by Amy Morris
Within two streets I can see the tavern, The Lost Stone, ahead of us and realize how aptly it’s named now. Rabble leads us to an alleyway that runs along the side of the building when a group of uniformed guards appear in front of us, then behind.
“You traitor,” Angel grunts, drawing his sword.
“Trust me, it wasn’t me,” Rabble responds with. Bravery not lacking, he saunters ahead alone after tersely recommending we stay put.
“I don’t like it.” Talia announces, twirling a knife in each hand.
“Doesn’t seem right to me either,” Angel agrees.
“What do we do now?” I ask, not having a clue myself. If the king wants to stop me it seems now is his chance, I visually scan the walls of the buildings pinning us between the guards but see no hope of escape.
Ahead we see Rabble having an animated conversation with one of the twelve men. He signals to us to come forward, but none of us moves fast to reach him. The ten men behind us close in as we advance, which puts all four of us on edge.
As we reach Rabble, he moves towards me. Before I know what’s going on he has me in a tight embrace and is kissing me. The softness in his lips seems so right, the taste of ale on his tongue turns me into a puddle before I pull myself out of it.
“Sorry Tor, false alarm. I just don’t want my whoring reported back to the palace. You know,” Rabble infers toward me. “The man you don’t recognize I befriended here at the tavern this morning. After a few drinks we went to find good company.”
“Why are there three women and only two of you then?” the man he referred to as Tor asks.
“Because when one of them grows tired we’ll have a spare, right Paul?” Rabble asks of Angel as he grabs Goss by the arm and kisses her.
“Right,” Angel adds, not knowing what to call him at this point from the puzzled look on his face. Grabbing Talia quick to continue the ruse, he kisses her long and hard to the cheers of the guards surrounding us.
“Alright, I’ll let you slip by this one time. If you see anything or anyone suspicious, you know what to do,” Tor remarks to Rabble with a devilish smile at the scene before him.
“Will do captain, keep this meeting quiet if you know what I mean,” he says giving the other man an exaggerated wink.
“Have fun young man,” Tor calls as he and the rest of the men regroup, heading the way we just came.
As the guards disappear around the corner we all stand close together watching them go before Rabble announces we need to hurry back into Bess’.
After shuffling through the back alley, then through the kitchen into the apartment. Angel lets out a heavy breath, “I guess working at the palace has its uses once in a while.”
“It does, but this means you have to leave tonight. The king must know you’re here somehow or there wouldn’t be a walking troupe of guards in the city.”
“Oh, thank gods you made it back safe,” Bess exhales, entering her room. “I was so worried about you all after they came into the tavern to accost the patrons and myself.” She is visibly shaking, I’m sure the punishment for harboring us wouldn’t be light.
“Have our packages arrived?” Rabble gives no hint of concern to her wellbeing, which bothers me.
“I stored them in the wardrobe, there’s one from the weaponry and clothier. If there’s more they haven’t come in yet love.”
“No, that’s all. I prepared the boat I purchased a week ago last night, just in case. It’s north of town in a private cove, our provisions are in the sacks we carry. I hate to have you leave at such brief notice and without a good night's rest, but I don’t think we have much choice.” Rabble grabs our packs.
“Let me at least pack a sack of fresh food for them. I want them to have at least one good meal on the river.” And with that, she heads back into the kitchen.
“It’s a two-day journey by river to Mystic and a bit of rowing is involved. I hope you all got a good night’s rest last night,” Rabble leaves the room as well for the kitchen.
“Regardless of sleep we must traverse on, whether it be rowing all night or sleeping in a gods forsaken crate on the sea. Carry on,” Angel announces, taking the lead out of the apartment.
“Well, alright.” Talia exits with Goss, leaving me trailing after her.
The five of us depart from The Lost Stone right at dusk with what sounds like genuine well wishes from Bess, along with another sack of food she forces on Rabble.
