His gaze drifted to Mirror for a moment. “You’ll need to fix this, not allow them to run away. It’s nearly dark down there, so we’ll give it a few more minutes to give you more cover.”
Hands shaking, she accepted the orb, placing it into her sack.
“Remember everything you learned, and you’ll be fine, Rhea. Now go.” He nodded in the direction of her bird, silently telling her to open a portal.
Sighing, she tapped Mirror. “I won’t fail you, sir.” Bright light flew out of the reflective surface, while a heavy wind ripped at her dress. Stepping forward, she sneezed as a cloud of dust flew into her face. Her stomach dropped when the ground disappeared from under her.
Unlike the soft rug she stood on moments before, the packed dirt hurt her knees as she hit a hard and unyielding surface. It knocked the air out of her as she tumbled backward. Standing, she dusted off her backside. Taking in gulps of air as black dots danced across her vision, she blinked a few times, breathing a sigh of relief as her sight cleared. The sun dipped behind the nearby mountains. A quick glance around the sky puzzled her. She couldn’t find the moon at all. Perhaps it already ducked behind the mountain with the sun.
The ground rose up steeply, leading to a flat landing dotted sparsely with large trees. Various bushes and shrubbery grew at the base of the trees, and although she couldn’t see the ground, she imagined there was probably as much grass up there as there was around her feet, meaning nothing but hard packed dirt.
A soft thud sounded as Mirror landed beside her in the dirt, inert. She picked her up, brushing dust off as she made sure the bird survived the fall. Staring at her reflection, a glowing mist settled over her features. She angled the mirror, trying to figure out the source of the glow. It reminded her of when she got a glimpse of Oregaine in her mirror, but he was a god. Mirror should only glow around gods, not for mortals.
“Possibly because I am on the mortal plane instead of the realm of the gods. Or perhaps Mirror is on the fritz because of how far she fell?” Sighing, she tapped Mirror to awaken her, relieved when the bird shook and perched on her forearm. Not too broken, then.
Now to figure out her position in relation to the boys’ whereabouts. Peering into the darkness, she listened to the sounds around her. A couple of insects chirped before something swooped from the sky, nearly hitting her in the head. Mirror let out a shrill squawk, telling the creature off.
She held the bird up. “Mirror, make yourself useful, which direction do I go?”
Lifting off her hand, Mirror flew about Rhea’s head, spinning in a circle for a moment before facing the way she wanted Rhea to go. “Are you sure?” Mirror chirped her affirmative. “I don’t know if I should trust you after you made me glow.” Even so, she headed in the direction Mirror pointed.
Some time later, laughter drifted across the night, making its way to her. Plugging her nose, she held back a sneeze from the influx of smoke hanging in the air. Soon, the pop and crackle of a large fire joined it. The closer she got to the camp, the louder and more boisterous the voices became. She stuck to the edges of the site, searching for where Oregaine’s boys were being held.
Moving silently, she searched for any sign of sentries, perplexed when there didn’t seem to be any guarding the camp. Were they that certain of their safety they didn’t even worry about wild animals sneaking up on them?
When she found where the horses were being held, she gave them a wider berth, not wanting them to give her location away. She could use the beasts as a distraction, and they only appeared to have one person standing guard over them. It wouldn’t be difficult to free them, but she needed to find the boys and come up with a plan first.
As she rounded the large, domed tent, she finally spotted them. Caravans surrounded the boys on two sides, and an armed guard sat on a third side, playing some sort of card game. A lantern on their make-shift table allowed them to play their game, but made it difficult to clearly see the boys in the shadows behind them.
Eric narrowed his gaze pointedly at Adrian, who simply grinned in return. James sat with his back against his twin and grunted when Adrian jerked on his arm.
Somehow, she needed to help free the boys and get away without being noticed. Lightly tapping Mirror, she gave it a silent command to make its way over to the boys to deliver a message for her.
In a small flash of light, Mirror darted off to the boys.
~
Adrian’s wrists burned where he tugged at the rope. Almost free, one… more… he grunted as the rope pulled taut against his skin before falling to the ground. Back aching as he tried to flex his muscles without being obvious. From the feel of it, there was bruising from being prodded and hit. At least his injury wasn’t as obvious as James’s black eye. It was Eric he was worried about. Earlier, he’d taken a blow meant for James and afterward, limped along, breath catching every time he put weight on his left side. Now sitting across from him, he could see the ankle was swollen, expanding the top of his boot.
“Great. Now what? We’re surrounded by the militia, who aren’t opposed to harming us. Even if we escape, they probably know these woods better than we do. Soon, they’ll realize our wrists are untied…” Adrian tuned James out as he continued to softly berate him, keeping his voice low enough not to catch the guards’ attention. At least Adrian could maneuver his arms somewhat freely again.
Eric glared at them, kicking out lightly with his uninjured foot. Two of the guards sat at the end of the largest caravan, keeping their lazy eyes on the three young men tied between caravans, which kept them separated from the festivities at the bonfire.
His butt was going numb after sitting on the hard packed earth, and the chill in the air had them all shivering. A small explosion rocked the ground, no longer phasing them as they now recognized it for the bottles of alcohol exploding in the fire. Bending over, he attempted to alleviate the pain radiating from his stomach as it growled almost loud enough to be heard over the partying militia.
