Tristan shakes his head, but says no more.
Thea fumbles at the back of her wardrobe. She pulls out several pairs of cotton pants and a few long-sleeved shirts. “These will work.” She picks two pieces for herself and tosses me a gray top and a pair of khaki pants. “I used these for training sessions, but they’re enough like peasant wear for us to blend in outside of the castle walls.” Thea glances at me and indicates her dress. “I need your help getting this thing off.”
Tristan is so caught up in mumbling to himself that he doesn’t even notice we’re wanting to change.
“Tristan?” Thea says.
He returns his attention to her, but his brow remains furrowed. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“We will be in need of a few weapons,” she says. “Magic is well and good, but we have no idea what we’ll encounter at the border. You will need your staff, and a few daggers may suffice. But if you see anything in the armory we can use, please pack them as well.”
“And what will I tell the armory Guard on duty?” he asks. “The Royal Guard can’t simply take any weapons they like without a Royal order.”
Thea pinches her lips together and presses her clothing into my hands. She rushes to a dainty rolltop desk across the room and produces a slip of paper from the middle drawer. With a pen, she scribbles something on the paper, folds it, and then grabs a Royal seal from the desktop. Thea presses the blue seal to the paper before marching back to Tristan.
“Tell them that I’m afraid for my life,” she says. “There’s good reason for me to be, as my mother was just murdered. The note states that I require my entire Royal Guard to be heavily armed. They will be unable to refuse you.”
Tristan clutches the note affixed with the Royal seal. He lets out a long sigh, but bows his head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
After Tristan leaves, I assist Princess Thea out of her garish teal dress. As I unhook the buttons and laces, my mind drifts to our plans. I’m going to be outside the castle’s walls. What if I could escape? I could head back to town and find Asher. We could run off together and have the life we’ve always wanted.
The impossibility of this forming plan hits my chest like a load of scrap metal. Where would we go? There are only so many safe places to hide within the Queendom. And with the radiation—and now upheaval—at the border, it can’t be safe outside either. We would never be happy. The two of us would either end up dead, or be on the run for our entire lives.
“Thank you,” Thea says, interrupting my thoughts. I step back as she finishes changing.
My dress is much easier to remove, but I sit on a nearby chair and slip my hand into my pocket. I fish out my ring and gaze at it. Tears sting at the corners of my eyes.
“What is that?” Thea asks.
My heart jumps, and I slide the ring on my right ring finger instead of my left. “Um . . . a family heirloom. It’s all I have from my old life.”
Thea’s eyes are lit up with delight. “Looks like a wedding band.”
“It’s an engagement ring,” I mumble, and quickly change into my new outfit.
Just as I fasten the last button, she takes my hand to examine the piece of jewelry. “An engagement ring?”
“From my boyfriend, Asher, back in Arlos.”
Thea releases my hand. “How long have you known him? What’s he like?”
Asher’s perfect smile flashes in my mind. “My whole life . . . and he’s amazing.”
Thea’s smile widens and her voice takes on a childlike tone, seemingly forgetting all about the dangerous journey we’re about to take. “He loves you?”
“Very much,” I say, thinking of the thousand stolen kisses we’ve shared.
The Princess places a hand over her heart and sighs. “You are very fortunate.”
“All things considered . . . I’m not so sure that’s true anymore. And you have Trist—”
Knock! Knock!
I grip the ring on my finger and face the door, wide-eyed.
“It’s Tristan,” he announces from the hallway.
My shoulders relax and I release my finger.
“Enter,” Thea calls out.
The gold-painted door opens and Tristan enters, his fighting staff and a satchel in his hands. “I have what you requested.”
“Good,” Thea says. “Then we should be going.”
Tristan leads the way out of Thea’s chamber and through the dimly lit corridors. He stops at a corner and then points to the left. “If we head this way, we should avoid the scheduled patrols. Regardless, we need to be quick.”
We quietly make our way through turn after turn. Eventually we reach a metal service entrance at the west end of the castle. Tristan places his palm onto a glass panel near the handle and a soft glow halos around his hand.
