KDBookOnline
Share Us
He huffed, pressing up to sit. “Don’t call me that.”
“It’s what you are, is it not?”
He ignored her, wiping his neck clean.
Her eyes betrayed her, moving to his waist. She didn’t know what that V-shaped area was called, but it was very distracting. It tapered down like the tip of her blade.
“Tess!”
She blinked, breaking her stare.
Leora shouted again, “Come get Emiel! Let’s get out of here.”
Thessa sheathed her blade and stood. “I thought you were dead, by the way. And to answer your original question … I owed you this time, but I’ll have you know,serpent-wielder, you were not part of the plan. Grab your cloak and put your hood on, we’re leaving.”
There wasn’t time for a rebuttal, she jiggled the key free and took off.
Once Emiel was out and cloaked, Thessa and Leora refitted their uniforms and hoods. The flame-retardant material had kept them intact and concealed their burns well enough.
A loud thump snatched her attention. “That should hold them off a little longer,” Emiel noted after locking the guard in his cell and patting the door for good measure.
The other prisoners wanted nothing to do with them.
Thessa and Leora escorted Emiel and Soren out of the dungeons, up the wide marble staircase, and toward the long, infinite hallway leading towards city services.
This role Leora enjoyed a bit too much, it seemed. She ordered Emiel to stay silent while whispering something in his ear that made him blush brighter than his cloak.
Thessa was almost half the size of Soren, but pretended not to be. She held her head high and marched, pressing him onward. Touching him reminded her of how he looked curled on the floor, first in the Trial Room, and then in the dungeon.
Had he truly wanted to die?
They’d lost time, but if her calculations were correct, they’d be traveling toward Mabelton in less than five minutes.There was only one more barrier—passing the same guards at the Restricted Access border.
When the infinite hallway came to an end, Thessa’s group slowed their steps. Twenty paces away from the guards, another set of four approached. The groups of guards stood to attention, greeting each other. It was a quick exchange before the original four split off, marching right toward her.
Thessa’s heart pounded.
She whispered, “Heads down,” then extended her voice, “Keep moving and keep quiet!” There was still a role to be played.She knew they couldn’t stop now, not without suspicion. Nudging Leora, she encouraged her to keep up her ruse too.
A few feet away from the guards, Thessa’s hope shriveled. She peeled her mouth open to spill some lies, but the guards parted, letting them pass.
Soren muttered, “Shift change,” under his breath.
The new group of guards were still flattening their lapels when Thessa and Leora saluted. They were paid little mind as the guards were still adjusting to their shift. There was a collective sigh from Thessa’s group after they rounded the final corner. A few more strides and they pushed the males through the main doors.
As the clock tower rang, a jolt of energy shot through her.
Noon.
The driver in the first carriage called out departure toGreenshire, and the one in back shouted the last call for Mabelton. Thessa moved with determination, swinging open the door to the rear carriage. They all trampled inside.And they weren’t alone. A lone female sat in the far corner.
“Tickets, tickets.” The driver popped his head into the wood-paneled cabin.
Thessa eyed Leora, who then handed the driver their tickets.
“Two tickets and four passengers, two of you are out,” the driver grunted, throwing his thumb back.
Leora pulled out the booklet of payment slips she’d received from Gravenport’s Funding Corporation and infused every word with Elemental ego as she said, “Get us to Mabelton without a word about missing tickets, or my companions, and you’ll be compensated well enough to leave this dreary city forever.”