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"Still on the same floor as the throne room. We need to go down to get out."
Kaida swallowed just enough to lessen the fire in her throat, "Maybe we shouldn't be trying to go out the front door. What if we tried to find a room with a window and fly out?"
A dragon's roar caught her attention. There was some distance between them, but it was still close. Kaida listened closer and heard the flapping of giant wings. Multiple sets of wings flapped hard just behind him. Kaida looked out of the alcove just enough to notice that they were next to a door and realized that the dragons she was hearing were just outside that room.
"Well, it was a solid idea. Just not the answer."
More sets of footsteps thundered through the hall. Kaida and Enzo pressed themselves against the wall. Kaida held her breath so the noise wouldn't catch their attention. The sound of the oncoming guards grew louder as they turned from the left down toward them. Enzo grabbed her hand and held it as the guards made it through the hall. There was murmuring between them. From what Kaida could tell, there were four separate voices. They walked through it slowly since it was difficult to see through Enzo's magic. One voice grew louder than the others. The rest were moving forward while one continued to search in this section. Kaida silently put a shield before them while Enzo made the cloud thicker around it to conceal them more. Kaida prayed to the Great Dragon that the guard continued on their way. Kaida felt her heart ramming against her ribcage, and her mouth went dry as the shadow of the guard became more visible. Kaida's knees shook before her dragon surged to the surface, pushing her fear out of her in an instant.
I'm here if you need me.
I can't shift without destroying the castle.
That might not be a terrible thing.
As the guard stepped closer, Kaida wished her magic was more like a Witch's than a dragon's. If Adrien were here, she would have a spell or enchantment to get them out of there with minimal effort. Shifting into her dragon would only cause the castle to come down on them. Their magic would draw attention, and they would fight for a lifetime to get out.
Another pair of footsteps caught her attention. They were still far out but close enough for the person to be able to speak to the guard in front of them.
"Colt! Are you getting a read on them?"
"No. The cloud has its scents spread through the whole damn thing. I can't pick up where they went because they are everywhere!"
"You think this is what the Plasma can do?"
Kaida heard "Colt" growl, "NO, you imbecile. It's what the prince can do. Keep moving. I'm right behind you."
The footsteps receded until the hall was quiet. Kaida's breathing leveled as her body relaxed against the wall. Enzo momentarily put his arm around her shoulder as he relaxed but then moved out of the alcove.
"We need to keep moving," he whispered.
There was no argument there. They needed out before Gemar found them. Enzo told her to keep her magic at hand and pulled her through the halls until he found the stairs he had been looking for. The door was a deep-colored wood, creaking as he opened it so loudly that it alerted the guards nearby.
"I've found them! They are in the north wing's staircase!" Colt bellowed as his footsteps drew closer.
Kaida dashed down the stairs behind Enzo. The footsteps behind them thundered in her ears. Kaida picked up her pace and did her best to balance on the heels she wore. When they reached the bottom, Kaida kicked off the shoes and sprinted after Enzo. Without the shoes, she closed the distance in no time. He grabbed her hand again and led her through the halls once again.
They were on the main level now. The staircase was precisely what they needed to get here, and Kaida knew they were closer to escaping. Enzo's magic filled the space to keep them covered. Kaida knew where she was in the castle now, and they were almost to the front door. They were almost free. It was straight down this hallway and through the double doors.
That's when Enzo's magic dissipated.
Gemar was standing in front of the door. Kaida didn't have to look behind her to know that the guards were there, trapping them just twenty feet away from their freedom. Gemar smirked at them. Kaida's stomach twisted in, knowing they were caught. The only way out was to fight. It was Kaida and Enzo against the King and his guards. Was it a fair fight? No.
But I know I am strong enough to get us to that door.
Kaida didn't waste any time. With her dragon just below her skin and her magic crackling at her fingertips, she had a fighting chance. The Great Dragon blessed her with this power, and she would be damned not to use it to get back to her mates.
Only Gemar made his move faster than she did.
Kaida saw the flash of green in his eyes before guards behind them stomped to spread around them instead. The hallway was large enough, around fifteen feet, because it had to receive many people at once. Each guard had an iron helmet, gold cloak, and dark blue armor underneath. There were openings around the eyes, and Kaida could see the vibrant green of Gemar's magic glistening in the shadows under the helmet. Kaida knew they would need to fight their way out, but she didn't want to hurt this many people to escape. Unfortunately, there was no other obvious choice.
With her hands ready with magic, she created a gap between her hands and allowed her magic to grow. Gemar smirked at her in a challenging way. He wasn't going to call off the guards. He wanted her to use her magic to gauge her power level. She could feel it as he stared into her eyes.
Enzo unleashed lightning from his hands, controlling its arcs to spread through the hall. Most of the guards could create shields to protect them from the attack. The others took the hit and fell to their knees. Kaida threw her plasma beam at Gemar, concentrating the blast forward to blow open the door. Gemar's eyes widened as if he hadn't expected Kaida to attack, and he managed to jump out of the way just in time. Gemar hit the floor while Kaida's magic blew the door to pieces. Gemar covered his head with his arms to keep the shattered remnants of the door from cutting his face. Enzo grabbed her hand and ran toward the door. Kaida pushed her magic outward and created a bubble-like shield around them to protect them from every direction.
When the sun glistened on their skin, Kaida pushed for the shift, which was instantaneous. With Enzo's dragon beside her, her powerful wings had her airborne in seconds. Kaida looked behind her, expecting someone to follow them to continue the battle, but no dragons were chasing them, and no soul was outside the castle's walls.
That was a close one.
