Chapter 65

Logan

Jesse’s letter arrived at dawn. It smelled like wine and smoke, like all his very essence had been pressed into the parchment along with the ink. Arrogance was in every stroke of his quill.

I knew I shouldn’t read it more than once, but I did. I read it four times, in fact. It took several attempts before the true meaning of the words sank in. And then, each sentence scratched deeper into my skull like claws across stone, wearing it away.

It was a taunt. Every word. Every flourish of his quill was intentional and made to irk me. And of course, it did. How could a threat to Evelyn not?

Her safety was at risk every moment she drew breath around him. And she was still there. Still surrounded by his rogues. Still unrescued because of my failure to retrieve her.

Every hour, thoughts of Jesse with Evelyn plagued me. I was so haunted by these possibilities that I decided it was time to take drastic measures that evening.

Before sunrise, I was pacing the stone corridor just outside Emma’s quarters, every muscle in my jaw tense enough to be painful. I was steeling myself to knock on her door, trying to gather the strength required to ask her what I needed to ask her about.

But she opened the door before I could make the first move, and when I saw her face, I didn’t waste time, the words pouring out of me in a torrent.

“I need your help getting into the rogue territory.”

She blinked at me, startled. Her hair was still bedraggled from sleep. “What?”

“You know how to get into rogue territory. Or at least you used to at one point, and now I need to know how. I need you to tell me about the back trails. The old paths. You’ve been there before, and even though time has passed, I’m sure much of it is still similar enough to use. You know how to get through unnoticed.”

Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. I watched her hesitate, and something in me tightened, knowing that she would deny me this. Even as I begged her.

“You’re not going to do this because you still hate her,” I said flatly.

Emma’s expression darkened as she straightened defiantly. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” My voice rose, sharper now. “You hate her enough to let her rot in Jesse’s camp because she threatens your pride.”

Emma’s face twisted with something fragile. She looked pained by my words, and all of the sudden, I was thinking of those private journal entries I’d read. Of her saying she felt alone and like I had abandoned her. My frustration and guilt warred inside me as her features conveyed a hundred emotions at once.

Then, she turned on her heel and pushed past me into the hall. She walked away from me without another word.

I stood there for a long moment, breath loud in my ears. My fists clenched and unclenched uselessly at my sides. As I watched her stomp away, I tried to figure out what was worse: her silence or the guilt rising in my chest.

Alex and I were deep in strategy talks that evening. If Emma wouldn’t help us, that wouldn’t stop our pursuit of rescuing Evelyn. It would have to be a minor setback.

The oil lanterns were burning low as early morning ticked by. And still, we were no closer to a solution than when we started.

Dawn was creeping up on us by the time she arrived.

We were spread over a war table, mapping out terrain, theorizing on entry routes, and considering potential allies. All of it was hypothetical, and the angles we were attempting to work were flimsy at best. We were desperate men scrawling down possibilities with hasty hands.

Then Emma appeared in the doorway, her arms crossed, her chin high.

“I’ll help you,” she said simply.

Alex and I both looked up.

“You will?” I asked. I couldn’t believe it. It was almost too good to be true. I was on my feet in an instant, crossing the room to her.

“But I want something in return,” she said.

My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to meet the glimmer in her eyes. “What?”

“Scott,” she said. “I want him exiled.”

I didn’t bother hiding my surprise. “Scott?”

If it was the same Scott I was thinking of, he was a low-level businessman who lived in the city. I didn’t even know she and Scott knew of each other until then.

She stepped deeper into the room, her voice sharp as a blade. She stood so close that she had to tilt her head back to look up at me.

“He’s been working behind my back. With Evelyn,” she said. “I thought he was a friend, someone I could trust, but then he turned cloak for one of her handouts. And I’m sure he knows things.” Her jaw ticked. “Things that could damage me. I want him gone. Far from here. Permanently.”

I exchanged a glance with Alex, who was already frowning. “Emma, that’s—”

“Yes,” I interrupted, not even thinking it through.

Alex’s brow furrowed deeper. “Logan—”

“I said yes.” My voice was firm. “If it gets Evelyn out of that camp, I’ll do whatever it takes. Won’t you?”

That silenced him. I knew he felt the same desperation I did. And with our laughable attempts at planning laid out before him, it was clearer now, more than ever, that we needed outside help. Even if it came at the price of Scott.

It occurred to me distantly that Scott might know something very significant about Emma if she was willing to risk her cover and bring back her greatest enemy, all just to see him swept from the board. But that was a thought to ponder at some other, later time.

He would be furious, sure, but we would pay him kindly for his exile. If it meant getting Evelyn out of Jesse’s clutches, no cost was too steep.

Emma’s eyes flickered. Her expression had always been open and readable, to me at least. Even when she lied or excluded information, the smaller inner workings of her face would reveal her mistruth. Just then, satisfaction, hurt, and something like determination played out on her face.

But for the first time in a long while, she didn’t smile. She just nodded and forced an unconvincing smirk to play out on her features.

“Good,” she said. “Get rid of him, and then I will tell you how to get into the camp.”

“It will be done by the afternoon,” I promised.

“Then I will see you in the evening.” Then, she turned on her heel and left. The door shut behind her with quiet finality.

Alex looked at me like I’d just started spontaneously bleeding out. His eyes were wide in surprise.

“You’re making deals with devils now?” he said.

“No,” I muttered. “I’m just paying the price to save our best healer.” But I could tell he didn’t believe me, because he shook his head as he stood.

“Then I’d better get some sleep,” Alex said with a yawn. “Seems like we will be having a very eventful evening tonight.”