by Linda Kage
I froze, wincing big.
“Well, shit,” Indigo said. “What’re the chances none of the guards heard that?”
“About zero,” I said since I already heard footsteps headed our way. “Farrow! How do I activate the sword?”
“Twist your wrist,” he shouted. “Quickly!”
A guard burst through a closed metal door near me. Exclaiming in surprise when he saw me half-climbed out of my cell, he jolted to a halt. “What the—?” After shaking his head, he charged forward, screeching in indignation.
I flicked my left wrist, expecting a sword or something to appear in my hand. Instead, a crackling blue web of lightning grew off the side of my forearm, making the shape of a shield.
I blinked at it. “Uh…”
The guard reared back his leg with the clear intent to kick me in the face and send me falling back into my pit. Wincing against the approaching pain, I lifted my arm to shield myself, and my attacker screamed in pain when he crashed into it, vibrating as if he were being electrocuted by lightning before he tumbled to the ground, still twitching and moaning.
“Sorry, my bad,” Farrow called from below. “I had that backward. Apparently, the right one is the sword, and the left is the shield.”
“Did you see that shield, though?” I cried in amazement as I straightened, still gaping as the guard started to recover and sit up, shaking his head dizzily. “It’s made of pure lightning!”
So awesome.
“Fascinating,” Farrow said. “Now how about you zap him again. He’s not staying down, princess.”
Except I was too curious about the sword to use the shield again. After giving my right wrist a flick, steel shot up from my cuff, right into the palm of my hand, so all I had to do was wrap my fingers around the hilt that appeared, and I was holding a sword.
“Sweet.”
I popped out of the opening of my cell, landing on level ground with both feet. Then I took care of the guard in short order. Gaping at what I’d just done, I straightened, feeling suddenly mighty.
Kicking ass really got the blood flowing and your energy jumping. It was quite exhilarating.
Until Indigo’s bored voice came from below. “So…” he wondered aloud. “Feel like helping anyone else escape, now?”
“Oh!” I jumped. “Right. Hold on.”
It took a bit to figure out how to retract the vine ladder back into a hairpin, but once I realized I just needed to tug on the top half of the clip that had grown up to the top of the vine, it fell into my palm with ease, no longer a ladder but once again a mere hairpin.
Dual purpose. Very nice.
I got Indigo out next, making sure to be quieter with his door after I opened it. Then I tossed the hairpin down to him. After activating the magic, he scrambled onto the ladder without hesitation and hurried up to me.
As Indigo went off to check for more possible approaching guards, I turned to look down at Farrow in his cage.
My heart twisted as we stared at each other through the bars. Déjà vu hit me hard. This wasn’t the first time we’d been in this position: him imprisoned with me holding all the power to free him.
“Farrow,” I said softly.
I could simply leave him there if I so wished.
As if realizing the same thing, his lips parted, and he waved me away. “Go.”
I blinked once, not expecting him to say that at all. “What?”
“Don’t take the time to help me. Save yourself, Nicolette. Then, tomorrow I’ll be dead, and you’ll be free of your mark’s connection to me. You’ll be free.”
Oh bother. Of course, the idiot would think this way. I ground my teeth.
I swear, no one could make me as mad as Farrow could. Stubborn man. He had so much potential. I’d seen him do truly great, compassionate, heroic things. He had the right heart, the nobility, the nerve. He was everything I could ever dream of having in a mate. And yet he still just couldn’t believe in the power of us.
“Why, you haven’t learned anything yet, have you?” I charged, losing my temper. “If you think the mark has anything to do with how I feel about you, then you still honestly have no trust in my love at all. You have no faith. No concept of a true partnership.” With a sad sigh, I shook my head slowly. “That’s so very disappointing.”
“Nic,” he tried, his voice going low and urgent.
Before he could say whatever stupid thing I’m sure he was going to say, though, Indigo shouted, “Nic! We’re running low on time. Free him or don’t, but make up your mind now please!”
