Chapter 32
Cai
The wind appeared to be brewing up a storm and I held on tighter to the ship’s railing. We’d left as soon as Jack had told us what he’d overheard. It didn’t give us much of a head start but it was better than nothing. The only thought on my mind was that we needed to get back to Norrandale as soon as possible. Worst of all, I didn’t have any way of alerting anyone until we returned.
Elara walked up the stairs that led onto the deck and came to stand next to me.
“How is she doing?”
“She’s sleeping, thankfully, so all is calm.” It had been a mission to get not only ourselves out of the palace undetected but Eloisa as well. Elara had refused to leave her behind, which was understandable. We got lucky. Whatever state she was in, she was quiet and compliant.
“I’ll have to find a way to get her safely to Everness, but one thing at a time, right?” She placed her hand atop mine, which was still clutching the railing.
“I don’t think there’s any other choice,” I confessed.
“Are you scared?”
“Not so much for myself but for my kingdom, for the people I care about, yes.” I looked over to her. Her expression was filled with distress. “Are you?”
“I’m terrified,” she muttered softly. I wanted to console her. Wanted to wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything would be fine. But I couldn’t do that. Couldn’t make promises that I might not be able to keep.
She was biting the inside of her cheek again, as she did when she was deep in thought.
“What is it?”
“Well, I was just thinking. Norrandale doesn’t have the strongest army at this stage, and by the time soldiers from Everness arrive, it could be too late.”
This I knew only too well. This very thought was keeping me awake at night.
“What if we...” She hesitated. “Do you think it would be possible to use the Myrgonite objects to help?”
“Elara.” I sighed. “It’s too dangerous.”
“No, I know but—”
“Those damn Myrgonite stones are the reason Aries is coming after us. It would have been better if they never existed. They’re more trouble than they’re worth, and we’re not even entirely sure what the objects are.” We had our suspicions about the necklace and the dagger but no way to confirm it.
“But if we don’t have a choice,” she pressed on.
I turned my hand and laced her fingers with mine. “I’m not willing to pay the price for it.” And that seemed to be the end of the conversation. She remained standing next to me and eventually leaned her head against my shoulder.
“I’m sorry I dragged us all the way there. We should never have gone.”
“If we hadn’t gone, we’d have had no way of knowing that Aries was coming. At least some chance is better than no chance at all.”
She nodded slowly but didn’t respond.
“You know, of all the ways I saw today panning out, this was not it.” I attempted to lighten the mood.
“What do you mean?” Elara responded with slight confusion.
“We were about to get married last night, don’t you remember?” I chuckled.
“Oh right.” She’d clearly only been thinking about what lay ahead of us the moment we set foot back on Norrandish soil. “Well, a trip back home seems pretty realistic to me. Or did you intend to spend the whole of our honeymoon in Argon?”
“You have a point.” I tried not to grimace. Words like honeymoon seemed so futile when we had a war on our hands.
She groaned and rubbed her eyes with her palms. “I can’t wait to get back on solid land again. I hate that the floor is always moving beneath me.”
“It helps if you stare out onto the horizon,” I told her.
“I think I’m just going to have a lie-down. I didn’t exactly get much sleep last night.”
Neither had I, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting much sleep for the days to come either.
I couldn’t describe my relief when land finally came into view. I might have been perfectly happy if I never had to leave Norrandale again.
“I’m going to secure us some horses,” Jack said as we sailed into the docks. We weren’t due home yet and we’d left in such a hurry that no proper arrangements were in place for our return.
“What about the village?” Elara asked. “This shore is nearest to Argon and most likely where Aries is going to station his ships. He’ll demolish this place and everything else in his wake. We have to warn somebody.”
She was right, but evacuating a village was easier said than done, especially when we needed to get to the palace as soon as possible.
“We’ll stay,” Cordelia offered, referring to herself and Anesta. “If you spare a few guards, then you can go ahead and we’ll warn everybody here.”
“Are you sure?” Elara asked, and Cordelia nodded.
“We’ll be fine. You get to the palace, and Anesta and I will find you.” It was the best option we had.
“What about Eloisa?” Elara looked back to the ship.
“We’ll take care of her too,” Anesta assured her.
