by Rae Brooks
They eased into the now-deserted inn, and when they walked upstairs, Leif was resting with his back to the wall, and his arms were crossed again. He brightened when they appeared, as if he thought they may be abducted while walking into the inn. For a moment, Leif observed Aela with a gaze that made her blush. Then, he looked serious. “We have a problem,” he said. “As you can see—Dark District has reacted rather violently to the fact that Lavus is torturing their hero. I know, shocked me too, but they are—and now, Lavus wants Alyx and Juliet to tell the people that Taeru only did it to cause social unrest, that it was all a ploy, and he was being paid by Cathalar.”
Aela frowned, and her fists clenched. But Katt seemed horribly distressed. “And—and if they refuse?” she asked, and her voice rose in pitch. Aela glanced at her, she hadn’t considered that Juliet would refuse.
“They will be hanged,” Leif answered, and despite the emphatic tone, he regarded Katt with worried eyes.
Aela shook her head. She took a quick step forward, and then she shook her head furiously again. She couldn’t imagine anyone hanging over this. This was foolish—all because Taeru had a name. Yet, he had done nothing to cause problems within the walls of Telandus—in fact, he had helped Telandus. “They wouldn’t refuse. You said Taeru made Juliet promise to comply with whatever they asked,” Aela probed, looking at Katt.
“Juliet only promised she would to put Kilik’s mind at ease. She isn’t going to settle this. She will want it to escalate. She will consider her life worth it!” Katt cried. Tears began to well in her eyes. Aela internally glared at her desire to correct Katt’s incorrect name.
Leif took a breath. “Yes, I am afraid that they are going to refuse. That is why I have a way to the Shining District. I have to free them, but I can’t do it without help.” He looked mournful, but Aela brightened. Leif was admitting that he needed help. This was progress!
“You know where they are being held?” Katt asked hopefully. When Leif nodded, she clenched her fists and nodded vigorously. “Then let’s go! We don’t have much time!” Leif nodded, and when he looked at Aela, she just nodded with a brief and determined smirk. “How did you find out where?” Katt inquired curiously.
With a laugh, Leif just shook his head and headed past the two of them. He headed down the stairs without bothering to answer Katt. When the red-haired girl glanced at Aela for an answer, Aela just smiled. “It is just what he does.”
After a strange look from Katt, the two of them followed Leif back down the stairs. He gestured for them to stay back while he checked outside the inn. He brought the hood of his cloak over his head. Aela thought that they were going to stick out, in any circumstance, as they weren’t causing trouble for the guards. Though—with what the noble class of Telandus was dealing with—they probably weren’t going to be very interested in the few people who weren’t causing problems.
They hurried out of the inn, and behind the next group of buildings. The further they moved away from the crowd at the front of the city—the more Aela worried they were going to be noticed. Leif was keeping them away from the wall, as even near the gate, there were people lining the sides of the wall. Aela thought that if Dark Districters were smarter, they wouldn’t all cluster so that the guards knew precisely where to stand. “They are going to be watching the top of the wall,” Aela finally whispered. “No matter how far along it we walk.”
Leif glanced back at her, and his eyes held a sort of dull amusement. As per usual, though, he did not grace her with an answer. She let out a frustrated breath and stomped after him with renewed agitation. She was right—the guards were not going to let anyone climb over the wall right now. Not even Telandan men were that foolish! Katt continued to walk, a little behind the two of them, with a bemused and distant expression. She most likely felt a little less than welcome among two Cathalari. After all, they had only been introduced to her recently.
Not wanting this incredibly nice girl to feel outcast, Aela dropped back to walk beside her. Leif wasn’t very good at making sure that people felt—well, welcomed. “I’m sorry all this has happened,” Aela said softly. “I know this has been hard.” Taeru flashed across Aela’s mind—and she thought idly that he would be proud of her for this.
