by Jana Oliver
A snort came from behind her. ‘Is that the best you can do? Your hair is like an untidy bird’s nest.’
Briar whipped round. ‘Your people adore you, but I swear I have no idea why. You’re just a spoilt brat.’ There’s no way I could have dreamed you up.
Shocked, the princess stepped back, unable to formulate a suitably haughty response.
‘Ohhkay,’ Joshua said. ‘Moving right along . . .’
Briar rummaged through the wardrobe, shoving aside dusty gowns. Finally she pulled out a travelling cloak, which set off another round of sneezing from Joshua.
‘Allow me to assist you,’ Ruric said, taking the garment from her and placing it on her shoulders. ‘Should anyone interfere with your progress, order them to stand aside,’ he said. ‘Aim for the front gate and when you reach it, run. The princess and I shall find another way out, and then we shall join up with the others in the village.’
‘Others?’ the princess asked.
The prince turned towards her, his eyes filled with pride. ‘There are many who wish to see you free. They will rally to your side and we will wrest your kingdom away from the tyrant.’
Aurora’s blue eyes grew chilly. ‘I know a way out that none will expect. We will be unchallenged.’
That’s optimistic.
Briar paused in front of the exterior door, gathering her courage. She had to be more of a princess than the real thing.
‘Don’t worry. This will work,’ Joshua said from her side. ‘You can do it.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, pleased at the vote of confidence. She gazed over at him, wondering what else she should say that might make it right between them again. ‘I’m sorry for what I said. About the curse.’
‘Is there some reason we are not moving?’ the princess asked. Briar swore she heard the girl’s foot tapping in annoyance.
‘Just making sure I have the proper bitchy attitude,’ Briar replied, pulling up her hood.
Part princess, part Saralyn, part stuck-up snob. Yeah, I’ve got it.
After a long spiral staircase that required serious concentration, given the weight of her gown, she reached the main floor where she encountered two astonished guards.
‘There you are,’ Briar said. She doubted anyone would remember the exact timbre of Aurora’s voice: it’d been too long since they’d last heard it. It was the delivery that counted. ‘I am awake now.’
‘Your . . . Your Highness?’ one stammered, shooting the other guard a quick look.
‘Indeed. Escort me to the front gate without delay,’ Briar ordered.
‘But—’
‘That was not a request,’ she said, sweeping ahead as if she knew exactly where she was going. Luckily she’d chosen the right direction and they fell in step around her. If Briar could keep their attention focused on her, they’d not realize Joshua was creeping along behind them, or that the Ruric and his shrewish wife-to-be were making their own exit.
‘How did this happen, Your Highness?’ one of the men asked.
‘I do not know. I woke, that is all. I yearn for fresh air, for it has been long since I have felt it on my face.’
Hey. Listen to me. I’m pretty good at this. That one summer she’d tried to memorize Romeo and Juliet had actually been helpful.
Now that they were strolling through the hallway of very dead suitors, Briar forced herself not to look at them, as she knew they’d upset her. She could do nothing for them now. Instead, she kept her eyes locked on the double doors at the far end of the hallway. The doors that led to the castle’s front entrance and freedom.
She marched onward, keeping her chin up and her movements regal. The swish of the skirts on the stone floor was a subtle accompaniment to the heavy-booted steps behind her. They exited the hall and entered the large chamber that led to the doors and the courtyard.
Almost there.
The ambush came so quickly that Briar never had a chance to cry out. One moment she was sailing right along, and the next she found a sword at her throat, held there by a guard who’d seemingly come out of nowhere.
‘Be silent or you’re dead,’ he warned.
‘Run, Joshua!’ she cried, and then dived away to avoid the blade. The princess’s gown was Briar’s downfall, tripping her after only a few steps. A shout erupted, then came a solid thud as Joshua hit the floor at her feet.
She looked up to find three guards. The newcomer, the one with an eye patch, nodded appreciatively.
‘Get them up,’ he ordered.
