Page 21

Chapter 21

The Great Furry Escape

How does a prince convince his captors to open the cage?

For Nylian, he merely had to act like a spoiled prince and impress upon his “hosts” that he absolutely had to go shopping for a new wardrobe while he was in Ulmenor. Naturally, his darling pet had to accompany him as his moral support pack mule and protector.

I wasn’t there for Nylian’s epic performance during breakfast because the pet was left behind to have his meal alone in the room. That was fine. I’d had enough of the awkward and insulting questions. And while the food wasn’t likely the same caliber of what Nylian was served, it was still better than what I would have received in the dungeon. Nylian bragged about his performance upon returning to the room to fetch me and gather our things.

Carrying our swords was more difficult since the king demanded an honor guard of six palace soldiers and a carriage accompany the prince to keep him safe. However, Nylian managed it with some fast talking and reassurances that he would leave any trouble they found to the guards. It was more of a prestige thing. He couldn’t be caught without his sword, or it would raise questions about his virility or some such nonsense. At this point, I was having trouble following his tangled logic and gave up.

As we stepped out into the morning light, I tipped my face up to the sun and sucked in a deep, refreshing breath. It was nice to be outside, even if we were still prisoners. When the City Watch had chucked us into the dungeon, I’d worried that I’d never step out in the light of day again. Now the birds were singing around us, the sky was a crisp and flawless blue, and there were half a dozen servants surrounding the carriage along with the guards.

Fuck .

Losing this crowd was going to be tricky.

I glanced over at Nylian, who was wearing the same bland and emotionless expression he had whenever he was in front of other elves in the palace. However, I didn’t miss the brief twitch in the corner of his eye or the sudden tightness of his lips. Either Queen Sumina or King Beldroth had proved to be craftier than we’d given them credit for.

With a smirk, I inserted myself between Nylian and a servant, opening the carriage door for him. I offered my hand to help him up and bowed my head. “Your Highness,” I murmured.

His demeanor cracked enough to allow him to cup my cheek before he took my hand. “My precious pet,” he purred as he stepped into the carriage. I followed him and tried to take the seat opposite him, but he caught my elbow and pulled me onto the bench beside him. “Behave yourself, my pet.”

“Anything to please my prince,” I replied, which earned me an extravagant eye roll now that we were visually alone. He didn’t believe my new subservient attitude in the slightest. I had no doubt that the guards and servants next to the carriage were straining to hear our every word.

Nylian stretched a hand up and knocked twice on the roof, sending the carriage smoothly forward through the palace gates and into the city proper. “Let us do a little shopping,” Nylian announced.

“As you wish.”

However, Nylian clearly mouthed, Stay close. Be ready.

I got it. There wouldn’t be multiple opportunities today to shake free of both the guards and the servants. We had to remain close to each other or risk being separated permanently.

I nodded, hoping the anxiety creeping up to strangle me wasn’t showing on my face. I wasn’t worried about Nylian leaving me behind. He wouldn’t. He would sacrifice his chance to escape in order to stay by my side. But I couldn’t allow him to do that. We needed to get the fuck out of Ulmenor and head south to Lockeheim.

Of course, that held its own complications. Unless we boarded a ship in Galinaes bound for Lockeheim, all routes across land required us to cut through Wolfrest to reach our destination. Nylian was banned from setting foot in his home kingdom. Those problems were for later. Right now, we had to escape the royal city of Ulmenor in one piece.

The first six stores were tailors who specialized in garments for the nobility and royalty. Each shop owner took time to fawn over Nylian, complimenting everything from his natural grace and appearance to how perfectly he breathed. Most summarily ignored me, giving me a chance to poke about and search for ways to create trouble, but there were a few who sicced assistants on me to make sure I didn’t dare touch anything with my grubby human hands.

After the clothing district, we moved on to shoes, gloves, undergarments, and even a shop that sold walking sticks.

Despite my increasing boredom, I couldn’t deny that all of it was incredibly gorgeous. Each bit of lace was finer than the last. The stitching was exquisite, and the fabric was the best I’d ever seen. It might have broken my heart a bit to walk out of the boot shop without a new pair after feeling the soft suppleness of their work.

