Page 64 of Of Kings and Thieves

There was still time, then. We weren’t too late. I was prepared to tell Col that I was on the way, that we were going to get that alicorn horn and then come for him, but the connection to him severed abruptly. I called his name for a while, with no response.

I took a deep breath, pushing down my fear, and told the others what I had learned.

“Then we have no time to lose,” Kolvar said.

Beside me, Melion stepped forward, his muscles tensing. His eyes narrowed into slits, glowing yellow in the darkness. Then his body began to morph, back arching, limbs growing thick and powerful. Black fur rippled over his skin as he shaped himself into the hulking form of a wolf.

I watched, awestruck and slightly fearful, as he prepared to create the distraction we needed.

With a low, rumbling growl, Melion lunged toward the docks. His paws thudded against the ground, claws clicking. A guard let out a shout of alarm, but it was too late. Melion slammed into him, teeth snapping. The guard crumpled with a gurgled scream, blood spraying across the wooden planks. The other guards shouted in alarm, their attention fully focused on the wolf in their midst.

Melion danced away from their blows, a shadowy blur of fur and fangs. His eyes glowed like twin suns in the darkness, predatory and wild. The guards swung wildly at him, their formation dissolving into chaos.

Scarlet smirked, cracking her knuckles. “That’s our cue. Let’s move!”

The group slipped from the shadows and raced towards the docks. No turning back now. We were committed to this madness.

Silvius reached the rowboats first, already working to untie one. Kolvar and Scarlet joined him, their hands deft. I scrambled to help them, my fingers fumbling with the knot. After a few tense moments, the rope came loose.

Together, we pushed the boat into the inky water with a splash. The cold bit into my skin as we piled into the boat, the wood creaking under our combined weight.

Melion took one flying leap and landed in the boat with a thud, rocking it violently. Water sloshed over the sides, soaking us. He shifted back to his human form, eyes gleaming, body covered in blood.

I swallowed hard, wiping my wet hands on my trousers, and then grabbing a set of oars. Kolvar had the others. We rowed as fast as we could, the oars creaking in their locks. My muscles burned, but I gritted my teeth and rowed harder. Any moment, I expected a flurry of arrows to rain down from the sky.

Shouts rang out behind us, followed by the splash of oars hitting water. I risked a glance up and saw lantern light in the distance, growing brighter and nearer. The guards had launched a boat to chase us. But a mist was rising from the lake, swirling around us and obscuring the guards.

Melion took my place at the oars, and I moved forward. I sucked in a sharp breath as the mist enveloped us, shrouding our escape. The lights disappeared, leaving the inky blackness of the water and the sound of the oars.

We rowed on through the mist, guided by the looming shape of the cliffs. The stolen boat sliced through the choppy waters, its hull groaning with every wave that crashed against it. Cold wind bit at my cheeks, and I pulled the hood of my cloak tighter around my face. The full moon hung heavy in the sky, casting ghostly shadows across the lake, offering only minimal guidance. My grip on the side of the boat tightened as I scanned the water, searching for any obstacles or threats that might emerge from the depths.

Kolvar’s shoulders flexed as he pulled the oars through the churning water, his expression stoic despite the mounting tension, his brown hair falling over his shoulders and sticking to his sweaty face.

Silvius sat perched next to me at the bow, his gaze darting from the dark waves to the looming cliffside. “Stay close to the rocks,” he murmured, his voice taut with anxiety. “Less chance of being spotted.”

My heart raced in my chest, echoing the rhythm of the oars as they dipped in and out of the water.

Scarlet hissed suddenly, holding up a hand. We all froze, the oars hovering above the water’s surface, the boat drifting softly. I strained my ears, listening intently for any telltale sounds of approaching danger.

“False alarm,” Scarlet whispered after a tense pause. “Just the wind.”

“Damn it, Scarlet,” Silvius muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“If only,” she shot back, her tone unapologetic.

Kolvar and Melion resumed rowing, the boat slipping silently through the water once more. As we neared the rocky shore, the wind picked up, howling through the crevices like the moans of lost souls.

The boat scraped on a rock, and Scarlet tossed the anchor over the side. It sank into the murky depths, its metallic teeth biting into the rough shore at the base of the cliffs. Cold wind whipped my hair around my face as I stared up at the towering wall of stone, shivering against the chill that seeped through my clothes.

Scarlet pointed towards the cliffs. “That way,” she said, her gaze locked on a twisted silhouette in the moonlight. Kolvar had said we should look for a gnarled oak tree and an eagle’s cry to lead us to the tunnels. As if on cue, an eerie screech pierced the air, sending shivers down my spine. It was the call of an eagle, marking our path.

We climbed out of the boat and over slippery rocks. My foot slipped, my leg plunging into icy water. Kolvar grabbed my arm and hauled me out to the thin shoreline, where our footsteps were muffled by the soft crunch of pebbles and sand beneath our boots. The sliver of shore soon turned to jagged rocks and sheer cliff face.

“Watch your footing,” Kolvar murmured, his voice low and gravelly. “One wrong step could send us over the edge.”

“No kidding.” Panting heavily, I followed the elf upward.

As we picked our way along the treacherous shoreline, every shadow seemed to hold a hidden threat, every sound a potential danger. The gnarled oak loomed ahead, its twisted branches casting eerie shadows. The screech of an eagle again pierced the cold air, a warning that sent shivers down my spine.

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