Page 120 of Echoes of the Raven
Just as he finishes saying this, one of the guards by the fire does just that. He jumps to his feet, going for his rapier and sounding the alarm. “The prisoners are escaping!”
With the knowledge that my cousin is safe, I lunge into an offensive attack, meeting the first guard as he charges. Our rapiers meet, the metal singing. I shuffle to the side and jab again. He parries the move, offering no counterattack. He seems hesitant, unsure of whether or not he’s allowed to stab the princess. That’s his mistake. I don’t hesitate. A quick thrust of my blade finds its mark, slipping through the intricate guard of his rapier. With a flick of my wrist, his weapon spins away, clattering to the ground.
Four more guards charge. Jago faces one, and I another. The other two go for Rífíor who is unarmed. I thrust and parry, barely keeping my opponent at bay. My attention is split, drifting to Rífíor, who is outnumbered. Though my worry is misplaced because he easily disarms one of the guards, slamming him head-first into a tree, then deflecting the second guard’s blade right before it slices open his middle.
The three of us defeat our opponents in unison. I’m careful not to deliver a killing blow, and I’m gratified to see that even Rífíor refrains from such violence.
More guards are running in our direction. Don Justo is now out of his tent, screaming orders. There are over a dozen guards and only three of us.
“Let’s get out of here!” Jago grabs my arm and pulls me toward town.
I hesitate. We need to get The Eldrystone back, but we won’t be able to do that if we let them capture us again. Rífíor also hesitates, but in the end, he nods, agreeing with Jago. Running at full pelt, we disappear under the trees’ shadows.
“Catch them!” Don Justo shouts, his angry voice cutting through the night.
We run, Rífíor guiding the way and urging us to go faster. He finds a clear route, taking us across town, weaving in and out of allies until we reach the burnt remnants of a building. No one roams the streets, the celebrations surely cut short by the presence of the Guardia Real and the ensuing commotion.
With the senses of a burrowing creature, Rífíor spots a passage between charred and fallen logs. Nearly crawling, he enters the battered structure. Moonlight easily seeps through the cracks, illuminating our way. With Jago quick on my heels, I go in, fearing the wreckage will collapse atop our heads. Rífíor finds a set of steps that lead us down to a musty cellar, which remains fairly untouched by the inferno that devoured the building’s flesh and left only scorched, broken bones.
Our agitated breaths are loud in the cramped space. We sit still for several long moments, listening for signs of pursuit. We hear running footsteps and voices around us. Someone takes a close look at the ruins, then announces it’s all clear, which feels like a miracle. The noise dies down by degrees until we’re left in utter silent.
Jago heaves a sigh. “It’s been quite a day. What about you two?”
Neither Rífíor nor I say anything.
“That good, huh?”
Rífíor grunts.
“As talkative as ever.” Jago shakes his head, a strand of blond hair shining in a stray ray of moonlight. He peers at me, his honey-colored eyes nearly black. “I’m so relieved you’re all right.” Reaching across the space, he squeezes my shoulder.
“Me, too. Don Justo threatened to hurt you if I didn’t give him The Eldrystone. I used it to wish you to safety, but I didn’t know if it’d worked.”
He nods slowly and deliberately. “So that’s what happened. Makes sense. Thank you for not selling me out. It’s nice to see I’m still worth more than that damnable jewel to someone.”
“Of course, you are,” I say. “You’re my favorite cousin.”
We both laugh, our amusement laced with nerves.
“What about the troop? And Cuervo?” I ask.
Jago grins. “They’re here. After you left us, Esmeralda and I made quick work of the couple of guards who stayed back to watch over us. We figured we should continue on and ran into… an interesting sculpture display.”
I’m mortified by the comment, and it’s hard not to let in the image of all those petrified faces staring blankly into nothingness.
“I thought you might rejoin us,” Jago continues, unaware of my internal conflict, “but when you didn’t, it was clear you’d also continued on. Your bird drove me crazy, by the way. He kept asking where hisfriendwas. He flew ahead several times, and I thought he wouldn’t return, but he did. At any rate, we got here late last night and camped right outside of town. I was asking around if anyone had seen a pretty princess and three grumpy fae, when Don Justo spotted me and put me in chains.” Jago nods at the grumpy fae present and gives him a salute.
“We need to get the amulet back,” Rífíor says. “I will go. You two stay here.” He moves to leave.
I grab his wrist. “Wait! We need a plan. We can work together.”
He looks down at my hand.
I let him go. He’s so close, his shoulder only an inch from mine. I feel the heat radiating from him and shiver as his dark eyes rove over my face.
“I can easily evade anyone patrolling the city,” he says, his deep voice traveling over my skin making the fine hairs on my arms stand on end. “I can track Don Justo, isolate him, and—”
The rubble above us groans, ashes and small pieces of debris raining down on our heads.
