Retrieve

by Sarah Addison-Fox

  Hadley’s eyes widened as the ground appeared beneath her, moving quickly, her stomach pressed hard into something solid as she was jostled around. Her head pounded as she squinted down at the ground, eyes focusing on what she was seeing. Leather, dark and the smell of sweat, the metallic tinge of blood and paint. Kade.

  Hadley’s gaze drifted further up, and she flipped the image upside down. Her heart stuttered as she acknowledged Kade was jogging, with her over his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her legs holding her in place.

  She winced as he adjusted her, her body still lacking the strength to protest, she allowed him to carry her, his breath ragged as he drew her further into the dark night outside. When he finally stopped, he was covered in sweat and gasping for breath as he gently placed her on her feet.

  His face lit only by the slightest of starlight covering them, a deep crease on his sweat covered forehead. “Thank the gods you’re a lightweight. We would have been screwed if you weighed more.”

  Hadley could manage little than a limp nod before her eyes filled with tears again. She’d just proven his fears right. She was a liability here. She couldn’t defend herself. “I’m sorry,” she croaked.

  Kade’s frown deepened. “For what?”

  Hadley swallowed, and focused on not crying and making him more annoyed. “I was useless.”

  Kade was silent as he held her gaze. For a moment she thought he would chastise her, but he pulled his eyes away, scanning around them. “You’re a newbie, that’s all.”

  Unsure of whether he was angry with her, Hadley looked down the alleyway and tried to still the tremble that was wracking her body.

  Kade moved so he was crouching alongside her. His eyes still watching the entrance to the alley. “I’ll give you a minute to rest, then we need to move, we’ll only get one chance at this.”

  White hot fear flowed through her as she gaped at him. “We’re still going to get the princess?”

  He angled his head so she could see the hint of blood dripping from his nose. “We have a job to do. We have to adapt. No matter what happens, Stormers get the job done.”

  Kade wiped at his nose and scowled at the tinge of blood staining his hand. “They were looking for a fight, I picked the wrong day to visit Kez, that’s all.”

  Hadley’s thoughts scattered as she tried to make sense of all that had happened. He’d saved her life, she knew it. How could she repay him for that?

  She opened her mouth to speak, before Kade winced, and clutched his side. Hadley’s alarm grew as he smothered a grimace. “You’re hurt?”

  “I’ll be fine. Like I said. We have to adapt. I need to know if you can still climb? Because the chief’s house is two streets over. And I’m going to be out of action for a bit.”

  He raised an arm, and Hadley couldn’t help but notice the pain lacing his face. Even in the poor light, it was evident he was hurting. But somehow, he’d still managed to carry her away from danger and get them to where they needed to be.

  Hadley tensed as he moved even closer to her, eyes roaming over her face before he locked on to her gaze. “I should have—"

  She held her breath, waiting for him to finish, but he only pulled back and stood. “Now would be a good time to scout the chief’s place.”

  With shaking legs, she used the wall behind her to brace herself as she rose to standing. Still woozy, her knees buckled under her and Kade caught her before she dropped. “You aren’t going to be any good for a while, are you? You probably don’t even feel the pain yet. He hit you pretty hard. Once the shock wears off, you’ll notice.”

  Hadley stiffened in his grip, terrified to answer truthfully. Terrified that he was right and that shock was the only thing tempering the damage to her body. Tears flooded her eyes again, and she bit her lip to keep from releasing them, hating herself for being so weak, so affected.

  Kade puffed out a sigh and shook his head. “Can you even walk?”

  Hadley nodded slowly, hoping that she could. She shuffled her foot forwards and tried to take the weight. With Kade still holding her upper arms, she was forced to move closer to him.

  When her steps were still unsteady, he put his arm under her shoulder and took her weight as they moved off down the alleyway.

  Hadley let him half carry her until she felt strong enough to walk, her throat and face beginning to throb, warning her she hadn’t felt the worst yet.

  The night air cooling around them, her legs still leaden as she followed carefully in his footsteps.

  Finally, when her strength was near gone, and her entire head began screaming in hot pain, he stopped under the eaves of a long-closed shop front.

  “We take a few hours to rest, then see how we’re doing.”

  Hadley looked around the empty street, a shiver working over her body, exhaustion creeping over her as Kade jerked his head to follow. Waves of fatigue and pain washing over her, she settled in behind the shop, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him.

  Her eyes gritty and her throat as painful as her cheek and nose, Hadley allowed her neck muscles to relax, her head to sag and her eyes to close.

  Chapter Nine

  Kade kept his eyes on the neighbouring shops as he tried to ignore the way Hadley’s head was resting on his shoulder. He kept his breaths shallow, struggling not to aggravate what he was beginning to suspect were several broken ribs.

  Just a few more days and he could rest. Just an hour or so, and they could get the princess, and return to Azetaria. Back to his sister. Back to his normal life. Free of complications.

  He laid his head back on the rough wall and calculated how bad they were looking. They still had local coin, the horses were secured in the stables, and aside from being a little beat up, he was doing no worse than usual.

