Chapter 40

T he lock clicks open before I can comprehend the full weight of that statement.

"Right. Well, let's get to it then," Bas says, barely showing signs of the exhaustion wracking through him. His chest is heaving, but his hands are steady.

"Wait! What about Moose?" I don't know how long I've been in the dungeon. Has he gone looking for me? Does he know that I didn't abandon him intentionally? That is, assuming they didn't throw him out… or worse.

"What the hell is a Moose?" Amin asks.

"My dog! I can't leave my dog! We have to find him before we leave!" I beg, but I can see in their eyes that they're calculating the gentlest way to let me down.

"Radya, we don't –"

I interrupt Bas before he has a chance to say no. "I am not leaving without him. That's a promise."

Amin and Bas exchange a look that says I've lost my wits. And maybe they're right, but I will not leave without him. "Fine," they say in unison, a touch reluctant.

Vito pulls the door open, sticks his head around the corner, and waves us on once he confirms the coast is clear. Amin yelps at the sudden onslaught of daylight, having been deprived of it for so long. And I nervously tiptoe out behind Bas, terrified that Vani, or worse, Olly, might be lurking behind the corner.

It might be the dumbest decision I ever make, but I yell, "Moose!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Amin's eyebrows pull together angrily as his face reddens. "Why don't you just yell, ‘hello! I escaped from your dungeon with two other prisoners and the gods-damned King of Umbra!' while you're at it?"

"Calm down! I need to call for him. He will find me." That pathetic attempt at an excuse only kindles more of Amin's anger. Bas, on the other hand, is grinning from ear to ear. I want to ask him why, but before I can say anything, I hear the tippy taps of Moose's paws running toward me. He's running at full speed, tail wagging, and aiming right for me. I pull him into my arms when he reaches me. As he licks my face, I can tell that he missed me as much as I missed him.

"Tills?" Amin and Bas say at once, surprise lacing their voices.

Moose runs from me to Bas and hops into his arms, where they snuggle into each other. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"How do you know Moose?"

"His name is Tills," Amin grunts his correction.

"Tills ran away from us when we were outside of Carcera. We feared that he'd run through the barrier and –" he chokes on the unpleasant memory and digs his nose into Moose's neck to aid in forgetting. "But he made it. He made it, and he found you."

"He chose me." I had thought it at the time, but I didn't understand why. Now I see. Moose didn't just happen upon my cottage. He was looking for me. Could he sense the connection to Bas even when I couldn't?

Moose hops down and sits between us, wagging his tail like he's pleased with himself. He was on a mission this whole time, and this is his moment of achievement. All of us are staring at this little dog, who is far smarter than any of us knew. Though, I should have recognized his intelligence as soon as he snapped at Olly.

"Radya?" My heart skips a beat as the realization of who's speaking settles in.

At the end of the hallway, I see bright teal hair and sparkling wings. My heart does a backflip as I cry out, "Gemma!"

She rushes toward me, but Bas places a hand on my shoulder to hold me back. "We can't tell her anything. It's too dangerous," he whispers in my ear.

"I need to talk to her." I don't even know what I'm going to say, but I realize now that I took the coward's way out by not speaking to her directly. Did she read the letter? She must have. I've been gone for… a couple of days? Hours? Gods, I don't even know.

"Shall I go search for the throne room while we're at it?" Amin runs his hands through his hair like he might pull it all out. "I'll walk right up to the king and place my head in his bloody lap!"

Gemma ignores him entirely. "Are you okay? Where have you been? And why are you covered in blood?"

Oh, gods. I forgot that my clothes were stained with blood from Olly's experimental stabbing. "There's no time to explain. And I can't say much, but… why don't you come with me? We can all leave together!"

She was my first true friend, and I owe her my life. I don't want to carry on without her. How could I? She filled a hole in my heart that I never knew existed. Losing her would empty it all over again.