Occasionally one of the guards glanced their way. After one guard did the cursory check, Eric harshly whispered, “Hush, both of you. We’re going to attract unwanted attention…” He blinked, not finishing his scolding as he focused on a point over the twins’ shoulders.
“Eric?” Adrian glanced over his shoulder as James stiffened behind him. A metallic bird, a bit bigger than his head, flew into his line of sight. “What the…?”
James slid forward a little. “It appears to be… I think… I…” Sputtering to a halt, Adrian could imagine him squinting at the creature while racking his brain for the information he wanted. “Its visage is like a bird… or at least, a glass bird.” He still sat close enough for Adrian to sense James’s body jerk to the side.
Unfortunately, he didn’t receive warning, and the bird smacked him in the back of the head. “Ouch.” He rubbed his head where it ran into him again, when it hit him twice more in quick succession, each time a little softer. He grabbed it, spinning it around in his hands. “It’s actually a bird made of mirrors.” Suddenly, Eric coughed to get their attention, as footsteps could be heard coming closer. Quickly, James and Adrian scooted back together, hiding the strange bird creature between them.
The guards’ attention came up, first to give a head nod at the burly guard walking past them, and then to glance over at the boys. Shrugging, they both went back to whatever game they played.
Burly man stepped past the gaming guards and approached them. “You three hungry?” He stood, waiting for their answer while holding a large bowl of something. Even if Adrian found himself on the brink of starvation, he wouldn’t eat what they offered. His stomach churned at the thought.
“No, I believe we’re good,” Eric spoke for the three of them while the twins nodded their heads in agreement.
“Your loss.” Shrugging and spinning on his heel, he went back the way he’d come.
As soon as Adrian knew the guards no longer watched them, he moved the bird into his line of sight. “It did fly, rig
ht? Because it is showing every sign of being an inanimate object now.” He spread its wings, nearly dropping it as words started to appear.
Get ready for escape. Adrian repeated the words back. “Where did this thing come from?” He scanned the woods, searching for the source of this magic. Something moved through the shadows, but he couldn’t make out any details.
Eric tapped his foot. “What is it?” he asked in a harsh whisper.
“This bird was sent to us…” Adrian glanced up at the trees again.
“Using a glass bird to tell us to get ready for escape? I hope whoever this is from brought an army. Fighting might be the only way we’ll be able to get away.” Eric sighed, looking at each of them. “I guess we’ll go along with this person to see what they want. We’ll probably get… rescued whether we want to or not.”
Unasked decision made, James bumped against his back, drawing attention back to his still bound wrists. Readjusting himself, Adrian went back to work on freeing James. The hair on the nape of his neck stood on end, and he sensed someone watching them. Hopefully they didn’t step straight from their captors and into a trap.
Once he freed James’s hands, Eric inched closer. He didn’t want to attract attention. Launching itself from the ground, the bird had no trouble staying airborne. A pair of small, beady eyes suddenly appeared on the bird, startling Adrian. They blinked, and the bird sped off, heading back for the sparsely wooded area behind the caravans.
“Some freaking magery,” James muttered, keeping his voice low. Eric and Adrian couldn’t help but agree.
The twins both worked to free Eric’s hands. It seemed as soon as his bindings fell off, a loud boom came from the other side of the caravan. Horses dashed off in different directions, adding to the chaos. Over the noise, someone shouted, “Secure the prisoners!” The two men guarding them before were mysteriously missing from their makeshift table.
“Now would be a good time to run,” Adrian stood with James, both helping Eric up as well. James couldn’t use his gift to help him with the pain in front of the guards, especially after being charged with magic.
Grabbing a couple of rocks, Adrian tossed them roughly where they’d been tied up, the sound covered by panicked horses and cursing guards. Muttering a word of power, his illusion took hold, showing the three of them still tied together. It wouldn’t fool the guards for long, but it would buy them some time. He needed to grab some things to cast illusions on, particularly if they stayed on the run.
Moving swiftly, they got Eric under the cover of the trees. Twigs snapped under their feet as a low-hanging branch smacked him in the face, infusing his lungs with the scent of sap and pine. Roots stuck up, causing fissures in the packed dirt. A large shrub stood in their path, tripping Eric and nearly taking all three of them down.
Reaching the edge of the line of trees, the ground shook, and Adrian shivered with the sense of a presence nearing them. “Something is coming for us.”
Stumbling out of their hold, Eric grunted as he leaned against an overly large pine tree. “Leave me and go.”
Before the twins could come up with a response, a woman stepped into the clearing. James glanced up, doing a double take when he laid eyes on her. “Adrian, this is not time for your pranks.”
The woman continued closer, her mahogany hair hung smooth and straight down her back, falling to cover one dark eye. The small slant to her eyes made her appear slightly exotic. A straight nose and full, blood red lips drew his attention. Seeing the entirety of her scuffed, brown boots under the jagged hem of her green dress was almost scandalous, but it appeared she must have hacked off a few inches to better traverse the woods. Her belt wrapped tightly around her waist, pouches of various sizes hooked around it as it accentuated her slender waist. A dull, brown bag was slung over her shoulder, bulging so much it was a wonder she could carry it.