The red-haired girl stared at Aela for a moment, and then she offered what appeared to be a genuine smile. “Don’t worry about me. Just—finding out that Kilik, sweet, little Kilik is a prince of Cathalar has been a little jarring. Then, I’m worried that Juliet is going to get herself killed. She has been like the mother I never had,” Katt said weakly. “I know that Kilik—ah, Taeru is your brother. I know this is harder for you.”
Aela nodded her head. There was certainly no denying that Aela was experiencing no small amount of pain over what had happened. She knew that if she let herself dwell on it, she would be thrown into a fit of grief—and unable to help her brother, or anyone else. “We’ll help them, I promise.”
At last, Leif brought them to a very abrupt halt. The wall looked just the same as it had for the past hundred paces they had been walking. “Whenever you maidens want to stop gossiping,” he said spiritedly. Katt and Aela both narrowed their eyes, but they approached him nonetheless. Gossiping—really. Katt glanced up towards the top of the wall, and Aela followed her gaze.
There seemed to be no possible way to climb this section of the wall though. Any footholds were too sparse to use appropriately, and Aela didn’t think she could even get off the ground. Her hands wouldn’t reach the nearest indention. Looking either way, it didn’t appear to get much better. “Leif,” she hissed, “are you mad? I can’t climb this!”
Once again, he just stared at her as though she were a foolish little girl. She hated that look—she could think of very little that she hated more than that look. “I can’t!” she growled. “I am not some sort of master climber that can hang out of windows with only my feet! I’m sorry—I realize that I’ve been trying to help you this entire time, but there are things that I cannot do. You know it’s hard for me to admit that, but I ca—”
With an amused smirk on his face, Leif turned to the stone wall, and with one, solid kick, the stone fell away to the other side. Dust exploded from the newly formed hole and crumpled rocks spilled towards the ground. The hole wasn’t new, she realized—Leif had found, or either formed, this hole a long time ago. “I do appreciate your acknowledgement that you can’t do a few things, though,” Leif said. “Now, I know the chivalrous thing to do would be to allow ladies first, but as there could be men on the other side waiting to plow their swords through the first piece of flesh they see, I think I will.”
A spasm ran through Aela’s body at the words. Leif would be able to defend himself, though, and he knew that—because he wouldn’t leave Aela and Katt to fight on their own. With a flourish of motion, the young Cathalari disappeared through the hole. Not until Leif whispered softly from the other side did Aela release her breath. “Are you coming?”
Exchanging a quick, silent communication with Katt, Aela decided to go first. She eased on to the other side. The dirt and falling rock had disguised the Shining District, though it was certainly not the peaceful place that she’d visited before. There were people in the distance shouting orders, and they would have been in trouble if the wall hadn’t been off to the side so entirely.
Katt appeared last, and a gasp escaped her as her eyes took in the tall and sparkling buildings of Telandus’s Shining District. Aela found herself annoyed with Katt’s ability to be impressed with a land that was so full of monsters. Then again, this was a woman who had spent her entire life in slums, she reminded herself. “Just remember who lives here,” Leif said, “and you’ll want to return to Dark District.” A wince twisted Katt’s features, and she nodded her brief agreement.
“Stay close to me. This place is crawling with incompetent guards, and it would be a minor inconvenience if you were to be seen by them,” Leif said. Aela stifled a giggle, and a grin moved onto Katt’s face.
&n
bsp; They proceeded forward, using the buildings for cover just as Aela and Leif had done before, when they were headed to the castle. This time though, they had to be much more careful with where they stepped. Men were skulking around, and though they hadn’t the slightest idea that someone had gotten into their precious Shining District—they were designated to keep watch. After all, they had a bit of an uprising on their hands.
As they neared the castle, Aela realized that Juliet and Alyx may be in the dungeon. If they were in the dungeon—then that would mean that they were near Taeru. Surely, Taeru could be saved if Alyx and Juliet were. Once they pulled themselves behind a building that was relatively deserted, Aela spoke. “Are they in the dungeon?” she asked inquisitively.
