Freed

by Samantha Britt

  Min moved closer. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” I averted my gaze as Min removed his clothes. I heard him hand them to Finn, and then he was shifting into his beast. Leith muttered that he’d do the same.

  A warm snout nudged the back of my neck, letting me know it was okay to turn around.

  Min’s beast was magnificent. His scales were onyx with highlights of light gray. Leith’s beast looked significantly better now that he was healed, but there was still a drop in his wings. Worry hit me as I wondered if he would be able to safely make the journey. We wouldn’t be able to find the rebel camp without him.

  “Climb into his hands,” Finn instructed as Min opened his claw, separating the dangerous talons so they wouldn’t cut me as I heeded Finn’s command.

  I picked up my skirt and carefully placed my foot onto Min’s bony knuckle, then scrambled into his rough palm. I was grateful for the coat. Without it, my back would be covered in scratches by the end of the flight.

  Erwin and Finn stood side by side.

  “Try to sleep,” Erwin said. “You’re going to need your rest for what’s to come.”

  “I’ll try,” I replied even though I had no intention of sleeping. “Are you sure the king won’t punish you for letting me leave with Min?”

  Erwin wore his signature arrogant expression. “Trust me, we will take care of it. Don’t worry about us. Focus on the task ahead.”

  Finn nodded his agreement. “Tell my brother hello when you see him.”

  “I will.”

  With nothing more to say, Min slowly pulled his talons back together, making a sort of cage around me. He slowly unfurled his wings and gently flapped them until he hovered in the air. With great care not to jostle me, he rotated his wrist so it wasn’t bent awkwardly, making it more comfortable for his flight. The new position had me facing backwards. I turned my neck to see Erwin and Finn.

  Leith grunted, and Min responded with two grunts of his own.

  Then, Finn lifted a hand. “Fly safe.”

  Min’s wings flapped again, and then we shot into the sky. I squealed and dug my fingers into Min’s palm. The gardens grew smaller and smaller until I could no longer make out the shape of anything below, not even the palace. It was all a dark blur, concealed by the night.

  We ascended into the clouds and I occupied my mind by counting the bright stars spread out before me. The distraction didn’t last long. Soon enough, I was thinking about Brion, wondering how he could’ve gotten himself captured. I’d sat in his strategy meetings. I knew how thoroughly he planned. He would have considered every possible outcome before engaging with an enemy. He would have had at least four different methods of retreat should odds turn in favor of his opponent.

  But I supposed it didn’t matter how much you planned if your enemy figured out your strategy. If Leith had spies who could steal Brion’s personal letters, I didn’t doubt he had someone who could figure out the draekon army’s plans.

  I drew my legs closer and wrapped my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees. It didn’t matter how Brion got captured, what mattered was setting him free. I hadn’t considered the fact that I would be coming face to face with my parents in a few hours. The last time I saw them I’d been five. What would our conversation be like?

  Would we recognize each other easily? I thought I’d recognize my mother. A blonde elf would stand out. But I couldn’t picture my father. If Lin looked like cousin Lerick, logic said he wouldn’t resemble Arthur Allaway, so I didn’t even have that to go on.

  I sighed. Leith glided into view. I pulled forth my draekon power and shifted my eyes. He was looking at me, and I swore he was asking if I was all right.

  With no idea if he could hear me over the wind roaring between us, I said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” I was more concerned about him. He seemed to be flying without trouble and I hoped his strength would sustain him the entire journey.

  A puff of smoke exited his nostrils and his snout dipped. I took that as evidence he’d heard me just fine.

  I let my eyes trail over his beast. With my draekon sight, I could see scars scattered throughout the scales. Based on their shape, I could tell the scars were made by a variety of weapons. A broadsword to his left forearm. A small knife wound at the corner of his snout. And some parts of Leith’s body were completely devoid of scales, leaving charred skin in its place. Only another draekon could have done that.

  I looked away, returning my gaze to the stars, and settled back against Min’s palm. I pulled the coat tighter around me and closed my eyes.

