Chapter 53
"What on earth are you doing here, Cass?" Lucien's voice drifted from somewhere behind my back. It was strained, but it still carried that familiar mix of disbelief and dry amusement. Given the absolute disaster of our current circumstances, his commitment to amusement felt impressively consistent.
"Well, Lucien," I said, adjusting slightly against the ropes.
They were deeply committed to keeping me as uncomfortable as humanly possible.
"Long story short, I have developed a magical talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unfortunately, I continue to perform exceptionally well at it."
There was a brief pause in the dark. It was immediately followed by the rustling sound of him shifting against his own restraints.
"...Yeah, that sounds highly accurate," he muttered.
"How did you even end up in this sketchy place?" I asked. My situation was already embarrassing enough, but I truly needed to understand how a literal crown prince with personal guards managed to join me in this highly exclusive kidnapping experience.
"I was on my way to the royal ball," he replied. His tone tightened up slightly with lingering annoyance. "I got brutally ambushed right near the borders. Some very unkind-looking man decided I didn't need to remain conscious for the rest of the evening."
"Ah," I said, nodding in the dark. "That must be Richard."
There was a sudden, heavy silence. It wasn't the comfortable kind of silence. It was the deeply confused, processing kind.
"...How on earth do you know his name?" he asked very slowly.
I hesitated for exactly half a second. I quickly decided that partial honesty was the least complicated option available. "I woke up early while they were discussing their very poorly executed operation. Our kidnappers tend to aggressively overshare their plans."
Another pause stretched between us.
"...Right," he said. He clearly chose not to question my sources any further. I deeply appreciated that choice. I did not have the emotional energy to explain that our captors lacked basic operational secrecy.
"My royal knights will be looking for us," he continued after a moment. His voice sounded much more serious now. "They will definitely find this hidden place."
"Wow. That is incredibly optimistic of you," I said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well," I replied, leaning my head back against the hard wooden chair.
"Your knights were completely knocked out during the ambush. To make matters worse, our very competent kidnappers left a beautiful false trail in the forest. Anyone searching for you is currently being confidently misled in the wrong direction."
"...Seriously?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.
"Yes, absolutely."
"...And you're one hundred percent sure about this?"
"I heard them brag about it," I said. "Very proudly, I might add." I paused, then muttered a quick thought under my breath. "I am beginning to suspect that whoever designed these villains did not prioritize high intelligence."
"What was that last part?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said quickly. "Just some irrelevant commentary."
He exhaled slowly in the dark. I could practically hear the gears shifting in his brain as he processed the bleak situation.
"...Alright," he said finally. "If that's the case, then we are absolutely not waiting for a rescue to arrive."
That statement did not sound promising at all.
"We are going to handle this entire situation ourselves," he continued firmly.
I blinked into the shadows. "...And how do you plan to do that?" I asked. It felt like a perfectly reasonable question. We were currently tied to chairs in a room with no windows and zero weapons.
"For starters," he said, "how confident are you with your offensive magic right now?"
Ah. There it was. That was the absolute worst possible question at the worst possible time.
I inhaled slowly, preparing my defense. "On a scale of one to ten," I said very carefully, "I would confidently say... a solid ten."
There was a brief, hopeful pause. "...Well, that's actually good."
"...Out of a hundred," I added instantly.
Another long pause.
"...Or possibly out of a thousand."
The silence returned. It lasted much longer this time.
Then, he let out a defeated breath. "...We'll just have to work with whatever you've got."
I truly admired his stubborn optimism. "Right now, I can't do much of anything like this," he continued. "But you can try to untie your own hands using your magic."
"Of course," I said sarcastically. "If only I actually knew the right magical spell for rope removal."
"Cass," he said, his tone sharpening slightly. "This is definitely not the time for your jokes."
I let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, fair point. I'm sorry. I tend to panic when I'm anxious. Unfortunately, my only coping mechanism involves heavy sarcasm and incredibly poor timing."
A brief pause followed. "...Noted," he whispered.
"Let me try to focus on something," I continued. I straightened my spine as much as the tight ropes allowed. "And I would strongly recommend that you lean slightly away from me right now."
"Cass-"
"I really mean it, Lucien. Move back for your own physical safety."
"...That is not reassuring at all."
"It shouldn't be."
There was a brief, tense silence between our chairs.
"...Alright," he said finally.
Good. At least one of us was capable of making reasonable decisions under pressure.
"Okay," I muttered to myself, closing my eyes tight. "Focus. Control. Happy thoughts. Think of chocolate cake. Do not accidentally destroy the entire room. That would be highly counterproductive."
I inhaled slowly through my nose. I held the breath in my chest. Then, I tried to actually feel the power beneath my skin. It was that same strange, unpredictable force. I had spent four years actively avoiding it, and the past few days failing to manage it.
"Just this once," I whispered to my core. "Please actually cooperate with me."
