Chapter Fifty-Three

ASH

By the end of the day, fourteen of his warriors had promised their support. Alton had declined, as he had suspected, and a few others who had families as well.

Fourteen men were not enough, not for any plan he had come up with, unless they fought as wolves.

Doing so would pose a whole new set of problems Ash was not sure they could overcome. Some of the residents would surely flee from the fight and carry the information of their existence to the other kingdoms.

While they would not be under the rule of the council to answer for exposing their kind, it was a bad idea, nonetheless.

Even if they won the battle as men, taking up residence with the remaining humans would require trusting anyone who served them to keep their secret, which he wasn’t sure was possible.

They would have to live as humans for a while, until they knew who to let in on their secret.

Maybe the only solution would be to relocate any remaining humans. That was a decision for once they held the castle, however.

He swung by the kitchen and requested dinner be delivered to his quarters as soon as possible before joining Keyara.

She had finished her work, a stack of papers covered with her neat handwriting placed on the corner of the desk.

He could faintly hear her splashing from behind the door to the cave and quickly stripped off his clothes to join her in the bath.

When he entered, he saw her floating on her back in the pool, her eyes closed and her ears under the water, not able to hear his stealthy approach.

He slipped lightly into the warm water and made his way to her, suddenly scooping his arms under her body and lifting her to his chest.

She squealed in surprise, her eyes flying open at his touch and flailing out to link her arms around his neck for support. He laughed at her startled expression, leaning down to kiss her.

She wriggled out of his arms after the kiss, standing in front of him in the water. “How did it go today?” she asked him, eager to hear the news.

“We have fourteen who will fight with us,” he told her. “I don’t think it will be enough. With Jonas missing, I suspect one of two things.

“Either they have increased the presence of the guards in the castle, which means we won’t have enough fighters to defeat them.

“Or they have increased the patrols in the woods searching for him which will make our travel difficult. I plan to send a scout as soon as possible, and then we will know more.”

“I thought of something that will help us, especially if we don’t have enough men for a traditional battle,” she told him. “But I’ll need to be able to speak to Anne first if we hope to utilize it.”

He nodded for her to continue, intrigued.

“There is a secret tunnel located in the castle. Anne used it when she escaped with me as a baby,” Keyara explained. “I know one opening is in the closet in the ruler’s chambers, and the other is somewhere outside the walls.

“However I do not know where exactly. Anne never told me. I also do not know if Pershing is aware of it.”

He was uplifted by her news. If they could sneak in and dispatch Pershing undetected, they would only need a few men, he realized. It was a good plan, if they could find the tunnel.

“What will the castle guards do once Pershing is dead?” he inquired. “Would they fight still? To avenge his death?”

She shook her head thoughtfully. “I doubt it. He is not very well-liked or respected in the castle.

“My only concern is finding out where Jonas found the men he used to abduct me, and if there are any alliances I may not be aware of. They were not men from the castle.”

He nodded at her assessment. “I could tell as much,” he admitted, “on the night I killed them. Luca suspects they were mercenaries for hire.”

She frowned, considering his words. “I know not where he would have acquired the gold for such a thing,” she said worriedly. “Levia is almost bankrupt, from what it seems.”

“Let’s just get through tomorrow,” he replied, running his hands up and down her wet arms soothingly. “Once we send the scout and hear back, we can develop a better plan.”

She nodded, pulling away and hoisting herself out of the pool before wrapping a towel around herself.

“Are you coming?” she asked, turning back to him.

“In a moment,” he replied. “Let me just wash first.”

She nodded, slipping through the door.

At her departure, he submerged himself in the water to wet himself all over, before grabbing the soap and lathering his body and hair. He rinsed quickly and wrapped a towel around his hips, eager to get back to Keyara.

She was dressed when he entered the room, the tray of food in her hands, just delivered as requested. He strode over to her and relieved her of the tray, setting it on the table in front of the fire.

They kept the conversation light while they ate, knowing tomorrow would be a heavy day. After they finished, they sipped glasses of wine, Keyara leaning against him on the couch and staring into the fire.

He took a slow glance around the room, committing the details to memory, suddenly realizing this was likely the last night he would spend here. Keyara must have felt his sudden melancholy, rubbing his thigh comfortingly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him quietly.

He kissed her head. “Just saying goodbye, in a way,” he answered her.

She nodded in understanding, snuggling closer to him.

“I will certainly miss the hot spring,” she told him longingly.

He laughed, taking her glass and setting it on the table along with his own. “Then let’s enjoy it again while we can,” he told her with amusement, pulling her toward the cave.