CHAPTER THIRTEEN #2
“One of the diplomats lives three or four miles from here,” Kentario said. “Oris Izarius. You know him?”
Ryu nodded. “He works with Dad a lot on trade deals and stuff. But why there?”
“He lives outside the palace, and from what I’ve seen, he’s as loyal as they come. Even if the rest of the city’s in the middle of a revolt, he should still be willing to help us. Even if it’s only as far as to get us out of the city.”
A shout sounded from out in the gardens. “Over to the west side! You three, down to the south exit. Cut them off before they get to the cottages!”
“That’s Maro!” Ryu whispered urgently.
Gunshots suddenly fractured the night, the blasts making Ryu’s ears ring.
“Freeze! Down on the ground!” one of the guards yelled. More feet came running, thuds suggesting a fight had broken out.
“Shouldn’t we get to Maro?” Ryu said. “If the Guard’s getting things under control, he’d be the safest place to be.”
Kentario shook his head. “We still don’t know what’s going on out there. This could be a revolution. You saw the videos about Arctesia, from back when they had theirs. The Guard’s going to be helpless if the entire city is trying to storm the palace.”
Revolution? That meant that not just the palace, but likely the whole of Azrahn was in chaos.
“But Maro could help us escape,” Ryu insisted. Years of being drilled in what to do in case of an emergency were echoing in his head. The Captain of the Guard was their best line of protection from here. He glanced at Kentario, shocked to see the dark scowl on his face.
“You think Maro’s such a fucking angel then answer me this: how the hell did armed men get all the way inside the palace? How did they get into the same room as the king and queen? That kind of shit only happens if someone lets them in.”
It was true, Ryu realised. The same thing had happened in Arctesia thirteen years ago. Both the king’s guards and the Arctesian army had abandoned the king, leaving him to be slaughtered by civilians.
“Are you sure they’re dead?” Ryu asked, referring to his parents, because he couldn’t help himself. “Have you seen them?”
“Felix told me. He was wounded. He was trying to get to you.”
“Where’s Felix now?” For all his disagreements with his tutor, Ryu dreaded the thought of him being hurt.
Kentario didn’t answer, though his eyes met Ryu’s for a brief moment…
and Ryu swore fluently under his breath.
He cast a glance across the gardens again.
Maro was disappearing around the eastern wall, a flock of guards at his heels…
but Kentario’s point made sense. How had the attackers gotten so far into the palace?
And if Maro really cared about protecting him, why wasn’t he searching the royal apartment, instead of dashing about in the gardens?
Beside him, he heard Kentario sigh. “What do you want to do?” Kentario asked, eyes following Maro’s path towards the main hall. “I have my doubts, but if you really think Maro’s the best option…”
I believe in you, Ryu had told Kentario, after that difficult day with the attempted kidnapping. But Maro had indeed kept him safe that day, despite his harsh treatment of Kentario…
“We go to Oris,” he said, mind made up an instant later. There was no point in waxing lyrical about trusting his bodyguard if he wasn’t willing to put his money where his mouth was. “How do we get out of the gardens?”
“This way…”
The next ten minutes passed in a series of dashes from cover to cover.
Kentario expertly chose a path that avoided both attackers and guards, waiting silently between hedgerows for a patrol to pass, taking cover beside a potting shed when two more attackers crossed their path.
Finally, when both of them were breathless and sweating, they made it to the rear gate.
It was only ever used for the staff to take out the garbage, and beyond the bank of bins, the gravel drive gave way to a marshy swamp.
They’d have to cross it to get to safety.
“Over the gate. I’ll give you a leg up.”
The lights from the palace didn’t quite reach this corner of the garden, but Ryu hesitated a moment anyway, waiting until a burst of shouting near the western wing faded out.
Then he paused a moment longer, staring up at the lights that lit the wall of the only home he’d ever known.
A fire had started at the far end of the eastern wing, guards rushing around as they tried to douse the flames.
More gunshots sounded in the distance. His parents were dead.
Felix was dead. The Kingdom of Galandeen itself was under threat, and Ryu felt completely helpless.
Should they go back? Shouldn’t he be trying to bring order to his wounded city?
“Ryu?”
Kentario was waiting by the fence, down on one knee to lift Ryu over the gate.
Deliberately silencing the doubts in his mind, Ryu rose to his feet.
He placed one booted foot in Kentario’s hands, shocked for a moment by the ease with which the powerful man thrust him upwards, like he weighed no more than a child.
He grabbed the top of the gate and hauled himself over, landing with far more grace than he had in the fall from the roof.
Kentario made the leap easily, landing with barely a sound beside him.
“We head south for a mile or so. The marshes back onto houses once we climb the far hill. Once we reach the street, we go west. Oris lives in Bellview.”
“Got it,” Ryu confirmed. Then Kentario moved off into the scrub, blending into the darkness like a ghost.