Page 167 of Tears for a Broken Sky
“No disrespect, but I’m not the slow one here,” Caelen said, nodding at Slade—and, let’s be honest, probably me too.
“You’re right,” I sighed. “Run ahead. Find us some horses or something—make yourself useful.”
“Imightbe able to sneak a few from Frostwatch’s stables, but you two are gonna have to move a hell of a lot faster before I get caught.”
“We’ll make it,” Slade growled. “Go.”
Caelen ducked his head, catching my eye. He hesitated. Just for a second. Like he wanted to say something.
“Phoenix—”
“Go,” I cut in. “Don’t get soft on me, Your Grace. We’ll figure this out when you get back.”
He rolled his eyes. “Just don’t fucking die, alright?”
“Right back at you,” I said.
As soon as he disappeared into the brush, Slade gave me a look.
“Since when did you two become buddies?”
“Buddies? You’re insane. The guy’s a pretentious asshole.”
Slade chuckled. “Right.”
We pushed on, weaving through the underbrush as fast as Slade’s injury would allow. But I kept an eye on him—discreetly. Every step made him wince, just slightly. Just enough.
“How’s the shoulder?”
He didn’t answer right away. Just gritted his teeth and kept moving.
“I’m fine,” he muttered eventually. “Don’t waste your magic.”
I didn’t believe him. But I let it slide. For now.
There wasn’t enough left in me to patch every broken thing.
**
Caelen
The stables were tucked behind the barracks, low and wide and badly guarded—probably because most of the horses had been seized or ridden out hours ago.
I crouched behind a cart stacked with barrels, watching two soldiers argue near the stable doors. One was a sentinel dressed in blood red. The other in blue – Shattered Crown, I knew.
Typical.
I slid along the shadows, keeping low. My heart pounded like a war drum, but my steps were light. Silent. I’d been trained for this.
But it wasn’t the training that kept me moving. It was Ellie.
And maybe Slade and Phoenix.
I didn’t have to like them to respect the hell out of their loyalty. I only wished I had that from my own subjects.
I got as close as I could, sensing at least two horses in the stables.
A guard stepped out just as I crouched behind a low wall of stacked crates. His armour scraped the frame, and he muttered something about supplies before wandering off. I waited—counted to ten. Then moved.