  His gaze drifted sidelong, and his heart squeezed in his chest. Hadley, on the other hand, was not doing good. Not at all. One minute later she would have been dead. If Kez hadn’t helped him out by bolting the door, they’d both be dead.

  The back exit and Kez’s reluctance for more dead bodies had saved their lives. And it had even given him one last chance to ask a few more hasty questions.

  According to Kez, no slave traders had come into the city in the last few months. And considering the capital was the most viable place to buy and sell, it was looking less likely Hadley’s brother would be anywhere near here.

  Hadley shivered beside him, and he found his arm raising almost of its free will as he pulled her in closer. He closed his eyes, blocking out the pain searing through his torso as he tried to think logically. She was exhausted. She’d nearly had the life choked out of her, and now was not the time to be telling her that her brother wasn’t going to be easily found.

  Kade looked up at the stars above them. His mind pulling in too many directions to count. If Thomas was even alive, and that was doubtful, he’d not be easy to locate. Sure, he could ask around, but if Kez didn’t know, and he’d already attracted too much attention, it was suicide to keep asking.

  A flickering of anger stirred in his belly at the close call with Hadley. What had Cester been thinking? Sending an untrained, unchecked recruit along on such an important retrieval?

  A single thought stabbed at him almost as painfully as the cracked ribs. You were the one who was supposed to have trained her. You had plenty of time. You were just too pissy at babysitting them all to do the job properly.

  Kade’s arm squeezed involuntarily around her. His jaw working as he checked for any signs the warriors had come this way.

  This close to the chief’s house there was bound to be more security out and about, and there was no telling how many were waiting at the chief’s house. The warriors he’d encountered were just out for trouble. Nothing more. His luck was going to run out sooner or later, and Hadley would be the worse for it.

  How could he possibly ask her to scale the wall and climb in the window now? He found his gaze landing on her damaged face as he tried to gather his thoughts.

  Hadl
ey stirred in her sleep, and she snuggled in closer. Exhaustion tugging at him, Kade allowed himself to enjoy the warmth her body brought.

  The night was growing colder, the wind picking up a notch as he forced his eyes to stay open. One of them had to stay awake. To have come this far then fail was not an option. That was the motto. Stormers got through when everyone else couldn’t. No matter what. Come rain, come hail, sleet or storm. Get the job done or die trying.

  Kade exhaled as much as his injured ribs allowed, trying to think of what they needed to prepare for. The princess was running out of time. If she died, war would start. And with the country already ravaged by famine, it would be an outright massacre.

  Pressure began to build in his chest as the enormity of his task fell heavily on him. Cester was placing this all on him. Why? He’d already failed two Storms. Twice now he’d failed in his retrieval and twice he’d narrowly missed being captured.

  His mind ticked over both incidents, then the most recent. Arrowford and the way the warriors had blocked him as if anticipating him crossing at that location.

  The Numachi had been ready and waiting.

  A seed of doubt planted firmly in his exhausted mind, a stone descended to the pit of his stomach as he chewed over Cester’s actions. Why? Why send him with only Hadley on such an important Storm?

  Kade considered the problem as Hadley slept. Growing more doubtful, more convicted with each minute that ticked by.

  By the time she stirred to waking, and he’d carefully removed his arm, he was no longer convinced Cester had chosen him for his abilities.

  Nor was he sure Hadley had been sent to assist him, rather to drag him down as the weakest link in the chain. Paranoia spun in his sleep-deprived mind as he watched Hadley rouse herself. Her voice was raw as she spoke. “Do we need to go?”

  Kade stared at her for a long moment. Wondering if he should share his doubt. Instead, he nodded. “Can you climb?”

  Hadley gave him a shallow smile. But managed to make it to her feet without collapsing. Kade pulled himself up, covering his pain as he straightened. “The princess is supposed to be on the top floor, most likely bound, possibly beaten.”

  Hadley looked horrified, and he felt a pang of regret at being so blunt. “If she can’t walk, I need to know.”

  She nodded weakly and set her shoulders as if trying to convince him she was strong enough, leaving him to worry he was mad to even consider trying to use her as scout.

  Nervous energy flooded him as they approached the chief’s well-guarded home. Unwilling to tip off anyone, he made sure they stayed hidden in the shadows of the tree-lined street. Tall wooden gates with two Numachi guards marked the entrance to the chief’s residence.

  When they were as close as he could risk, he pulled Hadley to one side, just out of their line of sight and kept his voice low. “The only way inside the compound is over that wall. There are going to be sentries on the other side. I need you to climb a tree or building to check on numbers.”

  Hadley’s face was set grim, but she lifted her chin. “I can do that. Then what?”

  Kade flicked a quick look at the guards. “We’ll need to create a distraction. Get the numbers, the locations and then I’ll figure out how to play this.

  “You didn’t have a plan before now?”

  His eyes narrowed. “I didn’t bloody well have broken ribs before. And I shouldn’t have to explain myself to a newbie. That was the deal. You don’t question or did you forget that along with everything else I told you?”

  She was silent, moonlight highlighting the anger on her face. “I’ll climb the building next door.”

  A pain jabbed at his chest that had nothing to do with his injuries as she turned on her heel and walked away from him.

