by Devri Walls
There were murmurs of agreement and nodding of heads. Some appeared to do so grudgingly, but Tybolt didn’t care. He saw hope.
“I just have one question for you,” Griffon said. “Do you want to be King?”
“I…”
“Well?” Mainse yelled from the middle of the crowd of thieves. “Do you?”
They needed a leader, one who was sure of himself. Unfortunately, that wasn’t him. Tybolt swallowed and looked at the sky. After that speech, he couldn’t stand here and lie. “No. I don’t.”
Griffon smiled. “Good. The only person I want in a seat of power is someone who doesn’t want it.” He faced the thieves. “Now, are we a bunch of thieves content to hide in the forest? Or are we going to take Eriroc back?”
A roar went up from all, and a small miracle happened. Every person, regardless of position, stepped forward and stood side by side in defense of the island.
“We’ll need a couple of days,” Griffon said as they walked back to his tent. “We need to make more arrows. How are you planning to get past the Hunters and into the city?”
Tybolt glanced at Alistair. “What about the tunnels?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Some of the sections are starting to degrade. We moved to the trees mainly because I was worried the tunnels might collapse, especially the ones farthest from the castle.”
“We haven’t had a problem yet,” Griffon said. “Although I’ve had a few reports of cracking in some of the walls.”
“Surely they’ll last a couple more days,” Auriella said.
“But that only helps us avoid the Hunters,” Asher pointed out. “How far do the tunnels run?”
“Straight into the castle,” Alistair said.
Tybolt’s steps stuttered. “What?”
“Why would Rowan allow that to exist?” Griffon pulled back the flap to the tent, sending them all in ahead of him. “Surely he closed them off.”
“Rowan doesn’t know about them. The passages are well hidden. Aja and I found them by chance as children with too much energy.”
“You’re sure they’re open all the way to the castle?” Asher asked.
“Yes. How do you think I traveled back and forth from the village to the forest?”
“Wait—what?” Griffon said. “You were in the city?”
Alistair sighed and ran his hand over his face, changing to Gamel.
“I’ll be damned.” Griffon plopped into a chair and leaned forward on his elbows, staring at Alistair. “If the tunnels really go all the way, why didn’t you sneak in and murder the imposter yourself?”
“We sent in a few assassins in the beginning but couldn’t get past the Hunters. And I couldn’t run the risk of being captured. If I was in the Hold when Tybolt inherited Aja’s magic, he would’ve burnt to death.”
Griffon raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t ask,” Tybolt said. “That’s a memory I’m not ready to relive. If we take the tunnels we could bypass the walls entirely. There’s no telling how many lives that would save.”
You’re right,” Alistair said. “Unless the tunnels collapse.”
“It’s a risk we have to take.”
Alistair dusted off a chair before sitting. “We’ll need the thieves to go in first.”
Griffon bristled. “I don’t think my people should have to bear the brunt of the attack to keep yours safe.”
“There are no ‘your people’ and ‘my people’ anymore, remember?” Tybolt was too antsy to sit down. He paced from one side of the tent to the other. “Alistair failed to explain that Rowan safeguarded the city. If any of the wizards set foot through that gate, it will feed their magic straight to Rowan—leaving them useless and him more powerful.”
“Giving him more magic is the last thing we want,” Alistair added. “Especially in the middle of an attack.”
“What if the thieves go under the wall and enter the city as normal villagers?” Auriella suggested. “I assume there’s an exit they can use that’s not in the castle, whichever one you used.”
“There is,” Alistair said.
“I like it,” Tybolt said. “If we bring everyone in slowly, they won’t be noticed. The first few within the walls could destroy the engravings, and that would allow the wizards to safely enter.”
“What would that entail?” Griffon asked.
“Not much,” Alistair said. “A simple line scratched in the stone would suffice. Anything that interrupts the circle.”
“Would they need to destroy all of them?”
