49. Finally Free
49
FINALLY FREE
*Kieran*
King Cole and I lock eyes, and for a moment, I see his fire. Despite his physical weakness from the harsh beatings he’s recently received, he’s ready to fight.
‘A little help here,’ I mind-link with my friends. The dungeon doors swing open, and Taner, Whyte, and Lucian storm into the space behind the soldiers, already in their wolf forms.
The air fills with the sound of terrified screams as soldiers at the back of the formation are unexpectedly attacked by my friends. This distracts the soldiers at the front enough for me to knock one out and steal his sword for Cole. I pull my own sword and get into a tussle with another soldier on the frontline.
It’s pandemonium around us as my friends tear into the soldiers on one end, and Cole and I engage in hand-to-hand combat on the other. A flock of birds swoop in through the windows and start pecking at the eyes of the soldiers we can’t handle. All I can hear is the sound of flesh being torn and mangled, the scent of blood so heavy in the air it turns my stomach.
I don’t stop fighting, though. I can’t stop. If I show these soldiers one moment of weakness, I’m a dead man, and so is Cole. As my sword clangs with that of yet another guard, I see him stab a soldier out of the corner of my eye. The man goes down swiftly, tripping one of the soldiers fighting behind him.
The crowd is finally thinning out with just a few stragglers left to get through before we can safely get out of the dungeon. King Cole’s gift is certainly helping as the rats attack from below and the birds from above. We wouldn’t have had much of a chance of success without them. I manage to catch my breath for a moment while I watch Whyte take down the last remaining guards. I collapse briefly against the stone wall, exhausted from the battle.
“We have to go.” Cole grabs me by the shoulder and pulls me upright, whispering encouragement in my ear as he pushes me forward over the pile of bloody bodies.
“Whyte and Lucias will get you through the gates,” I say loud enough for all of our party to hear. “You’ll need to shift the moment you’re off the property, and do not stop running for a moment.”
Cole releases me, and we stop briefly so my friends can shift back and dress quickly. When we’re reassembled, we go over the plan one more time. The dead guards in the dungeon are already a big snag in the plan, but Cole is free from his prison, at least. We just need to get him off the grounds, and he’ll be safe. He and I both know he’ll be much better protected in nature
When we’re satisfied with the next steps, I say a heartfelt goodbye to Cole. I know I’ll see him again soon, and this will all be over, but I can’t help but worry about his safety. He’s my father-in-law, after all.
He takes my face between his large hands and squeezes gently.
“I could not have asked for a better mate for my dear Raven,” he tells me, his eyes shining with pride. “These next moments will be difficult for you, Kieran, but you have the strength within you. Don’t forget that you don’t fight alone.”
He embraces me tightly then takes off with Lucian and Whyte, as Taner and I head back to my private chambers. If this plan is to work, I can’t be seen with him in the castle. Thankfully, we don’t encounter anyone else on our way to the throne room. That’s all the better because we’re both covered in blood.
I don’t breathe fully until Whyte mind-links with me to let me know they’ve cleared the gate with no issue. Surely, most of the grounds guards were called as backup and are now dead in the dungeon. There would’ve been little chance of any guards stopping Cole when he could’ve called on any number of creatures to help him outside of the castle. I tell Whyte and Lucian to head back to the castle and get changed. For their own safety, they can’t be connected to the escape in any way.
Barely two minutes later, I get the message I’ve been waiting for.
‘Where the hell are you, son?’ my father asks through a mind-link. ‘Find me. Now.’
I look over to Taner and nod.
“Showtime,” I tell him, and he grins wickedly.
We enter the throne room, the evidence of our fight displayed proudly on our clothing. I take pleasure in the disgusted look on my father’s face as I track my blood-stained shoes through the throne room. He’s probably thinking he’ll have the flooring completely replaced after I leave. Any inconvenience I can cause him feels like a victory.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he snarls, indicating our clothing.
“It was awful, King Gavin,” Taner interjects, his tone bordering on weepy. Of the two of us, he’s the better actor, so I agreed to let him take the lead. “I was reading a book in the library when I heard the soldiers heading down to the dungeon. I mind-linked with one of the guards, and he told me that someone was trying to stage a prison break.”
“And where were you during all of this?” my father asks, tuning his ire on me. His expression is equal parts fury and curiosity.
“Well, as soon as Taner knew what was going on, he mind-linked with me and called me in for backup,” I tell him with a definitive nod. “As you know, my room is quite far from the dungeon, so it took me quite some time to find him.”
“And by the time he did, half the guards were already dead,” Taner cries pathetically. “It all happened so fast.”
“What exactly happened?” Father seethes, his frustration palpable. “How is it that two dozen of my best guards are now lying dead in the dungeon?”
“It was Albatross,” I tell him confidently. I would’ve left him out of this, but he just had to complicate our plan by showing up. He’s dead anyway; there’s no harm in sullying his name further. “I can’t say for sure what got into him, but somehow, Blake convinced him to set him free.”
“He what?” Father barks, his face nearly purple with rage. He stands up and begins pacing the small platform his throne is set upon. “Where is Albatross now?”
“I’m sorry, Father, I killed him,” I say, feigning shame. Technically, it’s not a lie. “I managed to corner him when I arrived, but it was like he was possessed. I threw him against a wall thinking maybe he would snap out of it, but he fell and hit his head. There was so much blood.”
“It’s no matter now,” Father snaps, putting his hand up. “Saves me the trouble of executing him for treason. But what of Blake?”
“It was such a bloody mess,” Taner cries. “There was so much fighting, it was hard to see anything. But he managed to create confusion among the guards and slip away.”
“He’s gone,” I confirm. “I checked through the bodies myself. He wasn’t among them.”
Father begins pacing again, muttering to himself as he goes. When I’m sure he’s paying us no mind, I conspicuously give Taner a thumbs up. He played his part to perfection.
“Perhaps all is not lost, Father,” I suggest, as if I’ve just had the most ingenious idea.
He stops pacing and gestures for me to continue.
“After my brief . . . adventure,” I look pointedly at Taner to communicate to my father that I’m keeping up the ruse about Blanca, “I know the path to Escuro well. That must be where he’s headed, right? Let me pursue him and bring him back here.”
“No,” my father shouts gruffly. “He’s had enough chances. When you find him, you must kill him.”
“Fine,” I agree, nodding sharply. “I will find him, and I will kill him.”
“You won’t go alone,” he tells me, not a suggestion but a command. “I trust you to lead the charge, but you will take an army with you. The man is more dangerous than you can possibly understand.”
“Do you not believe in my ability to fight him?” I challenge. Maybe it’s risky to be so bold in this moment, but Father is so distracted by his fury he doesn’t notice the attitude I’m giving him.
“I believe in you, Kieran,” he tells me firmly. “But look what he’s done. He took out two dozen guards on his own. It’s a miracle you and Taner are not counted among the dead.”
He steps down from his platform and loosely embraces me, leaving some distance between us so that my bloodied clothes don’t come in contact with him. He nods to Taner, an indication of his approval.
“Lead the troops, and bring the bastard to justice,” he commands. “Show me that you have the makings of the king I know you’ll be.”
“You can trust in me, Father,” I tell him, my anger burning brightly in my chest. “You will see exactly the king I’m going to be.”