by K. Lyn Hill
Something didn’t add up. They had been arguing about who the real Aerity was and then suddenly, it just stopped. Siel instantly became the princess’s lacky with no thought to the girl he claimed to have loved. There wasn’t much she knew, but Siel’s feelings for Aerity was on the list of well-known things.
He cared about her. Which meant, his actions made no sense.
It was stupid to get involved. She should just stick to the plan and help Aerity escape but it kept nagging at her. Did Siel really know Aerity was rotting away in a dungeon? If he did and he wasn’t saving her, then did he have a good reason? No, there was no good reason for that. Carly would be stupid to confront him about it, but it was eating her alive. If he was involved in any of this, she didn’t want him knowing her suspicions. But if he was clueless, he deserved to know where the woman he loved was. For all Carly knew, the princess could have lied and told him she was safe. But if he really had betrayed Aerity, Carly also didn’t want to ruin any chances of getting her out of jail.
Deep in thought, she reached her intended corridor without realizing it. When she looked up, she spotted Siel at the end of the hallway. He was looking straight at her. Well, so much for backing out. She sighed before lifting her chin and began to stride forward with a purpose. She would get her answers now, one way or another.
∞∞∞
Siel
“Siel, what’s going on?” Carly demanded. “I saw you with her. Anyone with eyes could see how you felt about her. You out of all people have to know the difference between her and the princess!”
Frantically, he shot his gaze around the hallway, looking for any listening ears. When he saw they were alone, he tugged her arm around the corner to slip out of sight. She started to protest when he placed his finger to her lips. “I know it’s not her.” He began to lower his finger when she began to speak again. Loudly.
“Then what are you doing?!...He cut her off again. The hallways seemed to echo their voices. He couldn’t take any more inconveniences.
“Be quiet.” He hissed. “If she hears you...”
“Who? If who hears me?” Carly asked through the gap in his fingers, her warm breath on his hand.
“There is more going on here then you realize. It’s imperative we play along. The princess knows where Aerity is and has threatened her life unless I play along with this charade.”
Carly let loose a relieved breath, then sucked it back in. “Wait, I know…”
He kept his finger to her lips and offered her a withering glare. She didn’t know when to keep silent. “No, you don’t. She has connections in far reaching places. She’s dangerous. When I find Aerity, I’ll find a way to keep her safe but until then, keep your head down and your mouth shut.”
Her eyebrows scrunched up and she cocked her head to the side. “No but you don’t understand...” She tried.
He sighed. They didn’t have time for this. “No, you don’t understand.” He enunciated each word. “Mouth. Shut.”
“But I know where...” Carly began.
This time he cupped his whole hand over her mouth, she looked up at him with wide eyes. “Are you going to be quiet now?”
She cautiously nodded and he slowly removed his hand. “I need to go.”
She opened her mouth to protest again but he spun around before she could get more words out. What was it with this woman and her incessant blabbering? Maybe he should have taken the time to listen to her. She had never been so pushy with him before.
An uneasy feeling unfurled in the pit of his stomach at first. But then he thought of all the possible ears that could have stumbled upon them talking and he didn’t feel so bad.
He was protecting her.
At least that’s what he tried to convince the nagging feeling in his gut.
Chapter Seventeen
Eli
A pounding on the door had Eli practically sprinting to open it. He had been waiting for answers, locked in his room like some prisoner. Siel had insisted something was happening around the castle and things weren’t safe for him to be roaming about, but a painful throbbing in his body told him something much worse was afoot. He hadn’t seen Aerity in days which was only one of the many suspicions going through his head. She had been invited to all the dinners. He had not. They couldn’t risk both his and the general’s faces being seen together.
He threw open the door, revealing a very disheveled and exhausted looking prince. Although it wasn’t the one that he had expected to see. “Damien, what’s going on?”
Bleary eyes met his as he pushed his way into the room. Eli stepped back to allow him entry and an entirely new kind of worry filtered through his body. “Damien?” He tried again, but Damien seemed focused on gathering things up around the room.
After he finished stuffing weapons, clothing and other miscellaneous things in a bag, he heaved out a sigh. “You need to take Aerity and go. The castle isn’t safe right now.”
“Siel told me something was going on but not in details.”
Damien’s eyes darted to his with a serious expression marring his face. “Do not trust Siel. Do not trust anyone besides me and Carly.”
Unease swirled in his stomach. “Tell me what’s happening.”
“The princess returned.”
Eli felt all the air rush out of him. “What?”
“She switched places with Aerity. I’ve been trying to locate her for a few days now and I just discovered where she is.”
There was a hint of despair as he spoke that did little to relieve Eli’s anxiety. “And where is that?” His voice didn’t sound like normal. It came out sounding hoarse and foreign.
“The dungeon.”
Time around him slowed as he sucked in a shuttering breath.
Damien handed him the bag he had thrown together. “I’ve gathered you some supplies. There’s a bag of money underneath all the clothes, food, weapons and medical supplies. The princess had help. The castle has been infiltrated. I don’t know who can be trusted or not. Siel is acting strangely and my father is scheduled for his return trip home. We can’t take any chances.” Eli was still trying to process his words as he stared at him with a gaped mouth.
