I stifled a laugh at his funny expression and Aladdin threw me a smile which flashed both dimples before we continued on.
The alarm bells continued to ring a desperate peel into the night and we made swift progress to the palace. We passed the maze and headed to the wall beyond it.
Aladdin led the way to a tall window which had been left open a crack and he silently slipped inside.
Cassian crawled in after him, knocking the window with his broad shoulder as he went. Luckily, my magic hid the noise and he offered me a grateful smile as I followed him inside. He’d been built for fighting and slinking through the shadows wasn’t in his blood like it was Aladdin’s.
Aladdin was already halfway along the empty corridor within the building and he tugged on the edge of a large portrait depicting a roaring lion, revealing a hidden staircase beyond it.
Cassian and I followed him inside just as footsteps sounded along the corridor behind us.
“How did you know where that was?” Cassian breathed.
“This is where I said goodbye to Rapunzel after meeting her in the gardens the other night,” Aladdin explained as I summoned an orb of light for us to see by. “Of course she was begging me to come up to her room with her but I’m a gentleman so I had to refuse.”
Cassain’s scowl looked even deeper as my orb of light threw shadows over his features and I brushed my hand against his arm to comfort him.
“I don’t believe that for a moment,” Cassian replied. “And now that you’ve lost your chance at the Princess’s hand, it will never be a possibility anyway.”
“Never say never, mate,” Aladdin teased but his gaze flicked to me as if his words meant something else.
“Never say never,” I agreed, though I wasn’t sure why.
We continued up and up the winding staircase before finding ourselves in a narrow walkway which ran alongside one of the corridors higher up in the palace.
Aladdin led the way on and a faint tingling ran along my skin, raising goosebumps in its wake.
“Hurry,” I breathed urgently. “I have a bad feeling.”
Before the others could respond, a faint roar reached us which sent terror shuddering all the way down to my toes.
It was quickly followed by a scream which sounded all too familiar.
“Rapunzel!” Cassian bellowed, forgetting any attempt to remain quiet as he drew his Forken blade and shoved past Aladdin, charging straight towards the source of those screams.
The Princess was in trouble and I had a horrible feeling that we might already be too late to help.
Kahn’s weight crashed against the secret entrance to the tunnels and a scream escaped me as I heard it break.
“Go,” I hissed, snatching hold of Jacinda and Zira’s arms and forcing them to run along with me. Kahn might have been in the tunnels, but they were a maze if you didn’t know your way around them. So we still had a chance.
As his footsteps closed in, I dragged the girls into a concealed alcove which was shrouded in shadows and blew out the candle. Jacinda and Zira pressed in close either side of me as we held our breath.
Kahn’s pounding footfalls grew nearer and nearer and fear made a path through my body. I bit into my lower lip as his huge form came into view. But he didn’t slow. He stalked on, prowling like a beast looking for its next kill.
When the sound of his movements finally fell away, my shoulders sagged and I stepped out of the concealed space.
“Can you light the candle?” I asked Jacinda and a moment later we stood in the amber glow of the single flame.
“Let’s move,” I urged, setting off in the opposite direction to Kahn.
“What's the plan?” Zira asked as she jogged at my side.
I kept my hand cupped around the candle, the three of us unable to move too fast in case it blew out.
“Umm...” I bit into my lower lip, desperately trying to come up with an answer. I was bound by law to marry Kahn and the only person who could change that was my father. But he was controlled by Gothel. So what choice did I have but to run away?
My heart was jammed in my throat and tears seared my eyes. Leaving meant abandoning my father, my household, my people. How could I just go?
I slowed to a walk in the dark tunnel, sucking in a breath as I tried to come up with a solution. But none came.
Zira and Jacinda stood diligently at my side, awaiting a decision that wouldn't come. What good would I be as an Empress if I couldn't even make a simple decision?
My thoughts turned to Cassian and Aladdin and I prayed Kyra had reached them in time to help. Wherever they were, with Kyra's assistance and magic, I was sure they'd be okay. They could get themselves out of here. Safe. Far away. And that was something.
