Chapter 28
I hear a sound, and my eyes fly open. I shoot up in bed and immediately regret it.
I put a hand to my bruised ribs and close my eyes.
I hear the locks disengage and climb from my cot.
I grab my boots and shove my feet into them and run over to the steps.
I jog up the steps, thankful the dirt keeps my steps quiet so I don’t wake Elowen and Auri.
I push the door open before it closes all the way, and Rauk steps back, his usual scowl in place.
I guess whatever bonding moment we had last night is over. “What are you doing?” he asks.
“Going with you to your meeting.”
He turns to the soldiers flanking the door.
“You’re both in the trees. And you two are both inside, but stay quiet.
They’re both still sleeping.” He gives a few more orders and then turns and strides towards the castle.
I fall into step next to him. Shane and Reneta join us, but I stay quiet as the castle comes into view.
When we get to the front, my eyes eagerly take in the city.
Thankfully, I don’t see too much damage.
We make our way to the building in the center of town without saying a word.
One look at Rauk’s face keeps anyone from talking anyway.
When we get to the building, he sends Reneta and Shane in ahead of us.
I start to follow, but he stops me. “Emotions are going to be running high today. Try not to add to it, okay?”
I scowl at him. “Sure, Your Highness,” I quip.
He shakes his head and then heads inside.
I’m quick on his heels, not wanting him to do something like close the door behind him, locking me out.
I totally wouldn’t put it past him. When we enter a large room, I’m surprised by all the people who are there.
Clearly, there are more people than last time.
Rauk strides towards the same table on the ground level, in the center of the room.
Reneta, Thorne, and Shane take up positions directly behind Rauk.
Reneta glances my way, and I catch the expression on her face.
And just like that, I find myself striding towards the table.
Once again, there’s only one chair, the one that Rauk’s currently sitting in.
I grab an empty one and carry it with me and then sit next to Rauk.
I cross my arms and be sure to catch Reneta’s eye.
She gives me a hard look and turns away.
I turn back to Rauk who lifts a single eyebrow at me before he turns back to the crowd.
“Thanks for gathering. I know you all know what happened last night. Let's get down to the facts of what we do know. Invaders from both the North and South made it past the wall last night and kept our guards occupied while a few of them made it to my home.” He takes a deep breath. “What most of you don’t know is that my sister was in there.” There’s a collective gasp and then whispering.
He shoulders on. “I’ve kept her presence quiet for this very reason.
Some remember that the king and queen had another baby, but most don’t.
And even more don’t know that she’s paralyzed from the waist down.
” He looks around the room. “I’ve kept her presence a secret as a form of protection, but that’s no longer an option.
They obviously knew she was here, and they tried to get to her.
If they get to her, they get to me.” There’s absolute silence in the room now, and I glance at Rauk. His jaw is hard.
“Thankfully, Harper, my mate, kept them from taking my sister.” The use of the word mate throws me for a loop, and I think I jerk in my chair.
I turn to him, but he continues on without looking at me.
“Without her, I’m sure we’d be hearing a different story today.
” Literally, every eye in the room is on me, and I hate it.
I knock his knee with mine, but he doesn’t respond.
“We owe her a debt.” I knock his knee harder with my own, and he puts his hand down on top of my knee.
Firmly. I try to move my knee but can’t.
I’m sure to anyone that can see, it looks like a gesture of romance, but it’s anything but.
He has my knee in an iron grip. I stop fighting him.
Suddenly, everyone in the entire room stands to their feet and puts their fist over their hearts, copying the same gesture Rauk gave me last night.
When Rauk starts to stand, I put my hand on his leg, trying to stop him.
But it’s like trying to get Redara to move in a direction she doesn’t want to go—it's impossible. He stands and copies the same motion. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, and I’m annoyed and irritated that all these people are doing this.
When his eyes finally meet mine, I widen mine and hope he gets the message to end this thing, whatever it is.
He must because he sits down next to me, and everybody in the room does the same.
I put my hand on his thigh and pinch. Hard.
He covers my hand with his bigger one and pushes down until my hand is flat and trapped.
..on his thigh. “Thorne, give us the latest report.” I tug, but he doesn’t release my hand.
Thorne steps to the middle of the room. “There was damage done to the front wall but not extensive. Other than that, the only other real physical damage was to the castle. The doors on the landing area need to be replaced.”
So that’s how they got in. I remember the glass shattering but hadn’t put together how they’d gotten in.
“There were three casualties.” He lists the names of three people I don’t know, and everyone in the room bows their heads a moment in respect.
“And of course the attempt to take Princess Auri was stopped, thanks to the King’s mate.
” I glare at Thorne now too, but he ignores it.
“All in all, it wasn’t bad; but we all know that was not a full attack. It was a test.”
“We’ll be ready when they come back,” somebody from the crowd says.