"Radya, I'm bound in service to the king. I can't just leave! And I certainly can't leave without Viola!" Her darkened eyes meet mine in a pleading stare.

"Well, go find her! We can all go to-"

She interrupts, "I've been worried sick since I got your letter. Why are you leaving in the first place?"

"We don't have time for this!" Amin says through gritted teeth. He dances around like he's itching to leave us here. "This isn't a party, Radya. We're trying to escape!"

I inhale sharply and attempt to explain as quickly as possible. "Olly stabbed me. The king imprisoned me. I have to go. Please, just consider it. We're meeting at the alcove by the sea. Go find Viola!"

"Radya. It's time." Bas' hand wraps around mine, gently tugging me away from my friend.

I eke out the words "meet me there" before allowing myself to be pulled away. Gemma's pained expression burns into my brain. I'm not sure if it's delusion or reality, but I swear that I hear the faintest whisper, "I'll try."

* * *

Bas leads the way as we run in a pack. He's navigating the halls like he's seen them a thousand times, something I barely accomplished after a month of living here.

"How do you know where you're going?" I ask through panting breaths.

"Vito, Ray, and Cuccia have been mapping out the halls for the past week." He gestures to the blue-eyed invisibles just a couple of steps behind him.

They have? Has he been here this whole time? How could he have been so close without me knowing?

"If you were here the whole time, then why didn't you come for me sooner?" I blurted the question before I could stop it.

"Do you remember what I said to you at the ball?" He glances at me quickly while keeping up his pace.

My mind drifts back to that night. He was merely a stranger, and yet my heart called out to him. I could feel it in my bones – a sense of yearning and belonging. And yet, when he asked me to wait for him, I declined. I told him no as he walked away. I was willing to allow that feeling to escape. And for what? A family that discarded me like rotten meat?

Time has a funny way of revealing your fate in little pieces, like a puzzle scattered across the floor. Some pieces might be hidden, some might not fit right away. But once you put it together, it creates a beautiful picture – full of sorrows and losses, beauty and joy.

I needed to end up in that dungeon. To meet Guylita and Amin. To feel the sting of Olly's betrayal. Without each of these events taking place exactly as they did, I wouldn't have believed in myself enough to walk freely into my destiny. I know now that I don't need all of the answers right away. All I need is the courage to keep going.

His face twists at my silence. "We have so many things to discuss, but we need to focus on getting out of here."

I nod in agreement and keep trudging forward.

When we reach the door that opens to the garden near the sea, the air rips from my lungs in a violent lurch as I halt. There's only one way down to the alcove, and it includes walking directly past Olly's balcony. If he's out there… if he sees us…

"We can't use the stairs." I scan the grounds for another way down. "Olly could spot us. It's too risky."

"What if there's another way down?" A gentle voice sounds behind us, and, for a second, I wonder if I made it up. I whip my head around and see two mediols floating side by side. Relief floods my body as I run to wrap my arms around both of them.

Both Gemma and Viola.

My friends.

"What other way?" Bas asks, unphased by their presence. Amin looks to him to assess whether or not they should lend their trust to the winged strangers. Bas gives a subtle nod, which kindles another rush of warmth inside me that shoots from head to toe.

"There's a tunnel that leads down to the alcove. It's designed for the royal family to escape in case of attack. There are entrances inside the king's chambers, at the guard's tower, and at the stables," Viola explains.

I can't help but wonder how Gemma convinced Viola to come with us. She does everything by the book, following every rule to a tee. And now, suddenly, she decides to help the King of Umbra escape with three prisoners in tow? Only one thing could convince her to do that, and her hair is bluer than the sea.

"Obviously, the first two options are out of the question, but I know one of the stable boys," Gemma says with a cheeky grin. This must be the same stable boy that helped us borrow horses to visit Guylita. Judging by the look on her face now, I wonder if their relationship might extend past friendship. I'll have to save that particular question for another time.