Zira took my arm, squeezing reassuringly. “I have an idea.”
“You do?” I asked hopefully and she nodded, her eyes glimmering for a moment. I'd never seen Zira crack but she looked like she was struggling not to cry right then.
“We'll give you time to run,” she breathed. “We'll swap clothes. I'll head into the gardens with Jacinda and while the guards are distracted, you sneak past us. Get out through the gate.”
“It could work,” Jacinda said eagerly but I shook my head.
“No,” I gasped. “Do you really think I'd leave you two here? Abandon you to save my own neck? Gothel would have you executed.”
“I'd die for you any day, Your Highness,” Jacinda said and candor shone from her eyes. Zira didn't say it but I could see she would too and a furious well of emotion overflowed inside me. I snatched both of their hands, tugging them closer.
“And I you,” I said firmly. “I'm only human. The same as anyone. And I owe you both everything. Don't forget that.”
Jacinda released a hiccup and I laid a hand on her shoulder, looking to Zira who was still managing to keep it together.
“What does your heart tell you to do?” she asked me.
My tongue wrapped around the words and I pressed Jacinda back as I decided on them. “We fight back. I won't be frightened away from my own home. And I will not marry that gargoyle.”
Zira beamed at me, nodding firmly as we started walking. She tugged Jacinda along as I guided them in the direction of the training hall and hope shone through my chest.
I wanted my mother's sword kissing the palm of my hand. I wanted it pointed at Gothel and her cowering at my feet. I wanted vengeance and justice. And I wanted to deliver them both myself.
We descended a spiralling staircase and my heart quickened as an eerie glow fell across the walls. I backed up into the others, my heart in my throat as footsteps sounded this way.
“Back,” I whispered urgently. “Go back.”
“Punzel?!” Kyra's voice carried to me and a laugh tore from my throat at the sound of her voice and the strange nickname. I sped down the stairs, taking them two at a time in my desperation to reunite with her, to find out if she'd saved the others.
I crashed into someone and my arms tangled around Cassian as he stood before Aladdin and Kyra. My heart nearly stopped and I stumbled back as a blush slammed into my cheeks.
“Sorry,” I gasped, cautiously stepping around him.
“Are you alright?” he demanded, ignoring my frantic state.
I nodded, my tongue suddenly too heavy to produce words. I quickly embraced Kyra then turned to Aladdin, my arms falling awkwardly at my sides. He leaned in. I ducked, he weaved. Our mouths collided awkwardly in the middle and I stepped away from him feeling like I'd just been involved in a carriage crash.
“I'm glad you're alright,” I said earnestly and his confused expression gave way to one of his usual cocky grins.
“Why wouldn't I be?”
“Kahn smashed your face in?” Cassian offered before I could and a giggle fell from my mouth.
“Pfft, I’ve survived worse before,” Aladdin said dismissively. None of us contradicted him even though it was clearly a lie.
Kyra was looking at him like she was af
raid that that was true and Aladdin’s mouth hooked into a smile for her.
“Okay, maybe not,” he admitted. “But Kyra’s brilliant so I’m all good now.”
The genie looked like she might just burst from the praise and I offered her a smile too. I had to wonder how many miracles like that she’d performed in her long life.
Zira and Jacinda moved to Cassian's side and I couldn't help but notice the way Jacinda's eyes traced his muscular chest.
I pursed my lips, turned sharply back to face Kyra and Aladdin. “I was heading to get some weapons.”
“Are you planning on stabbing the Queen?” Kyra asked hopefully and I released a breath of laughter.
“Something like that, yes.”
“Well you need a special blade to do that, remember?” Kyra said thoughtfully. “A blade that's killed an Emperor. I used to have one but, um...”
“We’d better get armed either way, Kyra,” Cassian said in a grave tone. “And who knows? Perhaps one of the royal blades will be the one you seek.” He moved down the narrow stairwell to join me. His arm brushed mine and every hair on my body stood to attention. I shifted away, resting my back against the stone wall. “The training room is this way, come on,” Cassian instructed, taking the lead back the way they'd come.
