The Battle for Astodia

by Maryam Durrani

  “Yes.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “What?” he looked down, and I realized he seemed oddly distressed. “I don’t know,” he pulled on the collar of his tunic. “Maybe it was something I ate.” He blinked his golden eyes a few times.

  The color from his face was draining rapidly, and I stood up, throwing off my covers and tugging my tunic down. “Xavier, what’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine. It’s nothing,” he waved his hand, but I knew what was coming. I’d seen this before. I grabbed his arms and pulled him out the hallway, gripping him tightly and supporting him. I felt the pulse on his wrist. His heartbeat was too slow to be normal.

  “Guards!” I yelled. I could hear the panic in my voice. “Help! Somebody come here immediately!”

  A few guards came quickly towards us. I felt Xavier squeeze my arm in an iron grip. My arm was around his waist, supporting him. As the guard touched his arm, he slumped, his eyes drooping.

  My hands were shaking. How could this happen? Wasn’t Xavier guarded at all times?

  I tried to clear my head and inhale, exhale, inhale . . .

  It was poison.

  The prince had been poisoned.

  SEVEN

  I felt his pulse as King Sadim stood beside me.

  “It’s a slow-acting poison,” I finally concluded, swallowing. “He has a few weeks, but it’s going to be very painful. I’ve seen it in action before. All we can do is hope it doesn’t destroy any vital organs.”

  The king looked almost as pale as Xavier. “Antidote?”

  I rubbed my face, and for the first time, I was confused at what to do. “No,” I whispered. “Only the creator has the antidote. There are many poisons with these symptoms, and I can’t give him the wrong antidote. It’ll make things worse. We just need to find out who did this and why.”

  “Rebels,” was the only thing he muttered as he dismissed everyone in the room with one wave of his hand.

  “There’s no proof,” I said after the room was empty. “We need something solid.”

  “It’s them. You need to get in there as soon as possible. I don’t care what you do, but I’m not losing my son.” He took a long, grievous look at Xavier, and then he turned, exiting the room. I looked at Xavier.

  His eyes opened halfway, as he grimaced.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked.

  “Perfect,” he muttered hoarsely, cracking a smile. He put a hand on his chest and winced. “Is this where I die?”

  “No,” I said. “No, Xavier. I’ll find the antidote as soon as I can, alright? Just . . . keep breathing.”

  He coughed, and even that seemed to put him through pain. “I didn’t think you’d care,” he rasped.

  “Well you were wrong,” I said, turning my back to him. I tried not to look worried for his sake, but I couldn’t help myself. I was already imagining the empty hallways without Xavier’s boisterous laughter and his scarring pranks. What would I do without him?

  I felt empty thinking about it.

  “You do have a heart,” I heard him chuckle softly.

  “If you were gone,” I said so quietly, “I’d be lonely.” It was too quiet. I was beginning to think he hadn’t heard me, breathing out a sigh of relief.

  “I know,” I heard him say. “Now, get that antidote,” he said weakly, his voice cracking, “so I can tease you about this for the rest of your life.”

  I couldn’t find the strength to move. If I left, would he die? What if I was wrong and it wasn’t a slow acting poison? What if he only had a few days? Hours? Minutes? Seconds?

  “Go, Adalia.” He grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll stay alive for your sake. But hey, if I ever become a ghost I’ll have the pleasure of haunting you for the rest of your life, and you won’t be able to kill me.”

  I scowled. “I will not let that happen.” I waited for him to let go of my hand, and then I turned and walked through the open door. As I closed it behind me, I saw him smile, a big contrast to his sickly face. I finally felt the effect on my lips.

  I smiled in return.

  I stuck two knives in my boots.

  I couldn’t take too many weapons with me, or else they’d become suspicious. I had to leave my beloved sword behind.

  I pulled on a battered old shirt and comfortable pants that were ripping at the knees. The boots came up right above the calves, and the soles were dug out to hide my knives. I pulled them on.

