Dex gave me a panicked look before scurrying off, no doubt to tell Randle what happened. As soon as the door closed behind us, I pointed to the balcony, and everyone followed me. I created a box of silence for us to talk in.
“That sadistic bitch! We can’t leave without Cassidy!” Nic growled as soon as the box was covering him.
“We aren’t. We just need a plan,” I replied. “The problem is, I don’t know where they are keeping her…”
Just then, a small rock flew into view and tumbled across the balcony. I held up my hand before creeping to the edge of the balcony and peering down. Randle was looking up at me. He looked disheveled. He started to open his mouth, but I shook my head and held up a finger. I turned and slipped back into my box.
“Randle is down there. I’m going to bring him up,” I said.
“Is that a good idea?” Nic asked. “He’s one of them.”
“He helped her before. Maybe he’ll do it again.”
Nic and Ellie both nodded. Tray was silent. I walked back to the edge and held my fingers to my lips. He nodded. I called on my magic and used a gust of wind to bring him up. He was so surprised, he almost called out, but at the last second, he brought his hands to his mouth. He landed harder than was intended, but I was trying to keep from using the magic for too long. I held up my finger again, telling him to wait, and I expanded the box. I made sure he could sit on the table comfortably without touching the box. I gestured from him to get on the table. He looked confused, but nodded and came forward. As he passed through the boundary of magic, he shuddered and quickly scrambled onto the table.
“What was that?” he whispered.
“You don’t have to whisper in here. I made a soundproof box. No one can hear us.”
“That is really amazing,” he said with a touch of awe. “I have heard a lot about you, Vanessa. I have tried to keep tabs on you to make sure Cassidy was ok. You do not disappoint.”
“Thank you? I think?” I said as I furrowed my brow. “I’m not thrilled about the spying thing… but we can talk about that later. Tell me, how can we help Cassidy?”
“It is… well… I know where she is being held. I do not know how to release her. The Queen will not let me enter, and you cannot leave your room.”
“Lucky for all of us, I’m not good at following the rules. Does her room have a window?” I asked. He nodded, looking perplexed. “Perfect. How I just got you up here? I can get her down from up there.”
“But then we will still be trapped. You will never make it off the grounds. Once Cassidy is discovered as freed, I will lose my life for treason, so I will be of no assistance to you.”
“First of all, you will not be dying today. Not if I can help it.”
“You cannot. The Queen will not be persuaded by an outsider.”
“Randle, you underestimate me,” I said with a grin. “Your Queen does too. Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” he said with no hesitation.
“Good, then saving your life will be easy. Now, tell me what I need to know about this room Cassidy is in.”
This excerpt is taken from a lightly edited first draft. The content here may change or be removed all together from the final book.