The shopping excursion also gave me a chance to take in more of the city sights. When we’d first landed in Ulmenor, Nylian and I had been running for our lives, dodging the City Watch after dark. There had been no chance to take in the beauty.

For an elf city, I found it surprisingly cold and austere. The buildings were all made of pale shades of gray stone, while glass windows sparkled and reflected the sun as it rose higher in the sky. The streets were wide and immaculately clean. That appeared to be thanks to the droves of humans in bland charcoal gray uniforms hurrying here and there to clean up any bit of rubbish, from horse droppings to a stray leaf. Nothing was out of place. Were the humans slaves that had been purchased or gifted from other kingdoms like Kodra?

As the citizens of Ulmenor passed them, not a single one gave the humans a second glance. It was as if they weren’t there, or part of the scenery, like a lamppost or trash can. No wonder they seemed so shocked that Nylian would bother to keep me, even for a pet. I was no better than a Roomba.

The only sparks of color in the entire city came from the garments of the citizens and the occasional window boxes overflowing with bright flowers. So very odd. Elves were supposed to be creatures that embraced nature and were in harmony with it, but in Ulmenor, it was as though the elves wanted the cold precision of stone. Living nature had to be corralled and controlled in boxes. I wanted to ask Nylian about it, but since Galinaes elves surrounded us at all times, I was afraid they might see my questions as rude. I’d have to save them for later when we were out of this town.

Around midday, I caught Nylian’s eye. The day was wearing away, and so were we. The guards and servants had left us with little breathing room all morning. It was time to do something drastic, like set a store on fire. Some smoke and chaos would work wonders at creating an opening for us to escape. And I knew the spot to do it in.

“Your Highness,” I said as I sidled up close to Nylian, “you had mentioned wanting to work on your memoirs soon. Would you like to pop into that stationery store to acquire a new quill and ink? Maybe some new wax as well?”

Nylian stared at me for a couple of heartbeats as if he were trying to figure out whether I’d lost my mind or if I’d actually had a purpose in suggesting this strangeness. In the end, he gave the tiniest nod of his head and led the way to the shop across the street. The reason I’d picked it was because of its relative smallness. A glance through the window revealed it was a tiny place with many shelves displaying their wares. That meant all the servants and guards would have to wait outside or risk being in the prince’s way. Not to mention, a stationery shop would have many things that burned.

We had just reached the stone stairs leading up to the front door when a massive explosion rocked the entire city, sending Nylian crashing into my arms off the second stair. I caught him and held him close as I stumbled to the side, struggling to regain my balance. My ears were ringing, and my heart even felt off-kilter from the blast. Stone and roof tiles crashed to the sidewalk, and people everywhere screamed as they ran.

“What the hell was that?” I muttered as I got both feet under me.

Nylian turned his face toward mine and whispered into my ear. “Why do I feel like that was Jasper?”

Gods help Ulmenor if that was the wizard-in-training. If he’d attempted a spell that big and failed, something had to be terribly wrong. It would be a shock if he were still alive.

Even if it wasn’t, this was a unique opportunity. The guards were already closing in on us, and one of them was shouting for the carriage to take us to the palace. The window was sliding shut before our eyes.

“I think it’s our duty to help the citizens of Ulmenor. To make sure everyone is safe,” I said, raising my voice amid the clanging alarm bells and screams of the people.

“You’re right, my precious pet. We must help.” Nylian squeezed my hand as he slipped out of my grasp. He turned to the nearest palace guard and pointed at the pillar of black smoke that was rising into the sky. It was moving in front of the sun, darkening the city. “We must go assist the citizens and help the injured.”

The guard paled and swallowed hard, his eyes turning into giant saucers in his face. “But-but-but, Your Highness, it isn’t safe for you out here. We must get you to the palace immediately. There are ample people to help the citizens of Ulmenor.”