One of the guards grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. Briar shook him free. ‘Don’t touch me.’ She’d sounded so imperial the man backed off, confused.
‘You sure about this?’ the man demanded.
The one-eyed guard nodded. ‘She’s not the princess,’ he said, pushing back her hood. ‘See?’
Joshua was on his feet as well, secured by a pair of guards.
‘Sorry, I thought I’d fooled them,’ she said.
The lead guard pointed at Joshua. ‘Haul this one to the dungeon. The regent wants to see the girl.’
‘No!’ Joshua lunged, his hand shooting towards her. She reached out as well. Mere inches stood between them, and then the old fear rose once again, but this time she didn’t pull back, and neither did he. Instead, Joshua strained harder, his fingers edging closer to hers. If the guards hadn’t interfered, they would have touched, for good or ill.
As he was hauled away, he shouted, ‘I’ll come for you!’
It was a futile boast, but it gave her much-needed strength. He wasn’t giving up.
Then neither will I.
The princess led Ruric on a convoluted journey, but she assured him she was headed towards the west side of the castle. Aurora wasn’t very stealthy – royalty didn’t have to be – but she still managed to be subservient enough for none to bother them as they passed by. It probably helped that she looked like a serving wench, though a very pretty one.
‘Down this hall,’ she whispered. ‘Through that room is a way to the far garden. We can depart through the postern gate.’
‘Surely there will be a guard there.’
‘He will most likely be in his cups,’ was the swift reply.
Ruric had to admit his ‘cousin’ had been right. Aurora was a spirited young girl, but she was headstrong and immature. Perhaps she is just frightened. It had to have been unnerving to wake after such a long sleep and find three strangers in one’s chambers. Still, something about her bothered him.
When she opened a door without any great degree of caution and passed through, Ruric followed her, trusting her judgement. It proved a glaring error.
A figure stood in front of a blazing hearth, one he knew all too well.
‘It’s the regent! Flee!’ he said, turning back towards the princess.
‘Fiend!’ Aurora said, hefting a vase. Before Ruric could dodge out of the way, it united itself with his skull. With a scathing oath on his lips, his consciousness fled in a flash of pain.
The princess they’d risked their lives to free had just sided with their enemy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
By the time Pat and Reena reached the top of the well, the swarm of fata was gone. Only one remained, the one who had brought them the food. It shivered in terror, its eyes darting from the well to the street around them.
‘Where are the others?’ Reena asked as she shoved boards across the opening.
Hidden. All will be lost now, the fata said. It held out its hand and on its palm was an object made of leaves, a pouch of some sort. To save you from the metal.
It laid it on the well kerb and then skittered off into the night, a flash of colour in the darkness.
Reena picked up the pouch and was about to open it when the first howl split the air.
‘What the hell is that?’ Pat said, looking around. ‘A coyote?’
‘No, it sounds like a wolf,’ she said, stashing the pouch away. ‘I can’t imagine it’d be inside the town at night, though.’ She looked over at him
. ‘You OK?’
‘Sort of. Couldn’t think there for a while. It was like my brain was being sucked out through my ears or something. It was really weird.’
It was more than that, but he had no intention of telling her what he’d really felt. How frightened he’d been. She already despised him, so there was no reason to make it worse.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ she said. ‘If we’re lucky, we can find that wine cellar again.’
‘We should just go home,’ he grumbled under his breath. He didn’t owe these guys anything, especially when he’d been brought here against his will. Why should he care about the others? That was the Daniels Family Rule #1: always look out for yourself. His dad had pounded that into him since he could walk.
Reena paused to get her bearings. ‘What happened down in the well?’
‘Don’t want to talk about it.’
‘OK. A thanks would be nice.’
‘For what?’ he said, though he knew exactly what she meant.
‘For saving your stupid ass,’ she replied, ducking her head round the corner. ‘I think it’s this way.’
