41. Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-One
Ayse
Ispun around in horror, ice racing through my veins as the guard barreled down the long, dark hall, sword raised, her footsteps echoing in the high, arched ceiling above.
Earth—she was going to strike me down.
And there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
Time began to stretch as the world around me spun, darkness closing in on my vision. This wasn’t the familiar curl of Seok’s shadows; I was on the verge of passing out.
Dropping to one knee, I pulled a ragged breath into my lungs, realizing too late that my leg had been struck.
The adrenaline coursing through me blocked the pain at the impact. With the guard still rushing toward me, it was clear that another assailant lurked out of sight. Glancing down at the prickling in my upper thigh, I saw the flashing hilt of a dagger.
A golden hilt, with emerald gemstones.
The dagger that Seok gave me.
The dagger hadn’t pierced me at all—it was merely an unfamiliar sensation against my now-bent leg. Despite my lingering dizziness, I unsheathed the weapon and aimed the tip toward the approaching guard.
I had no idea how to wield a weapon.
Dread crept over my skin as I shifted my gaze from the dagger to my assailant, a shiver coursing through me.
“W-what’s that?” I shouted, pointing behind the guard’s shoulder, a measly attempt at distraction.
“Not falling for that,” she snarled, closing the distance to less than twenty paces.
I scrambled back—falling on my bottom—when a jet of water streamed from behind the soldier, knocking her off center and splattering droplets of cool mist on my cheeks.
Quickly regaining her balance, the guard turned, searching for the source of the spray—still floating in midair.
Amazement filled me as a thick tendril of water rammed into her, shoving her across the hallway, her head thudding against the solid granite wall.
The guard slumped to her knees, unconscious.
An exceptionally tall figure in a red jacket skidded into the hall, sliding gracefully on the wet floor until they stood before me. The water gathered itself, magically swirling through the air to collect in an uncorked bottle strapped to his side.
Unruly, raven hair framed a strikingly beautiful face as he looked down at me, extending a hand. That lopsided grin instantly pegged him as the more mischievous version of his younger brother. Accepting his hand, I rose to my feet.
“I’m assuming you’re the famed Ayse, then,” he said, catching his breath.
I nodded.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ren, crown prince, water wielder, and far more devilishly charming brother of Seok.”
His fingers ticked off each of his assets, and I chuckled softly, which only widened his smile.
“Ah, so you have good taste in humor. I guess that makes you worth saving after all,” he mused.
Shouts echoed in the halls.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me. But now I really must be off, you see…” Scanning my mental map of the castle for the next destination, I set off down the hallway, sprinting as fast as my feet would carry me.
Silence wouldn’t be worth much this close to the recent commotion.
I needed to put distance between me and it as quickly as possible.
A red blur in my peripheral vision indicated that the crown prince was now jogging alongside me.
“I’m afraid I have more experience planning parties than jailbreaks, but I hope you’ll allow me to escort you, at the very least.”
Since I couldn’t aptly use the dagger sheathed at my side, and he had already demonstrated his willingness to neutralize his own guards, it seemed unwise to refuse his offer.
“Sure,” I said. “As long as you can keep up.”
Turning abruptly, I darted down a side corridor.
Moments later, he appeared again at my side. I guess that meant he could keep up.
The light tapping of boots became thunderous. Afraid to look behind us, I spurred my body to move faster, my lungs feeling like they were about to explode, my legs on fire.
The crown prince, however, glanced back. “They’re gaining on us.”
Ren’s expression hardened with determination. Without a word, he took my hand in his before emptying the contents of his flask on the ground.
To my surprise, the water surged beneath my feet.
As I flailed for balance, tension sent searing pain through my chest. Thankfully, Ren’s strong grip kept me upright as the water propelled us forward, away from the guards, with unparalleled speed.
The pursuers behind us were caught off guard by the sudden slickness beneath them.
They stumbled and collided with one another, shouts and clangs of armor filling the hall as they tumbled to the ground.