  I was a master of disguise, but then again, nobody knew I existed, so my experience didn’t really matter.

  I wrapped a cloak around my shoulders and put up the hood, locks of dark hair tumbling from the front.

  After notifying the king of my departure, I left to the stables where my horse was saddled and waiting, pounding the floor with his hoof impatiently. As I mounted the horse, I realized the bruises from the battle with Xavier actually completed my look, like I’d been attacked. That would come in handy.

  I whipped the reins of the chestnut horse, and we departed.

  The rebel base where the leaders stayed hidden was the main base. It was located nearest the kingdom walls, close to the gates on the inside. It was amazing how they hid it so well.

  Reaching the outer ring of the castle town, I brought the horse to a stop.

  The map I’d created after gathering information told me that one of the five bases was in this location. The other four were present beyond the gates.

  The kingdom went out for miles outside the gates, but my job was to infiltrate the base that was closest to the castle. Except, there was one problem.

  I couldn’t tell where it was. Every home looked the same. Quickly trying to find a way to attract attention, I pulled on the reins to bring the horse to a stop. Clicking my heel twice, I prayed the blade would come out of the tip of my shoe. As I looked down, it popped open.

  “Sorry,” I whispered to the horse and twisted my foot, aiming the blade at the horse’s side, and pushed it in. The horse screamed, backing up on its two back legs and throwing me off. I turned just in time to land on my knees, scraping them in the process, as sharp stones cut into my skin. The horse turned furiously, stamping its hooves inches away from my body. I stumbled away, crawling on all fours, and started shout, “Help! Somebody, please! Help me! They’re after me!” Tripping on my cloak, I staggered away, realizing I’d twisted my ankle in the fall.

  This wasn’t going as planned, and I realized it was much more real than staged.

  The horse reared in front of me, and I knew if it wasn’t stopped I would be trampled in a few seconds. I covered my face with my arms and waited for the bone-crushing blows from the horse’s iron hooves when suddenly, I heard a loud thud next to my ear. I slowly opened my eyes to find its hooves stamping in frustration inches from my face. I rolled away, gasping for breath.

  “Whoa there,” a soft voice crooned. “Calm down. It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

  I stared at his face for a couple of seconds, and then realized what I was supposed to do.

  “Who are you?” I asked, my voice dry. I was supposed to be a helpless maiden in distress, and at the moment I’d made it very realistic. I pulled my hood back, and my dark hair tumbled out, trying to give him a better view of my bruised face.

  “Me? Who are you?” the boy said with a smile, kneeling

  beside me and holding out one gloved hand.

  “Me? I’m . . . I’m Kristina,” I replied, using the first name that popped into my head.

  “I’m Lance,” he said as I held his hand. “What brings you here?”

  “I’m running away,” I whispered hoarsely. “Don’t tell anyone. They’re looking for me. I’ve heard of the rebels—I was promised they’d help me get my family back.” My voice broke, tears welling up in my eyes. “They have my sister. She’s all I have.”

  He pulled me to my feet, light hair brushing his bright green eyes. He looked like a fighter. He was lean, but not as tall as Xavier. His white sleeves were rol
led up to his elbows, and he wore a buttoned green vest on top, brown pants and the usual boots.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, who’s they?”

  I leaned close to his face so nobody except him could hear me, even though no one was around us at the time.

  “The king’s men,” I whispered.

  He raised his eyebrows. “What did you do to get them after you?”

  “Nothing,” I shook my head as tears started to brim my eyes, blurring my vision. I wiped them quickly, embarrassed, and said, “I mean, I worked at the castle. I stole to feed my family, and now they’re after me.” I cut it down short to make it seem that I didn’t want to talk about it, and he got the gist. “You don’t understand—I need my sister. She just turned four. I—” My voice cracked again, and I covered my face with my hands.

  He brushed his thumb against the bruise on my cheekbone, which I had Xavier to thank for. “Well, we have to get you

  cleaned up. Will you come with me?”

