Chapter 41
Wyatt and Rue reached the top of the stairs, and Rue immediately asked, “Where to first?”
He let go of her hand to pace a few steps up the hall while he thought about it. He’d purposefully taken Maple off of Sky’s Honor when they docked at the royal harbor, and had placed her in a stall in the loading stables so he could get to her and she wouldn’t be taken with the ship.
He turned back to tell Rue, “We’ll go to the docks. If Simon is summoning troops, then Peter may be there too.”
“At the docks,” she said, “with Simon and the rest of the soldiers on the island…” He nodded, and she let out a heavy sigh before shrugging. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”
They took off running again, navigating the palace until they burst out the doors that would lead to the docks. There were still straggling troops making their way to the ships, but though he and Rue stood out because they weren’t in uniform like the rest, no one seemed particularly interested in them.
Only once they were within view of the massive lines of soldiers taking formation on the docks did they get off the main path. They ducked behind a building and crept around the side until they could get a glimpse of the formations.
Then Rue asked, “Which one would Peter be in?”
Wyatt squinted at the flags being held by the first soldier in each line, until he found the flag of the palace guards toward the end of the formations. “That one,” he pointed.
They ducked back behind the building and wrapped around to the end of the docks, and then snuck forward, using crates and barrels as cover until they’d crept close enough to scan each soldier in the formation.
“There he is,” Wyatt pointed. Peter was standing at the outside of his formation, in the very back of his line.
While Rue peeked up to get a look, Simon stood front and center before all the formations and called for attention. The focus of every soldier snapped to him, and he began to tell them where they were going, and that they were going to fight the rebellion because Freedom in Shadows had killed the emperor.
“Of course that’s his story,” Rue muttered. “And they’re all buying it.”
“We need to get Peter’s attention,” Wyatt whispered.
She glanced around and picked up a small pebble. “How’s your aim?” she asked, handing it to him.
“Good enough,” he told her as he took it, and added, “…hopefully.”
He poked his head up from behind their barrel, took aim, and tossed the pebble with just enough force for it to cover the distance. It sailed through the air, bumped against Peter’s shoulder, and fell straight to the ground. Peter’s attention left Simon as he glanced down at the stone, and then began to swivel his head to look for the source. Wyatt crouched up just a little more to wave as Peter looked around, ducking back down several times when anyone else happened to glance his way.
It didn’t work. Peter gave up looking and went back to listening to Simon.
“Do it again,” Rue said, grabbing another pebble off the ground and passing it over.
Wyatt took aim and threw it harder than last time to really try and get Peter’s attention. It hit him in the chin, and his eyebrows furrowed with annoyance as he glared around to look for the source again. That time, Peter’s eyes followed the movement when Wyatt gestured and widened when they landed on him.
“Come,” Wyatt whispered, even though he knew Peter couldn’t hear him, and signaled with another wave.
Peter shook his head, pointed two fingers at his own eyes, and then motioned them forward.
“What?” Wyatt asked.
Peter made the motion again, followed his own gesture, and then immediately snapped back to attention.
“Right there,” Rue said, pointing .
Wyatt looked at who they were talking about right as the man glanced toward them, and they both dropped down behind cover.
When Wyatt sighed heavily, Rue asked, “You know him?”
“That’s my father,” he answered. “He must be watching Peter because he hasn’t been able to find me.”
He lifted up just enough to get his eyes over the top of the barrel. His father had stopped searching, and so he waved at Peter until Peter finally looked over again. Then he gestured ‘come.’
Peter glanced at his father and then the soldiers around him, made the tiniest of side steps to see if anyone would notice, and then dove behind the nearest stack of empty pallets. It took him several minutes to creep from cover to cover without being spotted, but eventually, he’d worked his way around the back of the building where Wyatt and Rue met him.
“Wyatt,” Peter hissed, “your dad’s going to kill you! What are you doing?”
“I need you to trust me,” he said quietly.
“…Mm-hmm…” Peter hummed.
“We’re getting out of here,” Wyatt told him. “Omen is docked at the western harbor and we’re going to stop Simon in Trayward.”
Peter inhaled a long, deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then breathed, “ HUH ?”
“We don’t have time for this,” Rue said, and gestured to herself. “Pirate, Omen.” She gestured toward the troops. “Simon, bad. Us, rebellion. Let’s go .”
“This way,” Wyatt said, and immediately began to lead them toward the stables.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Peter said, hurrying along at his side. “Wyatt, when I told you to get into some trouble, you know I was joking, right? ”
“I’m done with Sovereign, Peter. So is Carter. They’re a bunch of liars and villains.”
