Grave Dance (Alex Craft, #2)(109)

“Are you okay?” I asked as Caleb and I circled each other, our right palms pressed together.

“I’m not in the dungeon anymore, so that’s a plus.” He flashed me a bright smile, which was completely fake.

“Good behavior wins rewards, if not trust.” Then he turned and held up his left hand. The couples around us switched directions, but it took me an awkward moment to figure that out and by the time I spun around the dance had moved on to the next step.

I remained perpetual y one step off throughout the dance.

I didn’t care. I was watching Caleb and the cord binding I didn’t care. I was watching Caleb and the cord binding him. He appeared to be able to move anywhere he wanted to in the bal room, but I had the feeling he couldn’t leave.

Which meant it had to go. It was definitely magic, but I had no idea how it worked. I’d only just started being able to feel fae magic. But I do have my dagger. The dagger was enchanted to cut through anything, and from its pressure against my leg in its sheath, I could almost feel it agreeing that it could get the job done. First I have to get to it.

The queen hadn’t changed my shoes, probably because the gown dragged the ground, so it wasn’t like anyone was going to see my feet. The problem? Getting to a boot holster underneath a bal gown was a real bitch. I waited until the end of the song, when I was once again curtsying, and even then, drawing the dagger was anything but smooth. It was more of a hike-the-skirt-and-dig-through-layers-ofmaterial-until-I-found-my-leg kind of move. I had no doubt that I’d been noticed. But with what I was about to do, I couldn’t avoid being noticed. Dropping from the curtsy into a kneel beside Caleb, I slid the blade through the halfreal cord. It dissolved.

“Al, what did you do?” Caleb hissed, his gaze darting around the room as if to see who noticed. Most of the fae had moved into the next dance already, but the queen pushed herself to her feet. I could feel her staring at us. I wasn’t the only one, Caleb clearly sensed her gaze as wel .

“We have to get out of here.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me forward.

“No. Caleb, I—” I had a job to do. And PC was here. And

—Caleb didn’t give me the option to protest. His arm around me tightened and he lifted me off the ground, running with me in tow as he dodged dancers.

“Stop them! Bring them to me,” the queen’s voice yel ed just before Caleb dove through the doorway.

The music went silent, the sound of dancers disappeared, and the smel of food vanished as the disappeared, and the smel of food vanished as the stil ness of the hal way settled around us. Caleb set me on my feet, glancing first to the right and then to the left. Both directions looked exactly the same, and he cursed as he grabbed my arm and dragged me down the corridor to the right.

I tried to pul away, bracing with my feet. “Caleb. Let go. I have to stay.”

He just tugged harder. “No. We have to get out of here, Al, before—”

He never got to the next word. I expected the guards I’d seen earlier to catch us, but it was the ominous statues along the wal that lumbered into action, and I had a good idea what he’d been worried about.

The guardians each carried a huge, three-foot-long sword. Who the hel carried a sword? Of course they were more “whats” than “whos,” and there were a lot of them.

Caleb skidded to a stop as three guardians barred the passage in front of us. We both twisted around, but there were more guardians behind us, and more were stepping forward from the wal s, their swords lifted. Surrounded.

“How do we fight them?” I whispered, and Caleb shook his head.

Great. I could see the glyphs on the guardians, but I didn’t know anything about the fae glyph magic, and I certainly didn’t know how to dispel the enchantment. My ability to peer over the planes wasn’t showing anything useful either.

They weren’t like the constructs I could disbelieve out of existence, but ice given purpose. Even the dagger in my hand, which was always eager for a little action, felt unsure.

The guardians pressed closer, until Caleb and I were forced back to back just to keep from being skewered.

“Stand down,” a familiar voice yel ed. Falin rounded the corner at a dead run.

“No,” Caleb whispered.

I spared a moment to glance at Caleb before focusing on Falin. The chain was gone, and he was alone. Or at least Falin. The chain was gone, and he was alone. Or at least he was far ahead of anyone else pursuing us.

He reached a row of guardians and, grabbing two by the shoulder, jerked them back to open a path with no pointy ice swords between him and us. The guardians turned, and then as one, stepped back. They didn’t lower their swords, but at least I had room to breathe.

“We’re not going back,” Caleb said. He grabbed my dagger, wrenching it from my hand.

I yelped, my wrist smarting. “Hey!”

Caleb lifted the dagger, pointing it at Falin.

I grabbed his arm. “Caleb, stop.”

Falin stepped closer. “I don’t wish to hurt you.”

Which didn’t mean he wouldn’t. I’d seen Falin kil before.

That had been the bad guys, but I guess “bad” was a matter of perspective.

Caleb lifted the dagger higher.

Falin glanced at the ice guardians. Two advanced, faster than I would have thought possible for automatons, and grabbed Caleb’s arms, dragging him down.