“Let’s go back to our rooms,” I tell the others. I don’t want to talk out in public like this. Besides, they look as tired as I do, and if I want to be useful in Boulder, I need at least a couple hours of sleep.
I escort them back to the residential wing. It’s not until we reach the second level that I remember the fae Lee knocked out. He’s not lying on the ground anymore. A new guard is here, and when I step into the corridor, his hand goes to the hilt of his sword. Then Lee and Paige emerge from the staircase after me, and the fae’s gaze moves to them.
I turn to look at them, too. Paige’s eyebrows are raised. How am I going to explain away what happened? I think Lee is okay now, and I don’t want the fae to be pissed at him.
“There was a misunderstanding,” I try, facing the guard again. “Is the other fae okay?”
The guard doesn’t answer for a moment. It’s long enough for me to wonder if he speaks English. Finally, he nods. “He’s fine. I’m to take over his watch.”
“Is anyone else looking for us?” Paige is whispering to me, but fae have good hearing. The guard shakes his head.
“I was about to call for a search,” he says.
There’s no need for that now. “They’re going back to their rooms.”
I motion for them to go.
“Paige—” Lee begins.
She takes his hand, looks into his eyes, and says, very deliberately, “You can stay with me.”
Apparently, Paige has forgiven Lee. Either that or she wants to keep an eye on him. The guard doesn’t seem to mind them slipping into the same room. Neither do I. Hopefully, they’ll get a decent night’s sleep.
And, hopefully, I’ll get at least a couple of hours of rest.
MY door slams open, jarring me awake.
“McKenzie!”
I leap out of bed as Lena storms into my room. My leg gets caught in my blanket. I hit my knees, get back up.
“Where are they?” she demands, inches from my face.
I’m groggy and off-balance. It takes a second to focus on her, and when I do, I take a step back. Damn. I haven’t seen this look on her face since she ended one of my escape attempts in Germany.
“Paige and Lee?” I guess. I can’t think of anyone else who would make her this angry.
“Of course Paige and Lee,” she snaps.
“They’re gone?” Even though I know Lena wouldn’t have stormed in like this if they were safely tucked in their rooms, I can’t keep the note of disbelief from my voice. Lee already surprised a guard and escaped once. The second guard would have been more alert.
Or maybe he’d be less alert because who would have thought he’d try to escape again?
Lena grabs a fistful of my shirt. “If you don’t tell me exactly where they are, by the Sidhe, I’ll ban you from the Realm.”
I grab her hand, try to loosen it from my shirt. “Lena. I didn’t—”
“I thought you wouldn’t do this,” she says, shoving me back. “But they’re gone, McKenzie. They couldn’t have made it out of the palace on their own.”
“And I’m the only one who could have possibly helped them escape.” Sarcasm probably isn’t the best way to address Lena when she’s this pissed, but I didn’t do this.
“She’s your friend—the only friend you think you have.” There’s a note of something in her voice. Is she suggesting she’s my friend?
“Lena, don’t!” Aren sprints into my room. When he sees me, he stops and visibly relaxes. “She didn’t kill you.”
I scowl. He’s a little too lighthearted about that.
“They were both in Paige’s room when I went to sleep,” I say. “They had a guard.”
“Their guard is dead,” Lena interrupts. “Lord Hison saw you with them.”
“But that was”—God, this is going to sound incriminating—“the first time Lee broke out.”
Aren’s eyebrows go up. I give him a shrug that says, “Yeah, I screwed up,” but there’s no apology in it.
I turn back to Lena. “Look, we’re wasting time. How long until we’re supposed to leave for Boulder?”
“A little over an hour,” Aren answers.
“I couldn’t have been asleep for more than twenty minutes, then.”
Aren’s posture changes, becoming more alert, more ready for action. “They haven’t had time to leave the city yet.”
Lena mumbles something in Fae.
“They’ll try for the gate.” I’m fairly certain of that. Otherwise, it’s a rough journey through the Corrist Mountains to get to the Missing Gate on their northeastern edge. That’s the next nearest place humans can safely fissure.
I slept in my clothes, so all I have to do is stuff my feet into my sneakers, then grab my sketchbook off the hook hanging beside the door, and I’m ready to go.
“We can intercept them,” I say, stepping into the corridor. I almost barrel into a fae. Jacia.
She steadies me with a hand on my elbow. Edarratae pool under her palm until she releases me, then focuses on the two fae still in my room.
“The remnant, Tylan, is missing,” she reports.
“I definitely had nothing to do with that,” I say to Lena. She gives me a look that is extremely unamused.
“Notify Taltrayn,” she tells Jacia.
Jacia acknowledges the order with a nod and departs. Aren and I leave right after her, heading the opposite way down the corridor. Aren’s walking quickly even for a fae, so I have to run to keep up. I’m not at a full sprint, though—I couldn’t keep that pace up for long—but we’re out of the palace and in the Inner City in just a few minutes.
“You should run ahead,” I tell Aren.
“I’m staying with you,” he says. “Tylan is an illusionist. We need your eyes.”
My side is starting to cramp. I concentrate on drawing air into my lungs, then blowing it out. I don’t want to slow him down any more than I already am.
I’m sweating, but a cool wind blows from the south, chilling my skin, and I think I hear a rumble of thunder. The sky was clear before I went to sleep. It’s not clear anymore. Thick, gray clouds are gathering above the Inner City.
“Wait up.”
Slowing down, I look over my shoulder and see Naito running toward us.
Aren stops. “Why aren’t you on watch?”
“Taltrayn told me to go to the gate with you,” he says. Then he looks at me. “You’re supposed to go to the veligh. Watch for remnants there. It’s safer than this.”
Aren mutters something in Fae about a fool. I can practically feel him seething beside me. He’s probably taking this personally. I don’t really blame him. Kyol has no business overturning Aren’s decision.
My hand tightens on the strap of my sketchbook. “I can’t get there in time to be any help.”
“And I’m not letting you run back through the Inner City without an escort.” Aren puts an arm on my shoulder, moves me toward the silver wall. “You’re both coming to the gate.”
It’s less than a mile to the northwest portcullis. It’s closed. Two fae standing guard watch us approach. Others are here as well, but hidden at their posts somewhere within the wall, watching the Outer City. After a few quick words from Aren, one of the swordsmen touches the wall behind him. A faint blue line climbs its silver surface. As it rises, so does the portcullis.
The other swordsman says, “We haven’t seen anyone approach the gate.”
Naito steps between me and Aren. “Maybe they haven’t left the palace.”
“Taltrayn will find them if they haven’t,” Aren says. Then he asks the swordsman, “How many are on watch above?”