Rokkan was pacing in front of the fire, rubbing his hands across his chin and through his
thick, black hair. “I don’t know.”
“You still have another ten men who need to make it to the Hotel, right?” said Megan. The prince nodded. “Well, the Hotel is on the other side of the district. Send the men with me, we will go through the town warning everyone, in a very quiet and collected manner. Make sure everyone gets to safety and then we’ll be at the Hotel.” She pointed to Rekk. “In the meantime, you make sure everyone in the castle finds refuge and get the men who will be guarding the inside of the castle walls ready, okay?”
Rekk looked to Rokkan for validation. The prince shrugged and motioned back to Megan. “Don’t look at me,” he said. “She’s the one with the plan.”
Megan suddenly felt the weight of the responsibility that had just been handed to her, or, more accurately, the responsibility she had just picked up for fear nobody else was going to.
“Fine,” said Rekk. “I’ll worry about the castle. Megan nodded in agreement. He hesitated before leaving and looked worriedly at the prince. “What about you, sir?”
The prince wasn’t looking at either of them. He continued to go back and forth across the carpet, muttering quietly to himself. “We will do what we originally talked about,” said Megan, pushing aside her fear of being in charge and remember what the details of their first plan were. “You will come with me and the group headed for the Hotel and hide out in the watchtower as previously planned.”
“No,” said Rokkan. Megan was taken aback, and the fire of confidence that had just been burning red hot in her belly went out just as quickly as it had been lit.
“What do you mean?” she said. “This was what we discussed.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of research on pack mentality,” said Rokkan. “I know how these wolves fight. The key to their success is how well they work together, which means if we want to ensure us a victory, we’re going to have to split them up.”
Megan frowned. “And how exactly do you propose we do that?”
“Chances are, they have us surrounded. We can only see them approaching from the East is because of the watchtower. They are going to attack us from all sides, and once they figure out where I am, which, I also learned, they will most likely do by tracking my smell with their incredibly powerful noses, they will command all their troops to go wherever I am and kill anyone who gets in their way. I can’t be at the Hotel or the castle. It’s too dangerous for everyone else.” He stopped pacing and stood still, staring into the flames. “I have a plan though. It’s risky, but I think it just might work.” He brought his gaze up to Rekk. “Find two fighters who have the most similar build as me. Put them in some of my clothes and jewels, stuff that’s dirty, that has my scene –– make them look and smell as much like me as possible. Can you do that?”
“Yes, but––” Rekk began.
“One of them,” Rokkan continued. “Is going to go with Megan and her group of men and station himself at the wall behind the hotel. Another is going to be on the outside of the castle walls.”
“And you’ll be hiding somewhere they will never expect you to be,” said Megan, a smile suddenly spreading across her face. “That’s brilliant!”
Rokkan shook his head gravely. “I’m not going to be hiding. Not while my fighters are out there putting their lives on the line for me. Not while your people are cowering in fear because of a war I brought into their lives.”
“You’ll be fighting then, sir?” asked Rekk. “Should I get the dragon armor ready?”
“I will be fighting, yes,” said Rokkan. “But not at first, and I can’t take the armor. First, I’m going to take a quick fly through the woods.”
Both Megan and Rekk stared at him with confusion and, in Megan’s case, a hint of fright induced anger. “A quick fly?” she said. “Right now?”
“I will transform, so that I can cover more ground before sunrise. I will try to touch every corner, every building, every tree in District One and surrounding area and get my scent on all of it.” He grinned. “Between that, and the decoys, those dogs are going to have one hell of a time sniffing me out. Once they attack, it will be total confusion and chaos. Each one of them is going to swear the smelled me over here or saw me over there. They are going to have to split up. They will no longer be hunting as a pack, and we can pick them off one by one.”
“What if they see you?” said Megan. “While you’re out on this ‘quick fly’ of yours? They could catch you before the battle even begins and then we’ll stand no chance.”
“I won’t get caught,” said Rokkan.
“You don’t know that for sure.” Megan felt a burning sensation in the back of her eyeballs and at the bridge of her nose. He went to her and embraced her tightly. “It’s too dangerous,” she mumbled, burying her face in his chest.
Rekk cleared his throat, reminding them he was still in the room. They broke apart and turned towards him. “I will find the decoys,” he said. “And find a safe place to put all those inside the castle. I will meet you both back here before sunrise, that is, if we all –– er, um, ahem, make it. So, then I best be on my way. Good luck to you both.” He offered them a stupid, childish smile and left.
After the door was closed behind him, the two lovers rekindled their hug and allowed themselves a few moments to just be with each other. Rokkan was the one to pull out of the embrace first. “I have to get going,” he said. “And so do you. You have the most important job of us all. You need to protect the town.”
Megan sighed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “Yes, I know.” She looked up at him, wishing she could overpower him somehow and force him to stay locked in the castle where she could keep watch over him. “I will see you back here before sunrise, right? You’ll be sure to be back.”
“I will be here,” he said. “You should bring your family back here too. You should all be together at a time like this.”
