by Stock, L. J.
“Cass. I hate to–”
“Back to back, you push through. I'll take anything that comes at us from behind,” I shouted, nodding.
“Your training was the best idea ever.” He huffed over his shoulder, as though he didn't like what we had to do but was glad I knew the drill.
“Remember to tell my father and Damon that, would you?”
It wasn't beyond my scope of logic that I was being entirely optimistic. With as many enemy troops as there were filling the palace, it would take nothing short of a miracle to get through this. Yet, in the same breath, I refused to give up. I refused to think we weren't going to make it. I'd made it too far to die now. Rasmus handed me a small dagger under his arm as he swung at a masked figure. I took it gratefully and spun, pressing my back to his, keeping contact between us, each step backward a recognition of progress. My body moved fluidly, my arms blocking strikes, my legs kicking out, and the dagger swiping anything that got too close.
I was barely aware we'd actually made it through when Rasmus grabbed my arm and spun me around, pushing me in front of him as he started to jog at a slow pace. As much as I hated to admit it, the beautiful shoes I was wearing did nothing but hinder my forward momentum, and I had no choice but to get rid of the damn things. As I slowed, Rasmus growled in impatience.
“Cass, you can't–” His jaw snapped shut as I kicked my shoes off to the side of the Great Hall and picked up the pace. I stuck to the runner in the middle of the hall and pushed myself hard to a sprint, my hands holding the front of the dress out of my way. “Never mind. That works.”
Out of nowhere, two latros dived through one of the tapestries. I heard the ring of Rasmus' sword long before the other reached me, so I was ready for him. With my dress in my hands, I spun out of reach, turning quickly to slam my foot into the back of the masked soldier’s knee. The muffled growl as he hit the ground was satisfying and told me I’d hit my mark. He was so focused on me, he never saw the hilt of Rasmus' sword coming to greet the back of his head.
“Go,” Ras growled breathlessly. He didn't need to tell me twice. In a breath, I was sprinting toward the huge ornate staircase, hopping up three of them before taking two at a time, Rasmus hot on my heels as I ascended. It was amazing how much the sound carried up the Great Hall’s stone walls. It filled the arch of the ceiling and reverberated, tripling the sound from below.
I didn't stop when I reached the top, even as I fought the inclination to look over the balustrade and search for Damon in the crowd. All I wanted was a second’s glance to know he was all right, but it was impossible. I had to save my life and Rasmus'. Every second he was with me, his life was in further danger and I couldn't, or wouldn't have that on my conscience. He was my friend, my family, and I fully intended to get the hell out of there.
My hand slapped against the stone wall as I catapulted myself down the short corridor, but a heavy hand on my shoulder stopped me dead.
“Think.” Rasmus hissed under his breath, pushing his sword ahead of him. He patted me on the head as he passed and I growled at him in response. He was right. Of course he was right, but I was angry with myself for the mistake, which meant the hand on my head was more patronizing than I'd have liked. Not that Rasmus was paying attention. His sole focus was on the door ahead of him.
He stopped outside of the thick wooden barrier, his cheek against the panel as he listened. I wasn't sure if I was still bristled about the pat on the head, but I ignored any idle frustration and kept my steps silent as I crept up behind him, even though I wasn’t entirely sure why he was listening quite so intently. The latros had infiltrated the palace silently. Surely they would wait for me the same way. It's not like they would be bouncing on my bed or singing riddles while they waited.
Tapping Ras on the shoulder, I pointed to my ear and then the door, a huge question mark in the rise and fall of my shoulders. He nodded to the end of the corridor and leaned in close.
“Too quiet. Melody is never that quiet.”
“Melody–!” Rasmus clapped a hand over my mouth and I gave him an apologetic tilt of the head.
“Stay. Behind. Me.”
I nodded in response, meaning it this time. So many scenarios were running through my head it was hard not to be obedient and follow commands. If there was someone other than my ladies in there, I had to be prepared to run.
The door, though old and heavy, had never squeaked. The palace was too well organized for something like that to happen to one of the royal’s rooms and I was grateful for it. It would give whoever may be inside less of an advantage. For that moment, we had that small victory. I just wasn't sure how long it would last.
I heard nothing from Rasmus as he preceded me. His dress shoes didn't so much as sigh as he rolled his steps over the stone floor. His breathing, though quick, was shallow and silent. It was only the sound of my pounding heart that seemed to haunt me as we edged our way inside. The hand not holding the knife moved to my tightly bound waist as I tried to time my breaths with Rasmus'.
From what I could see, there was no one inside the room, but the inky darkness of my bathroom seemed ominous. I wasn't the only one who that felt that way. Rasmus stretched out a hand, giving me a signal to stop just in case something or someone was hiding in there. He pushed the door wide with his sword, slow enough that it barely moved. I held my breath, my gut twisting with discomfort as I waited for the all clear. Unfortunately, I never got it. The next increment of space revealed a boot as the light from the room spilled into the bathroom.
“Run. Now!” Rasmus wasn't quiet in his command, and the thought of my exit seemed to alert the guards inside of their discovery. I made a move toward the fireplace as swords crashed together, but I saw a second latros dart from the room to cut off my path and hooked a right and out of the door instead.