"Well, why are we still standing here, then?" Amin urges, gesturing for us to hurry.

On cue, we resume our sprint, or as much of a sprint as we can manage after conquering those stairs, in search of the stables. I'm hobbling along, breathing like a wild cat after a fight. But Guylita, despite her frailty, neither falters nor complains. Determination and grit etch on her face as she runs. Moose sticks by my side.

This part of the garden provides little to no protection. If even one person – guard, servant, invisible, or even Olly himself – were to see us, we would never make it off of the grounds alive. Our heads would be nailed to a pike on the castle gates.

When the stables come into view, I nearly start crying as the relief, exhaustion, and fear wash over me.

I can't believe this is happening. It feels more like a dream than reality. Albeit, a good dream. A great dream, actually. It's thrilling and terrifying. And, for the first time in my life, I feel in control. It's like the world is finally opening up to me, extending a hand in invitation. Following Bas might be a huge mistake, but it's a mistake that I get to make.

"Stay here for a minute," Gemma tells us.

"We'll wait just behind the tree line." Bas nods and then urges us to follow him behind the stables and into the forest that surrounds the property.

We crouch in a circle behind a row of gooseberry bushes. And for the first time in daylight, I get a good look at Bas and Amin. They look like they could be distantly related. Not identical, but there are enough similarities to notice – dark hair, light eyes, bushy beards, and tanned skin. Amin appears older than Bas, though. The lines around his eyes are deeper, and the texture on his skin more mature.

One thing is certain. They are both stunningly beautiful. Bas flashes me a smile like he knows what I'm thinking, so I seal off my expression into unreadable steel.

But… I saw him there.

That day in Carcera.

He stayed back, remaining mostly hidden in the shadows, while Amin spoke. How could the King of Umbra get so close to the barrier? To even attempt what he did is insane. What if he had been captured alongside Amin? Sir Magis would have found some creative way to torture him with magical experiments before stealing his immortality, or at least he would have tried. Was he so confident that I was his Perdita that he was willing to risk everything?

Now that we're here, does he think it was all worth it?

"Brother," Amin nudges Bas in the side to get his attention. "Do you think we escaped a little too easily?"

"We haven't escaped yet," Bas says firmly. His eyes are dark and swirling with focus.

"Are you brothers?" I interrupt, finding a sudden need to ask.

"Not by blood," Amin grunts. I suppose that makes sense. How could an immortal who has been alive for… a very long time… have a living brother? Sadness tugs at my heart for a moment as I consider that all of Bas' family must have passed. I can't imagine how lonely that must be.

"We fought together in the last war. When Vani stole you from me," he chokes, swallowing hard to steady his breath. "Amin helped me through it. We're as good as brothers now."

I nod back and try to avoid the blazing stares falling on me.

It's such an odd feeling to know that to him, he lost me . And yet, I didn't lose him . Or, at least, this version of me didn't lose him. I lived twenty-two years without knowing he existed, while he spent those years searching for me, hoping and praying that he might one day find me.

And now, here we are.

Together.

Yet, we couldn't be further apart.

He's merely a stranger that I've met twice now. A face whose image appeared in my dreams, coaxing out long-forgotten memories. But I don't know him, not really.

What does that mean?

"What you did back there, Radya," he eases my name off of his tongue this time, slow and exploratory. "It was amazing."

"I had no idea that I was capable of that. How was it even possible?"

It is Guylita who answers. "I have a theory."

All of our eyes dart to the old woman.

"And what might that be?" Amin folds his arms in front of his chest, tilting his head to the side.

"The magic that stole you from your immortal body is the same as the magic that binds the dungeons. That magic is a wild beast, a living thing, that's imprinted on those very walls. And it is a derivative of praecian power. I believe that some part of that magic still lingers in your soul, as well. So, when you called upon it, you summoned not only your own power, but also the power dwelling in those dungeons. Like turning a wave into a tsunami."

