The Wanted

by Rory Miles

  “We’ll be fine,” I reassured him. I’d been fighting people for a long time and if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was avoid getting killed.

  Dawn had stopped pacing, her hands resting on her hips as she stared out the window.

  Tam glanced at me. I nodded in understanding, rising from the couch and heading toward the back bedrooms.

  “I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Dawn murmured a goodnight, not fully acknowledging me.

  When I reached the hall, I heard Tam ask, “Why did you leave? I looked everywhere for you.” The hurt in his voice was obvious.

  “I didn’t leave by choice.” Dawn sighed.

  The couch creaked, indicating they’d sat.

  “What happened?” Tam asked.

  I continued to the bedroom I’d be using, already knowing this part of the story. She’d been taken by Orval and somewhere along the way he fell for her, abandoning the bounty and pledging to keep her safe instead. Whatever Tam felt for Dawn didn’t matter. I’d seen the way she watched Orval. She didn’t look at Tam that way, and I doubted she knew the depth of his feelings. Either way, he needed this time with her more than I did. Who knew when Dawn would be back again?

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It didn’t take long to figure out the castle grounds. After arriving in Valley City the next night, we found an inn. A couple of local taverns later, we had found a kitchen wench just barely sober enough to draw us a map. She’d laughed at us when we explained that we wanted to make a tiny replica of the castle to give to Queen Maligna. She had handed us the map, hiccupping and wishing us the best of luck with the vicious queen.

  The next morning, dressed as kitchen staff—drab dresses, aprons, and headscarves—we walked into the castle without much questioning. The guards at the entry nodded as we passed, eyes flicking over our outfits and flitting away when they recognized the uniform. Once deeper inside, we turned toward the wing of bedrooms instead of heading toward the kitchens. We were more conspicuous this way, but no one bothered us; everyone was too wrapped up in their work to care about two wandering kitchen staff. The cleaning staff had on white dresses, which was odd given the fact they would soon be covered with dirt and dust.

  Dawn kept glancing around, smoothing down her gray apron, and fidgeting.

  “Just keep your head down,” I said, faking a confidence I didn’t feel. Grabbing her arm, I pulled her toward a secluded corner when we reached the royal wing. The velvet drape hanging near the wall provided some coverage. According to our map, we’d find Amree down this way. Dawn had said Maligna kept her in the guest chambers the last time she was kept here. Dawn leaned against a curtain, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Apparently sneaking wasn’t her thing.

  “This is terrifying,” she confessed, her eyes fluttering closed as she took a few deep breaths.

  “The worst thing you can do is panic. Breathe, take a minute and relax. Think of Amree. She needs us to be strong. We are almost there.”

  Two maids finished their dusting, not bothering to glance over at us as they moved from the hallway into a room. In a few minutes, Maligna was scheduled to have the daily audience with her subjects.

  We pressed further into the wall when a door opened, heavy footfalls echoing down the hall. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the sentries pass, surrounding a vicious-looking woman. Dawn turned her head, using her hair to hide her face. As they passed, one of the guards looked over at us, but his attention was more lewd than suspicious.

  Dawn practically fused her body to the wall. Once they turned down another hall, I counted to sixty in my head, giving them time to get further away. I wiped my palms on my dress, pulling back my shoulders and checking that we were still alone.

  “Let’s go.”

  Dawn followed me down the hall to Maligna’s room. Her steps were heavy but luckily no one was around to hear her. A brass knob carved in the shape of a rose shone at the center of an ornate wooden door, freshly polished. Off to the side was a smaller, less opulent door. The guest quarters. When I turned the knob, it was locked. Pulling the lock picks from my pocket, I slipped them into the small keyhole, finding the divots and unlocking the door in a matter of seconds. I opened that door, slipping in behind Dawn and shutting it.

  A small torch sitting in a sconce near the bed was lit, casting a dull glow about the room. A huddled figure sat on the farthest corner of the bed. Blue eyes stared at us, wide and afraid. Amree looked like a younger version of Dawn.