Jack managed to secure horses for the four of us as well as the handful of palace guards we’d taken with us on the journey. I wished Alastor had been here, but I had asked him to stay in Everness. I needed someone to watch over Gwen and Thatcher while we were gone.
Nobody spoke much during our journey to the palace. There seemed to be the overwhelming threat of doom looming. My stomach was tied in knots. But I had to stay strong and certain. People were relying on me for their safety.
* * *
We were all exhausted by the time the palace came into view. The journey had been long and hard. We’d pushed ourselves and our horses to get to Mistwood as quickly as possible. Aries’ soldiers had most likely reached the coast by now. Hopefully Anesta, Eloisa and Cordelia got somewhere safe in time. When we finally reached the palace gates, there were no guards stationed on the walls or towers. Perhaps they were rotating shifts. But when we entered the courtyard, I knew my gut’s warning had been right. It was deathly quiet, not a single soul in sight. No guards, no servants, no courtiers, nothing.
A crow landed on one of the roof ledges in the courtyard. It gave a loud shriek, breaking through the silence. I watched as it pecked at one of its black feathers. Something about the bird created an uneasy feeling in me. “Where is everybody?” Elara asked.
“Something’s wrong.” Rhen stated the obvious.
Jack dismounted and pulled out his sword. The rest of our party followed suit.
“Stay behind me, Your Majesty.”
I obeyed as he led the group inside the castle, our guards surrounding me and Elara.
We crept through the hallways, all empty, anticipating something or someone jumping out at any minute. Where were the courtiers? My guards and my family? What the hell had happened?
We finally reached the throne room. I shouldn’t have been surprised at the Argonian soldiers. I should have known better. And yet nothing could have prepared me for the sudden fight that broke out.
How did they get inside the palace? How was Aries always one step ahead of us?
If Argonian guards had taken hold of my home, then what had they done with everyone in the palace? I forced my train of thought away from all the gruesome possibilities my mind managed to conjure up. My sole focus was keeping Elara safe and getting out alive.
One of the Argonian soldiers broke through our small wall of guards and swung his sword towards my torso. I managed to block it and the next few swings after. He was so distracted trying to fight me, he didn’t notice Jack coming for him from behind. With the soldier down, we nodded at each other and moved on.
I struck at the next soldier and the next, the fury at Aries building up more inside me with every passing second. I looked for Elara behind me, but she had Rhen on her side, defending her. Another soldier. Another. I was out of breath, trying to block the memories of killing one Argonian soldier after the other during the war.
The tiles in the throne room became slick with blood and I slipped, losing my sword in the process. I panicked and one of the soldiers saw this as his opportunity. He came at me. I pushed myself up, bracing for what was to come.
“Cai!” It was the last voice I thought I’d hear. I looked to my right where Thatcher stood in the doorway, pale but armed. He tossed me a sword just in time for me to defend myself and counterstrike. The soldier was young but unfathomably strong, and it was an effort to keep him from slicing through me. I searched for weak spots — areas he left vulnerable and exposed to being hit. When he raised his sword to come down at me, I struck his chest as quickly as I could. Blood seeped through his uniform before he dropped to the floor.
My heart beat so loudly I could hear it, overcome with an overwhelming need for survival. I had tunnel vision as I searched for the next attacker.
Thatcher rushed over to me, his own sword in hand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. He looked dishevelled and tired.
“I just arrived. I came back as soon as I heard Aries was coming with an army. It seems I got here just in time.”
I looked around the room. There were so many dead bodies on the floor. Too many. Both Argonians and our guards. But Elara was still safe, and Rhen was fighting among our other guards. Only a few were still alive. I heaved.
Jack was on the floor. He’d taken a nasty hit to the leg, red colouring the breeches of his uniform.
“Jack!” I feared one of Aries’ men would take advantage of his vulnerability before we could reach him.
Elara was next to me. She had blood on her chest.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, but her pupils were dilated, her chest falling and rising quickly.
Thatcher hurried towards Jack with his arm stretched out. I was too busy fighting for my life to consider his words before. How did he know Aries had an army coming? There was no way the news could have reached him and have him make the journey here in time.
Jack took his hand so that Thatcher could pull him into a standing position. Instead, I watched as Thatcher drove his sword through Jack’s body.