“Are you sure you know the way, mate?” Aladdin asked and my lips pressed together as I thought of the secret Cassian and I had shared, sneaking to the hall to train.
“I'm sure,” Cassian muttered, disappearing into the darkness up ahead.
I fell into step with Kyra and she took my hand, giving me a bright smile.
“Where were they?” I asked as Aladdin and Cassian moved away from us down a long tunnel.
“Gothel had them in a hole in the ground. She had her bug people try to eat them.”
“Eat them?” I asked in disgust. “What do you mean?”
She started explaining about the bugs bringing back the dead and my gut scrunched up at the thought. If Gothel could manage that, we didn't have long to stop her before she got out of control and damaged Osaria beyond repair. I felt a pang of pity for poor Prince Gurvine; I may not have wanted him for a husband but he hadn’t deserved that fate.
That bitch could bring my entire kingdom to ruin.
We soon arrived in the training hall and my body relaxed at being in my favourite place in the palace. I took my mother's sword from the wall, running my fingers across the hilt with a sigh. “Everyone take what you want.” I turned, finding Aladdin already had several blades attached to his hips and a large sword in his hand.
He gave me an innocent shrug and a smile caught my lips.
Well he is a thief, I guess.
Zira took a couple of daggers but Jacinda refused to carry any of the royal weapons, seeming too jittery to do anything but mutter to herself.
Cassian already had a large sword but he took a few knives. I watched as he bent forward, tucking one into his boot and my gaze lingered on his butt. I blinked hard, looking anywhere else as I realised what I was doing.
Holy shit, is this really the time to be ogling a Royal Guard? Apart from the million other reasons for that being inappropriate, I'm supposed to be with Aladdin.
I walked determinedly toward Aladdin who was staring at Kyra up on top of my gym bars. She hung upside down from her legs, her dark hair swinging beneath her as she hummed to herself.
“Hey,” I said and he looked to me then cleared his throat.
“Hey. Maybe we should try that kiss again, huh? Kind of took me by surprise back there.” He laughed, tugging me close by the waist and heat crawled up my neck.
“We have an audience,” I said, my heart fluttering as I felt eyes on my back. Cassian's eyes?
That is so not relevant.
“We have bigger issues to deal with than your shortcomings, Aladdin,” Cassian called and I snorted as I realised he'd heard what we'd said.
Aladdin scowled, not letting me go and suddenly his hands were everywhere and his tongue was very much in my mouth. I was so taken aback that my heart jumped and leapt and my hands only found his shoulders by the time he pulled away. He smiled satisfactorily, releasing me.
I straightened, sharing a look with Zira as he marched away from me toward the far doors.
“Oh my god,” Zira mouthed, fighting a giggle.
“Not the time!” I mouthed back.
Aladdin waved a hand suddenly and we all turned to him, totally silent. My heart fluttered anxiously as he pressed his ear to the door leading out into the corridor. His usually arrogant expression was replaced with concern, then outright distress.
I hurried forward, joining him and pressing my ear to the door to listen. A couple of guards were speaking beyond it, their voices flat.
“-says they headed toward the palace. We should check the east wing.”
My heart drummed a frantic tune as the other guard replied and his words turned my heart to ice.
“Let’s do a sweep of the training hall first.”
“Come on!” Aladdin urged, racing across the long practice room towards the secret exit on the far side of the hall, the opposite way to those guards.
Rapunzel urged her maids on ahead of her and I willed my body into purple smoke as I slipped across the room like a cloud.
Cassian came last, his blade held ready, his face set with determination to protect our group and defend the Princess from anything that might come our way.
We darted behind the hidden panel in the wall milliseconds before the guards entered the training room.
“Which way?” Aladdin hissed, his voice almost lost to the shadows which filled the dark tunnels we found ourselves in.