Growling out a sound of despair, I stomped my foot against the ground. “Dammit, Farrow. I’m going to prove the truth to you one way or another. Together, we could conquer the whole fucking realm. All you have to do is accept us.”
With that, I tossed the hairpin down to him.
He stared at it as if debating what to do. So I called, “I’m not leaving this cell until you do.”
He immediately stomped on the pin.
I unlocked his door and opened it. But with his hands cuffed behind his back, he couldn’t climb up. I took off the necklace and tossed that down as well.
Behind me, Indigo grew antsy. “Nicolette,” his voice warned. “I’m going to need to borrow those wrist guards of yours right about now.”
Shit. “How many are coming?”
“Not sure.” He shook his head. “But it’s a hell of a lot more than just one.”
I clicked the wrist guards open. More concerned about making sure Farrow made it up to us than I was about fighting off more people, I shoved my magical weapons at Indigo, letting him deal with all that.
He slapped them on, complaining about the tight fit and then activated them with a savage yank just as half a dozen men stormed into the room.
I panicked. Farrow hadn’t made it up yet, and Indigo needed help.
Spotting the dead guard on the floor, I looked him over before discovering a dagger in the belt at his side. I knew I would be no good at up-close, hand-to-hand combat, so I flung the knife, watching it flip through the air until it embedded itself in one of our attacker’s foreheads.
“Yes!” I cheered, only to frown because now I had no weapon left to fight with, and Indigo still had four men to take on.
One leered as he broke away from the others and approached me. I eyed him uneasily and backed away. When my back hit the wall, I kicked, aiming for between his legs, but he dodged the move, deflecting, so I only caught him in the thigh. Snarling, he dove at me and wrapped his meaty hands around my neck, squeezing.
I gasped and choked, pounding on his biceps, trying to break free from his hold but failing. Black spots dotted my vision, no air came, and my throat screamed in agony while I couldn’t utter a single sound in protest.
Suddenly, two hands appeared on either side of his head, grasped his hair, and twisted savagely, breaking his neck. The pressure on my throat eased, and the guard slumped to the floor in front of me, lifeless, revealing a panting Farrow who’d just saved me standing behind him.
“Princess,” he greeted, stepping up to me so he could tuck my hairpin slash collapsed escape ladder back into my hair. Then he slipped the key necklace over my head before holding out his hand. “Let’s go.”
I hesitated a second, then took his fingers. Together, we turned to find Indigo finishing off the others and then flicking the shield and sword back into their wrist guards.
Satisfied with how well he’d taken on his foes, my bodyguard flashed me a sudden grin and jangled the gold on his arms. “Oh, you are never getting these bad boys back.”
30
Nicolette
Farrow led us from the castle in record time, but we didn’t escape unnoticed. About the same moment we made it outside, a warning trumpet blared from the towers, beckoning more forces to help in finding the escaped felons. In finding us.
“We left our horses this way,” Indigo started, but Farrow grabbed his arm.
“No. That’s too close to the main entra
nce. They’ll spot us immediately. Let’s go this way,” he urged, leading us in the other direction. “Maybe if we make it to the stables without being spotted, we can steal some horses and get out of town.”
But we no sooner darted in that direction than we found our way blocked.
“Whoa!” Indigo grabbed Farrow’s arm, halting him. “Guards.”
“Shit. This way, then.”
Farrow tried to lead us to a side alley.
More guards.
They closed in on us from every street and angle, creeping stealthily forward on foot, weapons raised.
“We’re surrounded.”
I glanced around desperately, only to spot a weathered old man sitting in a two-wheeled cart that was tied to a single horse among all the commotion of scattering villagers and charging knights. When I inadvertently met his eye, he tipped his head toward his horse and eased off the wagon’s seat.
“For the man who killed that terrible king,” he pledged as he handed me the reins.
