Page 27 of A Royal’s Soul (Soul Match #3)

Persephone Flores

Katrina groaned to my left, and I quickly crawled to her. Blood wept from a nasty cut at her temple.

“Who is she?” Sasha asked warily as she entered the kitchen, her eyes shifting around the room as if she expected another madman with a scarily large knife to appear.

“Katrina, she’s a servant… or I mean, I don’t know,” I replied.

“What was she doing here?” Sasha continued questioning.

“Protecting me,” I told her.

Sasha nodded and ran her hand over her forearm in an almost anxious manner.

“Right. We can’t leave her, can we?” she asked.

I gave Sasha a look that I hoped made it clear that leaving Katrina wasn’t an option. She had saved my life as much as Sasha had. She was mean and neither of us particularly liked each other, and she was a member of a rebel group which I’m pretty sure wanted to overthrow the Borealis monarchy—so she was no friend. And sure, she had been trying to kidnap me before… I looked to what was left of Daniel and back to Katrina. But I owed her my life, and you didn’t repay that kind of debt by leaving someone injured in a warzone.

Sasha knelt down beside me. “Are you injured?” she asked.

I shook my head, “No. If it weren’t for you and Katrina, I think I’d be in a pot right now.”

Katrina laughed painfully.

“This is no time for such morbid jokes, Percy,” Sasha scolded, and I saw the lines of her face then. She looked older than before. She was my senior by a least a few decades, but until that moment, I hadn’t acknowledged it.

“Sorry,” I said.

Katrina coughed. “I’m glad we’re not soup, but we need to get out of here,” she said, managing to push herself to her knees. “True North have taken the estate and Percy isn’t safe.”

“What do you know about True North?” Sasha asked, her already stern expression hardening further. “And what do you care of Percy’s safety?” she continued more untrusting.

“I’ve heard the whispers of True North—everyone has. It’s been impossible not to. And Percy has a way of endearing others to her,” Katrina replied without hesitation.

Once again I found myself keeping secrets for her. Now wasn’t the time to inform Sasha of Katrina’s true allegiances.

Sasha nodded, accepting the explanation.

“How has everyone heard of these rebels but me?” I asked, a little frustrated. Why had no one found it even the slightest bit important to tell me about a group that apparently wanted me dead and was capable of attacking with such force?

“Now isn’t the time, Percy. Help me get your friend up,” Sasha commanded, dismissing my question.

“Now is the time! I was almost chopped up!” I responded, more than a little upset.

“She didn’t want you to know,” Katrina answered.

“That Princess of yours,” she clarified.

“That’s enough from you,” Sasha warned.

“I’m not your servant anymore—or have you not noticed the estate has fallen,” Katrina snapped back.

“Selene knew?” I asked.

Of course she knew. Of course she kept something like this from me. The same anger and upset that consumed me in the grove when I realised her betrayal swirled in my stomach.

“She only wanted to protect you, Percy. We couldn’t have foreseen this scale of attack, and there was no need to concern you unnecessarily,” Sasha explained.

“Pfft,” Katrina exhaled mockingly. “I sure as hell could have predicted an attack.”

Sasha turned to her with a look that could have turned Katrina to stone.

“Percy, you can be upset about this later. First, we need to get to safety,” Sasha told me.

I reluctantly agreed.

“Do you know where Selene is?” I asked. “I’m not going anywhere without Selene.”

As angry as I was with my Princess for keeping from me what I really should have known, I would never leave her behind. I couldn’t—my soul wouldn’t let me. We were one. There was no me without Selene.

“I don’t know. Most likely Selene and Ada are either together or individually responding to the attack,” Sasha answered while pulling Katrina to her feet.

“Can you stand and walk?” she asked, annoyed.

“You mean fighting?” I questioned, worry for Selene replacing my anger as I stood.

“That what she means,” Katrina answered, pushing Sasha’s hands away when Sasha only pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

I turned to Katrina and saw the look of disgust she gave to Sasha.

“Why are you so full of answers all of a sudden?” I asked her.

