Chapter 25 #3
The rest of the group lunged for Dominic, and he was nothing more than a blur of movement in the crowd.
Some of the attackers went down, groaning in pain.
Then Dominic was upon a man’s shoulders, hands wrapped around his neck.
The man beat against the hands at his throat but it did nothing to loosen Dominic’s hold.
He swayed and stumbled beneath Dominic, about to pass out.
Dominic clambered to his feet on the man’s shoulders and jumped for the roof as the man fell unconscious.
Dominic’s fingers scraped the edge, scrambling for purchase.
Someone below reached for his ankles, but Ace and Adara already had him in their grasps, hauling him up.
“Come on,” Dominic breathed, pulling himself to his feet.
“Follow them!” an angry shout came from below.
The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, the only remnant of it the soft golden hue setting the town aglow.
A full moon was already bright overhead.
The gentle light of dusk hadn’t yet given way to complete darkness, and the Andreilians were nothing but shadows running along rooftops through the city.
“Jump!” Sawyer called out as he followed Dominic, jumping over the space between buildings.
Adara expertly leaped to the next roof, landing with ease as she’d done this many times before.
There was a thud as someone slammed into the ledge of the roof. Adara turned to see Silas’s green eyes wide with fear as he dangled from the edge, small fingers gripping tightly to the gutter. She lunged toward him, but Asher and Desmond were already there, pulling him up.
After that, Silas got the hang of their dangerous escape, finding more confidence with each gap he cleared. They leaped from roof to roof, over streets illuminated with the warm yellow glow of paper lanterns.
Adara couldn’t help her grin as they all ran, laughing and breathless from teasing one another about being caught yet again. Her heart pounded, the buzz of adrenaline pumping through her as she jumped over another alley, cloak billowing in her wake.
Caleb tripped as he landed on the next roof, crashing down. He rolled and popped right back up to his feet. “Sometimes I miss times like this!” he said with glee.
“I came up with that elaborate story in the port to keep suspicion away from us and we’re gonna end up in the dungeons anyway!” Silas yelled at Evreux, though his words were light and playful, a smile creeping on his lips.
“You’re too young. They wouldn’t kill you. The rest of us will be sent to the gallows though,” Sawyer said.
“So I’m safe!” Zephyr laughed from his perch atop Tobias’s back, jostling around as they ran, holding on tight to Tobias.
“We’d all be dead! The queen is ruthless,” Vesper replied.
“No one is dying!” Ace shouted.
“Maybe we should sacrifice someone so they’ll stop following us,” Niran said, spotting their attackers still following from the streets, though they seemed to be falling behind in the crowd.
“I vote Tyson!” Caleb offered.
“What the Hel! I got his ass out of that mess,” Tyson shouted, pointing a finger at Evreux.
“He’s only saying that because you’re the one most likely to break free,” Evreux replied over his shoulder.
A smug smirk was Tyson’s only response.
“Careful.” Adara laughed. “Don’t stroke his ego too much.”
They ran along rooftops deep into the heart of the kingdom.
The crowd thickened, and the usually barren streets were brightly lit and cluttered with decoration.
Their assailants were no longer seen, lost within the masses of people.
The Andreilians slowed to a stop. Ace untied a length of garland strung between rooftops and used it to swing down to the street. The rest of them followed.
“All right,” Dominic started, eyes scanning for any more threats once they were back on the ground. “We’ll divide our money, then split up. Find a place to stay for the night and lay low,” he grumbled. “We’ll meet back up tomorrow night at the harbor.”
They nodded. Evreux opened the coin pouch, handing money out as they split into smaller groups and dispersed until only Adara and Dominic remained.
They didn’t walk far before Dominic turned, leading her toward a tall wooden building, windows towering above, golden light shining through each one.
Outside the inn, people were bustling about.
Some shopped at the wooden carts parked right outside the door, while others carried their belongings inside for their stay.
Dominic instructed her to wait outside as he entered to get them a room.
Adara obeyed and began checking out more of the wagons.
The delicious smell of baked goods caught her attention, and she instantly followed the scent.
It didn’t take much convincing from the vendor for Adara to buy delectable pastries for the two of them.
Moments later, Dominic was by her side. “We got here just in time.” He dangled the key in front of her. “Got the last room.”
“Lucky for you, I was feeling generous and didn’t eat both of these,” she responded, handing over the chocolate-filled pastry to him. Adara took a bite of hers as Dominic took the dessert from her outstretched hand. The taste of strawberry filling, flavorful and sweet, filled her mouth.
Dominic only thanked her, but by the way he devoured the pastry, she knew he enjoyed it as much as her. Typical of him to be impassive to anything and everything.
Adara licked the strawberry icing off her fingers and wiped her hand on her pants as Dominic led her inside. The ground floor was set with tables and a small bar, almost as packed as The Lykren’s Den. He pulled her through the crowd and up a few flights of stairs until they reached their room.
Inserting the key into the lock, Dominic pushed open the door to reveal a quaint, cozy room.
A large, brown pelt covered most of the polished wood floor in front of the hearth, full of dying embers, remnants of the last person to stay here.
Across the room was an entrance to a bathing chamber with a washbasin and claw-foot tub inside.
A wardrobe sat in the far corner. At the end of the bed sat a large wooden chest.
The room appeared fairly comfortable and was luxurious compared to the old, ramshackle inns Adara had stayed in when she lived here before. There was only one problem.
Adara’s hands balled into fists, and fire simmered in her veins as she scanned the room once more, praying she’d missed something.
She whirled to face Dominic, her glare harsh and unrelenting as she waited for an explanation good enough that wouldn’t end with her punching him in the face—not that she would mind doing just that at the moment.
There was only one bed for both of them.