Following the back alleys behind homes and businesses, we continue north for thirty minutes before Rabble brings us to a stop along the city's stone walls. “Here’s the tricky part,” he informs us. “The original plan was to sneak you out the north city gate as traders. Which is easy enough most days. But at night, with the current curfew, it throws a large snag into that plan.”
“So what’s the plan now?” Goss asks.
“Don’t have one, any ideas?” Rabble scans the four of us.
“Prostitution won’t work at the city gates,” Talia offers.
“No, it won’t… We need something better,” Rabble mutters while scanning our surroundings. We hide in the shadows for now, but within a few dozen yards we’ll be out in the open trying to leave a city on lockdown.
My gaze locks onto an abandoned cart a few paces away. “If there was a distraction, could we get through the gate?” I ask.
“It would need to be a large distraction, then we would have to work the pulleys ourselves unnoticed to open the gate. What were you thinking?” he turns to me. I nod towards the empty cart and he nods back in understanding. “Head to the cart and throw anything flammable you see into it. Hay, straw, loose wood, anything that will ignite.”
Either he read my mind or was thinking the same thing when he saw the cart didn’t matter to me. Getting out of the city does though. Talia, Goss, and I edge over to the cart to find it containing something I’m not familiar with. “Oh, all we need is something to set on top to light to start the show,” Talia exclaims at the contents.
With that, the three of us scavenge nearby to find enough loose straw and broken wood to use as kindling over the small crates. Satisfied with our work, Talia pronounces that it will work and we return to the guys in the shadows.
After a quick conversation between her and the guys, their eyes sparkle with recognition at the word powder. Whatever this powder is, it isn’t what I’m used to working with at the spice store I notice.
Rabble draws a flint from his pocket and heads toward the cart while we wait in anticipation. Goss and I are the only ones not crouching against the stone wall, then decide it might be in our best interest to join Talia and Angel in a crouched position. I watch as Rabble uses his flint to ignite the kindling we scattered across the small crates, then runs back to our position.
The blast from the cart, well really there is no cart now, was a large enough distraction to draw the guards at the gate to it. Once the dust clears a little at our position Rabble and Angel take off for the gate while the rest trail behind them. By the time I reach the metal gate they have lifted it three feet from the ground, enough clearance for all of us to crawl underneath, which we do quickly.
We are still near the gate when “There they are” is yelled from inside the city.
“Shit, run,” Rabble announces, we all comply without a word. We follow him along the dark road and into the forest, trying to not make much noise. Tree branches scratch my face as I run through the woods, all the while hearing footsteps close behind us.
“Faster princess,” Rabble yells back at me from the lead. “Almost there,” he assures us all.
“Haven’t had a good sprint since the last weeks of regular training huh Angel,” Talia throws at him as they go neck and neck behind Rabble. Goss is ahead of me, but barely, we’re doing our best to keep up, especially with the voices behind us sounding closer now.
I hear a splash Seconds before seeing the night sky in the clearing we reach. “Holy hells,” Talia groans into the darkness, but I take a few seco
nds longer to see what she’s referring to. The water past the cove where the boat is seems to move rapidly. Paddle my ass, I think wading into the dark water towards the small boat.
“How are we supposed to paddle up rapids?” Talia asks while giving Goss a hand into the boat.
“Stay to the left,” Rabble explains as he and Angel pull the small craft out from the shore. “The current isn’t much, and it’s calmer upstream.”
A loud thud catches my attention just next to my knee on the bench I’m seated on. The clouds shift and the moon illuminates an arrow with its head resting just inches from me. “Go, go faster now,” I yell as another thud sounds from behind me inside the boat.
“Shit,” Rabble helps push Angel into the craft. “I guess I’m going with you.” He pulls himself in as the boat rocks now free from the shore and we enter open water.
“What do we do now?” Goss asks in a panic.
“Paddle and paddle hard, we need to get away from shore,” he directs from two benches behind me.
“Paddle,” Angel now directs the group. “Or its all for naught.”
