“What do you mean?”
“All of this. It isn’t enough to stop a coronation set to happen in a few days time.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Narra asked.
Asher sighed. “I don’t know.”
Avalon cleared her throat and the three of them looked at the pirate. “Why not stop the princesses execution?”
“ S top the public execution of two royal children?” Erik echoed. His eyebrows were high on his forehead and his eyes were wide with disbelief.
Narra’s heart raced as she thought over Avalon’s suggestion. If they could stop the execution of the princesses, they might be able to figure out some way to prove their innocence, which would mean Marina wouldn’t be next in line for the throne.
“Are you serious?” Asher scoffed. “It’d be suicide. There will be hundreds of people in Varek Square. They’ll have dozens of palace guards and even more Patrolmen.”
Narra exchanged a look with Erik. His eyebrows went low the second he looked at her. “Rheka,” he warned.
“It could work,” Narra said. “If we can find a way to prove their innocence, Marina won’t be crowned empress.”
“Even the act of stopping their execution could be enough to prove Marina isn’t fit to rule if she can’t even execute the criminals who seek to destroy this country,” Avalon added.
Narra smiled. “Exactly. It could work.”
“How many guards and Patrolmen did he just say there’d be?” Erik motioned at Asher. “Dozens. ”
“How many dozens?” Narra asked.
Erik huffed. “How many shouldn’t be the first question out of your mouth!”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Erik sighed. “You’re already keen on this plan aren’t you?”
Narra shrugged. “Maybe.”
“There will be at least a dozen, if not two dozen guards there to protect Marina and the stage. Most available patrol units will be rerouted to the square since the military won’t be stepping in. In total there is bound to be sixty guards and Patrolmen in the vicinity. Maybe more.” Asher narrowed his eyes at Narra as if these facts should daunt her.
They didn’t.
“And they all won’t be on the rooftops now will they?” Narra asked.
Asher’s eyes went wide. “You want to fly down from the rooftops to grab them?”
“Why not?” Narra was thinking more of flying up from the crowd to grab the princesses, and escape over the rooftops, but flying down to grab them might work too.
Asher sat back in his chair and stared at her, though his gaze was glazed as if he wasn’t actually watching her, simply thinking. “They might have a couple on the rooftops. No more than one or two.”
“One or two we can handle,” Narra said.
“Why not steal them away before then?” Avalon asked.
Asher shook his head. “They’ll be under strict guard until the execution. The best place to grab them might actually be up on that stage in Varek Square.”
“You’re all lunatics,” Erik said.
Narra nudged his shoulder. “Since when have you ever balked at a challenge?”
Erik groaned. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re the only other person here who can operate a grappling hook,” Narra said. “There are two princesses. ”
“So you and I will be launching ourselves from the tops of buildings and whisking these ladies off to where ?” Erik raised his brows. “Where in Rova City could we take them that they won’t be found?”
Narra smiled. Before she could stop herself, her gaze darted to Avalon.
“Wait, Rheka, no,” Avalon said quickly. She held up her hands as if surrendering. “Not my ship.”
“It’s the only place we could take them on short notice,” Narra said.
Avalon leaned her head against the back of the plush loveseat and groaned. “You’re lucky you’re so beautiful, Rheka. There’s no way I’d let you talk me into this otherwise.”
Heat rushed to Narra’s face, and she blinked in surprise while Erik choked on a laugh.
Asher cleared his throat to call back their attention. “The execution is tomorrow.”
Narra took a deep breath to center herself. “Right.” Tomorrow Elena and Raeleen Kolarova would be put to death. It wasn’t a lot of time to plan or gather intel on patrol for the square, but they’d have to make due. This was their last chance to save the princesses, and maybe their last chance to stop Marina.
“We’ll need a distraction of sorts to get in and out,” Erik said. He sounded tired—resigned to their suicide mission.
Narra looked at Avalon. Besides housing the princesses, this is one thing the pirate might be able to help with. She raised her eyebrows meaningfully until Avalon’s eyes widened slightly.
“Do you think you can help?” Narra asked.
Avalon shifted uncomfortably. “I think so.”
Erik looked between them. “What am I missing? How can she help with a distraction? Are you good with explosives or something?”
Avalon flashed an amused grin. “Not quite.”
Narra and Avalon exchanged a look. The pirate gave her a swift nod. She didn’t mind her secret being shared. Narra explained what she knew about Avalon and what a Sea Witch was. Avalon filled in the blanks about her abilities: weather control, manipulation of the sea and its creatures. She could create a typhoon if necessary to distract the crowd and the guards while Narra and Erik flew in to grab the princesses.
Asher was pale by the time they were done, and Erik didn’t look nearly as surprised as Narra thought he would. Maybe after realizing that the Daughters of Ashra were real Erik was harder to shock.
“You can really do those things?” Asher asked tentatively.
Avalon nodded. “If you don’t believe me, we can go outside and I’ll demonstrate.”
“No! That’s fine.” Asher held up a hand, and Avalon smiled wickedly.
“It’s settled then,” Narra said. “Tomorrow we’ll rescue the Kolarova princesses.”
