“What improvise badly?”
Badly? It had worked, hadn’t it? “No, I mean create a distraction. Before, I led Kuldain and his men away while you got my—” She caught herself. “--the Shadow Fae out of the fortress.”
“I can do that!” Amelia piped up. “I’m very good at distracting people.”
Jak turned to her. She wasn’t about to forbid her friend from helping, not after the friction between their relationship up to this point, but she didn’t have to like it. “Are you sure? I don’t want any of you getting hurt because of this.”
“I believe I speak for all of us,” Seph chimed in, “when I say that we’re all choosing to help you in this. We all have our own reasons for wanting to rescue these Fae. We’re ready for the consequences.”
Amelia nodded in confirmation. Jak stood still for a moment, feeling a range of emotions that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Part of her felt grateful, but another part seemed overwhelmed with worry for her friends. But she had made this commitment, and she couldn’t back out now.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s figure out how we’re going to do this.”
15
They waited a few days until the next public execution. Every so often, the queen would burn the worst of the criminals at stake in the public square. Most of them guilty of murder or rape, though some were guilty of treason and the details of their treachery were never clear. But even then, Jak thought it a gruesome scene. Why did everyone seem so interested in watching people die like that? Seriously, people gathered from all over the city to watch. It was disgusting.
Regardless, Naem claimed the palace had less security since many of the guards attended the execution, both to keep the peace and to satiate their own curiosity. So, it was decided. They would sneak in that evening.
As Jak and Amelia quietly left the college and headed down to the coast, Jak ran through the plan in her mind. They’d climb the stairs, enter the kitchens, then Amelia would run off to the bathhouses to make her diversion. Jak had taught Amelia how to do the “faulty” Flamedancer branding trick. Jak didn’t even consider it a failed brand anymore, it was quite useful under the right circumstances. Amelia would use the brand to create an explosion in the bathhouse, one of the queen’s favorite luxuries, according to Seph. That should get everyone’s attention.
Then it was a simple matter of taking out what guards remained, locating the Water Fae, carrying them back down the secret passage, all without anyone raising the alarm. Simple, right?
Jak had also wanted to search for the Relic but eventually agreed with Naem and Seph that, while the Relic was important, the Water Fae took priority. If they found the Relic with the Fae, great. If not, they would have to leave it for now.
Jak drew up short, realizing they were already at the base of the cliffs. Two torches held in the distance told her that Naem and Seph had already arrived.
“Glad you made it,” Naem said as they approached.
Jak dispensed with the greetings, turning to Seph. “Are you ready?”
Seph nodded. “The entrance isn’t far from here.”
“But first,” Naem held a small bundle of what looked like pieces of cloth out in front of him. “We should put these on.”
Jak grabbed one of the rags and felt a moment of trepidation. These were masks like those worn by caravan robbers and other thieves. Of course, she knew they were all doing this for the good of the Fae, but she didn’t like the feeling of doing something illegal, even for the right reasons.
She couldn’t think about that now. Doing so could distract her and ruin the mission. Without another thought, she tied the cloth around her face, obscuring her mouth and nose, leaving only her green eyes exposed. Lastly, she raised her hood and tucked her hair behind it. The red streak in her otherwise raven hair was as much of an identifier as anything. Best to keep as much of her body as concealed as possible.
Once they were all prepared, Seph began to lead them up a small incline only a few meters from where they met. A part of the cliff had crumbled and left a small hill next to the beach. They climbed it, and it was only then that Jak noticed a small cave entrance in the side of the cliff, positioned in such a way that she would have never seen it from the beach.
“Oh, I see it!” Amelia squealed as they approached. “It was right there all along!”
Jak looked up to see the Palace perched at the top of the cliffs. This was likely to be a long climb.
“We’ll have to go single file from here on out,” Seph said. “I’ll lead.”
He approached the cave entrance and stepped sideways to better fit through the opening. It wasn’t too small of a hole, but definitely small enough so that two people couldn’t enter side by side. And it didn’t open up immediately either. It almost felt like the walls were closing in on Jak as she walked for nearly a minute before the passage opened up into a larger space.
Jak made out some stairs directly ahead, illuminated by Seph’s torch. Amelia entered the cavern after Jak, with Naem taking up the rear.
“Oh, wow!” Amelia’s eyes bulged out of her head. “It’s really here. I love secret passages.” Her voice echoed loudly through the cavern.
Seph winced. “You’ll need to keep your voice down in here. This cavern extends all the way up to the kitchens and sound carries.”
“Oh, sorry!” Amelia said in a slightly hushed tone that still carried more than Jak was comfortable with.
“Best if none of us say anything,” Naem said from behind Jak.
That was asking a lot from Amelia, but once they began the climb, even she seemed to forget about conversation. The climb was a long one, and the steps were steep and narrow, carved into the solid rock that zigzagged up the cavern wall, with only a small length of rope strung along the way to keep them from falling if they slipped.
Only Naem seemed unwinded by the climb, probably thanks to his healing power or Grace, or a combination of the two allowing him to climb the steps with little effort. Seph breathed heavy, but still not as much as Amelia and Jak, who were having to take deep, gagging breathes after a while. Surely their breathing alone would be enough to wake the whole palace. And that was without Amelia’s occasional whimpers when she ignored everyone’s advice and looked down to see how far they had come.