I hated leaving Rasmus alone with them, but I didn't have much of a choice. He was supposed to get me out of the palace and more than that, he was sworn to protect me. I wasn't going to complicate things further, not when I had an opportunity to escape and get out of there and give him a fighting chance.
At the end of the short corridor to my suite, my eyes scanned the hall on the second floor. I hesitated for one second too long and felt the hand tangle in my hair as my eyes glanced off of two more of the enemy soldiers cresting the Grand Staircase. I only had a moment to react before I was outnumbered.
My head seemed to clear of the fog of fear as I prepared myself for battle. If I was able to execute the attack quickly enough, I would have time to run. The soldier behind me pulled me back against his chest, his arm releasing my hair as he prepared to grab my throat and his sword. The second of transition was all I needed. I threw my head back against his, the mask coming against my skull making a buzz ring through my head and spots appear in my vision.
I kept myself moving, however. I only had a second to execute what I'd planned and the grunt of the soldier told me it had hurt him more than it had me. Spinning, I raised the dagger in my hand and brought it over his head. One violent smack against his head and he began to slump, and I took off.
I glanced over my shoulder only once. I'd been trained not to, but the need to know whether the two heading up the stairs had seen me was instinct. They had spotted me, and they were giving chase, but I had a head start and planned to fully use it to my advantage, right along with the months of running I’d been doing.
Stumbling around the corner ahead, I took off as fast as I could through the maze of corridors leading to smaller suites. My eyes scanned the halls ahead of me, searching for a tapestry that would be hiding a tunnel off of the main corridor.
I almost cried out when I rounded the next corner and saw one. I'd been given the opportunity to get ahead and it had provided me enough time to slide in behind the tapestry before they rounded the corner behind me. I didn't look back this time. I'd learned my lesson about that and, frankly, I didn't want to know how close they were.
Pulling in a deep breath, I sprinte
d across the corridor and pulled the tapestry aside, only wide enough to fit myself and the dress through. The moment I was clear, my hands ran over the material as though willing it to still before I pressed myself against the wall and held my breath as I waited.
I didn't have the time to panic. The wait was only seconds. The thump of the soldier’s boots drew nearer with every beat of my heart against my ribs. The hand gripping the dagger was also clutching my skirts, while the other pressed against the cool stone for reassurance. My hand lifted and covered my mouth when they finally passed and the fall of their boots died slowly. I knew I couldn't afford relief yet I was still in the palace. I was still in danger, and I had to find a way out as soon as I could, which didn’t leave me with very many options.
Looking around the dimly lit corridor, I spotted a stone spiral staircase that disappeared into the dark and bit back my growl of frustration. I wasn’t stupid. I knew the soldiers would eventually realize that I'd hidden and they would backtrack to hunt me down. That meant my only option was to descend into the darkness and the unknown, and hope to God I didn’t run into more of them.
Shivering violently, I stepped forward, and icy fingers of doubt ran down my spine as the cool earthy breeze blew up and over me from the depths of the darkness. It was hard to believe that mere hours ago I was happy to be hauled into one of these quiet spaces by the man I loved. The tenor of the new space was so much more sinister than the other had been, and I was alone, more than I could ever recall being in my life. I was also terrified.
It seemed ridiculous that I was lost in my own home and being chased by an enemy who would happily see me dead. Worse, I had no idea where Damon was, no clue how many more soldiers had been hiding in that bathroom or whether Rasmus was safe, and to top it all off, my ladies were missing. I was out of options, terrified, and out of time.
I took the first step cautiously, noting the depth of the steps and the spacing to the next. If there was one thing about this palace I had discovered in my time here, the design was consistent. My steps sped up with each one I took until I was on a downward spiral, sprinting quickly, gravity taking over my descent. The only thing that was keeping me upright was my hand on the cool stone walls that sat on the center of the spiral that carried me deeper into the darkness. All it would take was one wrong step and I would be a mass of red satin at the bottom.
The darkness ate me alive. It was like heading into a black hole with no chance of redemption or escape at the end. The farther down I went, the more I felt I was headed deeper underground than the first floor, and by the Gods, maybe I was. It just moved on in an endless circle that made me dizzier the farther I traveled. Just as the thought occurred to me, I stumbled on the lack of steps, my body propelling forward before I landed on my knees, swallowing a cry of pain while my kneecaps throbbed with agony.
I sat on all fours panting for a minute, catching my breath as a blissful line of light gave me a splash of color in what had felt like an hour in the monochromatic hell that had embraced me. My eyes welled up, threatening to spill over, but I had to keep it together. I had to get out of the palace and it had to be soon.
Withdrawing my hands from the stone, I felt around me, my palm landing on something heavy and warm. I dragged in a breath but before I could make a sound, a hand covered my mouth to stifle my scream.
Get Out Alive
“Milady,” a familiar voice whispered frantically. “I will not hurt you.”
The moment the voice sank in past my fear, I threw myself at the woman, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. “Penthea, you scared me half to death.”