  “Where will we go?” I asked, clearly confused inside and out.

  “You want your sister back from the king, don’t you?” he said quietly.

  I nodded. “I’ve witnessed his cruelty firsthand,” I said, putting up my hood again. “Please, help me.”

  The boy helped me onto my horse before mounting his mare.

  “Where are we going?” I repeated, not wanting to stick around him any longer.

  “We are going to a special place to save people like you from the king.”

  Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  I’d done it.

  EIGHT

  Who knew the base would be so small?

  It was a house, no different than any other.

  “They’ll take care of me here?” my voice wavered. “Don’t send me back. . .”

  “I’d never do that,” he smiled reassuringly, squeezing my hand as he brought his horse to a stop. Lance slid off first, and then, taking in a deep breath, I dismounted. But as soon as my foot hit the ground a jolt of pain shot up my ankle. Careful to make my feelings visible, I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut. At this point, to sell it, I had to make me seem as sad and miserable as I could.

  “There, there, easy,” Lance said, worry filling his forest green eyes. “We’re right here.”

  Inside, I was screaming at him.

  Give me the antidote! Your people are killing Xavier.

  I nodded.

  He took me inside, and as the door opened, a fresh smell hit my nose. Bread was baking. People were laughing and sitting around tables. Children were running around, music was playing.

  “This . . . this is the base?” I asked. I’d expected it to be dark and pitiful. Eerie. Dull.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “It’s loud,” I whispered.

  “It’s fine. You’ll get used to it.” He helped me in as I took reluctant steps. He needed to trust me. To know that I wouldn’t hurt him. He was my only chance to capture the leader’s child and get the antidote to save Xavier.

  He walked me in slowly, as the room fell silent all of a sudden. All eyes were on me.

  I stood closer to Lance, my arm around one of his, and I realized, I wasn’t used to this much attention. I felt entirely out of place.

  “Can I please have your attention?” Lance grinned widely, “This is Kristina, our newest member.”

  Some waved, others muttered hellos while many smiled, but I noticed a lot of them were frowning.

  “Why don’t they look happy?” I asked quietly.

  “Not here,” he shook his head and pulled me away. “You need to talk to the leaders first.”

  My stomach did a little dance inside. “Alright,” I sighed.

  I followed him through a small door, and suddenly it was too dark to see. “Sorry,” he said, and lit a torch. “Stay close.”

  I scoffed silently. How much closer could I get? We walked down the steps, the eerie glow of the torchlight flickering on the earthen walls.

  Earthen walls. We were heading underground.

  “Where are we?” I asked, stepping closer, my weak ankle aching. It was cold.

  “Underground,” he replied, stating the obvious. I was glad it was dark enough for me to do my classic eye roll. “Our rebel bases were built through old mines. There are still tunnels under construction, but every rebel base is connected so we can move around easily.” He turned to me, his face kind, “You know, we don’t often get many girls that are alone.”

  “Why not?” I asked, swallowing.

  “They don’t usually make it this far by themselves,” he explained. My fingers were itching to pull a knife out.

  Relax. He’s naïve. You can teach him a lesson after you get the antidote.

  My hand dropped to my side, and I took a deep breath.

  He smiled over his shoulder and stopped at the end of the stairs where a trapdoor was located. “We just need to get through here.”

  “What?” I asked, my stomach dropping. “We jump in? How deep is it?”

  “Are you afraid of heights?” he asked, pushing open the heavy door.

  “No.”

  “Then why does it matter?”

  “I . . . I don’t . . . it’s nothing.” I took a deep breath. “My ankle.”

  “It’s not that deep. If you’re afraid, don’t worry.” He grinned. “I’ll catch you if you manage to fall.”

  “If I manage to . . . fall?” I repeated a little too fast and a bit too breathlessly.

  He laughed. “I’ll go first. There’s a ladder. Just watch your step.” He climbed in first, dropping the torch. It landed far below our feet, a few meters down. I gulped. He gave me enough space to climb down.

