Tara came to me and put her arms around my waist. "Den, what are we going to do?"
I looked down into her eyes. "Nothing's going to happen to you. I promise."
Alara walked over to Mettin and slapped him in the face. "You're the Captain of the Damn Guard. How could you?"
"Hey." I quickly stepped over and grabbed Alara's wrist before she administered a second slap. "Hold on. He's on our side."
"No," Mettin said. "It's okay. I deserve that. My men and I have been trying to do something about the Yedian Patrol for a long time, but we haven't done enough. It's complicated." He looked at Alara. "But that's something we'll have to deal with here." He turned to Tara. "But you, they aren't going to get to you."
Tara, with her arms still around my waist, turned her head to the side a little and looked down at the floor. "I should leave. If they're coming for me, you'll all be in danger."
"Nonsense," I said, touching her cheek, then wiping a tear that streamed down onto my hand. "We stick together."
She looked up at me.
"No matter what." I looked at Mettin. "They can't have her. If they or anyone tries, they'll have to go through me."
"All of us," Alara said.
Nithia stepped a little in front of Tara to face me. "But...you know that won't save her." She glanced to Alara, then turned back to me. "If these men are as connected in the city as he says, it's too risky."
I knew she was right, but I didn't want to admit it. I said nothing for several seconds and she watched me, apparently waiting for her words to sink in, or for me to have a better answer.
Mettin stepped backward toward the door. "You're all my guests, and you've done a great service for Yedia, helping us in our time of need. And so, it is with regret that I must now compel you all to leave. For your own safety."
"But the patrols will surely be watching the city gates," Nithia said.
Mettin nodded. "You're right. They will. And they'll send men here soon." He looked at me. "I'm afraid our open practice sessions made it all too clear that I'm hosting all of you."
"So, what then?" Tara said.
Mettin took a moment before answering. "I might be able to do something, to get you all out unseen. But...there's several things I must do to make that happen." He reached for the door, but spoke again before opening it. "Stay here until I return. I'll lock up. They won't dare enter my home without permission. The Yedian Patrol may be after you, but they'll want to avoid a public confrontation with me or my men. Still, I'll post a few of my best and most loyal men outside to deter any overzealous action."
"What's your plan?" I asked.
"I'll explain later. Better I get things in motion now. Even here with my men outside, it's only a matter of time."
Nithia walked over to me and whispered into my ear. "Can we trust him?"
Evidently Mettin heard her. "You have my bond." He pressed his fist against his chest.
I nodded to him. "Thank you. We'll wait here for now, but do what you have to do quickly."
He nodded back and then opened the door and left, closing it behind him.
Alara gently pushed her hand into my chest. "We're not really going to wait here, are we?"
I put my hand over hers. "What choice do we have?"
She withdrew her hand. "We leave now, stick together, and fight anybody who tries to stop us."
"Maybe she's right." Tara wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Those men will find me."
"Us," I said. "You're not alone. And no they won't."
"What do you want us to do, Den?" Nithia asked.
I looked to each of them. "You trust me?"
Nithia looked at me with doe eyes. "Yes."
"You're the Guardian of Carnera," Alara said.
I smiled at her. "So, that's a yes?"
She nodded.
I turned my attention to Tara. "And you? What about you? Will you trust me?"
"Do you trust Mettin?" she asked.
"I trust him to keep his bond. He's a man of honor. That much I know." I placed my hands atop her shoulders. "It's his city. He knows who we're up against. And he's willing to help us."
Tara stared into my eyes in silence for a few moments. "I don't know him or his bond...but I trust you with my life, Den." She buried her face into my chest and threw her arms around me.
Hearing her words made me feel tremendously grateful to have her in my life. But the uncertainty of what the four of us might soon face weighed heavily on me. As I continued to hold her, and Alara and Nithia joined in our embrace, I tried not to show my worry.
Chapter 5
By my estimation, Mettin returned to us nearly an hour later. He'd put his plan in effect, he told us. And so, knowing the gates leaving the city were heavily guarded and Tara's life was ever more in danger as time passed, we set out, taking the only option we had.
Wearing hooded cloaks to hide our faces from any Yedian security we might encounter, Mettin took the lead, guiding Alara, Nithia, Tara, and me through back alleys and shadowed corners on the path from his home to the dock where, he said, two of his loyal men had a small vessel waiting. He told us word had spread around Yedia that an outsider took the woman's life. All of us needed to conceal our identity, since one of the security patrols looking for Tara questioned him about her whereabouts as Mettin returned to us earlier, and the man had asked about Tara's companions, though he didn't call her by name. Mettin denied any knowledge of us, and said he hadn't heard about the murder. The man, according to Mettin, didn't seemed convinced by the denial, but Mettin assured us he'd made certain he wasn't followed back to his home. We departed immediately upon his return.
The cold late evening air made me all the more thankful we added the extra layer of clothing to our already upgraded outfits. Knowing we would soon face the cold winds and waters of the northern part of the sea, Mettin gave me a pair of pants and managed to secure the same for Alara, Nithia, and Tara. Though I'd only seen male guards at the training grounds, there were, evidently, female guards too. Why he was able to get ahold of their pants so quickly I didn't know, but I had a suspicion that he was Captain of the Guard for more than one reason.
