Chapter 1 #3
The southern coast was a long journey, especially for a girl who hadn’t been more than a mile from the palace, but I didn’t have any other options.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Micah lifted his hand toward my cheek and guilt flooded me.
There was so much weight to his concern and the reasons that compelled him to worry for me. Micah had become my anchor since leaving the palace, my confidant and closest friend.
But the way he was studying my face was… more.
A loud and piercing cry echoed in the distance. Micah’s hand, which was half an inch from my face, stopped abruptly in midair. We both stilled, our bodies tense as we listened, and suddenly the sound of boots hitting the cobblestones were far too close for either of us to feel safe.
Micah’s eyes widened with alarm as he turned his head toward the direction of the approaching footsteps. His hand dropped and his fingers brushed against the hilt of a concealed dagger at his belt. The desperation in his voice was palpable as he whispered urgently, “We have to go, now.”
My heart raced in my chest as panic coursed through my veins. I grabbed Micah’s arm, my grip tight and unyielding. “Here,” I said, my voice filled with both fear and determination as I reached into my pocket and pulled out half the coins from the pouch.
“Where the hell did you get these?” Micah grabbed my hand in his and closed my fingers around the coins as he looked back over his shoulder.
“I stole them,” I whispered urgently, my eyes flickering toward the approaching footsteps. “Take them and go. Find a safe place to hide, somewhere they won’t find you. We’ll meet back here tonight.”
“You need these.”
“We both do,” I urged, and we both knew it to be true.
Micah hesitated for a moment, torn between his concern for me and the need to escape. But we both knew that we were far harder to catch alone than when we were together. I dropped the coins into his hand, and he nodded, his grip tightening around them, before squeezing my hand one last time.
“Be safe,” he murmured, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and determination. And then he was gone, disappearing into the shadows as if he were never there .
Left alone in the dimly lit alley, my heart pounded in my chest like a war drum. The approaching footsteps grew louder, drawing closer with each passing second. Fear and adrenaline surged through my veins, fueling my instincts as I turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
I darted through the narrow alleyway, jumping over a discarded crate and dodging a man who was scurrying in the opposite direction. My lungs burned with every breath, but I pushed through.
My mind raced, trying to formulate a plan as I ran. I needed to find a place to hide, blend in with the crowd, and disappear from the eyes of those who were moving through the streets. It didn’t matter who they were after, the King’s Guard didn’t discriminate against those who got in their way.
The streets were teeming with people, and everyone was on edge. My eyes darted around, as did everyone else’s, and there were dozens of guards moving through the crowds.
I slowed my pace, keeping my head down as I moved through the bodies.
“There!” I heard a man call out behind me, but I didn’t dare turn around to see who it was. “That’s her.”
My heart skipped a beat as the voice pierced through the bustling street. Panic surged within me, urging me to run, but I forced myself to remain calm. I weaved through the crowd, my body slipping effortlessly between bodies, desperate to get lost among them.
But fate was not kind to me.
Before I could react, strong hands closed around my arms, yanking me back with a force that sent a jolt of pain shooting up my shoulder. I stumbled, fighting to maintain my balance against the sudden onslaught.
A burly figure loomed over me, clad in the dark navy uniform that marked him as a sentry of the King’s Guard. His eyes bore into mine, and my fear fought with my defiance as I forced myself to drop his gaze as I pretended to be someone I wasn’t.
Someone who respected the king and his men.
“I’ve got her,” he called over his shoulder, and I winced as I heard more loud footsteps approaching.
He reached forward, lifting my chin with one calloused finger as he studied my face.
“Is it her?” another guard asked from behind him, and I swallowed hard.
No. Please. Please. Please.
If they took me back to the palace, I wouldn’t survive. My father wouldn’t allow it. I had betrayed him and his kingdom when I ran during the raid, and he wouldn’t let me forget it.
“It’s her.”
He lifted my wrist in his hand, tugging me closer to him as people scattered as far away from us as they could.
I was nothing to them, nobody that they would be willing to risk their own lives for, and Micah had disappeared just as I told him to.
The princess.
I was ready for his next words to escape his lips, prepared for the gasps when everyone heard, but I was shocked when he ran his thumb over my still sore rebellion mark.
“And it looks like the little thief is a traitor.”