Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 46

** MAN, what a week it has been. in two days I lost an 8 year friendship, got my first speeding ticket and almost got my car impounded. It's been hard to be honest. But then yesterday I went for a run and I felt 1000x better. Self-care, man. Anyway, IDK why I'm telling you guys this. This chapter is a good one. Hope y'all like.**

Chapter 46:

"Inez!" Ari's fists loosened. "What are you doing here?"

Inez beamed; a rare sight, and stepped into the dimly lit cave. "Rescuing you, of course."

"You were supposed to steal the money and leave."

"Don't worry, Captain— we stole the money." She smoothed her hands over her trousers, seemingly unconcerned. "So, I heard you two whupped fifteen of Camille's guards." She sounded impressed— odd, since Aveline looked like a feverish corpse and there was enough blood on Ari's shirtsleeves that he could now smell it.

Ari exhaled. He couldn't say he was happy that Inez had put herself in danger to rescue them, but the glimmer of yellow light from her lantern was the best sight he had seen in a while. "Where is the crew?"

"They're waiting for us outside." Inez jerked her chin towards the passageway that she'd come out of. "Make haste."

He didn't need to be asked twice. Ari gave Aveline a small push in front of him and followed as she dazedly stumbled through the hall.

"Is the ship still docked by the cove?" He inquired as he hurried beside Inez, who somehow seemed to know exactly where she was going as she navigated the dirty tunnel. Saving our asses. Again.

"Yes, it's right close," she hummed.

"Good." He glanced at his first mate, who was somehow jogging at a faster pace than him. "Aveline is ill."

"I'm fine," said Aveline. "Inez, have you seen Lyla?"

"Not since yesterday." Inez craned her neck as she scanned through the darkness. "The city's been all abuzz this afternoon— for the princess's ball."

Camille's ball was today? Ari sucked in a breath. They'd been underground for longer than he'd thought.

"We cannot leave without her."

"Alright." Inez stopped in front of a muddy patch of wall, identical to every other muddy patch of wall that they'd passed in the thousands of miles Ari thought they must have run by now. "We found an entrance here."

"How can you tell? They all look exactly the same."

"You're the one who told me to always mark my trail, Captain." With nimble fingers, Inez tugged a piece of red thread from a tiny cavity in the rock. Above them there was a loose stone that Inez pushed aside. Light streamed out from the emerging hole. "When we stole three chests worth of Giornian rubies from a  smuggling camp in the Western forest- you were both there."

"Oh, that's right!" Aveline snickered hoarsely. "And then Ari's pistol misfired and we all nearly died."

"It was an accident!" Ari found himself grinning despite the aching pain in his body. "Bloody hell."

Inez scrambled up the wall and wriggled through the opening at the top. Ari hoisted Aveline up after her. He could feel the heat of her through her gown and the skin on her arms had taken on a pale sheen that he didn't remark on.

"Hurry." She pulled him up as soon as she reached the surface, and Ari climbed out of the hole to find themselves on the coastline at the edge of the city next to a patch of sand and dry shrubbery. The sky was white and cloudy, and Ari closed his eyes against the familiar breeze that brushed against his cheek like a soft caress.