They stopped once to catch their breath, but it surprised Jak how quickly they reached the top. The chamber carved out of the rock was much larger now and filled with storage containers and random junk. Seph waited for everyone to finish climbing and join him on the large ledge.
“Okay,” he whispered. “The kitchens are right ahead through that trap door.” He pointed at a small wooden square in the ceiling with a ladder standing next to it. “They always keep it uncovered in case the queen needs to make a quick getaway, though most just assume it’s nothing more than a kitchen pantry.”
Which it was, Jak realized as she looked around. Many of the boxes held meats, fruits, and other perishables. You’d have to go all the way to the back to even discover the doorway that led to the massive stone staircase.
Seph put out his torch, and Naem followed suit. Now the only source of light came from cracks in the trap door.
“I’ll go first,” Naem whispered. “There may still be people left cleaning the dishes or something.”
Jak couldn’t hear any signs of movement above them, but she agree that Naem was the best option to go first. He climbed the ladder and gently raised the door. His head went first, and Naem paused to look around. Then he climbed the rest of the way out of the trap door, and Jak could feel Amelia bobbing on the balls of her feet in anticipation, echoing how Jak felt.
Naem’s head reappeared as he knelt over the trap door. “All clear.”
Jak let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and followed Seph and Amelia up the ladder to join Naem.
The kitchens were enormous. The queen must entertain a lot of people to warrant having three stoves, five wash basins, and an inordinate amount of table
space. Jak was honestly surprised there wasn’t at least one person working in the kitchen at all times. They’d need a lot of manpower just to keep the place clean, let alone cook.
“The bathhouses are down the hall on the left, then make a right and another left,” Seph instructed Amelia. “If you run into anyone, you can just pretend to be one of the queen’s ladies in waiting.”
Amelia took the scarf from her face. “So, was there any reason for me to wear this?” She tucked it under her belt and walked out of the kitchens, giving Jak an excited wink as she left.
Naem peeked outside the door as Amelia left, “The coast is clear for now, I say we move.”
Jak could feel her heart pumping in her neck as they tip-toed around the palace, expecting to run headlong into a guard or worse, the queen herself, around any corner. It was amazing how few people inhabited such a big space. Even when Jak had visited the palace the first time, she hadn’t seen many people. And now, with everyone at the execution, it seemed almost abandoned. But that didn’t stop Jak from worrying.
Seph took the lead, but Naem was close behind, ready to defend Seph and Jak if needed. He was, after all, far more accomplished in combat than anyone else Jak knew.
Suddenly, Seph stopped to peak around a corner. Jak waited, and Seph stepped back to regard her. “The lab is around the corner. There’s no mistaking it. Your friends are in there.”
“How can you tell?” asked Naem.
“Because I count ten guards,” Seph said, cooly.
Naem cursed and peaked around the corner to see for himself, then turned again to Jak. “I’m not sure I can take ten of them.”
Jak was about to point out that she wasn’t exactly useless when it came to combat when a massive thundercrack rattled the stone around them. That must be Amelia’s distraction! It was far stronger than Jak had anticipated, nearly knocking Seph to the ground. Jak peaked around the corner to see the guards for herself, hoping against hope that most if not all of them would run to see what happened.
Sure enough, at a motion from one of the guards, six of them ran off in the direction of the noise, away from Jak and company. She looked at Naem. “There’s only four of them now. We can take that many.”
Naem grinned, “We?”
“Of course?” She made sure her mask was firmly in place. “You didn’t think I was going to let you have all the fun.”
And with that, she rounded the corner and dashed as fast as she could towards the guards. It took a few seconds for them to realize what was happening, but it took that long for Jak to close the distance between them. She lashed out with the butt of her spear, landing it squarely on the side of a guard’s head. Normally, a blow that strong would have broken the spear, but this spear had Toughness and Healing. So instead, it was the guard who crumbled and fell.
The guards were ready now, their weapons raised, regarding Jak. One reached out his hand, and Jak felt invisible bonds surround her, pinning her arms to her sides. The man was a Telekinetic! But a split second later Naem was beside her, doing a fancy Grace-ladden spin as he lept. His Grace allowed him to penetrate their defenses with little difficulty, and within moments, the Telekinetic was down. Jak felt her arms respond again, and she took advantage of the moment to push ahead at the remaining two guards, one who appeared to have Strength, and the other who had Grace. Both kept their attention on Naem and didn’t see Jak coming until it was too late. She landed a blow on the Strength guard and distracted the one with Grace just long enough that Naem stabbed him in the side. The guard yelled but was cut off as Naem brought his spear smashing down on his head.
“I thought we were going to avoid lethal wounds?” Jak whispered.
“He’ll live,” Naem said without looking at her and began searching through the bodies for keys. Seph joined them, looking down at the bodies with a mixture of surprise and disgust. Clearly he wasn’t used to seeing people fight like Jak and Naem.
Jak ignored Seph and frowned at Naem. “You know, you’ve been awfully grumpy lately.”
