they had little to lose. They couldn’t die. When Dorian called in Shaya to join us, I couldn’t help an exclamation of surprise.
“Remember the distraction we discussed?” he asked me.
I did. Before getting out of bed, we had come up with the tentative outline of a plan. Part of it had included a major distraction near Aeson’s home, enough to draw the attention of his guard so we could enter undetected. My spirits had long since verified that the siege tunnel had been blocked off.
Shaya, he explained, would be our distraction. She had the power to command small ranges of vegetation. In particular, she could summon and order around trees-something she’d apparently done before to great effect. Dorian’s thought was that Shaya would have a small regiment of said trees attack the western side of Aeson’s hold. On the eastern side, we knew there was a servants’ entrance we could slip into. Normally, that would be too exposed but not if the castle’s security was preoccupied elsewhere.
I nodded, thinking it was a good plan. Shaya crossed her arms and looked thoroughly displeased.
“You got a problem with it?”
“I don’t think it’s our place to interfere with Aeson’s affairs, nor do I feel this is worth risking my king’s life over.”
I glanced between her and Dorian uneasily. “So you won’t do it?”
“Of course I will. My king gives a command, and I obey. I am merely expressing my honest opinion first. I would be doing a disservice otherwise.”
Dorian touched her cheek, smiling at her stern expression. “And that is why you are so valued.”
“It’s a bad idea,” said Finn suddenly.
We all turned to him.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“What’s a few trees? It screams, ‘Hey, look at our obvious distraction.’ It’ll make them suspicious. You want to really get their attention, send him in.” He inclined his head toward Dorian. “A little bit of that rock mojo, and they’ll think there’s an all-out assault going on.”
“We can’t. I need him as my backup,” I argued, “and protection for Jasmine. Shaya can do her thing and get out of there quickly. If I go in without him, then we’re in exactly the same situation as before.”
“Except without the army waiting for you,” said Finn.
Shaya shook her head, glossy black braids swinging. “I don’t like the idea of my king left alone.”
“He’ll be in and out, no problem. And if he has to face off, he can take anything Aeson’s people throw at him.”
“Unless it’s Aeson himself,” mused Dorian.
“Is he stronger than you?” I asked.
“We’re very evenly matched.”
“Huh. That surprises me. I mean, Kiyo walked away alive from a fight with him.”
“King Aeson wasn’t using his full power then,” said Nandi. “Most likely he feared burning down his home.” Seeing my startled look, she continued. “It would have created a terrible inferno from whence you would not have escaped. Your skin would have melted, only your bones left behind.”
“So you’re saying he wouldn’t have to worry about that outdoors. He could unleash as much as he liked.” Something struck me, and I turned back to Dorian. “What about you? Are you limited indoors?”
“Hypothetically, no. Realistically? Well…I still have to operate in a way that won’t bury us alive.” He smiled, seeing my consternation. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll still be of use to you.”
“More use outside,” said Finn. “We won’t even need extra backup, not if nobody’s inside to find us.”
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I’d walked into Aeson’s with a lot less planning last time, and foolish or not, it had been a hell of a lot simpler than this. I turned to the room’s darkest corner, which had been silent thus far.
“Volusian?”
He straightened up from where he’d slouched in the shadows. “I will be very surprised if we emerge from this without any sort of confrontation, regardless of who creates the initial distraction. If I must honestly answer what will keep you alive”-he sighed, obviously unhappy about that outcome. I suspected Nandi’s horrific description of my death by fire had kindled warm and fuzzy feelings in him-“then yes, bringing the Oak King affords more protection for you and the girl, mistress.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Finn pouted and turned his back on us, pacing around sulkily.
After that, it simply became a matter of waiting. We wanted to go under cover of darkness. Dorian and Shaya left to pursue household duties, and the spirits flitted off to do whatever it was they did. This left me with a lot of downtime. I paced the castle’s grounds, ruminating over the same old things: Kiyo, the upcoming raid, and the prophecy.
The appointed time came, and our strike team reassembled for a few last-minute details. Most of it was simply a repetition of what we already knew. The spirits drifted along, but the rest of us set out on horseback. Shaya rode with the physical grace that permeated her normal movements, but I was surprised to see how agilely Dorian rode as well. He seemed so languid and comfort-oriented in his day-to-day affairs that I never thought of him as having athletic abilities, his feats in bed notwithstanding.
We crisscrossed the assorted kingdoms. It seemed to take longer than last time, and Volusian affirmed as much for me.
“The land has shifted its layout,” he explained.
“It does that,” said Dorian, seeing the panic on my face. “It’s normal. We’re on the right path.”
“Yeah, but will we make it there before sunrise?”
“Certainly.”
He smiled too broadly, and I could tell he didn’t know for sure. I looked up. Right now we had perfect blackness, lit only by stars. The moon was dark tonight. Persephone’s moon. I could feel the tingle of the butterfly on my arm and felt reassured. Before, I’d needed Hecate to escape back to my own world. Here, that wasn’t an issue. Staying alive and sending my enemies on to death was the issue now, so I didn’t mind the boost to my connection with the Underworld.
“How much farther?” I asked a little while later. I felt like a kid on a road trip but couldn’t help the anxiety tickling my brain. I might have imagined it, but I swore the eastern sky now looked deep purple rather than black.
“Not far,” said Shaya, voice calm.
Sure enough, we pulled off and secured the horses, going the rest of the way on foot, traveling through trees and undergrowth. I couldn’t see anything, but we soon reached some significant point. Shaya split off from us to do her thing. Dorian squeezed her arm before she left, and she made a solemn bow of acknowledgment. I watched her disappear before I turned and joined the others to continue straight ahead.
Aeson’s fortress finally loomed up before us as we reached the edge of the tree line. It could really be perceived only through its blockage of the stars. Otherwise, it appeared almost as black as the sky beyond. We stopped just before the terrain cleared, staying under cover. Studying the building further, I could make out small black figures moving back and forth in front of the wall. Guards. Presumably there were lookouts on the towers too.
“Now we wait,” I muttered. I was tired of waiting. I wanted action.
Almost opposite us, on the other side of the forest, Shaya should have been preparing to summon her tree warriors. She and Dorian swore it would be a noisy affair, so there’d been no need for a secret countdown or anything like that. The castle was too far away for me to make out any identifiable features, but the spirits indicated the spot containing the side door.
Minutes dragged by, and I imagined all sorts of horrible fates for Shaya. Oh, God. What if they caught and killed her? She’d come here out of loyalty to Dorian, and no matter what else had happened, I’d come to respect her immensely. I didn’t want her to die because of this.
Dorian approached my right side and put an arm around me. “Don’t worry. This will be finished before you know it. Ah-there we are.”
In the distance, we heard it. Wood crackling and splitting. A low roar. Faint shouts of alarm carried over the air, and the guards in our view took off running toward the noise. We waited until they’d cleared the area.