Grabbing an oar myself, not one hundred percent sure what to do with. I reel it against the water, helping put distance between us and the shore. The water in the cove is smooth, but we’re out of it soon with all of us directing an oar.
The problem now is the current in the raging river ahead of us and somehow paddling upstream. “Can we make it?” I ask.
“Trust me,” Rabble yells over the sound of raging water as we enter the Shant River proper. Arrows no longer reach us, so I’m soothed by that, but the view in front of me of the downstream river is far from comforting. Rabble’s right though, the water is much calmer along the bank we are following. But now my concern turns to the river’s edge, where the guards could take aim at us easily.
“Don’t worry, by the time they reach this shoreline we’ll be farther up river, now paddle,” Rabble commands to everyone.
The water to my left calms after half an hour of vigorous paddling, which leaves my arms exhausted. I turn to look at my companions and see in the moonlight that mostly they all look almost as tired.
“Just a couple hours farther and we can make camp on the other side of the river for a rest,” Rabble mentions after reading my thoughts, no doubt.
“I didn’t realize you were coming with us,” I throw a smile at him.
“This wasn’t the plan, but I’m here now. Your closer to eight protectors with me, princess,” he grins while paddling.
13
Three hours later, it’s deemed safe enough to stop, rest our wary bodies and eat before continuing. Angel creates a small fire, hoping we can warm ourselves without drawing much attention. Unfortunately, within a few minutes too much smoke is created by the damp wood and it’s extinguished.
Rabble hands me his cloak just after they stamp the fire out to help stop my constant shivering. It will be too warm once the sun comes up to warrant the cloak, but for now it helps the slight chill in the air against my damp clothes. My attempt to get out of the boat unassisted was a failure, and I alone ended up soaked.
“Better?” retaking his seat across from me, I give Rabble a quick nod in response.
“So from here how much farther is it to Mystic?” Goss questions as she rubs her arms which like mine are probably sore from the rowing.
“A little over a day and a half, but I’m uncertain. I’ve only traveled there on horseback previously,” he admits to us.
“So what happens when the guards catch up to us, I’m assuming they will return with horses?” Angel looks around at our exposed camp. Having not thought of that, I shiver at being caught and sent back to my uncle.
“Not far ahead is when the canyon starts. There should be enough tree coverage to keep us hidden if we stay along the shoreline from the bluffs overhead.”
Everyone but Rabble turns toward the north to see large stone formations take shape as the sunrises. Letting out the breath I’ve been holding since my thoughts turned to my uncle, I let it go seeing we might have a chance.
“Horses are the faster route, but hopefully whoever gave away your location in Coasin isn’t aware of your destination. They sent only two people that information in Fraye, Verona and myself, so we should be safe for the time being.”
“How do we know you didn’t give away our location or destination to elevate yourself at court?” Angel gives Rabble the look of someone that would kill to protect their friends.
“Trust me,” he laughs, “I want no elevation at court.”
“I for one am not very trusting to be honest with you,” Talia stands to stretch along the shore a few feet away from the group.
“When I was fifteen years old, I made a promise to my mother on her deathbed to protect the heir if they ever came to be during my lifetime. I would never go back on a promise I made to her,” he explains solemnly.
“Does your father have magic as well?” Goss asks.
Rabble snorts, “No, he never knew about my mothers or mine. Him not being a fan of magic would put it plainly, seeing it as a threat just the same as King Alex does from what I’ve heard.”
“So your mother had to hide her gift and yours from him, I’m guessing,” Goss offers.
“She did, at a high cost. If my mother could have used her magic freely, she and my unborn sister would have survived the childbirth.” Sadness rims his eyes at the memory he’s shared.
Talia reclaims her spot next to Angel and turns to Rabble, “Sorry for your loss, but it still doesn’t mean I trust you.”