We, Megan was close to correcting him. We should all be together at a time like this.
“I will,” she said, laughing softly. “At least my mom will finally be able to see the castle. Let’s just hope it stays standing long enough for her to get a good look.”
* * *
“The wolves are on their way, you need to seek shelter.” Megan had repeated the sentence so many times over the past three hours, the words were beginning to lose their meaning. Her and the ten fighters headed for the Hotel, including the one decoying as the prince, stopped every person they passed and relayed the message. They also went into every single building in the district, opened every door, and made sure not a single soul went unwarranted.
It was four thirty by the time they arrived at the Hotel. The sun would be rising in less than an hour, and they still had to warn the whole building. Megan went to her family’s apartment first and told them what was happening. As she expected, they all agreed to help warn the rest of the buildings occupants and the job was finished just before five.
“Now, we have to go back to the castle,” said Megan.
“All of us?” asked Ollie. They were standing outside the front doors of the Hotel, watching the soldiers get in position on the wall. “But why? Is it safer there?” Suddenly, and likely without meaning to, he raised his voice. “I know it!” Megan shushed him and looked over at the wall where the soldiers were shooting them mean looks. He lowered his voice and continued with the lament. “Of course the castle is the safest place. I’ll bet the prince is holed up there, sitting on his throne safe and sound, eating a late night snack and laughing at all of us poor suckers who believed he was any different than the last rulers we––” Megan’s hand made contact with Ollie’s cheek and the sound of the slap broke through the early morning silence like a crack of unexpected lightning.
Ollie brought his own palm to the side of his face and gawked at his sister.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, her fac
e feeling hot and her hand still stinging. “Rokkan has done everything in his power tonight to make sure the people of District One are as safe as possible.” She brought her voice down to a whisper. “Including putting his own life in grave danger.”
Cal stepped forward and put an arm around his son. “Ollie didn’t mean it,” he said. “He’s just scared.”
Iris ran her fingers lovingly through her daughter’s hair. “We are all scared. Now is not the time to be turning on each other.”
“I’m not turning on anyone,” said Megan. She softened her expression and sighed at her little brother. “I’m sorry I slapped you. It’s been a really crazy night and I let my emotions get the better of me.”
Ollie rubbed his face once, up and down, and said, “I’m sorry too.”
The two siblings hugged.
“We’ve got to hurry though,” said Megan, pulling Ollie into more a side hug, which they could maintain while walking. “We need to be back before the sun comes up.”
“Or what?” asked Iris.
Before Megan could answer, there came a loud swoosh sound from overhead, and they all looked up just in time to see a large, green shape fly overhead and in the direction of the castle.
“What the hell was that?” said Cal.
“That,” said Megan. “Was my prince.”
* * *
Back in Rokkan’s room, Megan found only Rekk waiting for her.
“He’s not back yet?” Is all she said in the way of a greeting.
The assistant was standing at the window, watching the night sky. “He told me to give you this.” Rekk stuck an arm out behind him, without looking in Megan’s direction. She walked across the room and quickly snatched the folded piece of paper from Rekk’s hand.
It was a note, scribbled in barely legible handwriting and blotted with tear stains.
Megan,
I knew if I saw you again, I wouldn’t be able to leave you.
I need to fight along side my soldiers, and I knew if I told you this in person, I would devastate you, and seeing devastation on your face would prove too debilitating. I am sorry. You are the bravest, strongest person I know, and you have inspired me to fight for what I believe in, and I believe in District One.
I will see you on the other side. I promise.
I love you,
Rokkan
She felt like crumbling to the floor, ripping the letter up, and succumbing to the overwhelming, bone aching sense of dread that was welling up inside of her.
You are the bravest, strongest person I know, she read the line again and decided she would make herself worthy of such a title. She threw the piece of paper on the floor and headed for the door. “If you see him, tell him I’m with my family and the rest of the people hiding in the kitchen,” she called back to Rekk. “Or don’t. Maybe it’s time I let him worry about me for a change.”
She said this without really thinking, and definitely without really meaning it. Rekk must’ve picked up on the fact that the comment came from a place of pain and was not to be taken literally because he said before she closed the door behind her, “I will let him know the moment I see him.”
Back in the kitchen, Megan’s family were standing around, each holding a make-shift weapon, along with Amara, Esma, Trint, and a few other members of the kitchen staff. They all jumped when she opened the door, Amara even jutted the knife she was holding out in Megan’s direction.
“Hey, watch it!” said Megan. “It’s just me.”
Amara winced. “Sorry. It was instinct.”
“Maybe you should have a different weapon,” said Trint. “One that isn’t so… pointy?” He tentatively reached for the knife and handed her the meat tenderizer he had previously chosen for his own weapon. “Just don’t go swinging that thing willy-nilly, okay?”
Amara nodded and felt the weight of the metal hammer in her hands.
“Here,” said Iris, handing a frying pan to her daughter. “You can use this.”
Megan took the heavy piece of kitchenware and gripped the handle tightly. “Thanks.” She used her unoccupied hand to check that Lou’s knife was still secured between her belt and pants, where she had stuffed it before coming downstairs.