“Uh…” My lips parted in shock. He was helping us? Well, okay then. “Thank you, kind sir,” I rasped, wasting no time to think my decision through. “I won’t forget this.” Then I leaped into the driver’s seat and hollered to Farrow and Indigo. “Hey! Get in.”
Indigo gaped up at the rickety cart still mostly filled with fruit in the back. “I beg your pardon?”
“She said get in!” Farrow shouted from behind him, shoving him toward the cart to make him hurry. “Now, listen to your princess.”
“Yes, Indigo,” I called smugly. “Listen to your princess.”
“But it’s—my God.” He picked up a piece of fruit and gaped at it as he climbed aboard. “Are these grumpackers? They grow in Far Shore, too? I thought only Donnelly grew grumpackers.”
“Or maybe High Cliff’s the only oddity that doesn’t harvest them,” Farrow countered before telling me, “We’re in, my lady. Go!”
“Hee-yah,” I yelled, snapping the reins with all I had.
The horse shot forward with such force that it nearly yanked my arms from their sockets. The seat on which I sat drunkenly tipped sideways to the right, then the left, before settling down and merely hopping up off the ground with every bump and rock we met.
Behind me, Indigo swore fluidly. And in front of me, a line of soldiers dove out of the way to keep from getting trampled. Townspeople screamed and scattered to avoid us. And suddenly, my path cleared nicely.
“They’ve released riders,” Farrow bellowed in warning. “And they’re gaining on us.”
I sighed, sarcastically grumbling, “Of course they’re gaining.” Our one horse was carrying a rider and cart full of men and grumpacker fruit. A child running barefoot could overtake us at this rate.
“Can you stave them off?” I asked, lifting my voice over the wind and roar of the bumping, rolling wheels so they could hear me.
“With what?” Indigo shrieked incredulously. “Oh! Good idea.”
I checked over my shoulder, only to catch sight of Farrow winding back his arm and chucking a grumpacker at one rider who was closing in. When he beaned the man in the head, the rider cried out and flew off his horse backward from the impact.
Indigo piled his arms with fruit and followed suit. Together, the men took out two more knights.
I went back to watching the road. Reaching the edge of the city, we left people and buildings behind and charged headlong toward the Back Forest ahead. But not long after we entered a beaten trail through the trees, a fork in the lane ahead caused me to pale.
“Um, guys,” I yelled. “Which way? Left or right?”
“Right,” Farrow said, immediately followed by Indigo’s, “Left.”
I rolled my eyes. Men. “One or the other, please.” Because I couldn't go both ways.
“Go left,” Indigo argued desperately. “I know of a place we can hide.”
I threw him an incredulous glance over my shoulder. “You know someone in Far Shore?”
Indy sniffed. “He wasn’t born in Far Shore, that’s for damn sure.”
Right now, that was good enough for me. I wheeled the cart left. We tipped again, threatening to flip entirely. Both men behind me shouted curses this time. I straightened out the reins, the horse shot straight, wild with fear, and the cart landed heavily back on both wheels.
“Christ, Nic,” Indy balked. “You’re crazy.”
I gave a mad laugh, enjoying this more than I knew I should. “Just lose our tail, and I’ll worry about driving.”
“I have an idea,” I swear I heard Farrow say. “Hurry, help me release the latches holding the rear gate closed.”
“But then all the fruit will roll out,” Indigo argued.
“That’s the idea, mate. We’ll trip up the horses behind us and put them out of commission.”
“Has it occurred to you that if the fruit—that we’re currently sitting on—rolls out, we’ll go with it?”
“Not if we hold on to the sides of the cart real tight,” Farrow allowed.
“Holy shit, you’re as insane as she is,” Indigo wailed, but when I looked, I found he was helping Farrow unlatch the wooden boards at the back of the cart, regardless.
“Together,” Farrow roared, “on the count of three. One. Two. Three…”
The sudden loss of weight from the tumbling grumpackers helped the horse move faster, so radically faster, in fact, that it took me a moment of concentration, holding on to the jarring reins and steadying us through the increased speed before I could glance back and check on Farrow and Indy.
