Alastair Von Vexx's Arc

Chapter 3 of 13

He stood in the dark, the phantom's cold pull still in his bones. The truth of the binding burned clear now; therefore, delay meant death. He fixed on one aim: catch the next whisper before it reached a blade. He would move first—but to do that, he had to tell Wisteria enough to bait the trap without breaking her trust. The proof arrived before dawn. A servant found the map abandoned in the lower courtyard, its edges stained with fountain water. Someone had drawn Wisteria's chamber in careful detail with a red arrow pointing to the entrance and three black marks along the corridor — guard positions to avoid. Alastair held it under lamplight and felt his stomach turn cold. His enemies had stopped whispering. They were giving instructions. He set a shimmering barrier outside her door at once and sent two guards he'd known for a century to watch it. Then he walked the castle foundations until he found what he needed — a moss-covered passage that ran beneath the east wing and opened into the grove beyond. He cleared the roots himself and left a lantern at the entrance. But when he returned to her chamber at daybreak, Wisteria was already awake and watching him with that look he'd learned meant she felt everything through the bond. She saw the map before he could hide it. She stood and crossed to him, her bare feet silent on the stone floor. He expected fear, but she only held out her hand. He gave her the map. She studied it for a long moment, then looked up at him with eyes that had stopped asking permission. "You can't keep me safe if I don't know what's coming," she said. Her voice was steady. "Show me the way out." He led her through the hidden passage in silence, the moss brushing their shoulders as they walked. The tunnel smelled of earth and old stone. When they emerged into the grove, she turned to face him. "They'll come tonight," she said. It wasn't a question. He nodded. She didn't flinch. Instead, she reached for his hand and held it, her fingers cold against his. "Then we face them together." The words settled between them like a door closing. He'd spent centuries moving pieces alone, but the trap he'd just set required both of them to stand in it. She knew that now. So did he.