I cast an orb of orange light to hang between us as Rapunzel pointed to the far end of the passage, her grip tightening on her own weapon. The two maids stayed close to their Princess; one of them held a dagger but the other was unarmed and trembling like a leaf.
I shot towards Aladdin in my cloud form then reappeared as a girl beside him, running as soon as my feet hit the ground. Rapunzel led us out of the darkness into a quiet corridor that stretched on endlessly in either direction.
“Behind that tapestry,” Rapunzel hissed and Aladdin promptly lifted the one she’d pointed out.
Another hidden passage awaited us beyond it and we clustered into the confined space, our breaths mingling as we paused to listen for any sounds of pursuit.
Six heartbeats later, we were moving again, the silence punctuated by the footfalls of Rapunzel and her maids.
We tore along a narrow passageway and finally came to an exit which seemed to be concealed by another painting.
Heavy footsteps pounded beyond it and we stilled at the sound of voices.
“No sign of them this way, sir!”
“Then keep searching. The Queen says there are hidden passages behind the walls so they must be in there. They’ll have to pop out soon enough. In the meantime let’s see if we can find any of the entrances.”
“Shit,” Aladdin breathed so low that I wasn’t sure anyone but me could hear it.
I looked up at him, my eyes widening with fear as he motioned for the others to turn back.
“I wish that portrait was stuck over the entrance,” Aladdin murmured, leaning close to hide the sound, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear as he spoke.
Heat flooded my veins and I looked up at him from beneath my lashes as my magic coiled away from me to do his bidding. Barely a moment after I’d secured the portrait which concealed us, the sound of someone trying to move it reached us.
We fell deathly still, only our heartbeats breaking the silence and even they sounded too loud as fear clouded around us.
The guard gave up and moved on.
Aladdin released a slow breath, his palm landing on the bare skin at the base of my spine as he encouraged me to move.
The others had already made it most of the way back through the hidden passageway and we ran to catch them.
My skin tingled
beneath the heat of Aladdin’s touch but he didn’t release me, moving down the passage in time with me and keeping his hand on my back as if he were afraid that letting go might mean he’d lose me.
It’s a pity you’ll all be dead soon. You really should have kissed him when you had the chance.
My cheeks flushed at the wayward thought that my other self whispered to me but I didn’t dare break the silence with a response.
“There’s another passage here,” Rapunzel breathed as she led us towards a narrow, curving stairwell which was hidden in a shadowy corner.
“Up, up, up or down, down, down?” I asked as I leaned forward and craned my neck to look up and down the stairs. They curled so tightly in both directions that there was no way to tell what lay either way.
“Up leads back towards my quarters. Down is the kitchens,” the Princess replied softly though I could feel the edge of panic in her voice.
“Down then,” Cassian murmured. “It’ll be easier to get out through the servants exits.”
No one objected so the former guard led the way on. I found myself at the back of the group with Aladdin beside me and a prickle of doubt crawling along my spine.
“Something’s waiting for us down below,” I breathed.
Aladdin glanced at me. “More guards?” he asked softly.
I shook my head. No. There was a darkness lurking beneath our feet, waiting to swallow us whole. It was the embodiment of nightmares, the creature of the dark, a shadow given flesh.
“A monster,” I whispered. “A monster built of shadow and fear, waiting to consume us entirely.”
Aladdin’s brow furrowed with concern but before he could respond, a huge crash sounded from the hidden corridor above us.
“I found one of the passages!” a guard called excitedly as he spilled into the concealed space.
The sound of heavy footfalls and clinking armour echoed through the narrow corridor as a group of guards charged in. They swore about the lack of light and I quickly extinguished the orb above our heads so that they wouldn’t see it.
Cassian breathed a soft curse ahead of me as we were plunged into darkness but we didn’t slow our pace.
I blinked a few times, willing my eyes to reveal the shadows and my magic aided me until the space was revealed to me again in tones of steely grey.
Forbidden Fairytales- The Complete Series Page 54