“There isn’t any need to keep anything from you now,” she replied. “No orders left to follow,” she continued.

I felt for Sasha’s sake to keep up the ruse that Katrina was only a servant and not some rebel group spy sent to abduct me. What was with people trying to abduct me? Once was enough.

“I am still a Lady of Ardens, and this estate has not fallen yet. You will show me the respect I am deserving of,” Sasha warned.

Katrina wobbled on her feet slightly. “That would be all of nothing,” she spat back. “You’re Lady of nowhere. Petra was dissolved long ago, and True North won’t leave your wife alive. Without her, who are you?”

“That’s enough!” I yelled, taken aback by the hurtful words of Katrina.

If she though Adamantia was as good as dead, then what did that say about Selene? And Sasha didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that. She had saved us.

“Sasha saved us, and is helping you now. If all you have to speak is nastiness, maybe don’t say anything at all for a while,” I told Katrina.

Sasha looked at Katrina like she wanted to rip the stone tiles from beneath her feet and pin her up to the ceiling.

“We can leave through one of the old servant entrances. A number of them have been blocked off over the years. There is one on the ground floor in the west wing, nearest the maze, that was blocked off almost three decades ago—shortly after I arrived. Others may know of it, but I’m the only Petra witch on the estate, and without a lot of strength or equipment, no one but me is breaking through,” Sasha explained after turning her attention to me.

“Why wouldn’t we leave through an actual door—or a window for that matter? Blowing a hole through a wall isn’t exactly inconspicuous,” Katrina replied.

“All feasible exits might be watched—especially if they are targeting Percy. You are clearly unfamiliar with Petra magic. I will create an opening without the need for dramatics.”

Katrina looked to Daniel. I didn’t follow her gaze. I kept my sight anywhere but near where it might land on him. I didn’t need more images for my nightmares—they were full enough.

“That was hurried,” Sasha defended. “And neither of you were injured in the process.”

“Why an old exit near the maze?” Katrina continued to question.

Sasha exhaled angrily. “Why with all the questions?” she asked in return.

Katrina only stared.

“Percy, we’re going now. I don’t care if your friend follows or not,” Sasha continued, holding her hand out for me.

It was odd, the way Sasha held her hand out for me—the tone of her voice held no room for arguments. And I found myself reaching out, taking her hand as silently commanded. There was something comforting in her grip, in the way she had taken control of the situation.

“But what about Selene?” I asked as she guided me from the kitchen.

“This is a bad idea, I feel it,” Katrina complained as she followed.

“I am certain that Selene and Adamantia will find us. Don’t worry,” Sasha told me, her tone less sharp.

“Where are they going to find us, exactly?” Katrina asked.

“In the maze,” Sasha answered.

“Wait, what?” Katrina asked.

“The maze?” I clarified in unison with Katrina.

“It will kill us,” Katrina continued.

Sasha pulled me a little closer to her as she led us through the corridors. I could hear the sound of gunfire, and each shot seemed to cause more tension in my spine. I felt rigid.

“The maze was created by our ancestors,” Sasha began.

“I thought we didn’t know who made the maze,” I said.

“We don’t,” Katrina interrupted.

“It was inter-coven magic. There are only two covens that could have come together to create such a feat—Petra and Flores,” Sasha continued.

“That might be true, but it will still destroy you,” Katrina interjected again.

“Not if we work together,” Sasha promised. “I wouldn’t suggest it under any other circumstances, but I fear that the maze may be our only sanctuary. I believe the rebels have us surrounded. I had hoped to flee to Petra, but with a target on your back, and Adamantia and Selene currently otherwise occupied, we need somewhere safe. Somewhere others will not attempt to reach us,” Sasha explained.

“Or they’ll rightly assume that you’re dead,” Katrina deadpanned.

“The maze will not harm us,” Sasha responded definitively.

“And what makes you so sure?” Katrina asked.

“We will control it,” Sasha answered.

“Inter-coven magic?” I asked, shocked. The weight of what Sasha was suggesting finally reaching me.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“That’s a death sentence,” Katrina said.