  I set the soles of my boots on the rungs and made my way down slowly, stepping on Lance’s fingers every now and then. I tried not to look down. What if I fell?

  Suddenly, Lance stopped, and I accidentally stepped on his

  head. “Ow.” He grabbed the bottom of my shoe and pushed my foot up. Pain stabbed my ankle.

  “Sorry,” I apologized.

  “We’re here.” He stepped off and opened his arms to spot me, or maybe just to make me feel comfortable. I climbed down and jumped off the last rung, and he caught me just in time. “Okay,” he set me down lightly so I wouldn’t put too much pressure on my ankle, “this way.” I followed him to another door, limping, where he brought out a key and clicked open the lock. A sudden light burst in, and I blinked, rubbing my eyes. “Milady.” He stuck his arm out towards the door politely.

  I walked in, unaware of my surroundings and where I was. I felt for Lance’s hand and found it immediately. I needed someone to help me learn everything, and he was unbelievably gullible. The closer I got to him, the closer I was to saving Xavier.

  The place was cozy and lit, not what I imagined an underground room to look like. There were sofas and doors, carpets and tables. The first person I saw beside Lance was a woman. She had a fierce gaze and looked me up and down as I walked in.

  “Lance,” she said coldly, eying me warily, “who is this? And why have you brought her here?”

  “This is Kristina. I found her outside, about to be trampled to bits by her horse.”

  “How could you bring her here without my permission?” Her voice got louder, her auburn hair almost on fire.

  “She needs help. She’s hurt.”

  “You don’t know her. She could be a spy!”

  “A spy?” Lance scoffed, running a hand through his light

  hair. “Look at her. She’s the first girl we’ve gotten, and she’s hurt. Plus, she’s a girl. What harm can she do?” My nostrils flared in anger as he pushed my hood aside to show her my face. Naïve and sexist, I thought to myself.

  I stared at my shoes, unsure of what to do. “Search her. Make sure she’s not armed.” She narrowed her eyes. “Keep her under close watch at all times. I’m trusting you, Lance. Don’t let me down.”

  He took me to the highest room in the base. “I’m sorry,”
he said, “but this is the only room I can give you because—” He stopped abruptly, his cheeks turning red.

  “Because I can’t be trusted?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “N-no . . . I mean, yes, but—”

  “Stop apologizing. Really, it’s okay. As long as I’m away from the castle.” I’m used to having a room like this.

  “I’m sorry. We normally don’t bring in many people from the outside. The ones that are here have been with us for a while now.” He sighed. “I’ll send someone to help you clean up.”

  “Thank you,” I said with an innocent smile. “Will I be seeing you again?”

  “I’m not sure,” he shrugged helplessly. “I do hope so,” he said quickly, turning around and walking off. As the door shut, I ran straight to the wardrobe and swung it open. I pulled off my boots and stuck them in there, and then I changed into a simple nightgown.

  A while later, a young girl walked in, reminding me of Lorelle. She was holding dresses in one arm and a small box in the other. I groaned internally. Dresses were my worst enemy.

  “Hello miss,” she greeted and walked over to where I was

  sitting on the bed. She set the colorful dresses on my bed and told me to turn around so she could clean off my arms and back. After helping me clean up, she exited the room.

  I turned to a mirror on one of the desks, staring at my reflection.

  Who was I fooling?

  My face might’ve looked weak and my attitude may have been deceiving, but the coldness in my stone-gray eyes was there. The leader must’ve seen it because she immediately hadn’t trusted me. I had to win her over.

  But, I had found where the leaders were located. It was a good start. I knew about the underground tunnels and the base all in a single day. This boy, Lance, was falling for my tricks too fast. He was gullible. He put his faith in the wrong person.

  But I was here.

  Now, I just had to stay alive.

  “Kristina,” a voice called outside my door, followed by five rhythmic knocks, “May I come in?”

  “Yes,” I called. I looked up from the book I was reading, my ankle elevated on a tower of pillows.