"No shit," Amin laughs incredulously.

Bas' eyes narrow on me with wonder as the corner of his lip tugs upward. My fingers start to tingle, and there's a tug between us like I'm being pulled closer. It starts in my chest, pulling and pulling.

Before I can either give in to that tug or discuss the implications of praecian power lingering in my soul, Gemma appears from behind the stable and waves us over.

"Follow me," Bas says to the group as he slinks over to Gemma. We rise as one and follow his lead.

The stable is a large stone structure with a rust-colored roof. It's a monolith on the outskirts of the palace, as if it could hold the horses of an entire army. The grass and dirt surrounding it are worn from stomping hooves.

Gemma stands next to a solidly built man with a burly beard. His muscles tear at the seams of his leather riding gear. They're standing comfortably next to each other, and I can sense the hum of intimacy between them. I flash Gemma an approving look, which makes her blush.

"Truston will help us. Come on," she says, opening the door and ushering us inside.

Truston walks over to a trough by the back wall and calls out, "Help me, aye?"

Amin, Bas, and the invisibles hustle over to help him. They heave it up, grunting and moaning at the weight as water splashes from the side. It budges only five feet, but it's just enough to reveal a hatch hidden underneath.

Truston bends over to open the hatch using the recessed brass ring on top of it. It pulls open with a creak, revealing a dark and empty space and wafting a musty odor along with it. "There's not much to it. Just follow the path until you reach the sea," he says.

Gemma pulls Truston away to the corner, wrapping him in a full-body embrace. I can't hear the words they're exchanging in each other's ears, but I imagine it's a bittersweet goodbye. When he releases her, she gives him a peck on the cheek.

"Alright, Vito goes first. Everyone else, pile in behind him," Bas commands.

When it's my turn to lower into the dark stairwell, I slip on the top step and slam onto my backside. "Ow!"

"You're an immortal who likely holds praecian power in your soul, and yet you can't handle a set of stairs," Amin quips.

"You know what might be helpful?" I ask, making sure that I take each step carefully. The hatch door closes behind us, leaving us only with the light from the invisibles to guide us.

"What?" Even though he's jesting and jabbing, Amin seems to get a kick out of our banter. His jokes are all coated with amusement, and not at my expense. Honestly, I appreciate it. It's a welcome distraction from the danger lurking in our every move.

"If you just stayed very, very quiet for the rest of our journey together," I say, even though the opposite is true.

Gemma pipes up from the back of the line, as she was the last to enter, "Will the two of you stop your bickering long enough for us to get out of this creepy tunnel?"

I haven't heard Viola speak in a while. She did follow us down here, right? I call out her name to confirm it.

"Yeah?" She responds, quiet and sullen.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

All she says in return is a meek, "Yeah."

We trudge on, and I try to ignore the feeling of cobwebs brushing against my arms. I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming when I feel a bug crawling on my skin. Its eight legs creep from my shoulder down toward my arm, and I feel every hairy movement before brushing it off. The cold, clammy air swallows us whole until finally a beam of light shines in the distance.

"We're almost there!" Bas yells to us, and we all quicken our paces. We're all so exhausted and weary, but this is the final stretch. The closer we get to the light, the more I can feel a hint of a breeze. Sand sprinkles the stone in increasing volume as we near the small opening carved into the cliff.

How did I not notice it before?

Vito exits first, dropping to his knees and crawling out into the light. We take turns shuffling through the exit one by one. When it's my turn, I nearly collapse onto my hands and knees. It takes a bit of maneuvering to squeeze through the hole, and my bones cry with each movement. All I can do is force myself to keep going. I have to - for all of us. We have to make it out of here.

Once I clear the opening, I stumble toward a skiff perched near the water and begin laboring through the sand. But before I reach it, I hear the voice that makes my skin crawl.

"Radya, you didn't care to say goodbye?" Olly shouts, and my heart drops into my stomach faster than I can blink.