The Raven and the Dragon

Chapter Fifteen

The others returned with good news. House Laine had agreed to help. They needed only to finalize the rest of their plans and report back to them. Alicia probably would've been thrilled, had she not been swept up in the next wave of planning. There was no time to celebrate a small victory, not when they had much larger details to worry about. If she wasn't with Bo, she was with King Gideon, or both of them, talking, projecting themselves back home, planning.

That was probably why it didn't hit her until almost a full day and a half later, the night before everyone was beginning to plan and go their separate ways. Nimah and Kit would be going to House Laine to ready for their part in the plan. Solomon would accompany them so he'd be closer to home. Eve was still considering her options, though she had apparently mentioned to Bo that she might feel better if she stayed with Alicia until this was over. Bo had been relieved at the prospect; Alicia was a bit more uncertain, though it helped to remember that she likely wasn't going anywhere near actual fighting. She was a princess, and young at that. There was no need for her to be so close.

Strangely, for the first time, being at her side would likely be the safest place to be.

Nimah came to her for one last review of "anywhere in the castle that might be good for hiding, especially secret passageways if you have them." There were, actually, some passageways in the castle, not quite hidden ones, but certainly out-of-the-way ones that made travel a bit easier and more discreet. Discussing them and the various entryways reminded Alicia of her childhood, of sneaking off into the passageways to play hide-and-seek with Father, of the various other places in the castle that weren't quite relevant to the conversation but that she would love to show the others, and then...she realized.

I might be able to show her some of those things after all.

I'm going home soon

There was no guarantee that she'd be able to show them anything. She knew that. But the possibility was still so overwhelming that Alicia stopped talking. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen silent until Nimah put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right, Princess?" she asked.

Alicia took a second to compose herself, and to try and sort through all the emotions she was feeling in that moment. "I was...I just realized I might be able to sleep in my own bed soon." It sounded so childish when she put it like that, and that barely encompassed everything she was feeling as it was. "I know I shouldn't get my hopes up too much, but ever since we arrived here, it feels like it's safe to hope. Even now that things are getting dangerous, it feels...safer. Is that strange?"

Nimah shook her head. "No, not at all. It's almost over one way or another. Wanting it to end well isn't a bad thing." She patted Alicia's shoulder. "We're doing everything we can to make sure you can get back in that bed. You know that, right?"

"I do." It was actually part of the reason why she risked feeling optimistic. She had her friends, and she had the help of a man who could turn into a dragon. It made anything seem possible, as silly as that might have sounded. At the very least, it made things seem more possible than they had when it was just her and Bo. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for this."

Nimah shook her head. "You only have to worry about the payment we agreed to. And maybe dinner. I get the feeling that I'm going to be hungry after helping with a kidnapping."

Alicia laughed. Before she had time to stop it, the laughter turned into a sob. Had she started crying when the laughter started, or had it just started now? It was too late to hide it, at any rate; Nimah had already seen, and looked concerned. "I'm sorry," Alicia said. "It's all..."