Page 125 of Arrows and Gems
“So make it an archery match.” Jean-haut shrugged. “Though for the record, I think you could take him with the sword.”
Cap thought so too, but his friend didn’t need the encouragement. Besides, his point still stood: it wouldn’t do any good. Not for what he needed.
The houses surrounding them grew larger as they approached the area where the nobles lived. Cap tipped his head back, tracing the once-familiar buildings as he walked down a row of townhomes. The dim light hid the fine finishes, but he could still picture many of them as they appeared in the bright light of day.
Halfway down the row, they reached Princess Chloe’s home. It was surrounded by a tall wrought-iron fence with square stone posts every eight feet and a curved gate across the cobblestone-paved driveway. It was imposing and beautiful at the same time. However, as he had pointed out multiple times,the trees growing next to the fence were hardly secure. Marielle’s parents had always insisted that locked doors and their guards were sufficient.
He couldn’t complain now. Sneaking in would be much harder if they had heeded his warnings.
After boosting his friends to a low-hanging branch, Cap grabbed the rope that Jean-haut lowered and hauled himself up. He dropped to the grass on the other side and scanned the deserted grounds. “I don’t want to alert the guards,” he said quietly. “Find a tree to sleep in, and in the morning we’ll—”
A dark form rushed toward them. He spun, whipping out his bow, but the short figure wasn’t armed. It almost looked like—
“Marielle!” Darting forward, Jean-haut caught the young woman’s hand. “What are you doing out here?”
She dragged the forester along with her. “I’ve been watching for you. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time.” Turning to Cap, she gasped, “General Valentin announced this afternoon that he’s hanging your followers first thing in the morning. Mother can’t help them because he’s declared them guilty on the basis of your association. And there’s not enough time to gather the loyal nobles, even if they would stand up to the General for a group of outlaws.”
The blood drained from Cap’s face. He couldn’t let his forest family die for his sake.
“You have to do something, Cap!” she begged, setting a hand on his arm. “We can’t wait until tomorrow. Even if you could free them as they’re led to the gallows, Helena is beside herself. She’ll do something reckless if we don’t stop her!”
A bit of confusion broke through Cap’s shock. “Helena?” He couldn’t think of a courtier with that name.
“Yes, Helena!” she replied, exasperated. “My cou—”
She broke off, looking uncertain.
Her cousin? What did Princess Helena have to do with anything?
“You mean Margit?” Jean-haut asked quietly, lifting her hand to his chest.
Marielle released a heavy sigh. “So she did tell you. Good; I wasn’t sure.”
Margit?
Cap’s head spun. Everything strange about her, everything that didn’t seem to fit, suddenly made sense. Her twelve-year absence. Her isolation. The council’s demands.
He should have seen it months ago. Of course she was the Ralnoran princess.
“No, she didn’t,” he heard Jean-haut whisper. “She let something slip when she helped me escape. I wanted to confirm it with you before saying anything.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Cap stuffed his bow in its sheath and strode back to the tree. “I know a way in. Be ready to receive ex-prisoners in the park a mile north of the castle walls.”
“Cap? Where are you going?”
He walked along the branch until he was past the wall, then crouched down. “Staging a jailbreak. You three, gather what you need to help everyone disappear once they’re free.”
He dropped to the ground and jogged up the road without listening to their protests. He didn’t need help for this part. And he didn’t want to talk about it.
Why hadn’t she told him? He would have handled things differently if he’d known. Protected himself better, never let himself dream of an impossible future. Never danced with her. Never given in to the ache to touch her.
His jaw tightened. At least he hadn’t kissed her. It was the only positive outcome of the General’s raid.
Cap slipped into an alley and opened the door of a ramshackle tool shed at the end. He felt his way through the dark,then bent down to drag a heavy crate aside. Swiping his hand along the floor, he felt for the metal ring buried in the wood, then lifted the trapdoor.
It was pitch black in the tunnel, but he didn’t waste time digging in his pack for a candle. With a hand on the wall, he hurried down the graveled slope until the stone under his hand changed to wood.
Tugging on a thin chain around his neck, he drew out a key and unlocked the door. He sped down the new passage, passing a door on his left and then another on his right before he found the one he wanted. From there, it was a straight shot for another hundred yards. Bringing his key forward again, he unlocked the short door as quietly as possible, then eased it open and ducked through.