  The image of Brion in chains haunted me. I saw him lying on a dirt floor, his wrists burned raw from the power flowing through the shackles. He was unconscious, but his chest rose and fell with breath.

  A whimper escaped me. I didn’t know if the sight was real, and I didn’t know if he could hear me even if it was. Regardless, I pressed my hands to my chest, keeping my eyes closed, and whispered, “I’m coming, Brion. Don’t worry. I’m coming.”

  III

  Reunited

  31

  Sleep had not come easily, but it managed to find me despite my earlier doubt. I lied curled in Min’s talons, and the lift and fall of his wings and body lulled me with their consistent rhythm. I lost consciousness from time to time, though I suspected it was never for long. Not once had I woken up feeling rested. Rather, my exhaustion magnified. Anxiety and fear were not cooperative sleep companions.

  Stars continued to blanket the night sky when Min began to descend. I sat up straight, folding my legs underneath me. I leaned forward, gripping two talons for balance, calling forth my draekon eyes. I saw land below. We’d done it. We’d reached Draekon. I assumed we must be close to the rebel camp, but we wouldn’t land there. Leith would lead us to a concealed clearing in the Royal Forest. There, we would land, and then he’d guide us to the camp on foot. I didn’t know how long we had until dawn, but a sense of urgency zipped down my spine. My fingers twitched. I didn’t know if it was our connection that told me this, but I knew I needed to get to Brion as soon as possible.

  I turned my head and caught sight of Leith as be banked to the left. Min followed. I saw Leith’s drooping neck and slumped shoulders. Still, he pressed on, flapping his draekon wings with all the energy he had left. I would offer to heal him once we landed. He needed strength to lead us to the rebel camp.

  Approximately five minutes later, Min dropped down quickly, causing my stomach to flip in my gut. He hovered over the ground and slowly extended one talon, then two. I stumbled forward and slipped out of his grasp. I kept walking until I reached the tree line. I fell against a broad tree trunk, using it to keep myself upright. My legs stinged with disuse. It was a miracle I’d been able to walk as far as I had. Their feeling returned with a burn, and I gritted my teeth to keep from groaning out loud.

  Leaves crunched behind me. A hand landed on my shoulder. “Lissa? How do you feel?”

  “I’m fine.” I turned and saw Min was fully dressed. Behind him, Leith was pulling on a shirt. I saw the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He’d overexerted himself.

  Leith had just tugged the fabric over his eyes when I arrived in front of him. He tried to offer me a nonchalant grin, but it wobbled with fatigue.

  “Let me heal you.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “You’re exhausted.” I glared, daring him to deny it. “You are of no use to us if you faint in the middle of the forest.”

  Leith planned on arguing, but Min appeared at my side and commanded, “My prince will die if you cannot stand long enough to lead us to him. Lissa will heal you. End of discussion.” Then, Min walked away and began retrieving branches from the ground. He started to swipe the leaves and dirt from side to side, erasing evidence that two draekon had landed in the clearing.

  “Very well,” Leith huffed. He found a fallen log and sat down. I trailed after him, taking a seat at his side.

  “Roll up your sleeves.”<
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  He did as I said, and I wrapped my hands around his exposed forearms, calling the healing warmth to my palms. In seconds, I succeeded, and I began releasing the power into him.

  I bowed my head and silently instructed the warmth to travel to his lungs to help him catch his breath. Then, I told the power to find any damaged tissue and mend it to the point they were usable. I meant what I’d said: I wouldn’t heal Leith completely. It would take extra time and effort, but I would ensure he could complete the rest of our journey without pain.

  When my power began to trail back into me, it’s work completed, I released Leith’s arms. I opened my eyes and saw him staring at me. His cheeks had more color to them, and he was no longer panting for breath.

  “Thank you.”

  I got to my feet. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s find the prince.”

  The forest around the rebel camp was quiet. Aside from the sound of the night watchers moving around, keeping an eye out for an ambush, no one in the camp stirred. We’d made it before dawn, but the sense of urgency I felt when we were landing had intensified to a fearful degree.

