Chapter 16 An Unintentional Unveiling
Additional Accomplices
Crickets sang in the darkness, and a nip in the air suggested that the summer would soon begin to wane. Only one other sound settled over the castle of Austice: quick, light footsteps that could have been mistaken for an animal skittering across the flagstones of the courtyard.
“Oof!”
“Ssh!”
Charlie and Antony turned in unison toward Asher, whose toe had caught on one of the stones, nearly sending him face-first into the ground.
“It’s not my fault!” Asher said in a strained tone.
“Come on,” Antony said gently, reaching back to grasp his brother’s hand.
The boys reached the covered walkway and proceeded down the hallway they knew all too well. It was a risky stretch of the castle regardless of the depth of the night. If any of the serving staff happened to be milling about, they would instantly notice the three princes.
The corridor that led to the servants’ dining hall and the kitchens was pitch black, but Antony halted when he heard the telltale sounds of regimented steps.
“Darn,” he murmured, sinking back.
“What is it?” Charlie whispered.
“Guards.”
“We could leave out a window,” Asher suggested helpfully.
“Yeah. Good idea.” Antony’s eyes darted over to the servants’ dining hall. “It’ll be easier to find a window down another hall.”
And so the boys retreated. When they once again approached the covered walkway, a shadowy figure appeared. The boys gasped in unison.
“There you are,” a familiar voice said with a sigh. “I thought you’d already left.”
Antony squinted against the shadows. “Ass?”
The thirteen-year-old Aster Fuks, son of Earl Les Fuks and grandson to the infamous Dick Fuks, stepped back into the moonlight, revealing his grinning face. “The one and only!”
“What’re you doing here?” Antony demanded after a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure the knights weren’t patrolling closer.
“I saw you packing earlier and figured you might be doing something like this.”
“And?” Antony asked sharply. “Are you here to stop us?”
Ass snorted, then held out a backpack in front of himself. “I’m here to go with you. You three need someone a bit older to help out.”
Antony frowned. “Why would you come with us?”
Ass sighed and slipped his backpack onto his shoulders.
“All kinds of reasons. One: I’m supposed to help the princes.
That’s the role of a good vassal!” Ass turned slowly and started walking down the covered walkway, Antony falling into step at his side with Charlie and Asher behind him.
“Two: This seems like fun. Everyone is so serious lately, and it’s annoying. ”
Antony listened and weighed the validity of the older boy’s words.
Those reasons did sound like something Ass would think.
“Do you even know where we want to go?” Antony changed topics as they approached a door he’d never entered. Without a moment’s hesitation, Aster pushed it open to reveal a room stacked with chairs and tables… and at the back, a tall window.
The older boy strode forward, opened the glass, and gestured toward Antony to climb through while Asher and Charlie closed the door. “I created a diversion in the rose maze, so we should be fine to head south. Were you thinking of going to Xava?”
“Sorlia,” Antony supplied, inching toward the window. “What kind of distraction did you use?”
Ass smirked again. He hadn’t quite grown into his long front teeth yet, and his dark-green eyes glinted mischievously. “I might have given my grandfather a glass of wine.”
“Is that safe?” Antony asked with a frown.
“Didn’t you set your uncle on fire during the coronation?” Ass retorted glibly.
Antony cleared his throat before saying, “He asked us to!”
“And my grandpa is always asking for a glass of wine! The physician says it’s fine if he has a glass once in a while!”
“Then why was it a good distraction?” Antony demanded next.
“Because it’s the full moon.”
By this time, Charlie and Asher had joined them by the window and were already clambering out.
Antony waited for clarification on Ass’s response.
Sighing, the adolescent finally added, “My grandpa thinks the full moon is the best time to dance naked.”
Antony decided he didn’t want any more details and jumped out the window. Ass followed. The four boys then set off at a jog toward the King’s Forest.
“So…” Ass easily kept up with the princes. “Where in Sorlia do you plan on staying?”