Erik snorted. “Never thought I’d hear those words out of your mouth.”
Narra smiled. “Neither did I.”
The danger she was about to put them in was not lost on her. If this mission went awry, her, Erik, or even Avalon could be captured and put to death. Did she really want her revenge that badly that she’d risk Erik’s safety?
Narra bit her lip as she walked up the stairs to her third floor apartment.
She tried to explain her way through it. She wasn’t risking Erik’s safety because they weren’t going to get caught. They’d hide in the crowd and when the distraction hit, she’d make sure Erik went first and got away safely. As long as Erik got away with one of the princesses, their plan could still work.
Narra didn’t know what evidence they might find to prove the innocence of the two sisters, but they had to try, and if she was caught, at least the rest of them might continue her cause.
It wasn’t just her vendetta that drove them. Asher wanted revenge for the death of his brother, and they all knew the empire would be better with him on the throne. If they could just stop Marina’s coronation, maybe they could make it happen. She had to hold onto hope, or else what was she really doing anymore?
Her Guild might yet kill her for the things she’d done. And what was left without them? Nothing.
“Narra… Narra.” Erik prodded her side.
Narra slapped his hand. “What?”
“Have you heard a word I said?”
She blinked in surprise. She hadn’t even realized he’d spoken.
“I’ll take that as a no.” Erik raised an eyebrow, and a smile ghosted his lips.
“Apologies,” Narra said. “I was just thinking.”
Erik lips twitched from a smile to a frown. “What about? There’s a lot going on.”
Narra sighed. “It’s not important.”
Erik stopped at her front door and gave her a look. “Is it the Daughters? Don’t you
have to go see them soon?”
She’d completely forgotten. “No, but that’s a good point. I’ll go see Ashra tomorrow night.”
Erik gave her a sidelong look as she unlocked the vault-like door to her apartment. She hadn’t told him everything just yet. He might believe the assassins were real after meeting Ria, but it’d be another thing entirely to believe in a Death God.
“All right,” Erik said when she didn’t elaborate.
Narra swung the door inward and gestured him inside before closing the door behind them both. She heaved the lever shut and sealed them inside. If only she could find safety in her apartment as she once had.
N arra plastered herself to the alley wall next to a bakery as she tried desperately to catch her breath.
“Grayson wasn’t kidding about the Patrolmen.” Erik pressed against the brick next to her. Sweat beaded on his forehead. They’d flown over the city until they reached the Shopping District, where they spotted the first of the patrols.
“No, he wasn’t,” Narra agreed.
Almost every block had a pair of Patrolmen walking the streets, stopping couples, or small groups to ask them about where they were headed as if it wasn’t obvious. Everyone who wasn’t working in Rova City today had to be headed to the execution of the princesses. Aside from the assassination of Emperor Malek, this was the biggest thing to happen in recent history. No one would miss this if they could help it.
“We’ve got to be careful,” Erik said. “Once we get to the square we can slip into the crowd.”
Narra nodded. “We should check the area from the rooftops.”
“Agreed.”
Once another pair of Patrolmen passed the mouth of the alley, Narra led the way further down, dodging piles of rubbish and skittering rats until she reached the escape ladder clinging to the back of a dress shop. The second floor was an apartment and would make their access to the roof fairly easy.
Erik paused below the rusted black metal ladder before leaping up. His fingers wrapped around the bottom bars, and he dropped back down, pulling the ladder with him.
Lucky for them, he was tall enough to stop the majority of the resounding clang from the ladder. Erik stepped back and motioned her up first.
Narra checked the mouth of the alley one more time before she gripped the cold metal rungs and climbed upward. Her muscles tightened as she hauled herself up two floors to the roof access. She flung herself over the lip of the roof and crouched on the low end of the steeple.
Erik grunted as he pulled himself over the lip after her. He ground his teeth and glared at the clay tiles as if it was their fault.
“Been awhile, huh?” Narra teased.
Erik snorted. “Just like old times.”
Narra smiled. She gave Erik a moment to catch his breath before creeping up the slanted roof to the top of the steeple. After Erik’s incarceration, he wasn’t up to his old self yet. He still looked tired every morning, and always ate extra, as if at any moment it could all be yanked away from him.
Her chest twinged with regret. It was her fault he’d gone hungry for a week. It was her fault he was exhausted and scarred by that dungeon.
Narra reached the roof’s steeple and stopped, peering over the edge to make sure no one could see them.
Miles of rooftops spread out around them, broken up by Varek Square at the northern center of the Shopping District. Only two blocks away, she could see the stage, specially set up today with only two nooses, one for each Kolarova sister. On the opposite side of the stage, a dark wooden throne with a red cushioned seat was placed between two other chairs. A priest in white robes stood next to the chairs, speaking with someone dressed in black. She couldn’t make out who they were from this distance, and didn’t waste any time trying to. Instead, she scanned the square and the surrounding rooftops for signs of guards.
The stage was already crowded by civilians, most of which pressed against the blockade of palace guards dressed in silver armor. They had black feathers sticking from their helmets instead of the typical red. Black was always the style for a funeral, and in this case, she assumed this was the only funeral the princesses would get.
“Narra,” Erik said sharply.