  “Amree.” Dawn ran over to the bed, crawling over the mattress and pulling her sister into a hug. The younger sister let out a shriek of surprise, swatting at Dawn.

  “Amree, it’s me.”

  “What are you doing here?” she hissed, shooting me a glance before focusing on her older sister. “You shouldn’t be here.” Amree wore a fine silk gown, her hair pinned up and looking ready to attend a soiree.

  “I’ve come to help. Let’s get you dressed in something more appropriate so we can go.” Dawn started to stand, pausing when Amree wrapped her fingers around her forearm.

  “Go?” She shook her head violently. “No. I can’t go.”

  Dawn chuckled. “What do you mean? Of course you can. We’re here to sneak you out of the castle.”

  “Who is she?” Amree scooted away from Dawn.

  Dawn frowned, glancing over her shoulder at me. “Winter. She’s my friend.”

  Her sister shook her head again, smacking the mattress with both hands. “This isn’t real. I won’t fall for it. Not after the last time.”

  “Amree.” Dawn’s voice turned pleading. “I’m here.” She reached out to touch her, like she thought physical contact would help Amree understand it wasn’t pretend. The girl jolted when Dawn’s fingers touched her cheek, her face darkening with anger.

  “It’s not real,” she said again, looking around the room. “The magic has grown stronger.”

  “Amree?” I asked when Dawn’s panicked eyes met mine. “Why don’t you come on a walk with us? The sun is out and it’s lovely outside.” I took a step closer, holding out a hand.

  Amree stood on the bed, pointing at me, her arm shaking. “No. I won’t fall for it again.” Her face crumpled. “Not again.”

  Dawn reached for her but Amree kicked at her hand, evading her attempts to grab her. Her bare feet slapped the floor when she jumped off the mattress, pacing back and forth and muttering under her breath. She glared at me, shaking her head before looking at Dawn.

  “Not real, not real, not real.” She repeated the words, glancing at us over and over as she paced.

  “What do we do?” Dawn bit her lip, tears trickling down her cheeks.

  “Magic?” I asked.

  Dawn cringed when Amree hissed at her like a feral cat.

  “I didn’t think I’d have to force my sister to leave.”

  “There isn’t much else we can do. If we take her like this people will notice.”

  Dawn’s head drooped; a long, resigned breath deflated her chest. Amree stopped pacing, her head canting to the side. Her eyes dilated, blue fading to black as her pupils dilated. Her fingers twitched.

  “The magic doesn’t like you.”

  Dawn and I shared a confused look.

  “Amree. This is real. I’m real.” Dawn stepped forward, reaching for her sister.

  The whites of her eyes turned violet—eerie and glowing. Anger flashed across her face but Dawn didn’t notice.

  “Stop,” I said, grabbing for Dawn, but before I could pull her away from Amree, a blast of purple magic hit her square in the chest. She grunted, doubling over as the paralytic spell slithered around her body. I clutched her hand, desperately trying to absorb some of the magic but I was too late. Her face went slack, body falling to the floor when the root of the power took hold.

  Amree no longer looked scared or crazed. Lips curling up in a sadistic smile, she stepped toward me.

  “Who do we have here?” a voice that
wasn’t hers asked.

  The door behind me opened. Maligna stepped into the room. Her dark hair was slicked back into two cone-shaped buns, giving the illusion of horns. Her porcelain skin contrasted with the absolute blackness of her dress. Her nails, which were filed to sharp points and painted blood red, dug into my arm. Ruby red lips pulled back in a snarl.

  “Amree is mine.”

  Her palm hit my chest, Lumi’s edges painfully biting into my skin as the deep magic rocked into her. Emitting a vibrant blue glow, Lumi warmed and practically purred when she’d taken her fill of the magic. Maligna’s eyes narrowed.

  “Nice try,” I said, spinning and taking her with me. Kicking out my leg, I flipped her over, pushing her into the ground with one hand closed around her neck. Her nails, still clinging to my arm, drew blood. Rivulets of red trickled down the forearm that wasn’t clasped around her throat.

  Maligna spat at me, her face turning red with the lack of oxygen. Using my shoulder, I wiped the wetness off my cheek.

