AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Story of my life ever since she got here.”
As we continue sneaking through the castle, I notice there are barely any of our own men to be seen.
“Where the hell is everyone? The palace is awfully quiet.”
“I’m not sure. They could be at the training grounds, but we can’t afford to be seen right now. You never know if Vippera has bribed everyone at this stage.”
“Shit…” I mutter, remembering the bribed guards who freed the bitch from her cells. “You’re right, but could she really have bought out an entire army?”
“Perhaps, perhaps no, but either way it’s a risk I’m not willing to take. Come on then, we’ll head into the passages out into the gardens. Rory’s hiding out there for us.”
We sneak over to a large-scale portrait of my mother which is a secret door unapparent to the untrained eye. There we traverse through the passages, jogging through twists and turns until we come to an opening hidden between two hedges.
The air becomes clear and fresh as I step into the outside world, a stark contrast compared to the grimy air in the prison cells. The evening has thrown a blanket of silence and darkness over the land, our footsteps quiet as we make our way through the gardens.
“Where is Rory?” I ask, dying to see she’s in safe hands.
“Are you looking for me?” calls her familiar voice from up ahead.
She emerges from behind a bush, wearing a ring of leaves on her head. She throws it off as I rush toward her. In my excitement, the strength of my hug causes her to wince. I immediately pull back.
“Fuck, I’m sorry!”
“Don’t worry,” she laughs. “I’m still pretty banged up, but Slyth did what he could to help erase the pain.”
Only now do I notice the bandages on her body. A lump forms in my throat as I think of what torture she must have been subjected to.
“Come here.”
I hug her gentler this time, my heart breaking as I feel her body in my grip. I plant a kiss on her cheek before bringing my lips to her ear.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t keep you safe,” I whisper. “I… I should not have given into Vippera’s demands either.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” she says. “No one could have predicted that crazy bitch escaping, and you only agreed to save my life. Even in the face of danger, you were still looking out for me.”
“Guys!” interjects Slyth. “Sorry for the interruption, but we’ve got to keep moving!”
I take hold of Rory’s hands as we scurry behind him.
“The stables are just up ahead. We’ll grab a few equus and get out of here. It’s not safe for any of us in the palace grounds anymore.”
We rise to our feet as we enter the stable. No one is around except for the animals. We waste no time rounding up the strongest equus before mounting them.
“Can you ride by yourself?” I ask Rory as she mounts hers.
“Don’t worry about me,” she says reassuringly. “Quickly now, we can’t linger here.”
Smiling at her insistence, I mount my equus and join Slyth as Rory follows behind. Each of us spurs our rides into a light jog as we follow the route out of the palace grounds, heard into the fields in the direction of the forest.
“We’re heading into the woods?” calls out Rory.
“Yes,” answers Slyth. “We’ll be riding through for a while.”
“Where are you taking us?”
“There’s a remote village on the edge of Lodra where we can stay. A family friend left their cottage to me, we’ll post up there and lure out Vippera from wherever she’s hiding.”
“Always a step ahead Slyth, I’m glad to have you in my service!” I yell to him.