Narra looked at Erik, whose face was twisted in fear and anger. She followed his gaze to a rooftop on the opposite side of the square. A single patrolman crouched on the flat top of a bakery.
“It’s only one Patrolman,” Narra said.
Erik shook his head. “No, look there.”
Narra followed the line of where he pointed. Two blocks away from the square in the opposite direction of the Thieves was the old clock tower. It stood two stories above all the other buildings surrounding it so all could see the fine bronze gear-work surrounding the clock’s face.
She looked higher, scanning the tower until she realized what Erik had seen. Above the clock face were two shuttered windows. One was open, a man with a rifle leaning against it.
Her heart raced. Emperor’s ancestors , this wasn’t good.
“What now?” Erik asked. “We can’t take to the rooftops only to be shot by a sniper before we reach the Warehouse District.”
Narra ground her teeth. Flames of irritation burned inside of her. “No, we can’t.”
Think, Narra , she commanded herself. What could they do to avert the sniper? Even if they took off in the opposite direction of the tower, the sniper would see exactly where they’d gone and every Patrolman in the city would be on their tails.
Her fists clenched and shook. There was only one way she could think of. “We kill him.”
Erik looked at her with wide eyes. “What?”
Narra’s jaw hardened. She didn’t like the way Erik was looking at her. Killing wouldn’t always be the answer to their problems, but today it was. “We take him out before the execution begins. We have no other choice, Erik.”
Erik’s eyes darkened. She was used to not understanding the emotions of others, but she hated not understanding Erik’s.
“All right,” he said, finally.
Narra’s eyebrows furrowed. She could hear the reluctance in his voice. “I’ll do it. Don’t worry.”
Erik simply nodded before sliding back down to the fire escape. Narra followed, her gut twisting with unease. She didn’t want Erik to think badly of her. It was one thing to kill to get Erik to safety, but this was something else altogether.
Narra waited while Erik descended the ladder to the alley floor. Maybe they could reach the sniper without much trouble. If he didn’t have a partner, maybe they could just knock him out and tie him up. As long as his gag didn’t slip, then he shouldn’t be able to alert anyone.
But what if it did ?
The voice inside her head wasn’t her own, but it was right. If the gag slipped out and the sniper screamed, the entire square would be alerted. And if the gag didn’t, what if his bonds were slipped, or someone came to check on him? A myriad of things could happen, and all of them would derail Narra’s plan to rescue the princesses.
She couldn’t allow that to happen.
Cold settled in her stomach and around her heart. She had to do it. She had to kill the sniper. If it meant stopping Marina, she had no other choice.
Narra slipped over the edge of the escape ladder and descended to the alley floor. She smoothed her cloak and straightened her hood atop her head. It wouldn’t do to have it fly off in the midst of everything.
“We’ll take the alleys and slip around to the tower,” Narra said as they walked the alley to the next street over.
Erik bobbed his chin to show he’d heard, but made no other attempts at conversation .
Normally, she appreciated their easy silence, but right now it was loaded with tension. Erik didn’t approve of her plan. But he hadn’t liked her plan to rescue the princesses at first either. Sometimes they had to do the things they least desired in order to get what they wanted.
It wasn’t the first time she’d done it. She’d killed dozens, and had hundreds mor
e killed just to release her Thieves. This was no different.
Narra paused at the end of the alley to check for Patrolmen. The street was blocked off, and deserted. Smart. The Patrolmen must be herding civilians in from the street over.
They dashed across the street, then another, racing through alleys as fast as they could. The execution was set to begin in about thirty minutes. Avalon’s distraction would start about a minute beforehand. The pirate claimed she needed a minute or two to get things started, and the storm she was going to conjure would be in full swing by the time the princesses were on stage.
They didn’t have long to get to the clock tower and dispatch the sniper if they wanted to slip into the crowd. This fact only made Narra lengthen her strides as she raced across the main street that led down to the City Docks.
“Hey! You there! Stop!”
Narra was already in the next alley. Her heart leapt as she looked over her shoulder.
“Patrolmen!” Erik snapped. He pushed her to hurry, and they both raced out of the next alley they saw.
Heavy footsteps followed, pounding the cobblestone behind them. Shit . She should have been paying more attention. They were only a block away from the clock tower. They couldn’t stop now.
“Stop where you are or I’ll shoot!”
Narra froze, her eyes flying wide. A gun? Her pounding pulse flooded her ears. Guns were rare in the empire. They were expensive to make and against the law for civilians to carry. Only high level military typically carried one. Narra and her father had been the exception. August had made theirs years ago, though they were hardly the mundane powder-using pistols and rifles that most had.
Erik skidded to a stop beside her. He panted loudly, and shot her a desperate, wide-eyed look.
“That’s it,” the Patrolman said. “Now turn around slowly and keep your hands where I can see them.”
Narra shot Erik a look. She was not going down like this. She would not be taken away once again only to be hung in the town square like the princesses. She would not be a spectacle for this damn city.
Erik shook his head slightly, telling her to reconsider.
Narra’s fingers wrapped around a throwing knife at her belt.
Clockwork Thief Box Set Page 54
