“What about you?” he asked. I looked down at myself and realized I didn’t even have a cloak on to hid my face.
Damn it.
“Ashes, find something inside,” I ordered. She turned immediately, following instructions. “Batch and Galien, pair up and get supplies for the horses and us. You idiots,” I pointed to Simon and Asselin, “Find horses and uniforms. And you,” I motioned to Kay, “come with me. As for you two,” I turned to Taj and Lance, “Make sure everyone makes it out. We’ll meet back here in thirty minutes. We’re leaving Dystalphi right away.”
I grabbed Asselin by the neck.
“Do not get caught, or we’ll leave you behind. That goes for everyone. Understood?”
The Knights nodded.
“Good. Taj, Lance . . . you first.” They looked at each other.
“Ready?” Lance asked, holding out a hand.
“Ready.” Taj took it, shaking it, and then let go. We watched, breaths held as they walked out of the shadows and into the dimly lit streets of Dystalphi.
I watched six guards approaching them and swallowed.
Their eyes were scanning the streets, looking for someone.
Looking for me.
Taj and Lance walked, pulling their helmets lower to cover their faces. I bit the inside of my lip, waiting for the suspense to be over.
Taj and Lance walked past them, and I exhaled.
“Wait!”
Taj and Lance stiffened, and the six guards turned towards them.
“You two,” the guard in the center called.
Slowly, Taj and Lance turned around. I reached to my right, grabbing the hilt of Taj’s sword. Any second now . . .
“Be on the lookout. The Assassin is on the loose. She’s with her Knights and apprentice. Just look for anyone with gray eyes.” He fished through his pockets, pulling out a folded piece of paper. “This is what she looks like,” he said, handing it to Lance. “The king had these ready beforehand.”
I was ready to bet my life that it was a “WANTED” poster.
And then, they were gone.
Ashes exhaled next to me.
“Here,” she said breathlessly, tossing me an emerald green cloak. I wrinkled my nose.
“You couldn’t find anything subtler?” I said, taking it and wrapping it around my shoulders. I pulled up the hood, suddenly realizing how cold I had been. The heavy fur spread a sudden warmth into my skin.
“Hey, I value my life too,” she said, wrapping a black cloak around herself. We walked with our heads down, the chilly night air causing my lips to chap.
We had just made it past the bakery when suddenly a voice
called, “excuse me, miss, but could you please turn around?”
I groaned internally. Even if he didn’t recognize me, he
would definitely recognize Ashes. I turned slowly, keeping my hood down.
“Please remove your hood for a brief moment.”
Yes, it was a guard. Damn it to hell.
“Why?” I asked innocently.
“We have the king’s orders to check every female citizen’s face. It’ll only take a moment.”
The king was playing a game, and I could tell he was enjoying it. He let me go, and now he was trying to see how far we could get without being caught.
The guard reached forward towards my face, pulling back my hood.
“Ashes, Kay . . . how good are you at climbing?”
“Not bad,” they said in unison.
“Good.” I reached out, grabbing his arm. “Climb to the roof!” I exclaimed as the guard let out a shout of surprise. I wrapped my arm around his neck as a woman next to us let out a squeak.
“Help!” she cried out, and I tightened my grip on the guard’s neck. He kicked and fought, and I could see more and more people approaching, trying to figure out what was happening.
I gritted my teeth. I turned to see Ashes and Kay had already disappeared. The guard went limp and I let go, spinning around, cloak billowing behind me. Two barrels stood near the side of the bakery. I jumped onto them, grabbing the edges of the roof, and hauled myself up.
“We have to go higher,” I said, catching my breath. Suddenly, the church bell started to ring. “Great. Move!” I said, pushing them. The wind whipped through my hair as I jumped,
grabbing onto a window ledge and using all the strength in my shoulders to pull myself up. I climbed, my foot slipping.
I was losing my touch.
I grinned. Stepping back, I prepared myself, and ran. I launched myself at a pole, swinging my legs up to a balcony.
Inside, a woman shrieked.
I let out a laugh.
I had forgotten how much fun this was. Suddenly, my mind had gone back seven years ago and I was on a mission from King Sadim, jumping on balconies, leaping from roof to roof. This was the feeling I had been missing, the freedom.
The bell rang again, snapping me back to reality. I looked behind my shoulder to see them struggling to catch up. I sat down, hiding behind a raised opening for a window.
Below us, rows of guards were running through the streets, grabbing every cloaked person they saw.
“Damn, slow down just a little bit,” Ashes said, crouching next to me.
“Running on roofs wasn’t in the job description,” Kay joked, and I rolled my eyes.
“We’ve gotten rusty. This is the best way to loosen up,” I smirked.
“Well, now what?” Kay asked.
“You have to change into uniform,” I said, pointing. A guard stood at the base of a carriage, probably waiting for someone important. Two horses stood in front of it, stomping their hooves. I smiled slyly. “You know what to do.”
Kay sucked in a breath.
“I’ll be right back.”
Ashes and I watched waited as he slid off the side, making his way towards the guard. He made a few helpless gestures, motioning for him to follow. The guard glanced at the carriage.