There was a quiet laugh, not quite filled with mirth, but it was enough to let me know she was glad to see me, too. I could feel her trembling against me and I knew I wasn't the only one terrified. It was no wonder when I could hear the battle going on. It was close – closer than I would have liked if I’d had any choice whatsoever.
“How long have you been down here? Where are the others?”
“Melody, Thetis and I split up. We heard the soldiers enter the palace and ventured out to look. We ran when we saw a few heading toward your chambers. We all chose places you may try to escape to so you'd have someone with you.”
I pulled her against me and rubbed her back gently. “You should have fled to safety.”
“And left you alone and vulnerable? Never, Milady. We knew it might come to this. We were warned about the danger of becoming your ladies. We were the ones who agreed to stand by you.”
I shook my head in denial. Everyone I came in contact with now had to be warned of the possibilities that came with the association. Knowing me came with a price. It was a risk. I hated that my life had boiled down to being a liability to anyone who chose to love me. I despised the fact that simply knowing me had the potential to cost people their lives. How could I genuinely accept someone's friendship when knowing me would put a target on their backs?
Dwelling on that, however, was not helping us out. I had to get myself away from the palace and keep Penthea safe. Those were my only two objectives now. I actually felt better about having a goal – until a war cry rang out not far from where we were hiding, forcing the two of us to move closer to one another.
“Where are we?”
“Half of the corridor is blocked to the left, Milady. So by my estimation, I believe this was the passage to the Princes’ wing before it was blocked off. That means the only way is out to the right, to the Great Hall. It's a lit corridor, but it’s hidden.”
“Princes? Plural?” I asked. It seemed a little indulgent considering the situation we were in, but my curiosity was a distraction we could both use.
“Your father and his brother, Milady. My mother was working here at the time. She said your father's father moved the present king into his quarters and blocked off the corridor when a disease claimed his brother. It was a terribly sad time.”
I'd had an uncle? As irrelevant as that was at that moment, I felt disgruntled that no one had ever mentioned it before. How old had he been when he'd passed, and why had they blocked off that part of the palace? More than all of that, what the hell was I going to do now? Essentially, my escape route had left me trapped in this small stairwell, one that would, inevitably, have the latros who were searching for me heading down them if they discovered it.
The tang of swords grew louder as I contemplated our options. Wherever the corridor was placed in the Great Hall, there was a lot of fighting going on, which really didn’t work well in our favor.
“We could hide in the alcove?” Penthea said quietly, as though I'd spoken aloud. Maybe I had. I wasn't sure of anything in that moment. “It's dark. They wouldn't see us... Unless they brought lanterns.”
I wished that were an option. I wanted to bury myself in a corner until the storm passed, but I couldn't get caught. There was always a chance they would never find the opening for the stairs, and there was a chance we would be safe here, but could I afford to take that risk?
“How deep is it?”
Penthea moved aside, and I crawled into the small space that curled in on itself under the stairs. There was a small alcove to hide in, but it was barely big enough for one, let alone two of us, and a huge shiny red dress that may as well have been a neon sign.
“There's enough room for you.” I smiled, squeezing her hands as I slipped out. “But I need to translocate to my own dimension. I can't take any risks.”
“No, Milady. I’m sorry but I can't allow you to wander alone. Now that I've found you, I must protect you,” she whispered, sounding unsure of herself.
I gave her a glance, and came to the conclusion that she was tiny. Although the woman was years my senior, she was petite and as thin as a waif. Her delicate fingers were perfect as a seamstress, but not as a fighter. There was no way she would be able to protect me.
“Absolutely not, Pen.”
“Cass,” she whispered, the rare use of my name catching my attention. “These are order
s from the king. I will not disappoint him.”
“Then we both stay here.”
“It would be a risk. As you said, there's really only enough room for one person.”
This put me in quite the conundrum. Stay here and risk getting caught, or move and take Penthea with me. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't known she would risk her life for mine. There was no telling what she would do in order to get me to safety. I couldn't live with that on my conscience. My life, no matter how much I hated to admit it, was important. I needed to get myself out of there and fast. Yet, I knew now that she wouldn't let me go alone. She would follow no matter what I asked of her because she wanted to protect me. She wanted to make my father and I proud of her.
I was already proud of her, though.
She'd managed to find somewhere safe for herself and then, when I’d stumbled on her hiding place, she’d given the quiet offer of protection. It made my heart swell for the woman. We had always gotten along well. Not as much as Melody and I had, but we were still close. I'd spent every day with her for months. So how did I get us out of here without getting her killed?
“Have you looked out at the Great Hall?” I asked, pushing to my feet and moving to the tapestry hiding the stairwell.
“No, Milady.”
I gave her a look and wondered if I could be so deceptive.
“Stay here. I'm going to see if there's any way out. I'll be right back.”
Penthea studied me for a moment, her eyes looking for any sign at all that I would leave her behind. It took everything in me to keep my face blank. As much as I appreciated her wanting to look after me, I couldn't risk her life.
“I will wait for you.”
I gave her a nod and tried to calm my pounding heart as I stepped toward the tapestry. This was the least of my problems, but if they'd torn the tapestry to the Great Hall away, I'd be exposing myself and I was cornered.