for her. And once she’s gone, their morale will suffer greatly.” It’s only part true, but I’ve got to give him something. I’ve got to convince him where my loyalties lie.
Besides, I’m not here for the Night. I owe them zero allegiance. Aside from Dorian setting me free, there’s no love lost there.
This is all for Veda.
For Bellona.
CHAPTER 10
VEDA
He’s too far away to make eye contact with.
But close enough I know it’s him.
Nico marches up the walkway to the palace. A crowd of Bellonians shouts and cheers him on from the gate. The way he moves is steady but also like he’s not had a good night’s rest in weeks—determined and strong, yet also beaten down. Different from when I last saw him. Mostly, he’s alive. Thank the Moon he’s alive.
I want to scream at Raevald. Curse him and his lies. I want to toss the Offering medallion he threw at me bearing my name right through his window.
We’ve fallen in line behind a group of Bellonians who tried to sneak around the side of the palace and are now being escorted off the property.
Everyone’s attention is on Nico—heir of Bellona. So much so, and in all of the chaos, no one pays Imi and me any mind.
Nico’s quickly moving out of my line of sight, but when I stand up on my toes, I swear, for the briefest of seconds, he sees me. But then we’re moving and he’s turned to face the door and there are two guards suddenly blocking our way.
I skid to a stop, nearly plowing right into Imi.
The guards, a girl and a guy, wait for some sort of explanation. But Imi stands tall, doesn’t say a word, her hands folded at her waist, the rope tethering me to her wrapped several times around her palm.
I want to tell her to say something. Talk! Explain what we’re doing here! Because Moon knows I can’t.
The guards uncomfortably glance at each other.
Imi lifts her eyebrows.
Instantly, the soldiers stand at attention.
“Took you assholes long enough.” She tugs the rope, making me trip forward. As she walks by them she says, “Caught this one trying to scale the wall to get a better look. I’m taking him in.”
“Yes, officer,” they say in unison.
Then she slows, looks back over her shoulder. “For Sun’s sake … At ease.”
From there we easily leave through a back gate and head down the Hill toward the market.
“What the hell just happened?” I ask, not daring to look back but dying to know what’s going on and if we’re being followed.
“New recruits. One of their first posts is guarding the outer palace grounds. They’re like lost puppies: trying to establish some sort of authority but completely incompetent.”
“I thought we were done for.”
“No … But look sharp.”
I take in a deep breath, keep my head down.
* * *
BECAUSE IT’LL LOOK more suspicious to take the woods, we head to the main walkway. It’s nearly vesper bells and next to no one’s out.
Imi keeps checking her hourglass, reciting the time she believes we’ll be found out. “Twenty minutes.”
Simultaneously, we pick up our pace.
Imi and I enter the path to find more foot traffic than we expected. There’s a group of three Basso women behind us, an older Dogio couple ahead, Imperi soldiers sprinkled about.
“No one walks alone now,” Imi whispers back at me.
As we pass, not one party or soldier gives us a second glance.
Apparently, all I need to get around the island unscathed is a good haircut and an Imperi officer by my side.
My legs are heavy as stone and so very fatigued. Each step is weighted labor. My eyes are still adjusting to the unforgiving light of day. And my heart? Despite the fact that it raps from exhaustion, this heart of mine is in turmoil after seeing Nico … Not getting to say anything … Not being able to act on it … Being forced to pretend I don’t know him, that I don’t care he’s alive and well and somehow returned to Bellona and was marching his way up to the palace gates … To say it was torture would be too kind.
Imi drags me down the path behind her, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins gives me temporary bursts of strength. The grasp of hope, the maybe and what if of finally making my way home, balances precariously at the edge of my mind, gifting renewed motivation.
But as if it’s too good to be true, I catch someone staring as we