Chapter 22 Things set in motion
Lyanna
I made my way back to the servants’ quarters with my head down and my hands folded neatly at my waist, deep in thought.
The corridors changed as I went.
The stone here was smoother, scrubbed pale. The air smelled of flowers and incense instead of iron and old fear. Lanterns burned steadily along the walls, not flickering like they did above the pens. Doors had locks—real ones, with keys, not bars.
After months in cages and then pens, this felt like heaven.
The servants’ quarters opened into a long room divided by hanging curtains and low partitions. Narrow beds lined the walls, each with a folded blanket and a small chest at the foot. A few omegas were already inside—some seated, mending clothes, others lying back with their eyes closed.
Conversation was muted, careful. No one laughed.
No one cried either.
That, more than anything, marked the difference from the pens.
I slipped into an empty space near the back and sat, resting my hands in my lap. My leg throbbed faintly now that I’d stopped moving, a sharp reminder of how close I’d come to disaster.
Elias’s hands flashed through my memory unbidden—firm, entirely too close. I pushed the thought aside.
Focus.
The map rose behind my eyes as clearly as if it were still spread across the desk.
The capital sat like a spider at the center of the roads, thick lines branching outward. To the north-east, a thinner route cut toward the tree line, narrowing as it went.
Brindlewood lay there, pressed against the edge of the forest.
If I could get that far—
The woods stretched wide beyond it, old and tangled. It should be hard to track through. Even harder to patrol. From there, the roads fractured into smaller towns, river crossings, places I hadn’t taken note of their names and borders blurred. If I stayed off the main routes, if I traded work for food, if I kept moving—
Aeloria was not close.
But it was possible.
The curtain at my back rustled sharply.
“Do you have a death wish,” Sera hissed, “or are you just collecting them now?”
I turned, shock quickly breaking into relief.
Sera stood there with her hands on her hips, curls pulled back into a loose tie, eyes bright with anger and something far more fragile beneath it. Before I could speak, she grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me into a fierce embrace.
I clutched her back, breath shuddering out of me. “Thank you,” I murmured. “You saved me.”
“And you repay me by being seen,” she snapped softly, pulling away just enough to look at me. “Why weren’t you where Bina left you, huh? What were you doing so close to the Triune?”
I looked around, and Sera pressed her lips shut. Thankfully, there was no one in our vicinity.
I looked at her apologetically and signed.
I didn’t mean to—
You never do, Sera responded exasperatedly.
We sat together on the edge of the bed, shoulders touching. Around us, the other omegas went about their business.
Vespera’s men are still searching, Sera signed discreetly. I heard it myself. The guards had increased in the pens so I went to check, only to find out you were in the lord’s manor.
It’s a long story, I responded.
Well I have time, now tell me what’s going on.
I don’t know how but I seemed to have caught the attention of Lord Veras. He was the one who ordered my reassignment to the palace.
Sera frowned. I knew something was up with the way he looked at us that day. He hasn’t tried anything with you, right?
Is the baby ok?
I smiled softly. The baby is fine, no he hasn’t done anything yet which is strange.
I noticed the look on her face and shook my head, signing quickly. No, I didn’t mean it that way. He is strange because he is helping for seemingly no reason, it scares me to not know his motives.
Sera scrubbed a hand over her face and sighed heavily. Ok, ok. Maybe we can use him to stay safe from Vespera and her men.
I hesitated to respond.
She caught it immediately. What? What is it? she signed. Do you have another plan?
Yes, I signed. I cannot stay here, constantly hiding from these monsters. I’ll get caught one day and then it would have all been for nothing.
Her mouth tightened. So your solution is to run.
Yes.
You’re mad.
I know, I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted.
Sera blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand over her face. Where?
I hesitated, then leaned closer. “There’s a village near the woods. Brindlewood. If I can reach it, I can disappear into the forest. From there—” I swallowed. “From there, I can make it home.”
“That forest kills people.”
“So does staying.”
You don’t know anything about surviving outside the capital.
I’ll take my chances there.
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.
Finally, Sera nodded once. “You’ll need supplies. Food you can carry. Shoes that won’t fall apart. And information.” She shot me a sharp look. “Not tonight. Not recklessly.”
Emotion surged up too fast, too sudden. I hugged her again, harder this time. “Thank you,” I rasped against her shoulder.
She stiffened, then returned it. “I don’t like this,” she muttered. “But I won’t leave you to it alone.”
A beat passed.
Then Sera tilted her head. “Why haven’t you gone to see the Aelorian envoy?”
I froze.
“They’re here for negotiations,” she continued. “Even if you’re not titled, you’re still Aelorian. That has to count for something.”
The words scraped raw. How could I tell her that that was the second important reason why I had to get back home?
I looked down at my hands. Images flickered—smiling diplomacy, soft promises, a man willing to sell a kingdom for comfort.
“I’ll try,” I said instead. “If I get the chance.”
Sera studied me, clearly unconvinced, but let it go.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside. A voice called for lamps to be dimmed.
As the room settled into uneasy quiet, I lay back on the narrow bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Brindlewood.
The woods.
Aeloria.
And Elias Veras—standing between me and every path I needed to take.
I closed my eyes, already counting how many days I had left before I made my daring move.