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I grabbed Brex again, giving her a gentle shake. My mind was spinning with possibilities. “Brex!”
Her tear-filled eyes finally focused on mine. “Arrow, you have to get away,” she whispered ominously.
“You've said that. Now tell me why, Brex. I’m listening.” I softened my voice and watched her swallow.
“The Bruralians. I have learned a lot today about them, and about the peace talks. They are evil, Arrow. Evil!” A shudder went through her as I held her arms. “The women chosen to go to Brural will be sent as marriage ambassadors. I can’t let that happen. Not to you. You must go away. Tonight. And escape.”
“Wait, did you saymarriage ambassadors?”
She nodded, and I waited while she gathered herself. She took a deep breath to continue calmly. “Yes. The Brural women are to marry men of the court here, and you and the others that are traveling to Brural will marry the men there.” She gripped my hands with strength that surprised me. “We cannot let that happen. Brural is—” Stopping herself, she shook her head, refusing to say more.
“Alright, I believe you. How did you find this out?”
“I saw something, something horrible, and then the men began talking about the peace agreement.”
Marriage, especially marriage to a Bruralian, filled my veins with ice, but that in and of itself wouldn’t affect Brex this way. I tried to think of what would cause her to be so filled with terror on my behalf, and none of the options my brain supplied were comforting. “Brex, did they… did they hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, not me.”
Cold terror shot up my spine. “Will?”
“No, Will is fine, in the other room.” Her hands rubbed my arms now, comforting me, knowing where my mind had gone. “It was one of the servants, Veres, who was helping me watch the Bruralians. What they did... Arrow, it was inhumane. They… they brought in wolves and…”
A stronger shudder shook her against me, and I encouraged her to continue, even though I was dreading her next words. I couldn’t imagine what she must have felt as she hid and watched the scene unfold.
“When he was dead, they laughed. Laughed! I couldn’t leave because they were blocking the exit. So, I stayed there, quietly, waiting for them to finish. I don’t know what happened to the wolves, but they took their time cleaning up the… mess. After a while, they began talking about William, and their plans for him.” Her grip on my arms became bruising. “They’re coming for him in the morning, when they think we will be away from the rooms. I don’t know how they know, Arrow, but you both must leave before they come for you!”
“Wait. Why go after Will now?” It didn’t make sense. If they’ve been watching our movements, why wait until now?
“They found out he survived. He wasn’t supposed to, Arrow. Because he went to Captain Marcus about his suspicions, they decided he was a risk, so they knocked him out and carried him to the forest where he would be killed. When they know he is still alive, they then decided on a different fate. They said they will erase any further complications.”
I swallowed heavily, trying to keep my drink down and not think about what “erased” meant. Leaving so soon meant the rest of the castle would suffer at the hands of the Bruralians, but I’d do anything to protect those I loved.
Slowly, a new plan formed. It was dangerous but getting Will away from the castle was our only option. I couldn’t protect him here. They outnumbered us, and I worked best from a distance. They’d overpower both Brex and me to get to Will. The King would be no help. He had turned a blind eye to the violence happening under his nose for the sake of peace. When had he become so spineless?
“Alright, we’ll leave soon. Can you finish packing for Will?” I nodded towards the chaos with a wry smile.
“I will pack for you and William. I’m staying behind,” she agreed decisively.
“No, just Will.”
Eyes widening with worry, she shook her head vehemently. “No, Arrow, you have to go too. I’ll cover your tracks. You both need to get somewhere safe. You could return to Loxley and your beloved Sherwood. You’ll both be safe there.”
“No, I can’t—"
“Arrow—”
“Listen to me,” I barked, instantly regretting my harsh tone, but I needed her to listen. “Pack for Will and something light for me. I’m going to get Will out of here then come back in time to leave with the others. I can’t allow them to face Brural alone. Not when I’m in charge of them.”
“But—”
“I’ll be fine, Brex. I know the woods. I’ll take Will away somewhere he’ll be safe. Then, I’ll come back. It’s the only option,” I said, shaking her shoulders. I’d be missed if I was away too long, not to mention the Bruralians would notice my absence. “I need you to cover for me.”
“Alright,” she finally replied, nodding, and I hoped she could see my reasoning. She wasn’t thrilled with it, but she agreed it was necessary.
After we’d ironed out the new plan, I told her what had happened during my meeting with Little John.
As she put the finishing touches on our travel bags, I went downstairs to see Epione. My hope was that with her being a healer and having odd hours, she would be available to talk.
