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Edmund opened his mouth to reply, only to get smacked with another, even larger wave. Splashes of salt water coated his tongue with an unpleasant, briny taste while the cold salt water made his clothes feel extra sticky and scratchy. “I agree. Let’s get moving. I think we should leave the vines connecting us, in case one of us slips or is knocked over by a wave.”
Sarya nodded, reached up, and sent a little of her magic up the vine, severing the vine partway up the cliff.
They left the rest of the vine trailing down the cliff face, its leaves curling and dying as the elven magic left it.
Jalissa glanced at the vine one last time, a hint of sadness in her eyes, before she reached for Edmund’s hand, her jaw set.
He squeezed her fingers, the only comfort he could give her right then. Jalissa wouldn’t like sacrificing the plant, even if it had been for their escape. Likely, the plant wouldn’t die off entirely. Vines like that were extremely difficult to kill. Based on the way the vine had been taking over not just the arbor but also the nearby balustrade, the gardeners would likely be thankful that the vine was tamed for a while.
Sarya led the way south, hugging the strip of sand dotted with fallen boulders at the base of the cliffs. Their feet sank into the sloshing sand with each step while waves battered them every minute or two. Edmund didn’t know enough about the ocean to tell if the tide was coming in or going out. Either way, he wanted to get out of there and reach safer ground as quickly as possible.
At least the crashing waves would quickly wash away their tracks. If the castle was searched thoroughly, someone might eventually connect the vines trailing down the cliff with them. And they would puzzle out that they would have gone south toward the river mouth and the town rather than north toward a shoreline that featured high cliffs for at least a mile before it spread out into grassy, sandy beaches.
But hopefully by that point, they would be long gone.
After a few more minutes of miserable trudging, the cliffs became less steep, and they eventually climbed out onto a small rise topped with seagrass and sand.
The dry sand provided another challenge as it slid beneath their feet with every step and coated their boots with a gritty layer.
By the time they reached the docks that jutted into the river mouth, all three of them were breathing hard.
Edmund called a halt for a moment so they could catch their breath. Neither Sarya nor Jalissa had the strength of magic of someone like Weylind. Growing the vine like they had would have tired them out, and they likely couldn’t depend on either of them having much left for defense if it came to that. He wasn’t sure how long his own strength would last before he’d start to feel the effects of the poison.
They needed to get on that train as soon as possible so they could all rest. But the cargo train would be at the station on the far side of the river, tucked amongst the docks and warehouses rather than the upscale district that crowded this side of the river next to the castle.
A few bridges spanned the river, but bridges meant guards and venturing deeper into the nicer part of the city.
Edmund scanned the docks below them, then pointed to where someone had pulled a small rowboat onto the shore. “I think we need to steal a boat.”
Jalissa grimaced but nodded. He didn’t really like it either, especially since the rowboat probably belonged to some fisherman who could little afford the loss. Hopefully the man would eventually get it back.
But right now, it was a matter of life and death.
They sneaked to the boat, and between the three of them, they quickly had it in the water. Edmund let the flow of the river and ocean catch them and pull them farther from shore before he dipped the oars in and started rowing.
The water kept trying to drag them farther out to sea. An outgoing tide, then. An incoming tide would have been easier, since it would have carried them into the river instead of trying to drag them out to the ocean, but the lower tide had probably saved them when it came to that trek along the cliffs.
After a few minutes of rowing, he was breathing hard and his arms ached. With a few silent gestures, Sarya took over rowing. Once she tired, Edmund took over once again.
Sarya was on her second turn when they finally fought free of the current and nudged the boat into the sprawling dock system on the far side.
Even at this late hour, dock workers, ship hands, stevedores, guards, and inspectors roamed the wharf. Lanterns sporadically placed along the docks provided some light but left enough shadows and darkness for Edmund to silently motion Sarya over to one of the deserted docks. In the shadows, they used the remnants of the vine to secure the rowboat to a pylon so that it wouldn’t be swept out into the ocean. Then they all rolled onto the wooden dock and rose to their feet.
“Follow my lead.” Edmund rested one arm around Jalissa’s shoulders, the other arm around Sarya’s shoulders, and set off at a staggering, swaying pace down the dock and into the bustle of the wharf district.
Despite his deceptively meandering pace, he stuck to the patches of shadows. If anyone looked closely at them, they’d notice that they weren’t dressed like a ship hand and a pair of floozies. Not to mention their traveling packs and the fact that Jalissa and Sarya were elves.
But the point was to appear so normal that no one gave them a second glance to realize the things that were out of place.
It seemed to work. The dock workers didn’t give them much of a glance, and they passed other meandering couples or groups of sozzled sailors staggering along the wharf.
As they entered the streets near the wharf, taverns and places of ill repute packed either side of the street while music, shouting, giggling, and rowdy laughter filled the air. Light spilled from the surrounding businesses even if most of the gas lamps were broken or only emitted a guttering flame. Plenty of people roamed these streets, even at this time of night, and Edmund simply joined the bustle as if he were one of them.
To make it even more convincing, he broke into a tavern song, slurring the words.
As they passed through the light cast by one of the nearby taverns, Jalissa ducked her head against his shoulder and even gave a little attempt at a giggle. It sounded forced, but at least she was trying to act the part.
Despite his staggering steps and casual, drunken singing, Edmund’s back was tight, and he kept a wary eye out. While he was armed, he didn’t want the delay caused by getting into a brawl. Nor did he want that much attention drawn to them.
