Page 115 of Between Sun and Moon

The voice that came from behind me was cut off, replaced with the sounds of choking and sputtering instead.

Quickly, I turned.

A guard, a few strides from me, had a sword plunged through his torso. The pugilist brother, the brunet one, was standing behind him. He withdrew his blade and the guard crumpled to the ground. He gave me a quick nod, and I returned it.

The sound of clanging swords captured both of our attention.

Over by the stables, the brunet’s brother had become entwined in battle with three guards. He reared back as they advanced, still managing to block their strikes even though he was outnumbered. Wasting no time, his brother and I ran for him, our entry into the fight evening the odds.

My sword tangled with one of the guards’, our blades clanging against one another as we moved around the grounds. I grabbed hold of the post that held up the corner of the stable, using it to cantilever around the side, into one of the stalls. The guard barreled after me, chasing me down. I swirled, just in time to absorb his blow. His attack was so strong, he swept my sword from my hands.

But I didn’t need a sword to fight—years of training with Ezra had taught me as much. And lucky for me, this guard wasn’t fully armored.

I dropped to the ground and fired my foot into the guard’s kneecap with every ounce of strength I had—wincing once more as pain enveloped my side where the injury was.

I heard a pop, and he yowled like a cat that had had its tail slammed in a door.

At that moment, Ryker returned, finishing the guard off. His eyes darted briefly to my hand, which I used to cover my throbbing, aching side. Meeting my gaze, he said, “The archers are down, but there’s no telling when more might show up. We need to get everyone on the move.Now.”

I nodded as he helped me up. “Alright.”

Walking through my enemy’s eerie army with a few hundred Cursed prisoners had my jaw clenched so tightly, my molars felt ready to combust. I worried that at any moment, the soldiers would snap out of their catatonic state, withdraw their swords, and begin slaying everyone. It would be a blood bath.

I tensed at the thought. Tried not to think about it.

Boy, who was walking in front of me, stopped to stare at one. My hands fell over his shoulders, and I gently urged him forward, but not before sneaking a glance for myself.

Each time I looked at their unfamiliar, yet familiar faces, I found the same gut-wrenching message repeated.

Although they were not identical, they all shared similar traits to one person—

Aurelius.

Dread filled my stomach, weighing it down like I’d swallowed a cup of lead.

And even after we made it past the soldiers, past the outer court and into the world beyond Clearwell Castle, that feeling never went away.

What have you done, Aurelius?

Sage

Even though the castle was half a day’s walk away, and we were nestled deep in the embrace of the slumbering forest, fast asleep under winter’s lullaby, my nerves were still on edge. Yes, we had made it out, but that didn’t mean we were safe yet.

At any given moment, the king’s soldiers could come for us.

I mean, it wouldn’t be very hard to track us—a few hundred pairs of feet walking through a blanket of freshly fallen snow left a substantial trail. One that could not be covered, no matter how hard some of the kids tried.

The knee-deep snow created other challenges, especially for the elderly or the young children, or those without footwear. Most of the people were not dressed for the elements. Throw inthe little bit of meat they had on their bones, and it was a bad combination.

The situation was not ideal, but the majority of us did our best to support each other.

People offered to help carry an infant when a parent started to lag behind—which was what I was doing now. Some offered their clothing, their shoes, their socks to one another. In truth, it was heartwarming to see—to see that despite the horrors they’d faced in the Well, they had not let it take their humanity.

As we walked, the keys Ryker had stolen made their rounds. Each time a collar was removed, a victorious cheer would come from the crowd.

It was a sound and a feeling I would never forget.

When night fell and the crescent moon reached her highest point, Ryker, who was aiding an elderly man with a lame leg, turned to me. “I think we should stop here for the night. It’s getting harder and harder for some to keep up.” His gaze dipped to my side where the arrow wound was. He nodded to the spot. “And you should let me take a look at that.”

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