“No.” Alistair shook his head. “This spell seems to work by surrounding the person it’s meant to trap. Rowan would’ve had to make a circle with the symbol for it to work. I imagine he’s placed four—one on each wall. If even one is destroyed, the entire perimeter will cease to function as it was designed.”
“Wait.” Tybolt’s steps slowed as he realized the implications. “If we were to destroy some of the runes inside the Hold…”
“Rowan wouldn’t have access to the wizards’ power,” Griffon finished.
Alistair grinned. “That’s a good plan.”
“Absolutely,” Tybolt said. He finally felt a bit of hope for their chances.
“We’ll finalize things in the morning, and I’ll get my people started on the arrows,” Griffon said. “Until then, I suggest you sleep. It’s going to be a long couple of days. Tybolt, you look like death.”
Tybolt rubbed his temples. “I feel like it too.”
“Tybolt!”
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but the shouts felt like they were pulling him from an abyss so deep that he’d left a part of himself at the bottom. He peeled his eyelids open. Everything was slightly blurry.
A large figure loomed over him, and Tybolt startled awake. He yanked a dagger from his boot sheath.
“Tybolt, put the knife away.”
“Griffon!” Tybolt shouted. He slammed the dagger down on the bed and rubbed his eyes. “Bloody spawn of Aja, what time is it?” He groaned. “I have got to stop saying that.”
Alistair stirred on his cot and rolled over. “What’s going on?”
“The sun should be up within the hour,” Griffon said.
“I know you said we’d have a meeting in the morning, but—”
“We have a problem.”
On Griffon’s arm sat a large black bird with a little tube tied to its leg. “Hey, I know that bird.”
“See it at Rose’s, did ya?”
“Yes.”
Griffon fed the bird a piece of bread, and it greedily snapped it up. “She helps me keep track of what’s going on in the city.”
Tybolt shoved his wild hair out of his face. “I see. Including when Asher heads out to pick up supplies?”
“Including that, yes.”
Alistair chuckled. “Very clever.” He sat up and swung his legs over the cot with a groan.
Griffon held up a small roll of paper. “This morning Rose sent something much more important than that. She reports that Rowan is sending the Hunters out at first light. They’ve been preparing all night.”
“All of them?” Tybolt said slowly.
Griffon nodded.
Tybolt slammed his fist into the cot. “Of all the—”
“It gets worse. Rose said that he’s moved the wizards from the Hold into the castle.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He’s afraid,” Alistair said. “You know everything, and now you’re a wizard. I imagine he has a space within the castle that will act as the Hold did.”
“With them out of the Hold, we can’t disable the spell, which means we have to fight Rowan at his strongest.” Tybolt reached for his boots and hastily pulled them on. “On the upside, the Hunters will be clear of the city. Anything else we need to know?”
Alistair’s head was bent and he looked at the ground, eyes moving back and forth as if he were reading something. He held up a finger and his mouth gaped, but no sound came out. He dro
pped his hand.
“Alistair?”
His uncle twisted on his cot one way and then the other, but he remained seated, his lips moving. It was clear he was deep in thought and whatever occupied his mind was not good.
“Alistair!” Tybolt shouted.
“We may have a bigger problem,” Alistair said weakly. “Rowan’s preparing for the transfer.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Griffon grumbled.
“Every time I think I know what’s going on, there’s always something else you haven’t told me,” Tybolt said.
“There hasn’t exactly been a lot of time,” Alistair snapped. “The transfer—it’s dangerous to say the least. The odds of Rowan surviving it are slim—the spell was designed to shred a man to ribbons. But if he can pull from the power of the wizards he has in the Hold while he performs the spell, he might be able to do it. I suspect he’s been waiting until I was found so he could transfer my power as well, but now that he knows who to kill and that you’re on the island…”
“Why tonight? Why not wait until he has word that Tybolt’s gone? Why not kill Tybolt and you, then he can have everything he wants?” Griffon asked.
