bear them."

The cottage door creaks open, and Remme sticks his head in. "Should we prepare the horses while we're out here?" he asks.

"Not just yet." Kendrick waves them in. "Jasalyn's agreed to work with us."

Remme raises a brow. "Really? Just like that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"It means he doesn't trust that some spoiled Faerie princess is going to go out of her way to help Eloran rebels," Skylar says.

I scowl. So much for female solidarity. "I'm not a faerie, and if you've forgotten, I'm from Elora too."

She scoffs. "I'm sure you've thought about your homeland a lot in the past three years while you've been being pampered in that palace."

I take a step toward her. "You have no idea what my life's been like."

"And you have no idea what ours has been like in Elora."

"Enough," Kendrick says, throwing an arm between us. "We all have stories to tell, and there will be time to tell them. That time is not now."

"What's the plan, Hale?" Natan asks.

Kendrick steadies his gaze on the window and narrows his eyes. "Felicity should be awake by now. Bring her straight here. I want her at the palace before nightfall."

"You're sure she can pull this off?" I ask.

"We're sure," Skylar says, stepping up beside me and messing with my hair. I bat her hands away, but before I realize what she's doing, she's cut off a lock from the back.

"Hey!" I grab for the hair.

"Calm down." She wraps the lock in a leather tie and smirks at me. "It matches the other patch you already cut. Got yourself a nice little goblin bracelet, do ya?"

My gaze snaps to my wrist and the goblin bracelet I wear there. The bracelet that's supposed to be invisible to anyone but me.

Skylar chuckles. "Guess so."

I fell right into that trap, but I shrug. "Foolish not to have the tools I can."

"Gotta be careful who you give your hair to," she says, before transferring my hair to a silk bag. "Never know what they're gonna do with it."

"What are you going to do with it?" I ask.

"Brew a potion to make your own blood devour you from the inside if you turn on us."

"Skylar." Kendrick mutters something under his breath about needing patience, then shakes his head. "Next, we head south, just like we planned."

"Perfect," Skylar says, smacking the sides of her thighs. "Let's leave tonight. Traveling in the dark will save us all kinds of trouble."

Natan shoots her a look. "Not a great idea, Sky."

"Why not?"

"You're so sure we're immune to whatever or whoever is going around, sucking the life out of fae, that you're willing to risk crossing the court at night?"

She grins, showing teeth. "Let 'em come at me."

"Natan's right," Kendrick says. "We can't risk traveling at night. We leave in the morning." He opens the cupboard and removes a bag of supplies. He pulls out long, crusty baguettes and apples. I watch his forearms flex as he slices them.

"And then there's the matter of deciding who stays back with the girl," Remme says.

"Not it," Skylar says.

"Wait—what?" I snap my attention off Kendrick's hands and to Remme. "I can't stay here if I'm supposed to use the sword."

"If we're right and it's hidden at Feegus Keep," Remme says, "we'll come get you."

This isn't what I agreed to.

My heart rate accelerates and the walls of the cottage creep in closer. "I won't be a prisoner again."

Kendrick shakes his head. "She comes with us," he says without looking my way.

"The hell she does," Skylar says.

"Come on," Remme says, "I don't care if she says she's going to cooperate. That doesn't suddenly make her part of the team. She stays here until we're ready for her."

"I'm not staying here," I snap without thinking. But I'm not. I can't. "I'm agreeing to work with you because I want to. Not because you took me. That needs to be clear right now. " The idea of being locked in this tiny cabin... My breathing quickens and my stomach tightens and—

Kendrick rests his hand on my shoulder. I didn't even notice him cross the room. He holds my gaze as he murmurs, "Easy, Slayer." Then to the others, "Jasalyn travels with us."

My heart slows.

"That's reckless, Kendrick," Skylar says.

"We aren't jailers," Natan says softly.

I'm still looking at Kendrick, still soaking in the reassurance in those blue eyes.

Close your eyes, Slayer. The sun will rise again tomorrow.

Remme scoffs. "So we just run around the court with the princess in tow. Yes, that will definitely keep us from turning any heads. Discretion, thy name is Kendrick!"

Kendrick ignores this and turns to Natan. "You'll glamour her?"

He gives a sharp nod. "Of course. Though it would be wise to take additional measures as well. For anyone who might be powerful enough to look beyond the glamour."

"Are there any faeries who couldn't see beyond your magic?" I ask. I know human mages can glamour with potions, but Eloran magic doesn't compare to faerie magic.

"Them's fightin' words," Skylar mutters.

"Most of them." Natan shrugs, unbothered. "I'm good."

Kendrick looks me over. "We could dye her hair?"

"Or shave her head," Remme suggests.

"So your girlfriend and I could be twins?" I ask him.

Remme arches a brow. "Skylar? My girlfriend?"

Natan bows his head and chuckles.

"In his dreams," Skylar mutters before turning her scowl on me. "She'd look like an idiot if she tried to pull this off. And anyway, doesn't she have some sort of special blood? Child of Mab or whatever? I bet they can smell her coming from a mile away."

I fold my arms and set my jaw. "Are you always this charming or only when you make new friends?"

Kendrick turns to me and cocks his head. "I don't know, Slayer, Skylar seems to bring out a side of you that's an awful lot of fun."

Natan hums and taps his lips with his index finger. "Her appearance isn't truly that well known," he says. "The queen hasn't allowed any paintings of her to be distributed, so the depictions floating around are based on rumor and hearsay."

"We'll just focus on what's most recognizable about her and make her look the opposite," Kendrick says. "The whole court will believe she's staying at Castle Craige with King Misha, so they won't be looking for her."

"What do you think of when you think of the shadow princess?" Natan asks.

"Quiet, meek, and virginal," Skylar says, but the words are snapped like barbed insults.

I turn to Kendrick. "What if I wear a wig and something under my dress to make me look pregnant?"

"But we're traveling as fae," Natan says. "And any faerie who's with child is something special. That in itself would attract too much attention."

"No one will try to detect a glamour if we don't give them a reason to suspect one," Kendrick says. "Let's keep this simple."

Skylar chuckles, pulling all eyes her way. "I have a plan," she says.