Seeing his hesitation, Damien shoved him towards the door. “We don’t have time for this. We need to get you and Aerity out now! No one can see you leave. Be quiet and keep your gaze sharp.”
“You’re the crowned prince! You can’t protect her in your own castle?” Eli demanded.
“Did you not hear anything I just said? My father will murder her as soon as he returns. For all he knows, someone impersonated the princess. He is King. I hold no sway or power when he is here. At least if you leave now, you have time to get far away before he returns. The minute he gets back, he will send men to find her. The princess has something planned and it won’t be good. Locking her away will only start a war that we aren’t prepared to fight. There are too many variables.” Damien threw something at his face and he numbly unfolded it to see that it was a cloak. “Put that on and keep your head down.”
Slowly snapping out of his shock, he realized the weight of what was happening. Eli cried, “Where are we supposed to go?” They were already in an unknown world. To navigate it on their own seemed like an impossible feat.
“Carly will explain everything after we get Aerity and meet her at the check point. But we need to hurry. She said the guards switch their positions in ten minutes, which doesn’t give us much time.”
Swinging the cloak and bag over his shoulder, he threw his hood up and followed Damien. Damien strolled through the shadows, ignoring the looks of those in the hallway and acted like he had all the right in the world to be there.
Which he did. He was the prince after all.
No one stopped or questioned him as they made their way through the hallway. Some glanced in Eli’s direction but then their focus fell back on the prince. Fear shone in some of their eyes as they scuffled past them, rushing to get by. “Where is the princess?”
As they reached the end of the hallway and approached the dungeon door, Eli could hear bickering happening around the corner. Damien moved his arm to shove them both against the wall as the voices began to come in heavy.
“Where are Eric and Sloane? They were supposed to relieve us.”
Another voice came from behind the wall. He sounded almost bored. “Eric got sick and Sloane got held up, if you know what I mean.” Eli could practically hear the wink he must have thrown at the guy.
The guard on duty groaned. “He’s going to get us killed if he keeps meeting up with that girl.” Eli had no idea what he was talking about but kept listening. “Why have we never seen you two before?” The man by the door asked the newcomers.
“We aren’t normally assigned here. Just fill ins. But we are getting sick of standing here. So either you stay and cover our shifts or you get out of our way.” That seemed to do it. The threat of having to stand there any longer seemed to dispel any suspicion the guard had. “No, she’s all yours. We already had our fun with her.”
Eli felt Damien tense beside him. The temptation consumed him to charge over to them and demand answers. Damien must have read his thoughts because the grip the prince had on his arm tightened.
A few minutes later they heard footsteps and laughter down the hallway to their right that faded shortly after. Taking a quick glance around the corner, Damien deemed it safe and led them to the guards. One look at him and they opened the door and stepped aside.
“I thought you said we couldn’t trust anyone?” Eli whispered, chancing a cautious glance at the two men by the door.
“They aren’t guards. They are servants. One is the stable boy and the another works in the kitchen with Mrs. Clarel. Carly assured me they were trustworthy. We had no other choice.”
Damien grabbed the keys hanging on the wall as they tried to peer into the darkness. Eli reached for a torch so he could see in front of him. They took quiet steps toward each cell. Eli’s heart rate picked up each dreadful step they took. Part of him relished in seeing Aerity again and another part feared what condition she would be in if they did find her down here.
The flame from his torch danced across the metal as the light finally landed on a small body curled up in a heap on the floor. As soon as he moved the light closer, a curse slipped from his lips. “Oh my god.”
∞∞∞
Aerity
“Oh my god.” Well those words weren’t very reassuring, especially when coupled with the pure agony she could clearly hear in the familiar voice.
Sure, her body felt like an elephant sat on it, but she couldn’t look that bad.
Could she?
“She’s been in here this whole time?” Someone whispered but she could no longer differentiate between the voices.
Through blurry eyes she had seen a flame approach her while she lay curled up in her cage. It didn’t matter what position she sat in; it all burned the same. As much as she wanted to cast some ninja skills on anyone who approached her, she had to admit that she didn’t have a whole lot of fight left in her at this point. The guards who brought her back to the dungeon had done a number on her. They had also stopped giving her drugs but only because they had beaten her so badly and wanted her to feel every inch of pain.
It worked.
There was no way of telling how much damage was done with a lack of a mirror and light. The only knowledge she possessed was that she could hardly move a part of her body without experiencing pure misery. Not only was her body broken but also her heart. She had far too much time to reflect on Siel’s hurtful words.
And dwell on them.
Repeatedly.
Now there was nothing on her that was whole anymore. Did he really mean what he had said?
The Guards had gotten the princess out of the cell Aerity had tossed her in and the girl wasn’t so happy. So, no one put up a fuss after any of the kicks or blows she had been dealt.
