Destiny Forgiven (Shadows of Destiny) (21 page)

_{After all they’d been through, she owed him an explanation. “I can spare a few minutes.”}

_{He smiled. “Thank you.”}

_{They sat down on a nearby bench and she told him everything, starting with Inkman. He listened without interrupting, even when she told him she’d been intimate with Maddox in order to jog his memory. She left out the part where he’d pretended to be Dalton – there was no need to go there. But she told him Maddox’s father was on the
Council and that Maddox had a plan to destroy
Marwolaeth Du
before they attacked the Underworld.}

_{When she finished, she grimaced, waiting for the worst. Would he think she was a slut? Or possibly insane?}

_{His brow creased. “Why didn’t you tell me about him sooner?”}

_{“It was hard to talk about.” She shrugged. “I had no idea where he was. I didn’t even know if he was alive.”}

_{“Felicity,” he said slowly then took her hand. “Are you sure he isn’t leading you on? This could be an elaborate plan to get you to bring them other members of the rebellion.”}

_{“What? No! Of course I’m sure.” Honestly, she hadn’t thought of that. But the anguish in Maddox’s eyes when he looked at her, the tears he’d wept after they’d made love… There wasn’t an actor alive
who could’ve faked that. “I know it seems far-fetched but you have to trust me.”}

_{“It’s really far-fetched. What’s his
plan? Are you sure you can trust
him
?”}

_{Looking him in the eye, she told him somberly, “I trust him as much as I trust you.”
Maybe more.
“I don’t know the details of his plan but I’m following him anyway. The question is, can
you
follow
me?”}

_{He thought for a long while, which was so like Dalton. Logical and calculating, he didn’t often take big risks. When she was about ready to give up and move on without him, he finally nodded. “What do you need from me?”}

_{She grinned. Though a little surprised, her admiration for him grew. “I need you to ready the colony for an influx of freed prisoners. Have food and medical help on standby.” She thought for a moment. Dalton was one of the strongest warriors she knew. Extra muscle couldn’t hurt. “We could use your help there too. When I’m done with my task, I’ll come back with more information. Do you have any contacts in Caerwyn?”}

_{He flinched. “Caerwyn? That’s suicide, Felicity.”}

_{“I’ll bring a disguise. If you knew someone safe, it would help.”}

_{“Everyone I knew there has left. It’s become more dangerous than ever.” He shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of you going there.”}

_{“I don’t have a choice. You know once I’ve got my mind set…”}

_{“I know, but you’ve got to give me more information than that.” With a mock look of authority, he said, “Don’t make me get Salvatore.”}

_{She fake gasped. “You’d tell on me?”}

_{“Yup. So start talking, brat.”}

_{Laughing, she said, “Oh fine, tattletale! I’m looking for somebody. His name is James Elias. Have you heard of him?” It’d be nice to have a lead. Maybe she should’ve asked Salvatore too.}

_{He shook his head. “No.”}

_{“Darn it.” She chewed her lip and stared at the ground.}

_{After a long drawn-out sigh, he said, “I have one person in the city. Just one. I’ll call him. He’ll let you stay at his
inn.”}

_{It wasn’t much, but it was a start. And at least he wasn’t really telling on her, though she figured he wouldn’t. “Oh! One more thing. In my hospital room there’s a phone in a backpack. I need you to text the one number programmed and say that everything is fine.”}

_{She could tell he wanted to argue but he just rolled his eyes and nodded.}

_{“Thanks. I owe you.”}

_{He gave her a small smile. “Just keep yourself alive, Felicity. It was hell when I thought I’d lost you.” For the first time since she’d known him, his voice cracked. He covered it with a cough then inhaled deeply as he pulled himself together. “Don’t do that to me again,” he ordered.}

_{“Yes, sir.” She chuckled then leaned in to hug him again
. “I’ll be careful.”}

_{A
falcon or a hawk – or even a raven or owl – would be suspicious seen flying over Caerwyn. They were the most popular shifter flying forms. Felicity watched a small finch peck at seeds on the ground. It was a new form, which meant the first change could go very badly.}

_{She stared at it, concentrating hard on its puffy body. Its plump belly looked comical on the stick-like legs. After closing her eyes, she pictured the bird in her mind then pushed the magic out from where it lingered in her chest. It tingled through her limbs and down to her fingers and toes. Her human body started to melt away.}