When she stood beside the tree Eric leaned against, she spoke. “Come. We aren’t going far, but I wanted to keep the horses at some distance from the camp, to keep from alerting the guards.”
“Who are you?” Eric watched the woman suspiciously.
The woman paused. “Rhea. My distraction won’t last long. We need to get as far from here as we can before they put the fire out.” She turned, obviously expecting them to follow her.
“How do we know we can trust you?” Eric spoke up.
She paused again, cringing. “I was sent to help you. I can’t tell you more. My advice is to get you to the king before your captors. Hopefully, you won’t need to forfeit your lives or need to spend them on the run, but we need to see if we can convince the king to free you first. I left Mirror holding the horses, and I’m afraid to find out what will happen if I leave them in her care for too long.”
“Wait… Mirror?” Eric’s eyes went huge as they all realized the reflective bird belonged to her. “You’re the mage?” He backed up, nearly tripping over a tree root.
“Yes, as are the three of you, fire mage, healing mage, and earth mage. If the militia catches you again, my instructions to help you escape without casualties becomes more difficult.” She turned, heading into the forest, away from the caravan behind them. Sharing a glance with James, Adrian nodded. They did not want to risk escape on their own when the woman had a plan. Not when their choices were death or a lifetime of being on the run.
“Let’s go, Ric.” James moved, letting Eric use him as a crutch.
“You can’t be serious.” Eric struggled against him for a moment before giving in. “If we die, I blame you.”
Chapter Four
Escaping
Mirror hovered in the air, reigns in her talons, keeping the horses contained in a small thicket. Walking up to one of the horses, she motioned for the boys to follow her. “We won’t be able to keep them for long. Eric and James can share a horse until James heals his injury.” To Mirror, Rhea muttered, “Release the reins, you infernal device.” She dropped them, letting out an indignant squawk at the name-calling. Rhea scowled at the noisiness, but hastened to add, “Yes, I know, a beautiful infernal device.” She patted Mirror on the head as the bird landed on her shoulder.
“How do you know our names?” Eric voiced all of their suspicions.
“As I said before, I was sent to help you.” Rhea cringed as the words left her lips. They probably wouldn’t be receptive to the idea their father kept an eye on them the whole time.
“Sent by whom?” James questioned. When Rhea turned to glance at him, the dark purple bruise surrounding his swollen eye seemed to be slowly changing to match his lightly tanned skin.
“I can’t… I mean, we need to get moving, not waste time. I understand trusting me isn’t easy, but you can travel with me for a fortnight or follow the guards’ caravan with your wrists tied behind your backs.” She let the idea hang in the air, before James and Adrian helped Eric onto one of the beasts of burden. James hopped onto the horse behind him and immediately set to work healing his older brother.
Adrian gripped the reins of the solid black horse in his fingers, easily vaulting into the saddle. Once he got settled on the beast, he glanced at his brothers. “There are probably reasons for her keeping silent. We don’t have to trust her to accept her help.”
His distrust stung, but she understood why they felt so much skepticism concerning her, and she didn’t expect any of them to trust her yet. Mirror screeched, and she cringed, brushing her away from her shoulder. “Keep it up, and you’ll be flying the whole way there.” Although Mirror could fly, her considerable body weight made it difficult for her to sustain flight for long distances.
“Is that thing alive?” Adrian asked, moving his horse up to hers.
“Yes, of course. I mean, she’s not mortal, but she’s definitely alive.” Mirror spun, glaring at Rhea. “You can’t die or age, and you aren’t a god, nor are you mortal, either.”
“Is it male or female?” he asked, his attention on the reflective creature.
“Her name is Mirror, and she’s femal
e. Or, rather, I’ve always thought of her as female.” Rhea chuckled. She glanced back to find Eric sitting backward on his horse, his injured ankle in James’s lap. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long for James to finish healing him. She only secured three of the horses, and the one Eric and James rode wouldn’t be able to carry both of them quickly or for any length of time.
“Where did you come from?” Bright-blue eyes narrowed on her as he inspected her from head to toe.
She debated what she could tell him without revealing too much. “I lived near the sea. A kindly gentleman took me in when I was orphaned at a young age.” She ducked her head to avoid saying more.
Rhea’s ears strained, listening to the absence of noise in the forest, until she caught a rhythmic staccato beat drawing closer. Someone was hot on their trail, coming up behind them. Before she could urge them on, Adrian tilted his head to the side.
“Someone’s coming,” he stated with certainty.
“We need to ditch our horses or drive them to go faster. She turned to Eric and James. “With the two of you sharing a mount, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to push them.”
Eric wiggled his ankle, testing it, as Adrian replied, “They’re coming in fast, and you want us to evade them on foot?”
Gesturing at Mirror, she gave a look of exasperation to Adrian. “Show us a safe location.”
The reflective surface of the mirror shimmered as her wings unfolded, showing them an image. Rhea shook her head.
Adrian snorted. “Those cliffs don’t seem safer than where we’re at now.”
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 85