“It has to be performed on the solstice. If he doesn’t do it tonight, he has to wait another six months. Without having all of Aja’s power, he probably can’t wait that long. He’s been paying Deasroc in rain—if his power runs out he’s in trouble. And he won’t be able to stop the natural storms from landing. Without the people depending on the palace for the little food they get, they will be less compliant.”
Tybolt groaned as he dropped back to the cot. “That doesn’t leave us any time to prepare. I still don’t understand why he would send all his Hunters out. It’s a risky move, leaving the city unprotected.”
“But if the Hunters succeed in finding and killing you, your magic would revert back to Aja, and then to Rowan. Even if he doesn’t kill you tonight, once the transfer is complete he will be the wielder of Eriroc's power. You die and your portion will revert to him.”
“What if we killed Aja?” Griffon asked.
Alistair shot him a nasty look.
“I was just asking.”
“His magic would move to Tybolt, as long as it happened before the transfer,” Alistair said.
“If Rowan has the spell, can’t he just take the magic from both of us?” Tybolt asked.
“No, you have to be in the same room, within a circle I would imagine. I’ve never seen it done. But once Rowan has taken the power from Aja, he’ll have much better control over it. He won’t need the rest of the wizards, or the Hold, any longer. I imagine they’ll all be killed.”
“We have to go,” Tybolt said. “Now!”
“Agreed.” Alistair nodded. “It has to be tonight.”
“Wait,” Griffon said. “We aren’t ready. If we keep Tybolt here in the Drop, they’ll never find him. It will give us the time to prepare.”
“I know,” Tybolt said. “But tonight will be the weakest Rowan will ever be. The Hunters are away, and part of his magic will be tied up in the transfer spell. It’s the best chance we’ll get.”
The camp was a hive of activity as both Tybolt and Griffon shouted orders. Everyone gathered any weapons they could find. Despite the hurry, the sun breached the horizon before everyone had gathered near the entrance to the tunnels. Tybolt wore the sword and dagger he’d brought with him. As much as he wanted a bow, he refused to short those who’d agreed to fight for him.
Auriella walked up and surveyed the chaos. “Are they ready?”
“I hope so. It’s now or never.”
He looked over at her, his heart heavy. He thought he’d have more time, a few minutes where he could carve out an intimate moment—pull her away from camp and pour his heart out to her. But now the time had been stolen. “I wanted to talk to you before…well, this.”
“I know.”
“I just…” He trailed off. There were a thousand things to say, and yet nothing seemed like the right thing to say. The juxtaposition of the two tangled his tongue, and he stood there looking at her with confusion and sorrow.
She gave a tender smile. “Tybolt at a loss for words. I never thought I’d see the day.”
His heart melted. She was more beautiful than anything he’d ever laid eyes on. It wasn’t the perfection she was wrapped in. It was what he saw deep beneath those emerald eyes, the strength and courage. He’d joked about her being soft-hearted, but it was true. She’d buried it deep and overcompensated for it, but it was there.
When he’d taken her out to show her what the villagers’ lives were like, she’d opened up. There was love and kindness within her, and it made her shine with the brightness of a thousand suns. He could only imagine what she’d be capable of when she learned how to meld the two parts of her—the warrior and the heart. He wanted to be there to see it, to be a part of it…if she’d let him.
“Thank you,” was all he said.
“For what?”
“For staying with me. Even with all—” He held out his hands. Even though they didn’t look different, they had changed inside. And he would never be the same. He sighed. “Even after you learned what I am.”
“What you are?” Her eyes filled with tears for a moment before she blinked them back. “You’re Tybolt. How could I ever walk away? You are…” She sniffled and hurriedly swiped at her cheeks. “You’re the first person who has ever really seen me.” She took his hand, but her eyes flitted away. “And I see you.”
Tybolt gripped her hand tighter. “Auriella, I love you.” His voice cracked on the words.
“Hey!” Asher shouted. “You two love birds done? We’ve got work to do here.”
