Laughing, we head toward the edge of camp, but right before we get there, a hawk dive-bombs us, and I don’t even notice it until it’s careening through the fog, coming right toward us.
I yelp in surprise, but Slade lifts his arm and the bird lands on it, talons perfectly placed between his spikes.
I blink in surprise and watch him stroke the hawk’s head and let it nip his fingers before he reaches down to the metal vial attached to its leg. When he does, my gaze zeroes in on it. “Wait, is that...” The question trails off as I recognize the golden bell insignia. “That’s a Highbell vial.” My eyes go wide. “This is a Highbell messenger hawk?”
He pops off the top to get the missive inside, his black eyes scanning over it while the large bird lifts a wing, burying its beak beneath like it’s scratching an itch.
“He didn’t tell you?” Lu asks, sidling up to me. “The commander has trained his hawks to intercept others. They’re smart and skilled enough to snap the vials right off the other birds’ legs. Then they bring the vials to the commander, he straps them on one of his hawks, making it look like it belongs to whatever kingdom he wants. In this case, Highbell. But instead of delivering messages, his spy birds know to bring every letter to the commander first.”
“Wow, that’s...pretty diabolical,” I say, though I can’t help but be impressed. “Wait, is that how you knew I’d sent a message to Midas?”
“Yep.” He finishes reading, passing it over to Lu, a grim look settling on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. Lu scans the letter before she hands it to me, and I frown at the words.
“The cold weather has gone from Highbell. Clear skies ahead.”
“Clear skies?” I ask in confusion. “Highbell never has clear skies. And the cold weather certainly never leaves. What does it mean?”
Slade takes it back from me, not at all seeming worried that he broke the wax seal. “I’m not sure yet. It’s in code. I’ll talk to the others about it.” Settling his dark gaze on me, I can tell that his mind is working. “I’ve got to get this hawk back to the cart so I can reseal the letter and send her on her way. You’ll be okay with Lu?”
“Yep.”
“Good. I’ll be returning to the castle as the king tomorrow afternoon. Meet me in the library at dusk? I’ll update you if Lu finds anything.”
“I’ll be there,” I promise.
Reaching up, he gently strokes a knuckle down my cheek. “Good. I’ll see you soon.”
I have to suppress the urge to lean in and kiss him. He probably showed too much affection as it is, even though the fog shrouds us beneath the dark night sky.
“Lu, be careful.”
“Always, Commander.”
With one last look at me, he turns and strides away, and I follow Lu, trying to fight the urge to turn around. Every step closer to Ranhold’s walls feels wrong, my ribbons coiling as tightly as my dread.
Just like before, Lu manages to use her magic to distract the soldiers, perfecting our timing so that we slip inside the walls during another guard shift.
“Think you can get back up to your rooms through the balcony?” she whispers, her quick steps leading me past the side of the castle. The gray stones are covered in frost, its higher stories impossible to see as the heavy fog thickens with the drop in temperature.
“Yeah, no problem,” I say quietly, the air clotted with swollen silence. “Thanks for sneaking me in and out. It was nice to spend time with...Rip.”
She smirks. “I’m sure. Better company than the golden prick, huh?”
“Much better,” I agree, my lips curling up.
Yet that smile drips right off my face when we round the corner to the back of the castle and find four people standing there in the murky air. We skid to a stop, and I can tell by the way Lu’s body goes stiff that she hadn’t even realized we had company.
For a second, my heart drops at the shadowed figures, and I fully expect Midas to step out from the fog.
Instead, it’s someone else who steps forward—the last person I expected to see wandering the grounds at night.
Queen Kaila.
Chapter 38
AUREN