Leif glanced at her, and there was a moment of sympathy in his eyes. Well, he wasn’t smirking, which probably meant that they weren’t. Aela’s heart sank at once. “No,” he answered, “in order to maintain civility, they are keeping them chained in a house prison. It’s used for nobles that have committed smaller crimes.”
“All noble crimes are smaller,” Katt sneered irately. Leif smiled at her, and Aela found that she preferred when Leif was regarding this very pretty red-head with scrutiny rather than fondness.
You’re jealous? You’re jealous of this woman who helped make sure that you stayed alive for the past cycle? This woman who is willing to help you save your brother? Don’t be absurd! It is a shame that she is so charming, though.
“That they are,” Leif agreed amiably. Aela pushed aside her reservations, and they continued forward. They had turned away from the castle, and Aela marveled at how well Leif seemed to predict even the slightest movements of the men on watch. “We’re nearly there,” he whispered after a few moments. Aela could feel her heart pounding faster in reaction to imagining what they might find. What if Alyx and Juliet were already dead? What if they were too late? No, she could not think like that. That was precisely the sort of thinking that would send her straight to useless. She swallowed hard, and her feet struck along the surface with measured silence as they went.
Leif would know if Alyx and Juliet were dead, Aela told herself quietly. He knew so much already, there was no way they would have come all this way just to find their corpses. After all, she reminded herself further, Leif had said that they were using Juliet and Alyx to try and solve the crisis they had on their hands. Surely, the guards of Telandus would not sentence them to death so quickly.
Moving forward a little more, Aela thought she saw their destination. A large black and grey building. It didn’t possess the same polish that the other buildings seemed to have, and therefore, it looked a little ominous standing in the center of a row of a few estates. It was still tall, though, at least three Dark District inns stacked on top of one another. When Leif caught Aela’s gaze, he nodded. “That is it,” he affirmed.
Once they reached it, or rather, the wall that surrounded it—they became aware of said wall. Guards were sparser here, as this was the noble prison, and there was far less security. Still, the fact that Juliet and her family were inside meant that people were still assigned to stand about. Aela narrowed her eyes. Leif was removing something from his cloak, though, no longer interested in the wall before him. “What are you doing?” she asked.
He regarded her irately for a moment, before resuming precisely what he was doing. Oh, why couldn’t he be more normal? Most men, especially when speaking to women, would have been sure to answer all her questions. Leif, though, seemed to feel more inclined to not answer Aela. And this was after the two of them had kissed—three times! Aela flushed at the memory. Well, she supposed she could forgive him for his silence. He removed a length of rope from his belt and began tying it about his waist. “They don’t watch the top of this wall—not well, at any rate. They assume it will make everyone come to the gate. Manali, can you climb?”
Katt blinked for a moment, and then she nodded her head. The prison wall was built with blocks of stone that allowed for climbing. Not for someone with no experience, but Aela could see how they could be used as foot and hand rests. Leif finished tying the rope, and then he handed it to Katt. “Hold onto this, and climb,” he instructed. He just nodded once to Aela before he placed his hands onto the first blocks and then began easing himself upwards. Aela helped Katt tie the rope around her wrist, and they both followed Leif obediently.
The rope may have been to ensure that Katt would be caught if she fell from the stone blocks, but the force of it would have to pull Leif down with her. Would he be so ready for it that he would be able to handle nearly double his weight? Doubtful, Aela thought. Still, she climbed, trying to keep an eye on Katt so that she could warn Leif if he was about to be carrying double. Leif moved much more quickly than either of them did. He really was part gecko, she thought exasperatedly.
His body moved as though he were crawling over the ground. The closer he got to the top, the quicker his body seemed to move. Trying to keep pace, Aela hurried herself. The footholds were easy enough to grasp, but she had to make sure that she was finding holds that weren’t going to drop her. Leif didn’t seem to need that step at all. Katt, on the other hand, was slipping and sliding across the surface as often as she was making clean movements upwards. Aela tried to hurry after Leif. If they were at the top when Katt fell, they would be able to pull her up more easily if Aela was there to help.