Something deep inside violently responded. There was a sudden shift, followed by a strong pull of energy.
CRAAAACK.
That sounded... significant. I decided it was in my best interest to never learn what, exactly, had just lost its will to live, as long as it wasn't my spine.....or his.
"What on earth was that noise?" Lucien asked immediately.
"...Nothing to worry about," I lied. "Just me doing my magical thing."
I tried one more time. This time, I focused much more precisely on my wrists. I directed the raw energy toward the thick ropes binding my skin. I actively imagined them loosening, snapping, and completely giving way.
And then-SNAP.
The tight tension vanished instantly. I opened my eyes in shock.
"...I actually did it," I whispered.
There was a stunned pause behind me. "...You really did?" he asked.
"I really did," I repeated. I stared down at my free hands like they might change their mind and tie themselves back up. "Oh my god. I actually succeeded."
Dangerously encouraged by my success, I quickly worked on the ropes around my legs. I repeated the exact same mental process. I focused even harder, trying my best not to overthink the mechanics.
It worked beautifully a second time. I stood up from the chair, fully free.
"...This sudden competence is honestly concerning," I muttered.
"Cass," Lucien interrupted urgently. "Now would be an exceptionally good time to untie me."
"Right, sorry," I said quickly. I stepped behind his chair and immediately began working on his knots. Thankfully, this part required less magical chaos and more actual hand-eye coordination.
Within a few moments, he was completely free. He stood up to his full height, rubbing his wrists.
For the first time all night, I could see him properly under the dim light. There was a nasty dark bruise forming around his left eye. He had a noticeable bump on his forehead, and his overall expression suggested he had experienced a terrible day.
"...You look absolutely awful," I stated bluntly.
He narrowed his eyes at me slightly. "I will focus on my personal appearance after we actually survive this night," he retorted.
"Fair enough," I said.
We both slowly turned our bodies toward the heavy wooden door.
"So," I whispered, "what exactly is the master plan here?"
He scanned the dusty room quickly. He reached down and picked up a thick wooden stick from the floor, testing its weight in his right hand.
"I will handle anyone we physically encounter outside," he said. "Your only job is to get that door open."
"I get the door open," I repeated slowly. "Yes. That sounds incredibly simple. That sounds highly achievable. That sounds like something that will absolutely not go wrong in any capacity."
"On my signal," he whispered, tensing his muscles.
I gave a firm nod. I wasn't confident at all, but I was fully committed to escaping. He positioned his body right near the frame. He waited, listened intently, and then gave me a sharp gesture.
That was my cue. I raised both of my hands toward the wood, focused my mind, and released a burst of magic.
The power responded instantly, but it was much stronger than I intended. It is always significantly stronger than I intend.
Instead of neatly opening the door, my magic blasted violently right through it. It didn't stop there. The entire front section of the stone wall exploded outward in a massive burst of raw force. It sent wood splinters, heavy dust, and sharp fragments flying in every single direction.
When the noise died down, I coughed into the darkness. "...Well. That was technically not the door."
Through the thick cloud of smoke, I heard shouting voices.
"What the absolute hell was that?!"
"Cough-what just happened out here?!"
"Someone is awake! Get inside!"
Lucien did not hesitate for a single second. He moved through the chaotic smoke instantly, using the confusion to his absolute advantage. He struck fast and precise. He efficiently knocked out two, then three men before they could even react to the blast.
"Cass, run!" he yelled out.
I didn't wait to be told twice. He forcefully grabbed my hand, and we sprinted out of the broken structure together. We ran into the open night air, and then directly into the dense forest.
We ran blindly through the dark woods. Sharp branches scraped against my face and ruined my new pink gown. Our feet constantly slipped on the wet mud, and my breath became dangerously uneven.
Behind us, the angry shouts echoed through the trees.
"They went right that way!"
"After them! Don't let them get away!"
Of course they were right behind us. Because absolutely nothing in my life ever ends quickly or cleanly.
We kept running at a sprinting pace until the ground suddenly dipped down. The tree line opened up directly into the steep bank of a rushing river. The cold water was flying past with enough violent force to make stopping look like a fatal mistake.
"Cass," Lucien said, suddenly stopping and turning to face me. "I need you to do something right now."
"...What is it?" I asked, immediately looking at him with deep suspicion.
He locked his eyes directly onto mine. "Do you trust me?"
I blinked at him in total disbelief. "...That is a highly alarming question to ask right now."
"Cass, answer me."
The angry voices behind us were getting dangerously close.
"They're right over here!" someone shouted from the bushes.
Lucien did not bother waiting for my verbal answer. "Alright," he said grimly. "No time to argue."
Before I could voice a single objection, before my brain could overthink the terrifying physics of the situation, and before I could make what was probably a very reasonable complaint-he gripped my hand in a death-grip and jumped.
We launched straight off, plunging directly into the freezing, roaring river.