‘How can you tell?’ He certainly couldn’t. There was only moonlight to navigate by and all the streets looked the same to him. ‘Or are you just faking it to impress me?’
He heard her mutter a swear word under her breath. ‘You really do need to get over yourself, Daniels.’
‘Hey, it is all about me.’
She crooked an eyebrow at him. ‘You messing with my head again?’
‘No. That’s what my dad taught me. You never put yourself at risk for someone else, not unless there’s a profit in it.’ Now he was somewhere he didn’t belong, somewhere that could kill him and not even give a damn that it’d done it.
‘Your dad’s an asshat. Just saying.’
He should have nailed her for that, but he agreed. Emerson Daniels was a total asshat, and one of the best ways to keep him off your back was to act just like him.
Pat froze when a thin brown dog trotted up to them. It sat and stared at them with baleful eyes.
‘Shoo!’ he said, waving his arms.
The canine ignored him, turning those sad eyes on Reena. Apparently she was a soft touch because she dug in the canvas bag and tossed it a thick piece of bread. It snapped it up and then waved its tail, no doubt hoping there were more morsels in its future.
‘Sorry, that’s all I can share right now.’
The hound put its nose to the ground and snuffled off in search of more treats. It was only then Pat noticed that the mutt’s tail was metal.
‘You shouldn’t have wasted the food,’ he said as they continued down the street.
Reena gave him a hard frown. ‘Animals need love as much as people. They know if you treat them like they matter.’
‘Another lecture?’ he grumbled. ‘What is this – number four or five since we’ve been here?’
‘I lost count a while back. You just keep earning them.’
‘I’m not that bad.’
‘Convince me otherwise,’ she said, hesitating at a crossroads.
‘I . . .’ To his surprise he had to work to come up with one redeeming quality. ‘I like . . . cats. They’re cool as long as I don’t have to take care of them.’
‘That means you have a heart in there somewhere. I had my doubts.’
Why was he bothering with her? She was just some girl. Not important. In a couple of years he’d be out of Bliss and she’d be stuck there doing some dead-end job, probably working as a waitress.
God, now I sound like Dad.
‘So what d’you want to do when you get out of college?’ Reena asked. She was moving slower now, and he suspected she had no clue where they were.
‘My dad wants me to be a corporate lawyer.’
She paused, looking increasingly frustrated. He could tell because she was frowning. ‘I repeat, what do you want to do?’
He rotated his right arm, trying to loosen it up. Hopefully if he stalled long enough he wouldn’t have to answer.
‘Daniels? Just tell me. You want be a ballet star or a surf bum or what?’
‘I want to join the air force and be a fighter pilot.’
She turned towards him, smiling now, the first time one of those had been aimed at him.
‘A fighter pilot? For real?’ she said. He nodded. ‘That sounds so cool. Those fighter jets haul, don’t they?’
‘Yeah, I’ve heard they reach speeds of up to fourteen hundred miles per hour.’
Reena’s eyes lit up. ‘Wow! Me, I’m into race cars,’ she admitted. ‘I love speed, and I think being a fighter pilot would be so awesome.’
Somehow he’d managed to impress this impossible girl and that felt good. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she’d saved his life. There couldn’t be any other reason. ‘My dad will never go for it so it’s just a dream.’
‘It’s your life, not his.’
‘Easier said than lived,’ Pat replied. ‘He’s . . . intense.’
‘If it’s what you really want to do, get intense right back,’ she insisted. ‘If he loves you, he’ll back down.’
No chance of that.
The howl came again and this time it was much closer. Too close, actually.
‘Let’s move it!’ Reena ordered, and they took off at a jog.
Running through a darkened village proved to be more difficult than Pat had imagined. Though the townspeople were off the streets, there was still their stuff here and there.
‘Do you know where we’re going?’ he demanded as they sprinted down an alley.
‘No,’ she admitted. At the far end was a stone wall, one about five feet tall.