Just as Leif’s hand reached the top of the wall, though, Katt’s hand slipped entirely, and her body fell downwards. Leif had managed to throw both arms over the wall, though, and so he was able to use that to keep both of them up. “Aela,” he snarled. “Aela—hurry.” His body was being pulled downwards in a rather unforgiving manner. The rope was also in danger of untying itself. Somehow, though, Katt had kept herself from screaming.
Being the only thing that could save both of them, though Aela doubted the fall would kill them, she hurried as much as her body would allow. She glanced down towards the fall. No, Katt would be entirely fine if she fell—unless Leif landed on her. Leif, on the other hand, would be in danger of breaking a few bones. The footholds seemed to take much longer to assess, though, as she got closer and closer to the top. Her body trembled, and she tried desperately to move fast. Only one more push from the top, her feet slipped before she reached the next ledge, and her fingers glided painfully over the stone so the skin of her hand peeled away. At last, though they caught another hold. “Aela!” Leif cried.
One of her fingernails cracked, and she hissed in pain. Her other hand reached desperately for something to hold, and at last, she found a cavity in the stone. Next, she focused on recovering her feet. After a few long moments, she was able to recover her position entirely. Without pausing to worry with her bleeding hands, she took another step upwards. “Are you okay?” Leif asked, sounding hoarse.
“Be quiet,” she snapped at him. She wasn’t free falling to the ground, and he ought to realize that meant she was alright. With a few more firm grasps on the jagged edges, she managed to yank herself over the side of the wall. The thing was surprisingly thick, and she wondered why they’d bothered to make it so. No guards were standing up here, so it made no sense for them to have wasted the stone.
Then again, Telandans had never been known for their minimalistic tendencies. “Aela!” Leif hissed, and though his voice was suppressed, the urgency in it made her glance across to him. One of his hands had slipped, and with another few moments, he would be free falling to the ground. She whimpered in concerned. With renewed quickness, she began crawling over to him, ignoring the pain in her hand. “Stay low,” he managed to warn.
As if she hadn’t known that—she wasn’t going to let them get caught while Katt and Leif were hanging off the wall. Though, she wondered why Katt hadn’t reclaimed her hold on the wall. Aela reached with her clean hand to take Leif by his belt. She eased him back onto the wall, grinding her teeth as she fought against his and Katt’s weight. He began to help once he’d been pulled enough. His arm pressed a
gainst the stone as they both worked to pull his weight up. At last, he was on the right side of the wall, and he jerked so that he could try and pull Katt up. Glancing down, Aela could see that Katt had hit her head. There was a tiny stream of blood running down the left side of her temple. That was why she hadn’t tried to grab on. She was barely conscious.
Aela helped grab the rope, easing Katt’s weight up the wall, trying to keep her away from the stone. Despite their best efforts, she skidded along the stone, and she was forced to push herself away with her hand. When she finally reached the top, Leif laid her down, placing a hand on the gash on her head. Aela knelt beside him, and she noticed that his arms and hands had been skinned as well. “We have to hurry,” he whispered.
Katt blinked her eyes a few times, and then she shook her head. She was trying to respond, but she was obviously not used to dealing with this sort of injury. At last, she pushed herself upright and offered a nod. “The good news is, you two stay up here. Stay as low to the ground as you can.”
A brief look at the red-haired head, and Aela found herself once again concerned with Katt. Katt grabbed the bleeding injury. “Are you alright?” Leif asked, and Aela could feel that nasty bug of jealousy returning to her mind.
Katt nodded without bothering to answer verbally. “What are you going to do?” she asked. Aela fought with the jealousy for a few more moments before she managed to convince herself that she was being a fool.
Leif nodded across to the nearby window. A small hole in the wall, cut into a square. Aela knew prisons well enough to know that it would be far above any ground that was within the prison. Untying the rope on Katt’s waist, Leif handed it to Aela. He spoke quickly and softly. “I’m going to need you to pull me back up. It is going to take me a few moments, but when I tug on the rope, you have to pull me.”