My spine tingles with excitement as the door opens with a metallic clank, even though worries still flood my mind. What am I getting myself into? The risk of something horrible happening is almost certain.
Thea rests a hand on my shoulder, as if sensing my unease. I return a smile as I exhale deeply.
“We can do this,” Thea says, lowering her arm back down to her side.
Tristan pushes the exit fully open, exposing a dark outer yard housing all sorts of maintenance equipment. Large rusted vehicles with massive wheels and all sorts of gardening tools litter the space. Some of this stuff would have made my scrounging for scrap a lot easier back home. A pungent smell—like rotting vegetation—tickles my nose.
“Arabella?” a soft voice calls from inside just as we step out.
Tristan and Thea jump and ready themselves. Thea’s hand sparks with a cool blue haze and Tristan’s staff comes to life as he points his weapon toward the entrance.
“Hold on,” I tell them. “It’s okay.”
Out of the night’s shadows, Esme emerges from the entry. The whites of her widened eyes are bright in the darkness. “What are you doing?”
Thea marches over and stops inches from her. The magic pulsing from her now raised hand casts an eerie glow on Esme’s face. “This is none of your concern, Maiden. Return to your post at once.”
“Wait, hold on, please,” I say, coming to Thea’s side. “She’s my friend. We can trust her.”
Esme peers over her shoulder before turning back to us. “My apologies, Your Highness. I’m Arabella’s Executive Maiden. I just want to make sure she’s all right.”
Thea’s shoulders relax and she steps back. The energy surrounding her hand fades. “You’re right to look after her, Maiden. After all the Queendom has endured lately, I’m simply on edge.”
I take Esme’s hand and then spill the details of our plan. “Ravenoak and the Council are shielding us,” I explain further. “But as I hold the Queen’s Essence, I have every right to know the truth. My family and the entire Queendom could be at risk.”
Esme’s squeezes my hands. “Please be careful—”
“Ladies, we don’t have time for this,” Tristan interrupts. “We need to head out.”
A commotion rattles from just inside the castle. I drop Esme’s hand and step back. “Someone’s coming,” I say.
“We need to run,” Tristan whispers urgently. “Now.”
“Go,” Esme says to me. “I’ll distract them.”
“Be safe,” I plead. “And thank you.”
“Yes, thank you Esme,” Thea says with a warm smile.
Esme heads back into the castle and shuts the heavy door behind her.
I sigh when Tristan’s staff dims. He takes Thea’s hand, and I follow as he guides her into the dimly lit yard. Up ahead, we halt before a three-foot tall rusted grate burrowed into the outer stone wall. Overgrown thickets of weeds nearly hide the crosshatched bars, each gap no more than a few inches wide.
Tristan releases Thea’s hand and wraps his fingers around one of the bars. “If we can get this grate open, the path will lead us to a narrow gully just beyond the walls.”
He rests his staff against the wall to yank on the
bars. He grits his teeth. The corded muscles of his arms tense and shake. Still, the grate doesn’t even budge an inch.
“Step aside,” Thea commands.
Tristan and I take a few steps back. He places an arm across my midsection before angling his body before mine—face to face—as if to embrace. I swallow, not sure what to do. In the dim light, I can see faint stubble along his jaw, smell the spice of his soap. Asher is strong, but he isn’t built like Tristan, and I find my mind stuttering at his nearness. He’s far too close. This can’t be proper. But perhaps he’s attempting to shield me from whatever Thea’s about to do. To protect the Queendom.
So, I focus on her, and not him.
Thea’s hands raise and burst with deep blue ripples of energy. Light consumes all of her arms. In a single motion, she directs an intense wave of power at the grate. The hinges crack and buckle. The bars bend in, and the whole metal structure pushes through the wall until it collapses in a dull, clanking heap on the other side of the castle wall.