  “Where is he?” I whispered once the rebel patrolling our area had disappeared around the curve of the camp. We had two minutes before the next rebel appeared. They were a well-timed organization.

  “Center tent, surrounded by guards.”

  “How do you suppose we reach him?” Min questioned. His voice elevated slightly with his frustration. We’d agreed that our first goal was to get Brion safely out of danger by sneaking him out of the camp. Then, once the prince was safe, I would return to the camp with Leith. We’d find my parents, and we would convince them not to desire Brion’s death.

  But sneaking Brion out seemed like an impossible task. Someone was bound to see us. If not a scout, than a rousing rebel.

  “We don’t,” Leith stated. “Lissa does.”

  I didn’t bat an eye. “How?”

  “Release your hair.”

  I started pulling the pins out of my once-beautiful hairstyle. I spared a moment of regret for the destruction of Rita’s hard work. Seeing me struggle, Min lent a helping hand. Together, we freed my hair from the updo.

  I looked at Leith. “Now what?”

  He put a finger to his lips, then pointed to the approaching patrol. We had to wait for him to disappear before we had another two minutes of freedom.

  Once he was out of sight, Leith explained, “Lorie always wears her hair loose like that. You two have the same hair color and length. No one will be able to tell the difference in the dark.”

  “You want me to pretend to be Lorie?”

  “Yes. No one will stop you from walking through the camp. Lorie often takes early-morning walks.”

  Lorie? She walked early in the morning? That wasn’t the sister I remembered.

  Then again, Lorie’s time in Draek had changed her in more ways than one. I’d once been guilty of doing everything for my little sister. It’d made her bratty and dependent. But the damage was reversible. She had stepped up as a recruit in the castle, no longer the whiny child she’d been in Caldiri.

  “And then what?” Min asked. “Lissa is just to walk up to Brion’s tent and ask to enter?”

  “No. There is a blue tent located behind Brion’s. It’s mine. Lissa will go in there. I’ve sliced a tall cut into Brion’s tent in anticipation of needing to sneak in. You can’t see it from inside the tent because it’s shielded by a wooden support beam. There is a matching cut in the back of my own tent. Lissa will wait for the guard stationed near the back of Brion’s tent to walk as far from the cut as possible, and then she will run the three feet that separate my tent from his, slide through the opening, and then immediately ensure it is closed so the next guard doesn’t see it.

  I heard everything he said, but one piece of his plan had me raising my eyebrows. “Won’t people wonder why Lorie is going into your tent?”

  Min held up a warning hand, and we fell silent as the next patrol arrived. I didn’t take my eyes off Leith as I waited for his answer.

  Finally free to speak, Leith quietly cleared his throat and said, “You saw my injuries. Lorie would be there to try and heal me. That’s what you should tell anyone who asks.”

  Gods bless my draekon eyes. Leith’s red face said everything that he didn’t. There was more to his story. I would dig into that interesting piece of information later. First, I had to help Brion.

  The first signs of the coming dawn spread low against the horizon.

  “What’s the fastest way to your tent?” I asked, pulling my coat tighter, and letting some of my hair cover my face.

  “Straight ahead, between those two tents. Keep walking until you pass four on your left. Then, just before the dark green tent, turn right. My blue tent will be in your sight.”

  “Speaking of sight,” Min interrupted. “You might want to call back your draekon eyes. They are glowing.”

  “Oh. Right.” I carefully drew back the power from my eyes, blinking several times as my normal eyes adjusted to the darkness.

  Dang it, I could barely see anything. I repeated Leith’s directions. I could count the four tents on my left and turn right. I didn’t need to see colors until I reached Leith’s tent. The sun would lighten the world in the coming minutes. I hoped it would allow me to easily identify the blue structure. But, at the same time, I hoped the gods held off the coming dawn for as long as possible.

  “Ready?” Leith asked once the next patrol was just coming into sight.

  I nodded and mouthed, Ready.

  The patrol disappeared, and I was off.

