Page 167 of Salt in the Seas
“You think the guards will just let you waltz in there?”
Gaeren grinned. “Have you forgotten how we snuck in as children?”
This time Riveran’s smile matched Gaeren’s. “Are you saying that passageway still exists? I assumed your parents blocked it up when they discovered us using it.”
Gaeren rolled his eyes. “Of course they did. But we have our own resources. Stone masonry can be broken down.”
They headed back to Gaeren’s quarters, where he shoved aside a bureau to reveal a small trap door only two feet tall.
“Hmm,” Gaeren said. “It looks a bit smaller than I remember.”
Riveran snorted. “There’s no way you’re fitting into that.”
They opened the door, coughing as the hinges creaked and even more dust filled the air. But despite signs of the passage’s abandonment, a note and parcel sat before them. Gaeren grinned, ripping the note open and scanning its contents. Enla’s script stared back at him with a short but relieving message:
I’ll come back here this evening. Keep to your rooms. There’s enough food here for both of you.
“Oh, food,” Riveran sighed, then nearly moaned in his relief as he unwrapped the package, revealing biscuits, cheese, fruits, and jerky. He tore off a biscuit and paired it with a slice of cheese.
“Do you think it could be a trap?” Gaeren asked, even though he’d told Larkos he was confident it wasn’t.
“We came back once already. She has no new reason to trap us.”
Gaeren winced, thinking of all the ways he’d betrayed the throne since finding Aeliana. Just because his sister claimed to have forgiven his departing words didn’t mean she truly had. Since then, he’d met with the Recreants in Andel, promising them the moon when he didn’t even have Stars to give. And now that he’dcommitted to helping Aeliana and the other Recreants, Enla was sure to have seen that possibility in his future. What did she think of it all?
These thoughts swirled through his mind as he and Riveran ate and waited for the Sun’s sleep. Even then, they sat in the darkness for at least two more hours until the first hint of scuffling sounds was heard on the other side of the passageway. When Enla’s blonde locks finally came into view, Gaeren and Riveran scooted back, allowing her space to crawl through and out the other side.
When Enla stood, even the dust clinging to her dress and hair couldn’t detract from her regal grace. Gaeren saw the admiration in Riveran’s gaze and wasn’t sure if he should smack Riveran for forgetting she was married and bonded to someone else or smack Enla for prioritizing tradition instead of Riveran.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” While there was warmth in her voice, her eyes held the same vacancy they had in the soldier’s memories, lending a coldness that made Gaeren shiver.
“I’m so glad you show your joy over my presence by welcoming me with a clean room and some sort of dinner affair,” Gaeren teased.
A faint smile crossed her lips, but it was an echo of her usual mirth.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing yet,” she said. “Mother and Father might not welcome you, so I was hesitant to alert them to your presence. I figured this way you could be here without it being known you’re here. For now.”
Riveran hummed his understanding, accepting the explanation without question, but Gaeren frowned. “You’re lucky I didn’t come through the front gates.”
“It’s never about luck. I foresaw what you’d do.” The words held a lightness, like their usual banter, but something made her teasing fall flat.
“What else is wrong?” he asked.
She sighed and looked away. “The others think I’ve become less reliable.” The words fell off her lips like they tasted bitter.
“What others?” Gaeren asked.
“Mother and Father. Croft.”
“Croft?” Riveran tensed.
Gaeren shot him a look. Just because Riveran didn’t like the other man didn’t mean they should jump to conclusions.
“A few of my visions have been wrong.” She hesitated on the last word, like it wasn’t accurate.
On a whim, he flipped over her hands, running his fingers along her pale skin in case he could feel through an illusion hiding a brand.