_{Muscles tightened and she fought to keep the vision in her head. Instinct pushed to shift into a falcon but she couldn’t let that happen. A grunt escaped as her bones snapped and crackled. The grunt turned to a chirp then movement stopped.}

_{The deserted alley she’d shifted in was intimidating from this low to the ground. The buildings looked
enormous. As a falcon, she could make herself the size of a small dog and be passable, but as a finch, she felt no larger than piece of fruit.}

_{Leaving her clothes behind, she flew up onto the high gate surrounding the shifter colony. Flying as a finch was nothing like flying as a falcon. Her small wings meant she had to beat them faster to carry her fat little body. It would be a long trip to the city.}

_{Dalton had given her directions to his friend. The Green Roof Pub had a few rooms on the second floor that the owner rented to friends or overly drunk patrons. He probably charged them double.}

_{The journey didn’t take as long as she’d thought. Her strength was returning quickly, thank the gods. She spotted the green roof on the south side of the city, right where Dalton had said. She circled it, checking for soldiers, then swooped down to street level. A small white box on the doorstep caught her eye. On top, her name was written in black marker. Dalton must’ve arranged it for her.}

_{The Inn was located in a narrow alley shielded from the main road, which was busy even at a little past six in the morning. She shifted, then grabbed the box and hid behind a large dumpster. The blue dress was indecently short and made her wonder if it’d been purposeful. Men could be such perverts. Yanking on it didn’t make it any longer so she sighed, stepped up, and knocked on the back door of the Inn.}

_{Something hard hit her head. Pain exploded, and before she could panic, the world went black.}

_{Th
e first thing Maddox did back at the prison was make himself an ID card. Maddox Blackwell was gone, but Joshua Brenson was a new recruit from Caerwyn. At a desk he’d moved into the storage room, he pored over blueprints.}

_{His office had been ransacked. He’d avoided his father in case he recognized him through the disguise. Instead, he’d stayed holed up in the back of the file room, drawing up pages of escape routes for the prisoners. As a new officer, he didn’t have clearance to control the intricate security system. But what he did have was years of practice hacking through their shields to make them stronger against enemies.}

_{When Felicity found James, and his mate came to help destroy the place, he’d jam up the cell locking system. Before then, he needed to spread the word to the prisoners to be ready. For that, he needed access to them. As a new officer, his duties consisted of patrol, not interacting with prisoners. But if he glamoured himself to look like someone from the kitchen, he could tell each prisoner when he delivered their meal.}

_{He sighed
, tossing blueprints back into the box next to him. He’d just gotten used to this new version of himself. What would Felicity think? She’d recognize him, of course. Anyone who really knew him would – glamouring wasn’t an exact science.}

_{Felicity. He’d been busying himself to keep his heart from aching. He missed her. It’d barely been a day but already he felt empty. Amazing how he hadn’t known what he was missing these last few years, but now she was such a part of his life, his soul, he couldn’t stand being away from her.  His surroundings didn’t help. The oppression was choking him. The sadness, the stench of fear, the constant reminder of what he’d done… It weighed on him. He’d start to lose himself soon. He already felt it every time he walked through a cell block. His chest would tighten, his knees would shake, and then he was back there. Strapped down. Bleeding. Screaming as the lash fell.}

_{It was a vision he’d had before, but recently it had begun to change. Out of the corner of his eye, he’d see a face in a window. It watched, motionless, as the whip cut his skin over and over. Cold eyes, graying hair. His father.}

_{The memories alone could’ve dragged him under, locked him in the prison of his mind again, but add to that reliving the nightmare every time he walked from one end of the prison to the
other and he felt like he was slipping further into darkness. Felicity was the sliver of light he needed – one small thing to grasp onto. It was just enough to keep him going.}

_{With a deep breath, he focused back on his mission. This would all be over soon. He could make it until then.}

_{F
elicity woke with a massive headache. She cracked her eyes opened and groaned. Couldn’t she sleep just a little longer? She tried to roll over, but her body was stuck.}

_{The memory of taking a needle in the arm crawled into her foggy mind and her eyes flew open. Drugged again? Wasn’t her body becoming immune? A room, lit dimly by a fire in a hearth
, greeted her. She smelled the scent of pinewood. It was better than the fluorescent bulbs back at
Marwolaeth Du
and it didn’t reek of death. She supposed that was an improvement.}