“You know him?” I asked.
“I served under him for two years.” He gripped my arm. “We really need to go. Now.”
Auric glanced at the soldiers around the edges of the crowd. “It’s too late. If we run out of here now it will be suspicious.”
On the platform soldiers began dragging out a row of people who were all tied together in a line. They stumbled forward, at least ten of them, both men and women, young and old. One of them couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen, while another looked closer to her sixties.
“These people have all been found guilty of being part of the Resistance,” General Voor called out, his voice oddly metallic from behind his helmet. “By order of the Black Dragon they will pay for their crimes. With fire.”
I watched in horror as each prisoner was moved toward the pyre and tied to stakes rising out of it. The young boy stumbled and fell, and a woman I assumed was his mother jerked toward him to help. A soldier pushed her back hard, while another one roughly shoved the child toward the fire pit. The crowd remained hushed the entire time, although I caught a few people silently crying into their hands, while others nodded in support at the General. The soldiers glared at us from the sidelines the entire time, ready to step in if anyone got out of line.
“We have to help them,” I blurted out, surprising even myself.
“We can’t,” Jasin set, his jaw clenched. “I don’t like this any more than you do, but if we get involved we’ll only put ourselves in danger.”
“But we have to do something!”
“We can’t. We’ll expose who we are and likely get ourselves killed in the process.”
“I’m with Jasin,” Reven said. “We need to stay out of this and lay low. Besides, it’s not our fight.”
“Of course it is!” I turned to Slade and Auric. “Surely you don’t also think we should just stand here and watch these people die?”
Slade stroked his beard slowly as he considered. “I agree we should help them, but only if we can get you out safely first.”
I huffed. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His green eyes met mine. “Kira, I don’t like this any more than you do, but my responsibility is to protect you first.”
“I’m going to help them whether you join me or not. So if you want to protect me, I suggest you stick by my side.”
Auric eyed the platform as if it were a puzzle to solve. “Is there a way to rescue them while making sure we all get out alive and don’t reveal our powers?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But this is why we were given these powers. To stop the Black Dragon and her followers.”
Jasin ran a ragged hand through his short, damp hair. “Maybe so, but we’re not strong enough yet, and there are too many soldiers. And trust me, we do not want to get General Voor’s attention. ”
“We need to create a diversion,” Auric said. “Jasin can set something on fire to distract the soldiers, and then we’ll go in.”
“This is a really bad idea,” Reven muttered.
I gave him a sharp look. “Then come up with a better one, because we’re doing this with or without your help.”
“Fine.” Jasin glanced around, as if checking where we were. “This city has underground tunnels that the Resistance use to get around. There’s an entrance behind that shop over there.”
“Where do the tunnels go?” Reven asked.
“To different parts of the city, but also beyond the walls.”
“How do you know all this?” Auric asked.
Jasin hesitated. “That doesn’t matter right now.”
Determination crackled within me as the plan came together in my head. “So we distract the guards, free the prisoners, and get them to the tunnels, where we should be able to escape?”
“Exactly,” Jasin said.
“Oh, is that all?” Reven asked sardonically, shaking his head.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Slade asked me.
I swallowed and glanced at the prisoners on the platform, who were now all tied to the stakes and awaiting their fate. All my life I’d stayed out of trouble and kept my head down in order to survive. I’d never wanted to fight for a cause or overthrow an empire, I’d just wanted to survive another day. But if I was supposed to save the world from the Black Dragon, I couldn’t hide in the shadows forever. Not if I wanted to fight for what was right.
My back straightened with resolve. “Yes, I’m sure. The Gods chose us so we could bring balance back to the world. It’s time we started doing that.”
“If we’re going to do this, we need to hurry,” Slade said, his face grim. “They’re lighting the pyres now.”
“Cover your faces and get to the prisoners. I’ll cause a distraction.” Jasin ripped some fabric off his shirt sleeve and tied it around his face to cover everything below his nose. Then he raised his hood again, so that all I could see were his eyes.
I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a quick squeeze. “Be careful.”
He rested his forehead against mine briefly. “You too.”
“We’ll keep her safe,” Slade said, resting a hand on my back.
Jasin gave him a nod, before slipping into the crowd. We covered our faces like he’d done and started toward the stage, weaving around the people in front of us.
Someone shouted as an empty cart in the middle of the crowd went up in flames. Panic spiked in my chest, even though I knew it was Jasin’s distraction, and I forced myself to stay calm. People around us began screaming and pushing to get away from the fire, while soldiers rushed forward to investigate. I prayed Jasin could get away safely.
Unfortunately, the soldiers on the platform barely paused. General Voor instructed a few soldiers to deal with the blaze, but that still left half a dozen more, including the one setting fire to the pyre where the prisoners stood. With the twitch of his hand, Auric created a heavy gust around the pyre which repeatedly put the fire out, while we continued forcing our way through the crowd. But the soldiers were relentless, and eventually they got a true blaze going.