Angel grunts in agreement and looks my direction, I roll my eyes at him. He slightly lifts his shoulders in his usual “what” signal. “Rabble, I trust you,” I announce with a steady voice, although I don’t feel one hundred percent about my declaration right now.
“I wouldn’t have joined you on the boat to help you escape if I didn’t feel the need to protect you Abby,” Rabble’s eyes yet again lock onto mine.
“Well now, that’s settled, I’m headed to relieve myself since I assume this boat will move again shortly.” Goss heads for the tree line and I follow to do the same. Once we hide within the foliage she whispers my direction, “Do you really trust him?”
“I want to,” I shrug.
“I think I do,” she smiles, retreating farther into the greenery.
After everyone eats a small meal of dried foods and makes use of the woods, we load back into the boat to shove off. Just picking up the oar makes my arms and shoulders hurt, but after a steady rhythm of rowing for twenty minutes, I’m numb to it. The view ahead of us is breathtaking, as we approach the tall cliffs. It’s easy to see what Rabble mentioned earlier about the tree coverage along the river. Almost looks like a scene pulled from a page of a fairy tale, tall white bluffs surrounding clear green water with a canopy of vibrant green leaves overhead. I wonder to myself if it’s possible that some stories from my youth are true since magic did once exist in this world, if so did something happen here. Feeling a slight tingle on my ear, I turn my attention to Rabble who offers me a wink as he paddles.
I can only surmise that he was just in my head and hope the wink was some kind of confirmation of my suspicions. “Once we reach the trees ahead, we can make another stop if anyone’s up for it,” Rabble calls out, pointing toward the shore ahead.
“A quick stop would be nice,” Goss groans struggling with her oar caught in a large rock alongside the boat.
Angel guides the boat to the tree-lined river bank a few yards past where the canopy starts. Ahead, the river seems darker and more daunting, but hoping it’s just my mind playing tricks on me, I keep the thought to myself.
“This feels better, I’m glad we aren’t out in the open river during the heat of the day,” Talia mentions, we all nod in agreement to that.
“It almost looks like night ahead,” Goss stares to the north. “The trees must be thick just beyond here. Perfect cover for us though.”
“The density lifts af
ter that section from what I’ve seen from above, but now the waters calm and it camouflages us before the falls.” Rabble offers a bit too calmly for my liking.
“What falls?” Angel asks.
“Don’t worry Angel, they’re small steps so we need to carry the boat up them but from what I’ve heard it’s a simple task… I hope.” Answering the question we all asked but only one of us voiced. “We better get a move on, I want to make it to the edge of this section before we stop for the night. I have a feeling we don’t want to get caught in this dense area after dark.”
Even though none of us ask why that is you can see the question on all of our faces including Rabbles. Well, that’s comforting, I decide sitting back on my bench and lift my oar. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you princess,” he promises me with words only I can hear.
The further we paddle into the thick canopy, the darker it gets. We have to light a lantern to hang from the front of the boat to see where we’re going. Everyone has stopped speaking as the darkness fully engulfs us, once in a while Goss or I jump at noises from the trees. I don’t feel like the heir of a prophecy with how jumpy this is making me, but thankfully no one can see the scared out of my wits look on my face.
“What’s that?” Goss whispers from my left, she’s moved up a row to sit beside me. I’m not sure yet if it was from her fear or mine. “Look, just in front of us, it was floating a moment ago.”
“I don’t, oh there it is,” seeing a faint glow hover in front of the bow. “Look another one,” I notice more now that my eyes have adjusted to the darkness.
Small flashes of yellow light illuminate the river ahead of us, then surrounding us. Talia shifts on her bench to avoid one close to her. “Should we be concerned?” she says behind me.
“I think not,” Angel holds out his hand so we can see the tiny insect emitting light from its skin intermittently. “Just bugs, it hasn’t bitten me so I don’t think it’s a threat.”
Rabble nods in agreement with wonder in his eyes, “Let’s just keep paddling. If nothing else, they are helping to light the way.”