Nobody was sitting down at the small table in the back corner, where kitchen workers often took their brakes and drank their coffee. Megan could feel the thick, muggy tension wafting through the room, and figured she might as well be the first to take a seat and try to relax. If they all wanted to stand around, antsy and scared, that was fine, but Megan was exhausted and she would take any down time she could possibly get before the fight started. The others followed her lead and soon all the seats were taken and people were hopping up to sit on countertops or getting down, cross legged on the floor.
“Did you get an update from the prince?” Cal asked.
“No,” said Megan. “He’s gone to the front lines. Left me a note.”
Iris scoffed and shook her head. “Men.”
“Yeah, well.” Megan threw her hands up in the air. “What are you gonna’ do? He’s a man of honor and integrity. He couldn’t leave his men alone to fight.” She sighed. “So he left me alone to fight instead.”
Ollie reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “You’re not alone. You have all of us.”
“And you have me.” The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere, all at once, as if it was the room itself that was speaking, and not a singular person. Megan thought it sounded vaguely familiar, but it the words had been muffled, as if the person saying them was talking through a cardboard paper-towel roll. A few people stood up, Megan included, and brought their weapons to the ready.
“Who’s there?” Megan left the frying pan on the table and opted, instead, to reach for Lou’s knife. Grasping the hilt, she found that it was warm and the knife seemed to be very softly vibrating.
The knife got hotter and hotter, forcing Megan to drop it. It clanked on the ground and started to vibrate maniacally. Everyone near instinctively started to back up and away from the frightening, seemingly uncontrollable magical display at their feet. A beacon of light shined out of the tip of the knife, temporarily blinding Megan. Blinking away some of the brightness, Megan’s eyes focused just in time to see the beacon take on the shape of a human. Feminine features started to become clear, and finally, the knife settled and the light disappeared.
Again, Megan’s eyes needed time to adjust. The blur finally dissipated and she could see who was standing in front of her.
“Lou?”
Megan’s childhood friend embraced her. “Hey buddy,” she said. “Long time no see.”
The two of them would have remained like that, hugging, crying, and laughing, for hours if Trint hadn’t of coughed and asked, in a very rude and accusatory tone, who the hell Lou was and what she was doing here.
“I’m here to help,” is all Lou said to the head chef. She looked over Megan’s shoulder to where the rest of her family was standing. Megan followed her gaze and found that they were all looking shocked, but happy.
Iris went to Lou first and hugged her with the intensity only a mother can. “Oh my god, Lou. I can’t believe it! We thought… your parents they said…”
“I’m sure they said a lot of things.” Lou rolled her eyes. “What they probably failed to mention, however, was the fact that I’m a mage.” She glanced back at the knife, from which she’d just come out, and laughed. “In case you hadn’t already guessed.”
“I can’t believe you’re here,” said Megan. “How did you get here? I thought District Three was on some sort of lock down?”
“It’s complete and utter chaos over there,” Lou explained. “The wards around the district went down sometime last night. The wolves are fighting the mages who are fighting another group of draaks, this one led by their king, who just finished fighting the elementalists of District Nine. It’s insanity. I saw an opening and decided to take it. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would be walking into, or if you wo
uld even have the knife with you.” She laughed. “I was somewhat worried I might teleport myself into some box stuffed in the corner of some dusty attic.”
“But what about the other mages?” asked Megan. “Don’t they need you?”
“All my friends from District Three are either dead or have escaped,” said Lou, her tone suddenly taken a dramatic, heartbreaking turn. “The rest of the mages teamed up with the elementalists the second they arrived on the scene. I wasn’t about to joining forces with those monsters, so I decided my efforts could be best used elsewhere. I came to protect the only true family I ever had.” She smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks. “You.”
Megan hugged her again, and this time the rest of the Zandle family got in on the hug and it became a group thing. Megan spotted Amara standing awkwardly to the side, trying not to look directly at the group embrace. When they broke apart, Megan waved Amara to come over. “Lou, I’d like you to meet my friend, Amara. She’s really helped keep me sane the past few weeks.”
Amara stuck a hand out but Lou slapped it aside and hugged her as well. “It’s so nice to meet you. I only wish it were under different circumstances.”
Again, it was Trint who interrupted the happy moment. “Speaking of our circumstances, the sun has been up for a few minutes now. I think we should probably cut this sweet little reunion short and start shutting the hell up.” He was whispering, but because of anxious he must’ve been, it came out nearly just as loud as a normal speaking voice.
“He’s right,” said Megan. She was actually whispering. “Everyone should get themselves hidden somewhere, under a table or in a closet. Have your weapons ready. Hopefully, we won’t have to use them. There are draaks guarding the castle grounds, who will most likely stop any of them from getting inside.”
“I’m going to go outside,” said Lou. “I’ll keep watch on the perimeter of the castle and warn you if it looks like any wolves might break the draak’s front line.”
Lord Rokkan’s Private Toy Page 13