We were still too far from the platform and I worried we’d be too late, but then Reven raised his hand and water suddenly began to fall from the sky over the prisoners. If I didn’t know better I’d think rain was pouring down, even if it was isolated to one location.
As the pyre’s flames were doused, the General scowled. “Curse this weather,” he said, as he drew his sword. “We’ll have to deal with these traitors another way.”
As the other guards readied their weapons, Slade let out a low growl, and then the ground beneath the platform began to shake. I held onto his arm to remain steady, while people around us screamed and tried to flee from the sudden earthquake.
The soldiers and the prisoners both crumpled to their feet as the wooden platform broke apart with a huge crack and collapsed to the ground. The four of us rushed into the broken wood, trying not to injure ourselves on the splintered pieces. The prisoners were all still tied to their stakes and had landed at awkward angles, but a quick glance showed they were still alive.
Auric and I began freeing the prisoners, using our swords to cut through their bindings, while Slade and Reven guarded our backs as the soldiers got to their feet. The General tried to stand as well, but Auric knocked him back with a strong blast of air.
“Come with us!” I shouted to the prisoners, once they were free. I counted twelve of them total, some a little scorched and others bruised or cut, but alive. They stumbled after me off the ruined platform, looking dazed and scared, but at least they kept moving. Auric, Reven, and Slade formed a circle around us, fighting off the soldiers who tried to attack us.
The crowd had thinned between the fire and the earthquake, and those few people who were left didn’t stop us as we pushed through them. I led the prisoners toward the shop Jasin had pointed out, hoping we were going in the right direction, especially since more soldiers were starting to rush after us.
I spotted Jasin on the co
rner of the street ahead of us and nearly cried out with relief that he was safe. He waved us forward and called out, “Hurry!”
Jasin led our ragged group into an alley in the back of the shops, where he shoved a large flower pot aside to reveal a metal grate in the ground. He yanked the grate open, and I gestured for the prisoners to go in first, while my other mates moved to fight off the approaching soldiers.
“Get inside, quickly!” Jasin said, as he helped the prisoners down into the hole. “Kira, you too.”
I started toward him, but then I saw Reven cornered against the wall, fighting five soldiers at once, including General Voor. My assassin moved like a dancer, a swirl of black clothing and blades, but even with all of his deadly skill there were too many of them, and their armor was hard to penetrate. The General’s sword slashed Reven’s thigh, making him fall back against the wall, and terror gripped my throat.
I drew my sword and plunged it into the back of the soldier closest to me, desperate to save Reven before it was too late. I fought off the next soldier and threw myself in front of Reven before the General could run him through with his sword. My blade met the General’s and I stared into his rage-filled eyes under that red winged helmet, before he knocked the sword from my hand with his massive strength.
Reven suddenly grabbed me and shoved me behind him, as he brought up his twin blades to fight General Voor again. He managed to force the man back, and then a huge rumble sounded above us. A gust of wind knocked me and Reven back, as part of the shop beside us split apart and crumbled, forming a wall of rubble between us and General Voor. Slade and Auric stood behind us, and had likely just saved our lives.
“Come on!” Jasin grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the tunnels, with the others right behind us. Auric helped Reven, who was limping, but then an arrow fired from somewhere and struck my prince in the shoulder, making him cry out. My heart twisted at the sound, but he didn’t slow.
One by one we dropped into the tunnels, where the prisoners were waiting for us in the darkness. Slade was last, and once we were all safe he caused the ground to close up above us, preventing the soldiers from following—and trapping us inside.
30
Slade
Jasin lit a torch, illuminating a lot of scared faces. “Is everyone all right?”
“I think so,” the older woman said. Everyone hovered behind her, and I got the sense she was their leader.
Kira inspected the gash on Reven’s leg with a frown, but he brushed her away. “I’m okay,” he said.
She rested her hands on his thigh, near the wound, likely healing him as best she could. “You’re not. We need to patch you up as soon as we get somewhere safe.” She turned to Auric next to inspect the arrow in his shoulder.
“Thank you for saving us. My name is Daka.” The older woman tilted her head as she watched us. “Are you part of the Resistance also?”
Kira hesitantly glanced at the four of us. “I suppose we are.”
Daka nodded slowly. “The Gods must be on our side. They helped us escape with the wind and the rain and that earthquake.”
“Plus the cart on fire,” Jasin added, with a grin.
“Yes, of course. We must not forget the Fire God for watching over us in our time of need.”
The other prisoners nodded, and while they’d previously looked defeated, now hope shone in their eyes. None of them knew we had caused all of those things, which was a good sign that the soldiers didn’t either. And I supposed in a way we were there on behalf of the Gods.
“But where will we go?” a man asked. He had his arm around a woman who leaned against him. “Nowhere in Ashbury will be safe for us now.”
“We’ll have to leave the city,” the woman at his side said.
“There’s a Resistance hideout about a day’s ride north from here,” I said. I never thought I’d get involved with the Resistance again, but it seemed my life was inevitably tied to them. “I can draw you a map.”