She had given up hope of escape or on expecting a miracle but as soon as she heard Eli’s voice, she wanted to cry. Instead she tried to play off the pain. “You should see the other guy.” Her attempt at a joke was feeble at best and completely demolished when it came out as a wheeze and then an outright coughing fit. Her lungs couldn’t suck in air fast enough.
There was a gasp and then she saw Eli had a companion. “You need to get her help. Get her out! Now!”
She heard the rattling of keys as the lock of her cell scraped and then clicked open. The sound was more glorious than anything she had heard before. But that voice. She knew it. “Damien?” She croaked but she didn’t think he could hear her.
“We are going to get you out of here, Aerity.”
She tried not to make a sound as Eli lifted her battered body. The touch triggered every bruise on her skin, but she bit her lip, refusing to cry out. His breathing sounded hoarse and she could tell he was eyeing up any broken part of her that he could see. There must have been a lot by the pregnant silence that permeated the air.
“We need to go! Now! We need to get to Carly. She needs medical attention.” Damien’s voice sounded panicked and Aerity tried to shoosh his panic by telling him she was alright. But she was only able to think the thought in her mind. Her voice was weak from a lack of use and her lips were cracked and bleeding, hurting far too much to speak. She could tell Eli was trying to be gentle as he rushed up the stairs, but she still felt every bump and jostle. She attempted to open her eyes, but they were practically swollen shut. The bright light from the hallway did nothing to relieve her pounding headache. Multiple curses sounded when people passed by and if her lips weren’t so dry and scabby, she might have smiled.
Obviously, she looked every bit like an elephant sat on her.
Maybe even a whole hoard.
Carly’s cry was completely distinguishable, and she willed her hand to reach out for the girl. Cold hands met hers in a death grip and she knew immediately that it was her friend. Wet tears fell across her hands. A testimony to the emotional turmoil her friend was in seeing her in this state.
“Use the map and take it to my family’s farm. My brother Darius will help you. The stable boy has a horse ready. You can leave through the tunnels.”
Aerity felt a kiss fall across her knuckles as the hand holding it fell away. Coldness zipped through her body at the loss.
“What tunnels?” She heard Eli ask.
“There is a secret passageway that leads you outside. Damien will show you and get you out.”
If Aerity could move she would have fist bumped the air. She knew there were secret freakin passageways.
They heard footsteps clinking down the hallway drawing closer to them. As Carly’s panicked voice yell whispered. “You need to go now! Be safe. Get her help!”
“Siel?” Aerity asked weakly, her brain not registering the previous deceit.
“He’s not coming.” Damien growled.
Her mind danced in static while it tried to process his angry words. What made him so angry? Then she remembered Siel’s betraying words.
“Betrayal.” She whispered to no one in particular, but she didn’t think anyone had heard her until Damien responded.
“Yes.”
Beside him, she heard Carly’s voice. It was back to being mouse like, like when they first met. Her high-pitched panic seeping through. “No, it’s not like that. There’s more…”
She was cut off by Eli’s abrupt, “We have to go.”
She wondered what Carly was about to say but just as the thought entered her head, she forgot it.
Eli gripped her battered body up in his arms even tighter, his finger digging into one of her broken ribs. He loosened his hold as he glanced down at her in aguish. She tried to meet his gaze, but her eyelids felt like lead and she couldn’t even squint. Her body was fighting but it couldn’t hold on much longer.
Her thoughts drifted in and out until a jolt struck he
r that she never warned Damien about the princess. Panic slowly took over her as Eli’s pounding footsteps echoed in her mind but just as she was about to speak a wave a dizziness hit and she quickly faded away.
∞∞∞
Her body was growing numb. Maybe from loss of blood or it just couldn’t handle the pain anymore. She barely felt Eli heft her up onto something solid, yet very much alive.
“Are you sure she can make it?” She could hardly make out the stable boy’s words, but she noted the concern in them.
“She will be fine. Be concerned for yourself. They will know you helped us and it won’t be long until they find her missing.”
The boys voice deepened. “I would do anything for her.”
Aerity could tell Eli was getting too curious for his own good. “Why are you so loyal to her? She’s not even the real princess.”
Gee thanks a lot Eli. If she had the ability to talk, she would have given him a piece of her mind. But it probably would have come out sounding like something from the Teletubbies, so she kept her mouth sealed and focused on not moving her beaten body around too much.
“No, she’s not but she is one of us. We would all fight for her to be queen.” She waited for Eli to respond but only felt weight shift in position behind her.
“Be safe.” Eli whispered to the boy as he got a good grip on her, her head rested against his chest. Her body between his thighs. Clicking his tongue, he nudged the horse and they took off.
She tried to mumble about the princess’s plot to hurt Damien but her mouth wouldn’t work. She thought she finally spit it out and heard Eli gently shoosh her before she answered her bodies call. Taken over by pure exhaustion, she nodded off to sleep.
∞∞∞
She felt like she was flying. Arms raised high, twisting and shifting in the breeze. Power hummed around her as heavy pants filled the air. The overpowering need to run and jump filled her, as she readied her body to prance. The wind gripped her waist, almost as if it were trying to calm her, and she struggled against the restraint.