Tristan wraps his other arm around my shoulder and pulls me in tight. My face naturally tucks into his neck. I can feel the thundering pulse in his chest beneath my fingertips and the way his quickened breaths flutter wisps of my hair. Is this all really necessary?
Thea’s magic flickers out. A grin stretches across her lips as she turns toward us, her eyes equally wide with excitement, but her happiness quickly fades. Brows first raised in triumph now furrow as she studies Tristan, then me, then Tristan again. Noting her disapproval, he quickly releases me to step toward her. Thea darts her gaze my way one last time before inspecting the grass at her feet.
“Wow,” Tristan says. “I’ve never seen you use that much magic before.”
A small smile softens her downturned lips. “I’ve been practicing. I’ll share more later, but we should start moving.”
The opening Thea made is dark, with faint smoke trickling from its edges. The air is still warm from her magic. Tristan again leads the way with Thea closely behind him. I hunch over as we slowly make our way through the thick wall. As we journey deeper inside, a faint glow from the heated metal grate provides enough light to glimpse an opening farther ahead. I didn’t realize how thick the walls are or how dark the passage would be. Creeping through the exit, I lift my face toward the night sky and listen to the rustling leaves of the Lore Forrest. Before us is a small clearing, rimmed by the silhouettes of tall evergreens.
“There.” Tristan points to something in the distance. A faint haze of light trickles through the lush woods.
“What is it?” Thea asks.
“The Royal Guard,” Tristan explains. “Patrol teams will usually meet just outside the walls, before the radiation begins, to get specific orders on their mission. Let’s get a closer look.”
I sidle up to Tristan and narrow my gaze. “Wait, what? Shouldn’t we avoid them and head out?”
Tristan pivots to face both Thea and me. “Our best chance is to gain as much intel as we can. I don’t want any surprises once we get to the border.”
The hairs on my arms stand on end, and I try to rub the chilly feeling away, but it doesn’t work. I don’t like this, but he’s right. We shouldn’t head out blindly.
We take a wide berth and head into the darkness. A few moments later, we reach the tree line and filter through, concealing our position. Murmurs echo in the distance as we inch closer to whoever’s up ahead. Along the way we sidestep tree trunks or use them for cover. Upon reaching an opening, we discover a gathering of a dozen Guards, each armed with staffs or long daggers. They all face Ravenoak, who’s addressing them. Not surprisingly, he’s barking out orders and motivating his fighters.
“We’ll head southwest down this road.” Ravenoak points down a darkened stretch. “Maxia is likely dangerous, but this is a recon mission, and we are not to engage. Staffs will be kept darkened unless I order otherwise.” He scans the Guard and yells, “Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” they shout in unison.
“We leave in ten.”
I lean toward Tristan and whisper, “If we move now, we can stay off the main road and get a ten-minute head start.”
Tristan nods and the three of us silently make our way around the forest. As we race through the trees, I glimpse the road on our right. A cluster of large, familiar boulders grows visible in the darkness as we approach. While out exploring on my own, I’ve rested at this very spot. I slow my pace and glance to my left, grazing my thumb over my ring. Arlos isn’t too far from here. Maybe a few miles.
An ache for Asher pulls at my heart. I could go to him right now. That’s where I want to be—
“Come on,” Thea growls. “If we slow down, we’ll lose our lead on Ravenoak.”
Her words shake me from my thoughts, and I watch as Tristan races ahead. I bury my feelings and shoot forward to catch up with him while Thea trails behind.
Before long, and with the light of the half-moon illuminating our way, a dotting of firelight comes into view. Panting, we stop and take cover. A low fence marks the border with periodic red and white warning signs to keep us from going beyond the Queendom. It’s all that’s needed. Everyone knows only death lives beyond the Lore boundaries.
Through the fence, I can see there are several abandoned shipping containers on the outskirts of the camp. I’ve run into a few of those before, but there’s never been anything good in them. The contents were pillaged long ago.
“It’s not large enough to be an army,” Tristan says.