“So, have you,” he said. “I saw how you retreated away from everyone when your little friends were taken. Glad you figured that out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re always a lot happier when you’re doing something. I, on the other hand, get grumpy as you call it.”
Jak’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”
He looked up from his searching the guards and grinned at her. “Because whenever you decide to do something crazy, I usually end up doing most of the work. Ow!” he said as she wacked his rear with her spear.
Finally, Naem recovered a ring of keys from one of the unconscious guards, and it didn’t take long before they found one that opened the door with a satisfying click. It creaked as it slowly opened.
16
The first thing Jak noticed was the stench. It smelled like the Watchers after marching for two weeks without a bath. For once, Jak was glad they were all wearing masks. But as more light entered the room, she forgot all about the smell. The room held three separate stone tables and on each one lay a body with a human torso, but a long fish’s tail instead of legs. The Water Fae. Their skin was wrinkled, and dry skin and scales flaked off their bodies. Dried blood coated portions of the stone tables, and none of them were moving. On the wall were various tools and instruments that Jak could not identify, but none of them looked friendly.
Jak rushed to the nearest Fae, recognizing her as Cerai, the one who had done most of the talking when they first met. Jak felt the girl’s neck, and nearly cried out loud with relief when she felt a faint pulse.
“They’re still alive.”
Cerai groaned, and her eyes fluttered open to look at Jak. “What’s... who... I know you.”
Jak leaned close. “We’re here to get you out.” Glancing at Naem and Seph, she waved one hand. “Let’s get them up! The other guards will be back here soon.”
Naem and Seph didn’t argue. They each took one of the two other Fae at the other tables. None protested, barely even conscious as they were lifted up.
Jak followed suit and reached her arms around Cerai to lift her up. The Water Fae felt light, so much lighter than Jak expected. From the look of things, they were extremely dehydrated and needed water soon.
She hefted Cerai’s body onto her shoulder and, holding her spear in the other hand, began to make her way outside the room, sparing a glance in each direction before retreating the way they had come. She didn’t turn but heard Naem and Seph following behind her.
“Weren’t there four of you?” She asked as she half-walked, half-ran back to the kitchens. “And what about Danen, what happened to him?”
“Dead.” Cerai croaked from over Jak’s shoulder. “They... experimented.”
Jak felt her face grow hot, and not just from the exertion of carrying Cerai. What had they been doing to these poor people? Whatever it was, it was worse than Jak had anticipated.”
“What about the Relic? Have you seen it?” She asked as they continued.
“Not—” She groaned through the pain as she bounced up and down on Jak’s shoulder “—recently. One of them, a priest, tried to use it to reverse what happened, or maybe to make it worse. Then they took it away. I think... they don’t understand it.”
Jak grit her teeth. Of course, the Royal Priest was involved in this somehow.
“Well, we’ll get you out. You won’t have to worry about them anymore.”
“Thank you.” It was a simple statement, but Jak could almost feel the waves of relief radiating off of Cerai.
They were blessed not to run into anyone on their way back to the kitchens. Everyone was likely away at the execution or investigating Amelia’s explosion. Speaking of which….
“Do you think Amelia got away?” She asked Naem as they filed into the kitchens. “She was supposed to meet us here.”
Seph set the Water Fae he was carrying down on the stone floor and opened the trap door. “Can we risk going after her?” he s
aid as he climbed. Once down the ladder, he waved his hands, indicating that Naem and Jak should lower the Fae to him.
“I don’t know,” Naem lifted his Fae and gently lowered him down to Seph, who received him with the same careful attention.
“I can go.” Jak volunteered as she began lowering Cerai down to Seph as well.
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Seph said. “We all stand to lose the most if you’re caught.”
“If I’m your prophesied hero, then I won’t be,” Jak said.
“I’m not sure that’s how it works. There’s also your Fae. We can’t take more than one each.”
“It’s okay,” Naem chimed in. “With Grace, it shouldn’t be too hard to take one of them down, then climb up quickly for the other.”
They had lowered all three Fae by now, and Naem was beginning to make the climb himself.
“That settles it then,” said Jak, shifting her spear from one hand to the other. “I’ll go looking for her.”
“Okay, but promise me,” Seph called up. “If they have her, or you run into any guards or someone worse, you’ll come right back.”
“I promise,” Jak said, and she turned to step out of the kitchens once again.
This time she ran as fast as she dared without making too much noise. Following the path that Seph had prescribed earlier, it didn’t take long before Jak heard voices. Slowing, she peaked around the corner.
“I’ll handle this lot, the rest of you search the palace, there are intruders here somewhere.”
Jak recognized the voice, it was the Royal Priest. She barely had time to register this before the clank of armor and chainmail could be heard approaching her position. Her head spun in every direction, looking for a place to hide. There was one small doorway just behind her, so she wrenched it open. Inside was a small washroom, with a privy and washbasin, probably for the servants, given its modest qualities.
Jak held her breath and heard the sound of armored feet walk past her position, then slowly fade into the distance. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank heavens they weren’t searching the small corners of the palace just yet. Now, if she could just…
Growing Ripples: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 2) Page 14