Tybolt’s head dropped in defeat. The moment evaporated. “I knew I should’ve stabbed him earlier.” He glanced up. “I still could, you know.”
Auriella laughed and pulled her hand away, quickly brushing at her eyes before she turned to Asher, displaying the cold façade Tybolt was so familiar with. “Asher, you idiot. What did you call me?”
Tybolt stepped between them, happier than he’d been since he discovered he was a wizard. “Whoa, settle down. Love birds are very attractive, or so I’ve been told.”
“Yes, but they’re loud,” Asher said. “Don’t you remember when Deasroc sent a pair to Rowan? Obnoxious little beasts. It was so unfortunate when they escaped.”
Auriella tried to act shocked, but her grin overtook all else. “It was you!”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
The thieves finished assembling. Tybolt gave Asher a good pat on the shoulder and reached over to squeeze Auriella’s hand. “It’s time.”
Auriella squeezed back. “They’re all yours, Your Highness.”
Asher chuckled. “Nope, can’t get used to that.”
Tybolt addressed the group. “Carac will lead you as far as the city walls. Once beneath them, you will continue to the first ladder. That will bring you up into a small house near the wall. Remember, we need to be inconspicuous. Only a few of you should go out to destroy the markings. Once that is done, one of you will signal the wizards and start the attack. And don’t forget, you must be quiet in the tunnels. You can be heard above ground, and with every Hunter in the forest, it is a very real possibility that you will be found. Any questions?” Tybolt looked around, but no one spoke. “Good. Remember, there is no us and them. We must work together and trust each other.” He gave a nod to Carac. “Let’s go.”
Carac led the group, and one by one they disappeared into the tunnels. Violet strolled by them with a bow slung over her shoulder. She gave Tybolt a coy look. “If this works, I expect an invitation to the palace.”
“Of course.” He jerked his head towards Asher. “He’ll need a dinner date.”
Violet grinned. “Not as handsome as you, but I’ll take him.”
He heard Auriella huff behind him, and Tybolt laughed as she strutted off.
“Nothing like being second choice,” Asher mutter
ed.
“I thought you’d be used to it by now,” Auriella said. “Or third, or fourth or—”
“I got it.” Asher shook his head and mumbled, “I’ve definitely got it.”
Tybolt laughed. He was feeling better, which was odd. Maybe it was the fact that he was settling into his new identity. He was Tybolt, son of Aja, and he would be damned if he let Rowan mistreat his people for a moment longer.
“It’s like watching molasses,” Alistair said, coming up next to Tybolt and crossing his arms. “They aren’t moving fast enough.”
“I know that,” he said in a low whisper. “What would you like me to do, throw them down the hole?”
Alistair seemed to contemplate the offer.
“I wasn’t serious.”
“We have to reach Eriroc before sundown. If the Hunters decide to return to the city, our odds of winning decrease dramatically.”
“He’s right,” Asher said.
“I know!” Tybolt snapped. “But again, what would you like me to do about it?
The people streamed down one by one until finally there was only Griffon, Tybolt, Auriella, Asher, Alistair, and the thief, Jamison. With almost everyone in, Tybolt descended. The air was thick with dust from pounding feet.
Asher coughed and gagged behind him. He leapt the last few rungs and landed behind Tybolt. “We’re going to asphyxiate before we get there.”
“Come on,” Tybolt said. “Pull your shirt over your nose.”
He hadn’t made it more than a few steps before Alistair’s voice rang out behind him. “Stop!”
“Wha—” Something magical wrapped around him and jerked him backwards. He smashed into Asher, and they both flew through the air. Landing hard, they rolled past the ladder.
Tybolt shoved to his feet, ears burning. “What in the name of Aja was that?”
A loud snap sounded, and then a spider-web of cracks ran through the roofs and walls. “Oh no.”
“Tybolt!” Auriella screamed.
“Stay up there!” he shouted.