He’s right. I don’t know a lot about a gathering of troops, but the sparse collection of tents and flickering campfires couldn’t represent more than fifty people. And if conditions are as bad as I think they are outside of the border, how is a band of fifty reasonable against the Royal Guard?
So why are they here?
I whisper, “Maybe it’s nothing but a few nomads.”
“We need to get as close to the border as possible to get a better view,” Thea urges.
“You think it’s worth it? Doesn’t look like much.”
“Arabella’s right,” Tristan pipes in. “We should go back. You’ve seen what you wanted.”
Thea clicks her tongue. “You two don’t know Lady Maxia very well, do you?”
Admittedly, I don’t. The only thing I’m aware of is her exile and what I learned at the meeting today.
Neither of us answers and Thea grabs Tristan’s arm. Her eyes widen and glisten under the moonlight. “I do, and we need a closer inspection.”
Tristan bows his head in submission. “Your Highness.”
“We came all this way,” I add. “It would be stupid to go back now.”
Keeping a low profile, we creep toward the fence on our stomachs and squeeze under the metal wiring.
Tristan goes first and helps both Thea and I to our feet as we emerge on the other side. We race to the safety of an abandoned shipping container standing not fifty feet from the camp. We lean our backs against the rusty metal where the remains of a cracked, peeling, unreadable logo clings to the surface. Even if it were daylight, I doubt I’d be able to make the symbol and words out.
I peer around the side of the container at the camp. There’s no place to hide between here and the first row of tents. A few people mill about, but most seem to be asleep.
“We can make it to that one.” Thea points to the closest tent and uses her head to gesture toward a man now walking out of sight. “Maybe we can hear something if we—”
“I don’t know Thea,” I whisper. “I think I’ve seen enough.”
Thea glares at Tristan and me, and then opens her mouth to speak.
The second she does, my body is yanked back and everything goes dark. A writhing, electrical tingling I know must be magic races through my hands and arms. Panic jumps in my chest.
“Shut up,” a gruff voice orders. “If you scream, you die.”
I snap my mouth shut as several rough hands grab my upper arms and force me forward. My feet drag over the scrubby
grass.
This is it . . . I’m dead. I should have run back to Asher when I had the chance.
Chapter Fifteen
I’M SHOVED ONTO the hard ground and fall into a heap. My breath comes in short pants. Breathing through the scratchy, burlap bag on my head only makes this worse.
But they haven’t killed me yet. I still have a chance.
Everything in me wants to use my magic. I focus on summoning the mysterious energy, but nothing comes. I can’t even feel it. Our captors must be blocking it somehow. With my head covered like this, even if the magic did work again, Thea and Tristan are probably here, and I might hurt them since I really have no idea what I’m doing.
“You are going to regret this!” Thea’s voice is muffled, but it’s definitely her.
There are scuffling sounds across from me, and I fear Thea is involved.
Stop it, Thea. She’s going to get us killed.
As if reading my thoughts, someone grasps the burlap over my head and yanks. The fabric trails fire across my raw skin. Not even the rush of cool air soothes the pain.
“Ouch!” I say, then immediately regret my outburst.
An angry, unhooded Thea is across from me. Tristan is to my left. I try to get my bearings, but we’re surrounded by the canvas of tent walls. Thea bares her teeth at one of our captors with dark hair and ratty clothes, and I gasp. Half of his face is patchy pink and red with burned, scarred skin. I snap my attention over the other captors. Each of the five men and women present have burn marks across their faces, coupled with other blemishes on their exposed skin.
“What are you looking at?” the lead captor snarls.
I answer with a little shake of my head and quickly glance away, but not before I catch Tristan’s stare.
He mouths, “Radiation.”
A hand grabs at my face and my heart nearly jumps into my throat. I gape at the man’s burned face.
“You privileged have it all,” he growls, nails clawing at my cheeks. “Such pure skin. Free from the sickening poison we breathe everyday outside your safe little territories.”
I wince and let out a soft cry.
“Let her go!” Tristan barks.
Crown of Lore (Betrayal of Magic Book 1) Page 11