When they reached it, Reena scrambled up, despite her skirts. A quick leg over and she landed on the other side. ‘Come on, Daniels,’ she called. ‘I thought you were some kick-butt athlete.’
He gritted his teeth and hauled himself over the wall, dropping down next to her. ‘I am. Now what?’
‘I think I know where we are. If we go down this . . .’ she began.
A growl came from above them. They turned in unison to find a wolf on top of the barrier, its bilious green eyes glaring down at them. It sort of resembled a real wolf – fur, teeth, claws and tail – but it didn’t move with that wild grace he’d always admired. Parts of its fur were gone, replaced by metal.
‘Oh, shit,’ he said, backing away. Another wolf sprang up on to the wall next to its companion. ‘What are those things?’
‘Hungry! Come on!’
As they sprinted, Pat shot a look over his shoulder and counted three beasts trotting along behind them. ‘Why aren’t they trying to catch up with us?’ he asked, his breath coming tighter now.
‘That would be why,’ Reena said, skidding to a halt.
Two wolves sat in front of them.
‘Can’t you do some magic? Get us out of here?’
Reena stared at him for a second. ‘Maybe I can.’ The pouch appeared in her hand and she fumbled it open.
‘What are you doing?’ he said, snatching up a piece of wood from the street. ‘You better be sending us home, you hear?’
‘Your bravery is duly noted, wimp,’ Reena said testily.
‘I’m not a wimp,’ he grumbled, ‘but even I know when we’re out-gunned. You can bring us back later if you want, but we’re screwed if we try to fight these things. They’ll just rip us apart.’
‘I’m going to try something. If it doesn’t work, we have to fight our way out of this, OK?’
‘Then it damn well better work.’
With a quick start, Reena sprinted towards the two wolves. One immediately charged her and she rammed her hand down on its back, barely missing getting mauled by its teeth. Dancing around like a hyperactive poodle, she kept on the move.
What are you doing?
She slapped at the second wolf with her hand, making sure to hit a metal patch, then danced back again. It dived directly at her and before Pat could try to help her,
he had his own problems. The snap of teeth made him lurch to the side, barely missing having his throat ripped out by one particularly vicious canid.
When it charged again, he whacked it hard on the skull. Then again. When it slumped to the ground, a thick oil slick formed around its muzzle.
‘It bleeds oil?’ Another lunged and raked its teeth along his calf. He cried out, then fought it off, but it came right back at him.
‘Pat, you OK?’ Reena called out.
He didn’t get a chance to answer, putting his shoulders into the next blow. It cracked hard against the wolf’s back and it slumped on the ground, its jaws sparking.
‘Yes!’ Reena cried. As he spun to see what had happened, he slipped on some of the oil and went down on his knee. A wolf landed on his back, fangs clacking as he landed face first on to the filthy street.
As he struggled to rise before it buried those fangs in his neck, it fell away. He rolled up on to his feet and found Reena standing over him, grinning. The wolf was on the ground nearby, twitching, hacking up cogs and little gears.
Pat bent over to catch his breath, smarting at the pain in his leg.
‘You OK?’ he wheezed.
‘Yeah. You?’
‘I’m good.’ When he looked up he saw blood on her arm. ‘You lie.’
‘So do you,’ she said, pointing at his bloodied breeches.
He scanned the battlefield and found nothing but defunct enemies.
‘How did you do that?’
She held up her hands, both of which glimmered as if they’d been dipped in phosphorescent paint. ‘It’s the fata’s stuff. It destroys the metal. I guess if they’re mostly metal it kills them.’
‘Well, hell,’ he replied as he rose to his feet. ‘You’re pretty amazing, you know that? Now we can kick some butt in this town.’
Reena cocked her head. ‘I thought all you wanted was to go home.’
‘No, not yet,’ he said, feeling something different take hold of him now. Something that wasn’t just about him. ‘We need to find the other two, execute some payback. Then we can go home.’
‘You know, Daniels, I think I’m beginning to like you.’
‘Right back at you, Hill.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