  Disgusting witch.

  She bucked her hips, trying to break my hold, but I’d had enough practice on my bounties to keep her subdued. Her sharpened nails scraped down my arm when I reached for my darts. I grimaced, grabbing two of the venomous darts, and stabbed her right in the thigh.

  She howled in pain. Amree’s arm closed around my throat. Maligna stood, pulling out the darts before slapping me.

  “What the hell did you do?” Her chest heaved as she caught her breath. “Never mind. Amree, kill the bitch.”

  Amree brought up her other hand, locking me in the hold and squeezing. I wriggled my fingers between her arm and my neck, then bent over, using enough force to catapult Amree’s body over mine. My boot pulled back and I kicked Amree in the head hard enough to knock her out but not cause any permanent damage.

  Or so I hoped. Dawn would murder me if I killed her sister, but my options were dwindling.

  In a few more minutes Maligna would pass out. She shot magic at me again, forgetting about my special stone. As soon as Lumi absorbed the spell, I sent blasts of power in rapid succession. Paralyze, mute, and an extra dose of pain because she had really pissed me off. The purple magic wove together, morphing into something more sinister just before it hit her.

  Regular magic didn’t do that. It wouldn’t take your intentions and twist them into something almost unrecognizable.

  Maligna fell, prone form on the floor like Dawn and Amree. Her eyes promised retribution as she watched me strut over.

  I squatted, pushing hair away from her face, and stroked her cheek.

  “Oh sweetie. You’re so fresh.”

  Daman’s magic was explosive compared to hers. The way she wielded deep magic was clumsy and careless. Daman had years of practice and his competence far surpassed this evil woman’s.

  “Kill her.” Dawn’s voice made me jump. The spell that hit her shouldn’t have worn off. She stood, stretching her arms over her head like she’d just been napping instead of taken out by powerful magic. Her eyes flitted to Amree, her lips pulling down in a frown before she crossed the room, bending down to smack Maligna. I wasn’t sure she could feel the sting or the pain magic I pressed on her, because she didn’t make a sound. Then again, paralytic magic had that effect on people.

  “She’s about to pass out.” The venom had been in her body long enough to start working.

  Dawn growled at me. “I don’t care. Kill her.”

  She blinked at the dagger I handed to her. If she wanted her dead, she’d have to do it herself. Her fingers closed around the weapon, face contorting with indecision. She glanced at Amree, crumpled and withering away on the floor. A phantom of who she used to be, according to Dawn. Ube had hurt her, but Maligna had broken the girl.

  Dawn’s jaw twitched, her teeth grinding together.

  Did she have it in her? Could she kill Maligna?

  Killing a defenseless person was a whole lot harder than killing someone because you were fighting for your life. I didn’t know if I would’ve been able to do it. My mouth opened, starting to tell her we could figure out another way, when she jammed the knife between her ribs and into her heart.

  I looked away from the blood and the deranged look on Dawn’s face. She panted, faster and faster, as she stood and stumbled away. Her eyes were wild. Violet magic flickered from her palm, like she couldn’t contain her power.

  Wait. Deep magic? What the hell?

  “Dawn?” I asked, standing ready to defend myself if that magic turned her on me. Whatever the power did to drive people crazy would soon be done to Dawn. Whether or not she wanted to, she’d attack me, driven mad by the magic that thrummed through her veins.

  “I’m okay,” she breathed out, leaning against the stone walls for support. When she noticed the purple sparks, she gasped, holding her hand away from her body. “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know. I think since Maligna hit you with the magic, you can use it now.”

  She whimpered, “I don’t want it. Make it go away.” She shook her hand, as if that would make the magic leave her body.

  “Do you hear something talking to you?” I asked. With my limited knowledge on how the deep magic interacted with its host, I wasn’t sure how else to help her.

  “What? No.”

  “Okay. That’s good then. If you start to hear voices, you need to tell me. Don’t listen to whatever you hear.”

  Dawn swallowed, and her voice trembled as she said, “You’re scaring me.”