We moved as quietly and quickly as we could without drawing undue attention from people. Though darkness blanketed the city and the cold portended a storm approaching, many Yedians still walked the streets. Many others slept, no doubt, but the city was heavily populated, and evidently had a fair amount of activity throughout the night. I would've thought most would be at home, playing it safe since news of the murdered woman was on everyone's lips. Mettin had told us as much when he got back earlier from arranging our secret passage out of town. Aside from a couple of glances, which thankfully left us as if we were nothing out of place, our brisk walk through town to get to the docks proved smoother than I expected.
And then, only a block from the sea, we were waved down by one of the city patrols. I had no idea if they were the elite Yedia Patrol or the regular guys. I hoped we didn't get close enough for me to check their sleeves for the red dagger.
The patrolman at a distance of maybe thirty feet signaled us. Clearly he wanted to talk to us, but he didn't seem so alarmed yet to make me think he knew Tara was with us. And she was the one they were looking for. Or at least so they thought.
I noticed Mettin paused ever so slightly in his walk, but then just as quickly picked up his pace again. Likely to keep the man from being any more suspicious than he was already.
Mettin waved back, and I followed behind him as he kept walking forward toward the man.
Must not be the red dagger gang. Lucky for us.
As subtly as I could, I glanced behind me to see that Alara, Nithia, and Tara were still with us. Tara's eyes widened as she looked back at me. I shook my head slightly, meaning to signal to her not to do anything rash. At least not yet.
The man walked across the street toward us, and Mettin, perhaps using the street intersection as an excuse, stopped at the corner on our side. There were
only a couple of passers-by on foot. No horses, and obviously no cars in Galderia. An Uber would've been nice, I thought.
The patrolman seemed to accept Mettin's decision to wait for him, rather than meet in the middle of the street.
Before the patrolman likely could hear, Mettin without turning around quietly said, "Let me do the talking. But if he jumps to alarm, you four make a run for it. It's just at the end of this street, and to the left."
"Got it," I said, just as quietly back to him, hoping it didn't come to running.
I stood a few feet behind him and, with my hand down at my side, gestured for the women to stay back with me. I tipped my head down a little to allow the front of the cloak's hood to hide my face. And I made sure that I was blocking the view the patrolman otherwise would have of the others, especially of Tara.
The patrolman, perhaps recognizing Mettin as Captain of the Guard, addressed him, only briefly glancing at the rest of us first. "Good evening, sir."
"Good evening, patrolman. I trust you and your men are still on the lookout for the suspect in that woman's death."
The patrolman seemed a little taken aback at Mettin's words.
Maybe he shouldn't have brought that up right away.
I was worried Mettin had taken the wrong tack, possibly giving the man a reason to be suspicious.
"I knew her," Mettin said. "It's a damn shame. I hope you catch the person who did it."
Ok. I see what you're doing.
"We will, sir," the patrolman said.
I noticed he cast his gaze at the rest of us for a moment. I nodded to him, doing my best to keep my face in the shadow of my hood.
He returned his eyes to Mettin. "My sympathies for what happened. We'll catch the person responsible."
"Thank you, patrolman." Mettin reach out his hand.
"Coogan, sir." He took hold of Mettin's wrist, as was the custom. "No need to thank us. Just doing our duty. I know you understand that."
"I do." Mettin, with his hand on the patrolman's wrist, gave his arm a slight shake. He glanced back at us afterward, then faced the man again. "Tonight I just need to spend some time with friends. It's been a hard day. But I'll check in with your superior tomorrow and see if there's anything more my men can do to help."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."
Mettin nodded and the man returned the gesture, then looked to us and nodded again.
I raised my hand, giving him a short wave of acknowledgement.
The patrolman turned and walked past us, without looking at us again…much to my relief.
Mettin started across the street and we followed.
I wanted to check behind me to make sure the man had indeed dismissed us, but I knew better than to give him any reason to come back.
In the clear.
We made our way toward the end of the street, moments away from a safe escape for Tara, and the rest of us, since I wasn't about to stand by and let Yedian justice do its bidding with her.
Mettin slowed, moving to the back of our small group. "Get to the ship. We don't want to risk another inquiry. I'm sure all the patrolman are out tonight."
"Don't worry." I patted his shoulder as I stepped past him. "I would've liked to have stayed longer, but…" I glanced ahead of me to Tara, who was walking around the corned behind Alara and Nithia.
"I get it," Mettin said. "They're lucky to have you looking after them."
I realized he was right. Not about them being lucky. I felt like the lucky one. But about me looking after them. I was. I felt compelled to make sure they were safe, at least as far as that was possible in Galderia. Still, I knew I was probably getting more from the three of them than they were from me.
"I'm the lucky one," I said, not having the time or words to adequately explain the rest of what was going on between my women and me.
As I turned the corner, a few steps ahead of Mettin, I heard a man far behind us calling out.
"You there! Hold up!"
I stopped and turned back to Mettin. We were in heavy shadow, and I'd already made it around the corner of the building, so I couldn't be sure if we'd all been seen, or if the man was only calling for Mettin.
