This time, the guard let her pass without a word.
She found him pacing the room, looking nervous. Well, at least he's on his feet. At least he's feeling better.
"I feel like I'm going insane," he said before she got to the last step.
"Lex, you've only been down here for two days," she said, walking towards him.
"That's already too long. I'm not used to staying in one place. To have nothing to do. No one to take care of. It's driving me mad."
"I know, and I'm working on it."
He stopped pacing and leaned against one of the walls. She walked over and joined him, leaving a few inches between them.
"There must be something I can do. I can't- I can't just sit here anymore."
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do right now."
"Aria-"
"No, Lex. I've told you. We need you alive. And we haven't even done our part yet."
"But-"
"Just let it go already," she yelled, "You're not in control here, Lex. And I know that you don't like that. That you aren't used to that. But you can't do anything right now! Why can't you just trust me on this?"
"I do trust you, Aria."
"Then give me more time, okay? I told you I'd get you out of this."
He sighed. "So, what's going on on the outside?" he asked after a few minutes.
She wasn't sure if she should tell him about what was going on. It would only make him more nervous. But she thought about the conversation they'd had right before all of this happened. About trust. About being open and honest with one another.
So she told him.
"Tomorrow? That's too soon," he said.
"I know."
"You have to stop them, Aria. If- if more of them come here, we'll never take this place back. There are already too many of them here."
"I know," she said again.
He slid to the floor, bringing his knees up and putting his head in his hands. He looked as desperate as she felt.
"I'll think of something, Lex," she said, sitting down next to him. She placed a hand on his knee.
"I feel like everything is falling apart," he said. "And there's nothing I can do to stop it. And it all started with me lying to you."
"Lex...It'll be okay. And nothing is falling apart. We're just going through a rough patch. But we will come out on the other side, okay?"
He lifted his head and turned to look at her, studying her for a few minutes.
"What is it?" she asked, feeling a little self-conscious.
"You're a good leader, Aria. You're a good queen."
"Oh," she said, "Well, thanks. But I have help, you know."
He smiled at her, and for a few moments, she forgot that they were running out of time.
"I have to go," she said, rising to her feet.
"Come back soon."
He stood to walk to the stairwell with her.
"I will."
Before she could stop herself, she pulled him in for a hug. He was a little taken aback. His hands just hung at his sides for the first few moments, but then he wrapped them around her, lifting her up a little.
She placed her lips on the bit of exposed skin by the collar of his shirt, inhaling his scent.
She knew what she had to do.
Chapter 43
"Who all is leaving? Point them out to me," Aria said, sitting down next to Brent.
He looked around for them and nodded in their directions one by one.
"And him, in the blue shirt," he said, pointing out the last one. "Why?"
"I have a plan. But I'm going to need help. Meet me outside, at the stables, in five minutes."
She made her way towards Mara, who was sitting on the other side of the room.
"The stables in five minutes. Wait until Brent leaves first," she whispered.
Mara nodded in acknowledgment.
Aria walked to the stables; she'd only told Mara and Brent. This had to be kept quiet; the others couldn't find out. Her mother couldn't find out. She knew what her mother would say. She knew that her mother might try to stop her. She couldn't let that happen.
"Hey," Brent said, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. "What's going on?"
"I'll explain when Mara gets here," Aria said. It was cold. Much colder than any other night. And the wind that was picking up from the east didn't really help. But at least it kept people indoors.
Mara showed up a few minutes after Brent.
"What is it?" she asked. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep warm.
"This has to stay between the three of us, okay? No one else can find out," Aria said.
Brent and Mara exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement.
"Do you trust me?" Aria asked, looking at them individually.
"Of course," Mara said.
"You know we do, Aria," Brent replied.
"Okay," Aria nodded. She reached into her pocket and took out three small vials. She gave one to Mara, she gave one to Brent, and she kept the third for herself.
"We have to give these to three of the five guards. Put it in their drink, their food. I don't care how you do it. Just make sure they ingest it," she said.
Mara and Brent studied the small vials in their hands.
"Brent, you take the one in the blue shirt. Mara, you take the big bearded one. I'll get the third. Okay?"
They looked up at the same time and nodded. After that, they turned to leave, making their way back to the throne room.
They didn't even ask.
That's how much they trust you.
She felt an ache in her chest, right where her heart was. Affection for her friends, for how much they believed in her, made her smile to herself.
How did she get so lucky?
In the throne room, she studied the three remaining men who were supposed to leave in the morning, thinking about which one she should pick.
Eventually, she settled on the biggest of the three. Hoping that his immune system was as
