Page 134 of Arrows and Gems
“At least one of them is lying,” Marielle declared triumphantly. “If Prince Raphael escaped through the secret passage in King Antoine’s study, how did General Valentin see him running down the hall?”
A tiny flame of hope flared to life in Rafe’s chest. The overall mood of the crowd seemed to support Marielle and Jean-haut, but was it enough to overcome General Valentin, the wind gryphon, and the guards who remained loyal to him?
Before the General could respond, yet another voice rose above the turmoil. “The prince is lying to save the Ralnoran princess. General Valentin threatened to murder her just like he did the king; I was in the secret passage when he said it.”
“What an absurd claim!” the General scoffed. “Princess Helena is my betrothed. And how wouldyouhave been in the secret passageways?”
The middle-aged woman dressed as a maid ducked her head, smiling impishly at the guard behind her. “I was meeting someone who has a key.”
“A fine tale,” General Valentin snorted. “But if it is true, where is Princess Helena? Why is she not here to make this claim herself?”
“Shouldn’t you know?” Jean-haut mocked. “She’syourfiancée, isn’t she? Perhaps she’s locked away to guarantee Rafe’s compliance. Or perhaps you already carried out your threat against her.”
The General scowled. “Guards, arrest that man!” he ordered. “Since he continues to throw in his lot with his murdering friend, he can join him at the gallows. He would have been here anyway, had one of his compatriots not helped him escape.”
“You mean the wind gryphon wasn’t enough to keep your prisoners?” This voice sounded like it was pitched lower than usual. Rafe’s eyes widened as they caught on one of the cloaked figures next to Jean-haut. The speaker held a wooden baton in one hand.
“I don’t have the wind gryphon,” General Valentin sighed. “As I have said, Prince Raphael must have stolen it after murdering the king. I have not yet located—”
The hooded figure whipped out an arrow as the baton transformed into a bow. Rafe had a brief moment to realize what she was up to, and then the courtyard exploded into pandemonium.
CHAPTER 48
Helena
His heart would be preferable, but Helena didn’t want to deal with the consequences if the General was too slow. So she aimed for his shoulder.
But he didn’t know that.
Her release spurred a flurry of activity. Raphael dropped as if his feet had been kicked out from under him. The guards shoving through the crowd toward Jean-haut yelled and moved faster. Rouge slammed a rock against the silver bracelets on her brother’s wrists. General Valentin’s eyes widened as his lips moved, hand fumbling in his pocket.
And then just as she’d hoped, her arrow blew off course.
“Looks like you have the wind gryphon after all!” she yelled.
The entire courtyard became a mass of confusion as people began shouting and shoving. Some pushed toward the front where the General stood, some struggled to reach the gate that would let them escape to the city. The guards were divided as well, some defending the General while others turned on the man who had lied to them.
“Did it work?” Rouge asked in a hurried voice.
Shaking his head, her brother blocked an incoming strike with his staff. “Either it didn’t work at all, or it only weakened them. I still can’t reach my magic.”
“Of course it didn’t,” Rouge growled, drawing her sword. “That would have been too easy. Flames or stone?”
“Neither,” he replied grimly. “There are still too many townspeople.”
Ignoring them, Helena began fighting toward the gallows. The maid she’d met at General Valentin’s house was doing the same, but her daggers were more convincing.
Helena whipped an arrow across the face of a guard before he could bring his sword into position. Crying out, he grabbed his face with one hand but swung his sword at her with the other.
She threw herself backward, tossing her head to reveal her chestnut braid and the scared expression under her hood. He paused just long enough for her to ram her shoulder into his stomach before sliding sideways through a gap in the morass.
By the time Helena reached the gallows, Raphael and General Valentin had disappeared. There had been fewer gusts of wind than she expected. But was the General leery of using it in front of the people, or had he fled?
She dashed up the gallows steps, scanning the crowd from the higher angle. When she found her targets, her breath caught in her throat.
General Valentin had the captive members of Cap’s band pressed against the castle wall. In front of them stood a line of guards with drawn swords, ready to carry out the planned executions. Raphael looked terrible with his half-shaven face and a new cut dripping blood into his left eye. He struggled against the two guards holding his arms, but his hands were still tied behind his back. His eyes were focused on the General’s maid, who was gripped by another pair of guards, one of which had a bloody nose. Based on his glare, Helena suspected it had been caused by the back of the maid’s head.
But now she stood still, no doubt because a third guard held a sword a few inches from her throat.