Triumphant, I shot Ren a grin, exhilaration replacing a sliver of my pain. “Nice move, Your Highness.”
His cocky smile faltered as the clamoring in surrounding halls iced away any remaining scraps of elation. Right, this isn’t over yet.
The world blurred as we raced through the twisting corridors.
My body blazed in pain, each step feeling like needles in my skin, each breath a dagger in my chest. A metallic taste coated the inside of my mouth.
Uncertainty crept in as I wondered how much further I could go at this pace, fear clawing at my throat.
But I couldn’t let this all be for naught. What was the point of everything if I didn’t make it out of here alive? And even though my body was weak, my determination was strong.
That inner strength didn’t keep me from stumbling.
Prince Ren swore, scooping me up sideways against his chest, legs pumping underneath us. My satchel settled in my lap, and as my initial shock wore off, I tilted my head up to face him.
“I can run just fine on my own!” I protested, despite it being painfully obvious to both of us that I could not. On top of that, his long strides now covered ground twice as fast as when he had been slowing himself to my pace.
“Sorry about this,” his voice held a smile, though his serious expression revealed none. “But I have always fancied myself a hero, so at the risk of wounding your pride, I’m going to give myself this moment.”
My heart warmed. Or maybe that was still my lungs flaming in my chest. Regardless, I whispered, “Thank you.”
Then I focused on flexing my fingers, attempting to dispel the numbness in my limbs now that I was no longer exerting myself past my body’s limits.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he muttered under his breath.
As we turned another corner, I wondered where we even were at this point. The mental load frying my thoughts, coupled with us switching directions often to avoid the guards, rendered my internal map useless.
And again, I heard a group approaching us. The odds were overwhelming; if we didn’t get out soon, they would overtake us. Despair lingered in the fringes of my mind.
“What the—? I thought Seok was the damn prince helping her escape!” Iskra’s voice rang through the hall.
A blazing wall of fire erupted before us, the hot flames engulfing an entire section of the corridor.
Ren, with a clear need to prove his charm, seized the moment. “Plans change all the time, you know.”
Captain Iskra’s red hair appeared on the other side of the flames. I caught her gaze before it shifted to the prince. “You princes are turning this escape into a royal spectacle,” she remarked, and I’m pretty sure I caught a begrudging hint of admiration in her tone.
The group of soldiers I heard gaining on us appeared—next to Iskra on the other side of the fire.
Ren muttered under his breath, his words meant only for my ears, “Perfect, we can get to the courtyard this way.”
He took off to our right, and a wave of heat flared behind us.
“You can’t run forever!” Iskra shouted, and I realized that the fire was following us down the hall, but never got quite too close for any real danger.
“She’s… helping us, right?” I asked Ren in disbelief, looking up at him, moonlight casting a pale glow on his face and deepening its shadows.
“Definitely helping. And here’s our stop.”
Focusing my attention on our surroundings, my eyes caught on a wall of frosty windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, much like those I’d seen on my first day in the castle.
Behind them, the stars shone brightly like holes in a swath of midnight blue velvet.
The silvery moon bathed the hedge maze outside in a soft light, causing the thick layer of snow cover to glitter like jewels.
A large set of heavy, ebony double doors led out to the wintry courtyard garden, and Ren set me down to pull one side open.
As we rushed through the door, I turned to see the entire hallway we’d just left catching fire and let out a sigh of relief.
No one would be chasing after us from that exit until the flames died down.
“This is more like it.” To my left, Prince Ren stood still, his face lifted to the sky, snowflakes gently catching on his cheeks, dark hair, and thick eyelashes.
“The snow is beautiful and all, but I really think we need to get going. Seok didn’t put this as an option for me on my map.
There’s a way out of the castle walls through the courtyard?
” I asked, impatient as I thought of the hoard of guards inside the castle that could come out here after me any minute.
Tipping his head down to lock eyes with me, a wicked grin crept across his face.
“No, my dear. There’s not.”