Antony balked. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’d really only been thinking about escaping the castle unnoticed.
“Right. So I’m sure your family owns property in Sorlia, but if you don’t know where it is, I know my father has a place on the water we can go to,” Ass announced confidently.
“Okay. That sounds good,” Antony agreed while also trying to not make it obvious that he was out of breath.
After reaching the first row of trees, they all slowed down to better watch their footing.
“His Majesty is a decent hunter, and he has the best of the best serving him. How do you plan to avoid getting caught?” Ass continued briskly.
“We’ll travel as far as possible tonight, then I’ll cover our tracks.”
Ass glanced at him in the darkness with a raised eyebrow. “How are you going to cover your tracks?”
Antony arched an eyebrow back, and gave a slow smile.
Thunder rumbled above.
Ass’s attention snapped up toward the sky—it had been clear moments before—but then his face split into a beaming smile as he realized Antony was causing it. “Brilliant. The rain should wash away our trail. Alright. Let’s go, Your Highness. West is that way.”
With a nod, Antony turned to the shadowy woods, though he hesitated when a swaying pine bough drifted ominously out of the dark. Suddenly, no fewer than a thousand fireflies shot toward the boys in a bright, glowing cloud.
Antony recoiled until Asher stepped forward. “Can you help us see?”
Dumbfounded, everyone watched as the fireflies broke off into two groups. One lined the air above, and the other framed a neat path on the ground below that stretched off into the distance.
“Your Highnesses… I’m sorry we all didn’t hang out much sooner,” Ass managed faintly.
Asher looked over his shoulder at Antony, who grinned back at his little brother proudly.
“Let’s go.” Charlie plundered on ahead.
Letting out a long breath and ignoring his pounding heart, Antony followed with Asher at his side and Ass behind.
So far, their escape was off to a fantastic start, and with someone a little older along to help, their journey would undoubtedly be a smooth one.
★ ★ ★
Rain thrummed against the window of Bes’s cabin. She lay on her bed, her thoughts adrift among worries for her future.
Her father would probably lock her in her room and put bars on her window after all this.
He’d definitely never let her get married or get a job.
All because she’d gotten restless. Curious.
And Hamil, her childhood friend whom her father had reluctantly allowed to remain near her, had goaded her into going on an adventure.
Closing her eyes, Bes took in a deep breath.
This had all gotten out of hand. First they’d shot past Troivack—too far from Lobahl—and now they were stuck on this ship with Daxarians, who were in a tornado of calamity and magic. As much as the story intrigued Bes, she didn’t want to be an active character in it.
We just need to figure out where and what that winged beast is, and whether or not that watch is what I think it is. Then at least we’ll know what’s going on.
A flurry of knocks jolted Bes from her musings. Sitting upright, she eyed the cabin door warily. Maybe she’d just pretend to be asleep. She didn’t think it would be a good idea to go investigating the beast or the watch when the Daxarian family was belowdecks.
However, the pounding grew more and more insistent.
Bes sighed. Only one person would unleash such a barrage on her door.
So she opened it, intending to give Hamil an earful for being so loud.
But she didn’t get the chance—Hamil rushed in and shut the door firmly behind himself.
He reeked of sweat, and he looked unwell.
“We’re in serious trouble.”
Coming from Hamil, this declaration made Bes nauseated with panic. “What? Why?”
“That… That nobleman. Tamlin. He isn’t… He isn’t what he seems,” Hamil explained in a furious whisper. “He’s the devil!”
Bes stared at Hamil, then slowly lowered herself to sit on the edge of her bed. “Hamil, what do you mean?”
“I mean he’s the actual devil! Son of the Goddess! Twin of Aradia, the first witch! He is the Beast Sympathizer! The Enlightened Prophet! The Cursed Liberator! Shall I go on?”
Bes snorted. “He’s not the devil, Hamil. Be serious.”