It’ll only take one minute, Kay’s lips moved. Finally, the guard agreed. Kay led the guard toward the house. There, we
heard a thud.
Many moments later, Kay grunted, pulling himself up. He
was dressed in the emerald green and gold uniform.
“Good work,” I nodded. “Now . . . You lead the horses and Ashes and I will sneak in. Got it?”
“Right.”
He was gone again, reappearing at the foot of the carriage. No one seemed to give him a second look, the uniform doing its job.
“Come on.” I crawled to the edge of the roof, hanging from the edge. I stuck my boot into crevices and ledges, climbing down. When I reached the ground, I heard a snap.
Ashes slipped, one of the window ledges cracking under her pressure.
Then, she was plummeting.
She slammed into me, both of us, in turn, crashing into an empty crate. I groaned, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
“What was that?” someone shouted, and I pressed a hand over her mouth.
“Don’t . . . move,” I said through clenched teeth. We held our breaths. Her hip bone was digging into mine, and I gritted my teeth from the pain.
I heard footsteps walk in our direction, crunching the frozen grass under them.
“I saw someone run this way!” came Kay’s voice. The footsteps stopped, changed direction, and started running.
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Idiot.” I pushed her off me, getting to my feet. “Absolute
idiot.”
She grumbled in reply. “You’re the one who wanted to glide across roofs like a night owl.”
“Just shut up and follow me.” We waited until the coast was clear, and then made a run for the carriage. I yanked open the doors, letting Ashes climb inside first. “Good work, Kay,” I smiled, and then slipped inside.
He grinned, as if the approval delighted him.
We rolled down covers over the windows, hiding inside. Ashes took the seat in front of me, the emerald velvet mate
rial matching the inside of the carriage.
“Kay, head back to the tavern,” I whispered through the opening in the front.
“It’s too dangerous,” he hissed back.
“We have no choice. That’s where we were supposed to meet.”
“If we get caught . . .”
“Don’t worry, I’ll save your ass,” I assured him. “Now, move.”
The carriage jerked, bouncing as it rolled over the cobblestone steps.
I wrapped the cloak tighter around myself, although I was warm enough. My heart was beating out of my chest excitedly.
I could hear people—guards, most likely—running past the carriage, none of them coming to a stop to check what was inside. That was probably because it looked as if this carriage belonged to someone important, and nobody wanted to mess with a king’s guest.
“I see them,” I heard Kay say. Leaning forward, I peered through the small opening. Sure enough, two guards that looked a lot like Lance and Taj sat on their horses, “guarding”
the tavern. Kay pulled the carriage up next to them.
“Where are the others?”
“We sent them ahead to the gates to avoid too much atten-
tion,” I heard Taj explain.
“Switch with me,” Lance said. I heard Kay slide off, the carriage horse being remounted with Lance. “We’ll follow, but try not to make it too obvious.”
The horses’ hooves clattered as they trotted away.
Seconds later, the tiny opening opened wider, Lance’s green eyes peering through.
“They went on ahead,” he whispered. “Let’s see if we can make it to the gates without being too suspicious.”
The carriage jerked, moving forward. Across from me, Ashes tensed, her voice low as she said, “There’s no way they’re not going to check in here. You know that, right?”
“I know.”
I rested my back against the wall of the carriage and exhaled.
“Why aren’t you worried?” she asked. “There’s so many of them against—”
“There’s nothing we can do to stop it. We might as well wait and see what happens.”
“Easy for you to say. You just sent us on a wild goose chase on the rooftops.”
I grinned. “I can’t say I’m sorry for that.”
She blew out through her lips. “I wasn’t expecting an apology.” Suddenly, as if she had just remembered something, she sat up straighter, eyes wide.
“What is it?” I asked.
“My mother. She’s really going to kill me this time, isn’t she?”
“We’re on our way to war, Ashes. There’s a chance you might never see her again.”
She relaxed, letting out a sigh. “Thank God.”
I bit back a laugh.
There was a bump in the road, causing me to lift an inch off
my seat.
Ashes groaned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Was it poison? She seemed to slowly be turning green.
“Nothing.”
“Do you feel pain? Point to where it hurts.” Had she been injured without realizing?
“No, no, it’s nothing.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Ashes, the longer you take to tell me, the chances that I may be able to do something to help dwindle.”
“Fine,” she said, pressing a fist against her mouth. “Sometimes,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut, “sometimes I get sick on carriage rides.”
I masked a sudden urge to laugh with a cough.
“Hey,” she scowled, “everyone has a weakness, including you.”
“I wouldn’t call motion sickness a weakness; it’s just bad luck. And I have no weaknesses, Ashes.”
“Everyone does. You, in particular, have three.” There was a smirk playing on her lips as if this was finally a conversation she was enjoying.
“And what do you think they are?” I asked casually, interested in what she had to say.
“The first one is simple and silly. I’ve noticed it at some points, whenever you look over the edge of a building or have to climb. You’re better at ignoring the silly fear, but I can see it. It’s in your eyes—a tiny flash of unease, no matter how much you think you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Your point?”