  I raced across the distance between our hiding place and the edge of camp. I sent power to my feet to make my steps soundless. It was a handy elven trick; one I’d never mastered before. What a great time for it to come through.

  I slowed once I stepped between the first tents, walking with my back straight and head high, all while keeping parts of my face concealed. No one came forward question what I was doing. I didn’t even see anyone. Not until I turned right and saw the guards strolling around the tent just behind Leith’s.

  I didn’t falter. My pace remained steady, and I closed the distance between me and Brion. My heart hammered with anticipation.

  One of the guards spotted me, and I sucked in a breath. I wanted to cry out with relief when he simply dipped his head and greeted, “Lady Alorie.”

  Not trusting my voice to not give me away, I simply dipped my head in return. Then, the guard continued on his way. I entered Leith’s tent unhindered.

  I would definitely be asking Leith why it was so easy for my baby sister to access to his tent, and I wouldn’t believe his lame healing excuse. I hadn’t missed the subtle smirk pulling the guard’s mouth when he’d realized my destination.

  I stepped around the wide trunk placed in the middle of the tent and skirted past the cot on the right side. My fingers traced the canvas at the back of the tent, searching for the cut Leith had made. My index finger slipped through the opening, and I grinned.

  Careful not to move the fabric too much, I lifted onto my toes and looked through the tiny separation I’d made. I saw Brion’s tent. I shifted my eyes back to their draekon form so I could better search for the cut. I couldn’t afford to run over there without knowing where I would enter. I’d be caught by the next guard walking by. One crossed my path every thirty seconds; I wouldn’t have time for a mistake.

  There.

  I held my breath as another guard passed, then I focused back on the spot where I saw the slight separation of canvas. I’d found the opening.

  Okay…

  This was it.

  I took a deep breath. I would succeed. Brion’s life depended on it.

  The unsuspecting guard walked by, and I made my move.

  Drawing my silencing power back, I slid through the cut in Leith’s tent and quickly smoothed it back into place. I rushed to Brion’s tent. I still had my draekon eyes, so finding the opening was easy. My ears tingle
d with the sound of the next guard’s approach. Heart pounding in my chest, I burst through the opening and swiftly ran my hands along the length of the opening to smooth it out. Then, I held my breath.

  I could hear the guard’s steps. He was very close. I prayed he wouldn’t notice anything amiss. Terror seized me when I heard a slight hesitation in one of his steps, but then he resumed his normal pace. I thought I might faint.

  Steadying myself, I turned around, and my heart thumped for an entirely different reason.

  A large heap lied on the dirt floor, just like my vision. Angry red welts covered his wrists, and suddenly his pain was my own. My forearms burned, and I knew what the powerful shackles were doing to him the moment my draekon vision dimmed to normal. I hadn’t called it back. The power in those shackles weakened draekon abilities. Brion would need access to his draekon’s natural healing to mend his injuries. I didn’t want his escape to end in a fight, but odds were it might. And he’d need his abilities for that, too.

  I crossed the bare tent and fell to my knees. Taking his head in my hands, I turned him so I could see the damage. He shivered, and for a moment I thought he’d wake up, but the prince remained unconscious.

  A nasty bruise covered Brion’s left eye, and dried blood was caked into his hair. Burn marks scorched his throat and forearms. He’d been hit with elven bolts multiple times.

  I’d never felt such despair. I assessed his injuries, knowing they caused him great pain. The gods made me to love this male, and love him, I did. His suffering was mine, and my suffering was his. It would always be that way. Forever. And it was my duty to see him healed. It was my purpose to end his suffering. All of it. Even the suffering he’d experienced long before I was even born.

  I leaned forward until my forehead touched his, and then I closed my eyes. I pictured Brion happy and healthy. I pictured him scowling at me in the days when we first met. I’d thought he was overbearing and mean. I hadn’t known it was all an act—a role the prince was forced to play as the formidable draekon general and future ruler. He’d been broody and distant. He’d irritated me beyond belief. But then, things changed.