One cubby glows red, and then the door springs open.
Inside is a single vile of crystal-blue water.
My eyes snapped open to Ewan’s grinning face, his hand extended. Analisa appeared beside him. “That was quite the spectacular dismount, Highney.”
Oliver laughed. “But she hit the mark, didn’t she?”
I had to have been unconscious for quite a while. I’d spoken to Kenna. Then Jamie appeared. And then the vision. The vision! “How long was I out?”
Ewan cocked his head. “Out?”
I took his hand and allowed him to pull me upright. “Yeah, how long was I unconscious?”
My friends exchanged anxious glances above my head, and then Analisa squatted down in front of me, her sharp gaze searching my face. “You fell only seconds ago.”
Chills raced over my shoulders. The vision had been real. The Protector brought those I trusted most to show me the way. They’d bolstered my courage and strength. More than that, they’d banished my lingering doubts over the best course of action.
This risk was mine to take—to do anything less would be bowing to my fear.
Only I could lead the mission to the castle.
CHAPTER 12
Jamie
I awoke on my stomach, my face pressed into something soft and clean. A slow smile stretched my lips. Vee had visited my dreams, just as she had before coming to Doon. Her hair was pulled tight off her heart-shaped face, and she’d looked especially appealing as she bit her bottom lip just before throwing a wee axe.
My eyes popped open to darkness. I’d shown her how to find a specific item in the royal chapel. What, I couldn’t recall, only that it held great significance. But her reaction to seeing me had been off. She’d appeared angry, almost belligerent, and worse . . . unbelieving. Had Addie told the truth about Veronica believing me dead?
Raising a hand to comb the hair from my eyes, my arm moved without restraint. Pain free and well rested, my body hummed with energy. An unexpected blessing, and one that I was sure did not come without cost.
Cautiously, I pushed myself up, expecting soreness or broken bones. Though the brands on my chest and arm still throbbed, nothing seemed seriously injured. I reclined on a double bed in an unfamiliar room. The curtains were drawn tight, allowing a narrow sliver of sunlight to slant across the stone floor. A washstand, small table, and straight-back chair made the room feel sparse. Perhaps one of the old servant rooms in the south wing?
I moved to a seated position, the quilt falling to my waist. The blanket shifted to reveal clean trousers, my filthy, bloodstained kilt and shirt long gone. Someone had changed and bathed me, and I didn’t remember a moment of it.
That’s when the memory hit. Sean. I slumped back, my arms refusing to support my weight as something inside my chest fell away. I’d killed him. Not in self-defense or in the honor of battle. He’d been helpless at my feet when I’d slit his throat. I pushed my palms against my eyelids, trying to block out the image of his lifeless body, his sightless eyes staring up at me in accusation. I’d murdered a fellow Doonian, and then I’d been healed, given a soft bed and a good night’s sleep as if I were a child rewarded for good behavior.
Springing up, I swung my legs around and my feet hit a wall—an invisible barrier. I kicked with all my might and my legs bounced back toward my chest. Unsurprised she’d caged me like an animal, I rose on my knees and pounded against the magical cell with my fists—a sting of pain buzzing through me with every punch. I didn’t care. I deserved more than a bit of physical discomfort for what I’d done, but I wasn’t her pet monster to lock up and gawk at, either. “Blast it, Adelaide! Let me out of here. Now!”
When no response came, I slumped back onto the bed. My thoughts shut down and I just stared for a good long time. How could I have done this? The crown prince—the boy who’d been raised from birth to lead his kingdom and put his people’s needs before his own? My mother’s sweet voice echoed in my head, “Never forget, my son, that there is a price for everythin’. And as our future leader, your decisions weigh heavier than most.”
I’d lived that adage, been willing to give up my Calling and sacrifice my happiness for the