  Hadley’s body responded to Kade’s command to climb despite her weariness. Her fingers gripping the rough wall, she breathed a sigh of relief when she found enough of a hold to gain purchase.

  It was dangerous to attempt a climb in an unfamiliar place with so little light. Even more so to climb the wall beside the massive residence where the Numachi chief resided. And with each building almost stacked on top of one another, there was every chance someone would see her. But if there was ever a time to prove she could help him, it was now.

  All the times she’d run from Flynn sprang to mind as she climbed, no longer thinking of the pain, no longer thinking about anything else except for the Stormer injured below her.

  At the top of the wall she paused, every nerve in her body heightened as she peered into the darkness, straining to make out any movement from the courtyard below.

  When her breathing had slowed, and she trusted herself to move, she scuttled down the wall and broke into a jog.

  After choosing an illuminated window in the house to use as a marker, she hit the wall at a run, using her momentum to propel her upwards, climbing as rapidly as her trembling muscles allowed for.

  Pausing for breath, she checked on the street. From where she perched, she couldn’t make out the guards or Kade. She pulled her gaze away, looking upwards as she found footholds and spots to push her fingers into.

  Her eyes on the light above, she carefully skirted the room and climbed upwards, until she was at the highest point. Her fingers grasped the shingle atop the roof, and she tested the strength before finding a way to pull herself up and on to the rooftop.

  Her breathing still rapid, her hands still trembling, Hadley crawled across the shingle and made her way towards the chief’s residence.

  The moonlight illuminating the courtyard below, she easily counted a dozen Numachi warriors surrounding the building. Her eyes shifted to the wall and gates. Her pulse quickened as she spied four more men stationed inside as well as the two outside.

  From her position on her hands and knees, she blew out a calming breath. You can do this. No one saw you.

  She took another moment to regulate her anxious breaths before finding her way back down to report to Kade.

  Noise from across the rooftops made her freeze and strain to hear in the still night. She shrunk back and flattened herself against the shingle, her eyes on the top floor balcony of the chief’s residence.

  Snatches of conversation reached her, and she crept closer to the edge, trying to make out what was being said.

  The softer tones of a woman’s voice caused her heart to pound against her bound ribs. Was that the princess?

  Below her the guards continued to mill about, bows and arrows evident even in the poor light.

  She needed to get across to the opposite building and see if the princess was inside like Kade thought. She had the opportunity to check now. Didn’t that make more sense than climbing all the way back down just to tell him there was no way he could get inside?

  Her eyes locked on the building across from where she waited, she edged a fraction closer, careful to distribute her weight evenly as she peered into the darkness.

  Two meters of open air separated her from the slanting rooftop opposite. Even if she could get a run-up, and leap across, Kade wouldn’t be happy she’d not listened to his instructions.

  But how else were they going to find out if the princess was where she was supposed to be? Kade couldn’t climb. He could barely walk, let alone fight. If they didn’t get the princess out, he wouldn’t search for Thomas, and she’d be back where she started.

  Her fear of being alone outweighing her fear of the drop below, Hadley eased herself up and took shaking steps backwards.

  With a final look at the distance and the landing spot, she exhaled slowly, and knowing this was her only chance, Hadley sprinted on tiptoes along the rooftop and flung herself across the gap.

  Her feet connected with the tiles, a slight cracking sound causing her anxiety to spike as she wobbled until her footing was more secure.

  Heart hammering, her pulse loud in her ears, she crept across the roof, heading to where a woman’s voice pierced the still night.

  It took her a few minutes to locat
e the best place to descend, her calloused fingers finding multiple cracks in the plaster to cling to, she made it to the balcony and paused, catching her breath and staying in the shadows. Thankfully, the room wasn’t well lit, flickering candlelight helping her stay hidden in case anyone look outside.

  When all was quiet, she eased slowly along so she could peer inside the room. Her eyes widened as she found a woman seated on a chair, her long dark hair hanging limply around her face as she twisted a solitary ring on her finger.

  Hadley narrowed her eyes, trying to figure a way to tell if she was the princess. If she entered to check, and it wasn’t the princess, there was no telling what the woman would do.

  Muffled voices came from outside the room, and the woman raised her head before huffing out a sigh. Hadley cast another look to the street, hoping Kade would be visible, but she was met with nothing but shadows from the neighbouring buildings.

  Hadley pulled her gaze away, her heart jumping in her chest when she found the woman staring in her direction. A frown crept over her lovely face. “Oh, not again! My father hired you?”

  Hadley cringed at the volume of her voice, then pulled herself through the window, dropping lightly to the floor, a finger against her lips as she approached. “Are you princess…”

  The woman looked annoyed, a pout to her full lips as she nodded. “Princess Embeth.”

  Hadley ignored the angry look on her face, keeping her voice as low as possible. “Can you walk?”

  “You need to leave.”

  A gnawing worry began to eat at her at the scowl on the princess’ face. She moved closer, peering at her. She didn’t look to be injured. The faint smell of fragrance filling her nostrils, Hadley pulled back and squinted at the princess. The hair she thought lank and unwashed, was in fact only wet.

  Her clothes, though more revealing than usual, were made from finely tailored, silken fabric and showed no sign of damage.