Hamil dropped to his knees in front of her and grabbed her hands. “Bes, I am not jesting. This is too serious to be jesting. I saw his eyes fill with blackness. I saw the darkness with my own eyes. He called himself the devil.”
Bes paused as she studied Hamil’s face. After giving his sincere tone a little more weight, she replied, “He’s a witch. Not the devil. It’s possible he is one of the chosen witches who don’t have a straightforward elemental power.”
“Why don’t you think he’s the devil? Do you really not trust me?” Hamil implored.
Bes gave him a rueful smile. “I trust you more than I should, but… It’s a gut instinct. You know I’m never wrong about that.”
Hamil’s eyes narrowed. “What I’ve seen means less than your ‘gut instinct’?”
Bes shrugged. “For now it does.”
Settling back on his haunches, Hamil crossed his arms. “I guess I won’t tell you what I learned about the watch, seeing as you don’t trust me.”
Bes straightened. “What? You saw it? What is it?”
“No, no! You clearly think I’m a liar or an idiot, so I don’t have to tell you anything!”
Bes pursed her mouth.
Then, in a blur of movement, she snatched Hamil’s ear and dug her thumbnail in.
“OW! DAMNIT, WOMAN!” Hamil roared.
“Dummy! We are in this mess because of you! You owe me for the rest of your life! What. Did. You. Learn?” She released Hamil. Then, fixing him with an imperial stare, she sat back and crossed her legs and arms.
Rubbing the side of his head, Hamil scowled up at her. “The watch needs a crystal. Until it has one, it can’t do anything. It can’t even tell time.”
Bes let out a sigh of relief. “Thank the Goddess for that. Did you learn anything about the ancient beast hybrid?”
“I didn’t. But I think there is a lot more to that chicken than they are letting on,” Hamil grumbled.
Bes stared at Hamil’s expression and noted the genuine annoyance and anger in his eyes.
“Alright. I’m sorry that I hurt you, and that I don’t believe you about the devil. I just… I need to see it with my own eyes. You know that’s always how I am,” she consoled.
Hamil wriggled his shoulders. “I’m right about him being the devil.”
Bes reached out and gently grasped Hamil’s chin before turning his head to make sure she hadn’t accidentally made him bleed. “I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out for myself.”
Rolling his eyes, Hamil allowed Bes to inspect his head.
Then, apparently acquiescing that he maybe did owe her, just a little, for the heaps of trouble they found themselves in, he added, “I… might have mentioned to the Daxarians that Lobahl has a lot of dragons.”
Bes’s grip on his chin tightened. “What?”
“I didn’t tell them anything else! But they said they got the watch from a dragon! So I accidentally mentioned that—”
“Hamil!” Bes dropped her hand, her eyes wide. “If you tell them too much, they’ll imprison you for the rest of your life back home!”
The young man hung his head. “I know. But the jamar can try getting threatened by the devil and see how they fare! Though weirdly enough, the devil kept saying the chicken was worse…”
“Oh, for the love of— I’ve had it with all this talk about the chicken!
” Bes snapped. “And that cat! They are glorified pets and that’s that!
Now, once we are in Daxaria, we have to write to our fathers, and Hamil, Goddess help you, we’re going to have to lie.
But until then: Keep. Your mouth. Shut!”
Hamil scooted away from Bes sheepishly, making her tense. “Well, here’s the thing…” He rose to his feet and inched toward the door, making Bes stand up with rising panic.
“Hamil… Hamil, what did you do?”
“Bes… Bes, listen to me, Lord Tam really is the devil! A-and we owe him for saving us, so I… I might have… said we’d help him figure out what the watch can do… because it might do something other than stop time.”
“Hamil!”
“I’ll see you at dinner!”
Before Bes could lunge at him again, her friend had bolted from the room and slammed the door shut behind himself.
Letting out a shout of frustration, Bes dropped her face to her hands.
Goddess… Maybe they would’ve been better off getting killed by the pirates.