"No," Mettin said to me. "Keep going. I'll go back and talk to him. Stall him. He couldn't have seen the rest of you from so far."
"Thanks…for everything."
He nodded, then turned and walked back toward the approaching man.
"Let's keep going," I said to Tara and the others, who had stopped to wait for me.
We walked briskly, but not so fast as to draw unwanted attention. The stretch from the corner of that last building to the sea was farther than I expected, but I was thankful for the large poorly lit expanse of dirt and gravel separating the city proper and the waterfront.
Upon our approach, I noticed that the docks were barely occupied. There were three vessels situated together in a small bay. More ships were in an adjacent inlet, but our way to the three watercraft—a large ship and two much smaller boats—allowed us to stay mostly in the shadows and to avoid close contact with anyone. The section of pier we were on had none of the foot traffic which busied the distant more well-lit section in the other bay.
Night fishing?
It was all I could think of to explain such late-night activity.
Mettin had given me the name of our contact and assured me the man would be waiting below deck on the cabin boat. He said he trusted the man implicitly and we could as well. Said his name was Gurney. Mettin didn't have time to explain the history he had with Gurney, but he stated the man had proven his loyal friendship long ago. Then he had added that Gurney, who would captain the vessel across the sea for us, had barely escaped his own run-in with the authorities in Yedia once. Mettin had shielded him from the inevitable worst of outcomes somehow and for some reason. The revelation surprised me, considering Mettin's position as Captain of the Guard for the city, but since he'd risked his reputation for Gurney and was telling us he was trustworthy, I had no reason to doubt our captain.
The four of us stepped from the narrow wooden path that ran between the two bays, the path to our right going toward the larger better-lit alcove—more bustling than I previously thought—and the one we took, to our left, taking us toward the three still vessels, the smallest being our means of escape. Voices from the adjacent bay drifted to my ear on the cold wind, their words distorted and partially drowned by the sound of choppy and crashing waves. I looked past our salvation boat and beyond the end of the pier, eyeing the sky in the distance over the seemingly endless water. Though the Galderian moon poured a partially clouded glow of light over the city and the bay, an impenetrable shadow blanketed the open sea.
At least the cover of darkness will help us.
We moved quietly, but without hesitation. I lead the way, just in case any of the city's patrol had the sense to block the sea as a way out of town. Though I trusted Mettin, at least as much as one could a new but proven friend, I half expected several armed men to step from one of the craft as we approached, and maybe some more to corner us in from behind. I'd taken the lead as we moved toward the vessels. I glanced back to Alara. From her expression I got the sense she was thinking the same thing. But we had little choice except to take the gamble.
I remembered how much Mettin seemed to revere the man in the painting when we were getting patched up.
He's a good man. We can trust him.
I looked back to the last building, where we'd parted. Though that area was poorly lit, I strained to see if we'd been followed. I saw no movement, no sign of pursuers. Satisfied he'd managed to steer any further interest away from us, I led our small group of outlaws down the dock that ran out toward the sea. Passing the first vessel, I kept my hand on the pommel of my sword. A few moments later, we'd made it, without incident, to the second vessel, smallest of the three—our escape pod.
The four of us stood on the dock looking at the boat, which, to me, seemed woefully inadequate for crossing the dark sea.
The boat looked to be about fifteen feet long and half as wide. It had a cabin taking up half it's length, though situated in the middle. A tall wood post carrying an unfurled sail rose up from each end. I noticed a set of oars resting in the open space in the front. All of it looked...old. I didn't see any holes in it, but the wood appeared well-worn, like it had seen better days.
The air blew stronger and much colder out on the dock than it had through the streets of Yedia. The sound of choppy waves hitting the sides of the pier, along with the wind, drowned out the distant voices from the larger busier bay we'd heard when first walking here.
I realized the only other time I'd been out on open water was my single kayaking attempt in the calm river that ran through Austin, just south of downtown. Then I remembered how I'd accidentally flipped my kayak, something that was supposed to be next to impossible for the beginner model I'd rented.
Is this really the smart move?
I took one last look toward the city, knowing it might be a long time before we could enjoy anything like the comforts it had provided us in our time there. Mettin had assured us the boat would be loaded with adequate provisions for our journey, at least to cross the sea and make it to the nearest town, to which he'd given us rough directions. He'd offered to have the boatman take us out a safe distance, out of sight of the Yedian patrols, and then down the coastline south toward Pertlass. But I told him, we had planned to cross the sea eventually—date with destiny and all. "Might as well do that now," I had said. Now, looking out at the dark cold sea and hearing the choppy water crashing into the pier, I was having second thoughts about that decision.
"I wish we could stay," Nithia said, walking up beside me.
I glanced at her and saw her longing stare toward the city. "It would've been nice, at least for a while longer," I said, looking briefly at Tara and Alara, then to the boat before us. "But this is our way now."
"I feel responsible." Tara sounded sad and a little embarrassed.
"Of course, you're not." I put my arm around her shoulders. "Just the wrong place at the wrong time. It could've happened to any of us."
Deep Into Destiny Page 5