“You have a fear of heights. No . . .” She paused. “You have
a fear of falling.”
“It isn’t the same thing, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“A-ha! So, my deductions were correct.”
“Let’s see if you got the others right.”
Now comfortable, she raised an arm and rested it on the back of the seat, mischief in her eyes.
“The second one is more of a two in one. You care about absolutely nothing, nothing makes you budge unless it has to do with . . .” She raised three fingers, “Jax.” She put one down. “Isabel.” She put another finger down. “And the love of your life, Xavier. Then there are others here and there,” she waved her hand, “Charlotte, Aland, Queen Lorelle, Princess Zinovia, a couple Knights . . .” Ashes narrowed her eagle-like eyes, “Lance.”
“Again,” I sighed, “the point?”
“Ever since you were a child, you were afraid to get too close to anyone because they were always taken from you, just like Queen Celeste.” I swallowed, feeling a sudden pang in my chest. I wondered how she knew about that. “You tried to keep everyone away, but of course that didn’t work. So now you keep them close, knowing the only way to get to your heart is through them.”
“I didn’t ask for a psychic evaluation, Ashes.”
“Am I right?”
I paused. “What’s the third one?”
She grinned victoriously.
“I didn’t say you were right.”
She ignored me. “Those two were mental weaknesses, emotional, spiritual, whatever. This one’s physical, one you won’t
face.”
She was good.
“But, Adalia, you know you have to face it sooner or later.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I don’t think you can fix it.”
I’d gotten used to the zaps by now, the tiny shivers and shakes that ran through my wrist and zinged up my fingers.
“That’s not something for you to worry about, Ashes.”
“Is your aim better?” she asked curiously.
“I said don’t worry about it.”
“Does anyone know besides me?” I looked down at my palm, curling my fingers into a fist. “Adalia, it won’t get better. You have to work your way around it.”
“I know, and I know a lot more than you,” I said, scowling. “Let it go.”
“Is it your wound? Is that what throws off your aim?” she pressed.
“Phoenix.” There was a warning in my voice, one that caused her to shrink back.
“Fine.”
I clenched my teeth, frustrated that something I had tried so hard to push away was being brought back by this dunce.
Ashes had fallen asleep.
And at a time like this!
Annoyed, I rolled my eyes at her sleeping form.
It had been ages since we stepped in this carriage. Surely the gates weren’t that far away?
As if on cue, the carriage jerked to a stop. I stopped myself
from flying forward, waking Ashes in the process.
“What?” she groaned, sitting up.
“Quiet.” I pressed a finger to my lips, pushing a curtain open slightly enough to see what was going on.
“Oh, shit,” I breathed.
“What is it?” Ashes asked, rubbing her eyes. “Wait. This
isn’t my bed.”
“Soldiers.” I pressed my ear to the crack in the door, straining to hear.
“I’m just passing through,” I heard Lance’s cool voice say. “King’s orders.”
“‘King’s orders’ are to check every carriage, every box ‘just passing through,’” the guard mocked. “Open up.”
I jumpe
d back from the door as he knocked on it.
“Look, one of the king’s guests are inside,” Lance protested, his voice a lot closer than before. The carriage jerked again as I heard someone—probably Lance—stand on one of the steps that led to the door. “You know how they get. They don’t want to be messed with.”
“We just need to see the face of whoever is inside,” the soldier continued, now sounding even more bothered than before.
“Be ready,” I whispered.
A few faint, unintelligible words were exchanged. And then, Lance’s weight was removed from the step, the carriage moving back into place.
I heard the creaking of gates, slowly starting to open up, and sighed in relief.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” I said to Ashes, who pulled up her hood.
The gates slowly creaked open, and the carriage started moving again. We sat straight, tensed. The creaking, grinding of the gates stopped. Peeking through the curtain, I watched as we passed through.
“Made it,” I said, slumping against the seat in relief.
“I really didn’t think they were going to let us through,” Ashes laughed, shoulders visibly relaxing.
“Alright, don’t jinx it.”
We were out safely, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the rest of the Knights had made it out yet.
“Lance,” Ashes whispered, opening the flap. “Do you see the others?”
In response, Lance cursed.
“Well, that’s rude,” Ashes wrinkled her nose in offense. “What’s his problem?”
“They’re coming back,” he said.
Ashes looked at me, eyes wide. “I jinxed it, didn’t I?”
“Is it too late to kill you?” Behind Ashes, I heard the sharp cling of metal against metal as Lance slid his sword.
The hoofbeats got closer.
“How many do you think are coming?”
I closed my eyes, listening.
I opened them.
“Twenty-one.”
“Is that your final guess?”
“Twenty-one,” I repeated. The carriage dipped as Lance stepped up, knocking on the window.
“There’s exactly twenty-one of them. Be ready.”
Ashes’s head snapped towards me. “How . . .”
“You heard him. Be ready.”
The hoofbeats got closer and closer, finally stopping. They had circled us.
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