Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“We need somewhere safe to hide. Mack will come looking for us when she figures out we escaped.”
“It’s almost morning. She won’t be about until it gets dark again,” Vasilios replied. “We’ll worry about hiding tonight.”
We reached the ground floor of the prison, and after Vasilios and I paid a much needed visit to the bathroom, we headed to the dining hall. It was empty since it was early, and breakfast hadn’t started yet. I could smell the faint aroma of whatever tasteless slop they were planning to serve today being cooked back in the kitchen.
We sat in a quiet corner, and Vasilios explained everything that had happened with Mack locking us in that torture room. Sven was all riled up by the time Vasilios finished his account.
“We should go today,” Sven whispered passionately. “The plan has been solid for a while, and your magic is constant and getting stronger all the time.”
My eyebrows rose. He was talking about their escape plan, wasn’t he? My gut curdled with indecision. I didn’t want to rat them out, but I also didn’t want to get in trouble if anyone discovered I knew about the plan and said nothing. Then again, the warden was blackmailing my parents, which made me far less inclined to do him any favours.
“You’re right,” Vasilios agreed. “And if we leave today, then we won’t have to worry about Mack coming for us again tonight.” He glanced at me. “Darya, are you in?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“But you can’t stay here alone. Who will protect you with Sven and me gone?”
I bit my lip, unable to tell him that my parents would arrive to get me out later today. “I’ll protect myself. Don’t worry about me.”
He reached out as though to touch me but stopped himself. “Don’t be foolish. You’re coming with us. I won’t leave you behind.”
I swallowed thickly. Why did it feel like I was betraying him? Everything about the experience had changed me. After everything I’d learned about Vasilios and Sven, their lives and where they came from, how they’d suffered since they were little children, I no longer felt like they deserved to be there. Yes, it was insane because they’d done some terrible things, but my parents had done terrible things, too. My parents had killed people because they believed they were fighting for the greater good, but Vasilios and Sven believed they were fighting for the greater good, too, even if they might be misguided at times.
I met his gaze once more, and I knew what I had to do. I would have to lie to him. I couldn’t face coming clean and revealing that I was there undercover, that I hadn’t actually been convicted. Maybe I didn’t have to. He’d know it when he came looking for me later, and I was gone.
“Okay,” I finally whispered. “I’ll come with you.”
Vasilios nodded while Sven eyed me curiously. Crap, did he sense I was lying?
I stood abruptly. “I’m going to shower. Come find me in my cell when it’s time to leave.”
Thankfully, there was no Cassandra outside the showers to prevent me from entering, and the elves there only eyed me with wariness and a good dose of fear. The relief at being able to wash was immense. Since I didn’t have a change of clothes, I still had to get back into my dirty ones, but that was a discomfort I could endure for now. In only a few hours, I’d be out of there, back in Tribane under the safety of my parent’s roof. I’d be able to see Peter.
My chest thrummed with anxiety because I knew I would have to come clean about what happened with Vasilios and me in that cell. In a way, nothing had really happened, but in another, so much had. I would have to lay it all bare and let Peter decide if he still wanted me afterward.
I left the showers without incident. Clearly, the very public way in which I’d threatened Cassandra had made the elves scared of me. Once I’d returned to my cell, I lay on the bed, resting my eyes as the sounds of the prison trickled over me. I didn’t allow myself to fall asleep, but I did allow my mind to wander. Minutes ticked past, and I was thinking about the tree in the courtyard again. Its leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, sunlight brightening the vibrant colours, so many deep shades of red.
So pretty.
A beautiful place to die.
What? No! I sat up abruptly, my hand moving over something rough, something that hadn’t been there before. I opened my eyes and found a rope tied perfectly into a noose. All the blood drained from my face. I hadn’t fallen asleep. Whoever placed it there had done it so quietly that I hadn’t even heard them enter the cell.