Kira’s eyebrows shot up and I knew she had questions for me, but they would have to wait. Auric pulled out his map and some paper from his journal, and while Jasin hovered over me with his torch for light, I sketched out what I remembered. What the woman I’d loved once had shown me on her own map, all those nights ago.
I handed Daka the map. “I hope this helps.”
She examined it under the light. “Thank you. I think we’ll be able to find this. We truly owe all of you our lives and so much more.”
Jasin removed the fabric from around his mouth and used it to wipe his face. “Come on. They’ll find another way in to these tunnels soon, so we need to keep moving.”
A young woman suddenly gasped and stepped back. “You. You’re the soldier who killed my brother!” She pressed her back against the stone wall of the tunnel, her face pale. “He’s one of them! The Onyx Army. He’s going to turn us in!”
Kira stared at Jasin, who was grimacing, but then spoke quietly to the hysterical woman. “Yes, he was once part of the Onyx Army, but he’s one of us now. I swear we’re only trying to help you. And we need to get going.”
“Come,” Daka said, taking the other woman’s hand. “What’s past is past. Let’s find our way to safety now so we have a future.”
The younger woman stared at Jasin with terror in her eyes, but with some reluctance she nodded. Jasin’s shoulders slumped when she finally turned away.
Our group walked slowly down the narrow tunnels after Jasin, who seemed to know where he was going. Reven’s limp slowed him down, and when I moved to help him, I knew it must be pretty bad when he didn’t protest my aid. Kira looked over with concerned eyes as the assassin leaned against me. She would be able to heal him, but we needed to make sure the soldiers didn’t find us first.
When we reached the first junction, Jasin stopped to consider our location, before leading us down one of the diverging paths.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Kira asked.
“Sort of,” he said.
“More like getting us more and more lost,” Reven muttered.
We walked for what seemed like hours, though it was hard to tell since there was nothing down here but the stone and the darkness. Others might feel claustrophobic in such a place, but not me. I would have been a good miner, but being a blacksmith had always felt like my true calling. Bending metal to my will was my strength even before I’d been given powers. Had I been shaped for this destiny my entire life, or was I chosen because of my affinity for metal and stone? I supposed I would have to ask the Earth God once I met him again.
Jasin stopped again, this time at a place where the tunnel diverged in three separate paths. He frowned, glancing around like he was looking for some clue. “I know it’s not the left one, but I can’t remember if the middle or the right leads outside the city.”
Reven was right, Jasin was going to get us lost, and we didn’t have time to waste. I rested my hand against one of the walls and closed my eyes. My senses expanded out and out, along the stone and rock, until a vague map of the tunnels formed in my mind. When I removed my hand and opened my eyes, I began walking down the middle path. “This way.”
I guided us through the tunnels, brushing my fingers against the rough stone every now and then to make sure I was on the right path. As the walls grew closer and the air smelled fresher, I knew we were almost there.
At the last junction, I stopped and turned to the Resistance members. “If you follow this tunnel it will take you into the mountains where you should be able to get away.”
“Thank you,” Daka said, before turning to the rest of my companions. “Thank you all.”
She shuffled down the tunnel and into the darkness, with the rest of the Resistance members following her. Once they were gone and I was sure they would make it out okay, I turned to the others. “Should we follow them?”
“We need to get back into the city and get our horses and supplies,” Auric said, his voice weak. He was probably in a lot of pain from the arrow in hi
s back.
“That might be dangerous,” Jasin said. “Plus, we’re on the opposite side of the city now.”
“We need to stop somewhere soon,” Kira said. “Both Reven and Auric need healing immediately or they won’t be able to walk much longer.”
“I’m fine,” Reven muttered, but he was slumped against me and his face was pale.
Jasin ran a hand across his jaw as he considered. “There might be somewhere we can go near here.”
“Somewhere safe?” Kira asked.
“Probably.” He started back the way we came.
“Do you know how to get there from here?” I asked.
“Yeah, I know exactly where we are now.”
“And where are we going?” Reven asked.
Jasin glanced at him. “Home.”
31
Kira
We emerged from the tunnels into what seemed to be the storeroom for a bakery. The air smelled of fresh bread and something sweet, making my stomach growl, but we didn't have time to delay. Reven and Auric were fading with every second, and while I’d done my best to stop their bleeding and take away the pain, I needed some quiet time with them in a safe place to heal them fully. Assuming I could, of course. My healing powers were still mostly untested and untrained. But I'd do whatever it took to keep them both alive.
As we walked out of the storeroom, the baker gave us a discreet nod, but didn’t say a word. Was he with the Resistance too? I’d never thought much about their group when I lived in Stoneham and had always assumed they were somewhere far away, but maybe they'd been around me all along and I never knew it. Including Slade, it seemed. When we had a moment alone, I’d have to ask him how he’d known about the Resistance hideout.
We stepped out of the bakery and into the pouring rain, where night had fallen. As I pulled my hood over my head, Auric slipped and nearly fell, but Jasin caught him and helped him go on. Slade was already supporting most of Reven’s weight at this point too. I wished I could do more than simply worrying about them. The streets were empty thanks to the downpour at least.
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