“Your dad will kill you,” Peter warned.
“Then I’m done with him too.”
“Wait,” Peter pleaded, and when he stopped, Wyatt and Rue did too. “Are you serious?”
“Yes,” Wyatt answered. “Simon killed Anseau and he’s on his way to do a lot worse if we don’t stop him.”
“So, we’re getting on a pirate ship?”
“ Peter ,” Wyatt breathed in exasperation .
“Yeah, alright, fine, fine,” Peter said, gesturing forward. “I’m with you. Of course I’m with you.”
Wyatt immediately turned to run the rest of the distance to the loading stables. The three of them burst in to find Maple in the same stall that he’d left her, and he hurried over and grabbed her saddle off the wall as he led her out to begin strapping it on.
He was only halfway done when his father’s voice snarled, “ Wyatt! ” He stopped midway through a buckle as Rue and Peter whirled around. “You stop what you’re doing right now and get in formation!”
Wyatt finished the buckle he was doing so that Maple was fully saddled, and then turned to face his father and say, “No.”
He almost flinched under the familiar glare that flared in his father’s eyes as he stomped forward, shoving himself between Rue and Peter to march up to him. “What did you say to me?” he demanded.
Wyatt inhaled slowly and swallowed down the queasy, terrified flutter rising in his stomach. “I said no.”
“You predictable, ungrateful little prick,” his father snarled.
He grabbed the collar of Wyatt’s shirt and began to drag him toward the door, and Wyatt almost let it happen, because it was second nature to give in to his father. To do what his father wanted to avoid the shame of his temper, or worse, a fist. It had been hammered into him his whole life. But there was more at stake here than his father’s pride, or a few bruises, and he didn’t allow himself to be dragged farther than Rue and Peter before he shoved his father off of him.
“I’m leaving Sovereign for good,” he announced.
No sooner than the words left his mouth did his father’s palm connect with his cheek. There was so much force behind the smack that it knocked his head to the side, and he couldn’t bring himself to straighten his chin again for fear another would immediately follow.
“You dare disobey me?” his father sneered. “After everything I’ve done for you? Every trainer, every lesson, every promotion. You’d make a fool of me ?” Wyatt finally looked at him to respond, only to instantly receive a second clap across the cheek. “No son of mine is a deserter.”
Rue pulled her pistol from its holster and held the barrel straight against his father’s chest. “Touch him again and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”
His father’s glare lowered to Rue as he growled, “Who the hell are you? ”
And of all the responses Rue could’ve had, she smiled. “Rue Cortez,” she said cheerfully. “Sister to Carolina Trace. Crew on the pirate ship Omen. Lover to your son.”
Wyatt had never seen his father’s face get so red. Veins popped out of his forehead and neck, and his pupils narrowed as he leveled his rage at Rue. He grabbed the barrel of her gun in one hand to aim it away while his other hand reached out to grab her neck, and Wyatt reacted before he could even register what he was doing.
His fist went flying, clocking his father so hard across the jaw it sent him staggering several steps back as the focus faded from his eyes. On the next totter backwards, he fell, dropping unconscious to the stone stable floor.
“ Ow ,” he groaned, shaking his fist out and then clutching it to his chest.
“Holy shit,” Peter cackled, prancing over to knock his toe against his father’s boot. “He is out .” Peter leaned over to belt a laugh into his empty face. “Ha! You dickhead!”
“Are you alright?” Rue asked.
Wyatt shook out his hand again and worked his jaw back and forth while he considered it, and then he couldn’t help but smile. “Actually,” he answered, “I feel great.”
“Damn right you do,” Peter said, bouncing over and throwing an arm across his shoulders. “I like her,” he said, tossing a thumb toward Rue. “She’s a good influence.”
Rue laughed and said, “We got to go.”
Wyatt nodded and hurried to Maple, motioning for the others to follow. He helped Rue up into the saddle in front of him while Peter took another already saddled mistling from a different stall. Once all three of them were situated, he gave the command for Maple to take off, and they went bursting out of the stables into the bright sunlight and soared into the air.
While they’d been inside the stables, the Sovereign troops had boarded their ships, and those ships had begun to take to the sky. And there was no telling how the next fight would go. There was no telling if they’d win, or even survive. But Wyatt wasn’t just fighting to do the right thing anymore, because for the first time in his life, he was fighting for his own freedom too.