Thorne continues on. “The thing is, in all our years of fighting, the North and South have never worked together. So why now?” It’s silent in the room for a moment. A few people throw out answers, and I listen avidly, trying to figure out why as well.
“Do we let our spirit dragons fight?”
Thorne doesn’t answer but looks to Rauk instead.
It’s then that I look down and remember Rauk still has my hand trapped, which irritates me.
I yank hard, and he finally releases it.
“We’ve never allowed our spirit dragons to aid in our battle, mostly to protect what we have here.
We’ve trained our warriors to face any threat that comes our way without risking our spirit dragons and letting our secret out to those outside our kingdom.
If the time comes, and we must let them fight to save our kingdom, we will. But not until we make that call.”
I catch movement out of the corner of my eye, and I look up. I don’t see anything, but my senses are on overdrive. Rauk must sense something as well because he’s gone still next to me.
“Rauk.”
My head jerks up at the sound of Auri’s voice, and my heart nearly stops.
She’s sitting in her chair only a few feet from the door, but that’s not what has my heart thundering in my chest. It’s the Northerner that stands behind her that has a knife to her throat.
Rauk doesn’t move next to me, and the room has gone absolutely silent.
I look up and see Northerners around the entire top layer, and they’re all pointing arrows down towards Rauk and I. “Rauk,” I say in a quiet voice.
“I see them.” His voice is equally soft, but there’s an undercurrent there that I can only describe as the promise of retribution and pain.
I can’t even count how many of them there are.
My heart is pounding so loudly, I can barely breathe.
My gaze locks on sweet Auri, and I try to convey calm with my face.
I have no idea how, but we’re going to get her out of this.
“What do you want?” he demands in a harsh voice.
My eyes are glued to Auri, and I’m ready for anything.
“Attack!” Rauk roars, while simultaneously plowing into me and taking me to the floor backwards, away from the table.
Arrows land all around, and there’s a heavy screeching sound as somebody shoves the table back towards us, penning us in against the half wall behind us.
There’s the sound of battle all around us, but Rauk turns to me. “You good?”
I nod quickly. “Yeah. You?”
He nods in quick response. He looks above us, and I know he’s formulating a plan. Suddenly, a voice shouts above the noise. “Give us the dragon girl, and we will leave.”
Shock courses through me, and I turn to Rauk. “Never,” he says through grit teeth. He pulls a knife and pops his head up, but arrows crash into the table a second later.
“Don’t do that!” I yell at him. My mind races trying to figure a way out of this mess. There are cries all around us, and I don’t want to know how many of Rauk’s people won’t make it out of this alive. Redara, we’re under attack; I need you.
Her response is immediate. Where are you?
In the main building.
We’re on our way.
“Let me go to them,” I shout to Rauk over the noise.
He turns to me, eyes dangerous. “No.” He crouches and pulls his halberd from over his shoulder.
“Rauk, listen to me!” I have to shout to be heard. “I don’t think they’ll shoot me. Let me get Auri.”
“No.”
I grab a hold of his arm. “Rauk!” His eyes flick to mine.
“She can’t keep being used as bait. Let me get her out of here.
Redara’s on her way. I’ll take Auri and get her to a place where she can’t be used as bait anymore.
Just until things settle down.” I can see the indecision in his eyes, and I push.
“I’ll get to the Wolf Kingdom. They’ll keep us safe.
” His face tightens, and I push. “Rauk, it’s the only way to keep her safe. ”
“Do you know the way?” he asks, voice fierce. Something shoves against the table, but it doesn’t faze him.
“Redara does.”
He nods once. “I’ll get you to her.”
“I’ll need help getting Auri up on Redara.”
“I’ll get both of you up there.” His face is set like a stone, and I’m glad he’s on our side.
“When we move, you go right to the exit. I’ll clear the way; stay behind me.
You grab Auri, and I’ll make sure you both get on Redara.
” I don’t even get a chance to respond. He stands up and throws three knives in the blink of an eye, and then he’s running.
I stay right behind him with a knife in each hand.
Arrows fly, but we keep running. He uses his halberd to keep anyone from getting close to us.
He shouts something at Thorne, but I can’t hear over the noise of battle.
Everywhere I look, people are fighting. It’s brutal and awful.
I race after Rauk. Somebody grabs my arm and yanks me backwards, but Rauk’s there a moment later.
He shoves the end of his halberd into the warrior with black paint and pulls me free.
Then we’re running again. We reach Auri, and Rauk decimates the men near her.
I look for a chance to help but don’t get one. I reach out and grab Auri.
“Let’s go, Kiddo.” She wraps her arms around me, and I burst through the exit and run down the hallway. Three warriors see me coming and run towards us. I’m ready to turn and run the other direction, but all three of them go down a moment later with knives to their chests.
Rauk puts his hand on my back. “Go!” We race down the hallway and towards the exit door.
Are you close? I send to Redara.
Almost there.