  I grimaced. “Good. You should be worried but right now, we should go.” I grabbed a blanket and covered Maligna’s body. “We can’t stay here.”

  She took the shirt I tossed to her, wiping away the blood. The magic subsided the more she got her emotions under control.

  “What about Amree?”

  Fuck.

  I chewed on my lip, glancing at the window and then to Amree’s body. Luckily the royal bedrooms were at ground level. We could carry her out through the window. It creaked loudly when I opened it, but no one was around to hear it. Bushes lined the castle wall.

  We could make it out. All we had to do was get out of the room and make it out of the Valley before someone found Maligna.

  Using the last remnants of magic in Lumi, I used a cleaning spell to tidy the place up, lifting Maligna and placing her on the bed. One of the many gowns in Amree’s closet was soaked with blood, having been the mop I used to clean up what I could. I shoved the dress back into the closet, hoping that the queen looked like she was sleeping and that whoever came in the room first would leave her alone for a while.

  “All right, are you ready?” I asked.

  Dawn nodded. “We better hurry.”

  Dawn had carried Amree to the window while I cleaned. Together we fashioned a support band that could be tied around our waists and Amree’s once we got out of the palace. Amree wore a plain blue dress; Dawn had exchanged her fancy silk one for the simpler, less conspicuous outfit.

  After another glance out the window, I jumped out, crouching low and counting to five. When no one rushed me, I stood, grabbing Amree’s arms as Dawn lifted her lower half out of the window. Her legs flopped to the ground. I grunted, folding over slightly.

  The young girl was small, but right then she was all dead weight. Figuratively speaking, of course. Amree wasn’t dead. At least, I hoped not. The kick I’d delivered had been pretty hard. I placed my finger by her nose, sagging in relief when air rushed over it when she exhaled.

  Dawn hopped out of the window, less graceful than I had but she managed to stick the landing. She held up her sister as I secured the band around her waist, then we switched and she tied the remaining material around mine.

  “Keep your head down and don’t make eye contact.”

  Dawn blinked at me.

  “Dawn?”

  She shook her head. “Yeah. I heard you. Let’s go.”

  I frowned. “Are you okay?”

  Swiping at a tear, she looked at me. “No.” />
  “We are almost done. Can you make it?”

  “Yes,” she said, pulling herself together. “I’m ready.”

  My heart thundered in my ears as the minutes ticked by. Every second we stood here increased our risk of being discovered.

  The staff would leave Maligna alone for a time, but when the queen failed to rise, someone would realize she’d been murdered. If we didn’t move from our current position, someone would find us. Dawn would be found guilty. I’d be an accomplice. We’d be locked away and eventually hanged. No matter how much the people of Valley Sector hated their monarch, assassinating the ruler was wrong.

  We got a few funny looks as we stumbled along with Amree in tow. Dawn’s chuckle and a lame excuse of drinking too much seemed to appease the curiosity of those we passed. With her hair over her face, no one recognized Amree. We arrived at the horses; I held onto Amree as Dawn mounted, then pushed the girl over her legs and helped her tie a restraint on her.

  The ride back to the remote inn was uneventful. Our path, a less traveled road, saved us from more speculation. At the very edge of Valley territory, we’d be safe from the initial search parties. Well, at least for the night. The plan we’d made hinged on all the guesswork we’d been doing. At least a few hours before someone wondered why the queen failed to stir. An hour or so after that for the royal guard to organize a search party for Amree. Assuming they believed she killed Maligna, Dawn and I were safe.

  When we arrived at the inn, we tied off the horses and Dawn went to distract the owners while I took Amree around to our bedroom window. I leaned her limp body against the brick wall and hurried back to the front. The pleasant couple didn’t bat an eye when I went back to the room, tossing out a flimsy hello before heading down the hall. The window unlatched without a squeak, but when I went to pull Amree in, she stood staring at me, anger flaring in her gaze.

  Well, shit.

  “You’re up. Why don’t you come in? Dawn will be along in a minute.”

  She narrowed her eyes at my soothing tone. “You kicked me.”

  “You attacked me.”

  My heart lurched when she took a step back. I was seconds away from losing her.