“And so is being captured by the rebels,” Sasha replied, gritting her teeth. “Do you have a better idea?”

“We make a run for it,” Katrina responded.

“Petra is over fifty miles north of here. Borealis more than six hundred south. How do you expect us to make it to either on foot, without being captured or dying of exposure?” Sasha asked.

“So we hide in a deadly maze that will kill you eventually. Percy is a half-witch. She’ll get tired, her magic will fail or deplete, she might even die trying to keep the maze under control—and then we all die. And say your big plan works, you can control the maze. Then what? We just sit, exposed to the elements and wait for death?” Katrina replied.

“We wait for backup. The rebels cannot hold Ardens estate for long—if they manage to take it in the first place. It’s perfectly possible that Ardens guard will destroy the rebel forces and Adamantia and Selene will come for us. If the estate does fall, Ardens reinforcements are undoubtedly already on their way, and the estate will be retaken in quick time. All we have to do is find somewhere safe to hide and wait. The maze is our best option. Selene will find us there,” Sasha explained, squeezing my hand gently in reassurance.

It sounded like an okay plan. Except from the inter-coven magic part. I didn’t even know how to perform inter-coven magic, and my magic wasn’t exactly doing as I wanted it to lately.

“I don’t know if I can do it,” I admitted. “My magic… I don’t know if I have enough control.”

“You can do it. I will help you. It will be a first for both of us. I have never practised inter-coven magic either,” Sasha reassured.

“Great. So neither of you two even know what you’re doing,” Katrina muttered, holding the side of her head and grimacing as she walked. “This is a death trap. Percy, you should come with me. I can get us out of here,” she continued, reaching for my free arm.

Sasha pulled me away, out of Katrina’s reach, and turned to her.

“Who are you?” Sasha asked, coming to a stop in the corridor. We were near Selene and I’s rooms now.

“What?” Katrina asked, doing a poor job of feigning being taken aback by the question.

“Who are you? Why are you so sure you can get Percy out safely?” Sasha continued.

“Because any idea is better than the fucking maze!” Katrina answered.

Sasha clenched her jaw, her forehead creasing with her frown. “Who are you?” she asked slowly—and maybe I wasn’t the only one spending too much time around vampires, because I could almost imagine the growl that should have accompanied the tone of Sasha’s voice.

“She’s with another rebel group,” I answered in Katrina’s place, feeling a weight lift from my chest.

“Which one?” Sasha asked taking a threatening step towards Katrina. The fingers of her free hand not holding mine splayed at her side, ready to use her magic.

“There’s more than two?” I asked, a combination of shock and upset. How many rebel groups where there in the North? Did they all want to use me in some way?

“The New Foundation,” Katrina answered defiantly.

“What are you doing here?” Sasha interrogated, and I felt the stone of the mansion shift under our feet—sure that it was Sasha’s doing, and not caused by the ongoing attack.

“I’m here to protect Percy and get her out alive. We gathered intelligence that True North were planning an attack. There are would-be loyalists within the conglomeration of the True North who believe that Percy is an outside force influencing the Crown and the true cause of the dissolvement of House Vouna. They want Percy’s head on a stick,” Katrina explained.

I felt myself become unsteady.

“I’m not influencing anything,” I protested.

Katrina turned to me with a sneer. “That was immediately and painfully obvious from our first encounter,” she replied, the same nastiness coating her tone and words as I had become used to. “But your disappointing character doesn’t change anything. I’m here to make sure you live and get you to safety within The New Foundation.”

“Lady Flores in under our protection.”

I turned around, pulling my hand free from Sasha’s.

“Rylan,” I exclaimed relieved. He stood tall and straight, a glare aimed at Katrina.

“Lady Flores, your Mistress has commanded your swift return to safety,” Rylan announced, using his professional voice—the one he used when others were around. “Lady Petra of Ardens, you are welcome to accompany us to safety,” he offered politely, before turning his attention to Katrina. “You, may use this opportunity to flee,” he said coldly.