Both of them continued to clutch the sides of the wagon as the back gate flapped madly at the opening of the now empty cart. Further back, horses tripped and tumbled, falling among the bobbing, scattering grumpackers on the road. When the frightened animals leaped back to their feet again, they were riderless as they darted into the woods to seek safety.
“Yes!” Farrow cried, fisting his hand into the air before flashing me a wild grin. “It worked.”
Indigo shook his head and continued to cling to the jostling cart, appearing vaguely sick to his stomach.
“Only two tails left, princess,” Farrow informed me.
“And we’re out of fruit,” Indy felt the need to impart.
In front of us, the road curved, a nice gentle curve that was easy enough to manage, but it made it impossible to see if anyone was coming head-on. Which also must mean…
Anyone following us would lose visual for a bit, too.
“Can you still see them behind us?” I asked.
“Not at the moment,” Farrow answered. “But they’re definitely still back there.”
I could work with that. “Then hold on.”
Yanking back on the reins, I caused the horse to rear up and judder us to a halt. The breeching boards that helped connect the horse to the cart groaned and began to splinter. Before we could stop completely, I turned us to the right and into the thickness of the woods surrounding us and narrowly guided the horse into the forest.
Both men jumped out of the wagon and grabbed loose branches and leaves to cover us before I could even give the instruction for them to do so. As soon as I had the horse calmed and settled, I leaped from the seat to help disguise us.
The pounding of hoofbeats made my pulse skyrocket.
“They’re coming.”
“Duck behind the wagon,” Indigo advised just as Farrow grabbed my arm and jerked me down out of sight, guiding me behind the cart with him, next to an already crouching Indy.
The three of us hovered there, exchanging severe glances as the riders burst into view on the road. If they had paid any attention to the trees on either side of them, they’d have seen us easily. We’d had no time to properly conceal ourselves.
But they raced on without glancing around, too focused on the road ahead.
As soon as they were gone, the cart gave a groan and collapsed, the wheels falling off their axles and the breeching board tumbling away from the horse as it gave up its last brea
th.
The frightened animal who’d been attached to it—but was now free—whinnied as it took off, racing back toward Blayton.
“Well, there went that ride.” Indigo heaved out a breath and plopped onto the ground, sitting with his back to the broken cart as he obviously needed a moment to settle his racing heartbeat.
Farrow hoisted himself up to see the road, squinting with vigilant concentration. Then he nodded. His gaze was warm with approval and pride as it met mine. “I believe your plan worked, princess. Well done.”
Indigo, on the other hand, mumbled, “Jesus, Nicolette.” He had bent up his knees so he could rest his elbows on them and cradle his bowed face in his hand, but now he looked up at me and arched his eyebrows incredulously. “Where the hell did you learn to drive a horse like that?”
I smiled slowly. “Necessity breeds fast learning, I guess.”
Farrow cracked out a laugh and touched a piece of my hair. “You did fabulous,” he praised.
Though I loved the affection, it felt weird to me, because it reminded me of all his lies. “Thanks,” I said, even as my smile faltered and I eased a step back.
He noticed my reticence and grew sober as well, dropping his hand to his side before glancing at Indigo and sighing. “Do you really know of a place nearby that we can go?”
“Of course.” Scowling irritably at Farrow, Indigo pushed to his feet and straightened to his full height, only to grow even more annoyed to find that the other man was a hair taller. “It’s right on the coast of the Back Sea. We can probably even reach it on foot by the end of tomorrow.”
“Great.” Farrow smirked as he splayed out a hand. “Then lead the way, High Clifter, and get us out of here before they double back to catch us loitering.”
“Gladly,” Indigo growled, flashing his teeth, only to swing toward me and demand, “Are you sure you want him tagging along? You freed him from the dungeon and got him away from the castle. Is that not enough?”