“Those emergency workers are a far distance off, and it looks like we are only a couple of blocks away. We can at least offer assistance until they arrive.” Nylian lifted his chin and puffed up his chest a bit. “We are going.”

Without another word, Nylian took off, jogging in the direction of the smoke and chaos, not giving the guards or servants a chance to argue. I stuck close to his heels, one hand resting on my waist where I had a dagger hidden under my cloak. If I were lucky, I wouldn’t have to draw it against one of these palace guards, but I was ready if it was necessary. Nylian and I were getting out of here today.

As we crossed one block and rounded the second, we hit more people fleeing the chaos. Soot covered their faces and several had bleeding scratches on their faces and arms, caused by flying debris and broken glass. I shifted even closer to Nylian, unsure if he would take this chance to disappear into the crowd, but he kept hurrying toward the fire.

At the next block, our footsteps stumbled to a stop as we came upon the blackened building billowing red flames and smoke. Windows were blown out of the building as well as other nearby buildings. Several people lay on the ground close by, not moving under the bits of rubble. I couldn’t tell from where we stood if they were dead or knocked unconscious.

I started forward, but Nylian caught my wrist, stopping me. He didn’t look in my direction but focused all of his attention on the guards and servants gathered around us. Without an ounce of hesitation, Nylian bellowed orders, sending servants and guards this way and that to help injured people, check other buildings, and make sure no one was still in the burning building.

The servants jumped in to follow his orders, but the guards seemed more reluctant to leave his side.

“Your people are dying while you babysit me!” he roared, getting them moving at last.

The captain of our protection detail glared at Nylian and ordered one guard to stay behind at Prince Xeran’s side to make sure nothing happened to him. Not perfect, but it was a considerable improvement over what we’d faced earlier.

I turned my gaze away from the building, the smoke stinging my eyes. Just as I turned, I caught sight of two robed figures darting down an alley. One peeked over their shoulder, and I swore it was Jasper’s flushed face half-hidden in the hood.

“There!” I shouted, pointing at the alley.

Nylian didn’t question it. He darted off in a flash with me in tow. The guard assigned to us squawked in surprise, but I soon heard his pounding footsteps following behind us. The duo in black wove their way through the narrow warren of alleys and back streets until they made a mistake. A dead end.

The smaller of the two figures spun to face us, sword zooming out of its sheath, only to have their shoulders slump. The figure jerked off their hood to reveal Adeline’s familiar scowl.

“What the hell!” she snapped. “You scared me to death. And you had to bring the Watch along with you?” She waved her sword at the guard, who was standing a few feet behind me with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

“We didn’t know it was you,” I argued.

“But we had a guess,” Nylian mumbled with a shake of his head.

“Yeah, well, we need to get out of here now.” Adeline turned the full force of her glare on the poor guard, who was still stuck with us.

“What’s going on? Who’s this human? What is she doing here? Is she the one who caused the explosion?” As the young guard spat out questions, he drew his sword, his eyes darting between the four of us.

“The explosion wasn’t Addie’s fault!” Jasper cried, jerking off his hood to reveal his pale face and what appeared to be a plump chipmunk clutching strands of his hair on the top of his head.

“What the—” the guard gasped.

“And now the tableau is complete,” Nylian muttered. He turned his attention to the guard and bowed his head. “So sorry about this.”

Before the poor palace guard could even react, Nylian stepped toward him, grabbed the wrist of the hand holding his sword, and gave him a hard jerk forward, pulling him off balance. As the man stumbled, Nylian whirled and slammed his fist into the back of the elf’s skull. In the blink of an eye, he crumpled to the ground, his sword clattering against the stones as it fell from limp fingers.

Nylian released his hold on the guard and smirked at me. I felt like I should be applauding. It was quite a spectacular but simple move.

“I guess this is the opportunity we were waiting for,” I said, grinning at my companion.

“Agreed.” He turned his attention to Adeline and Jasper. “Is it too much to hope that you know of a way out of the city that doesn’t take us through the main gate?”

“No,” Adeline replied.

“Aaahhh!” Jasper cried out as the chipmunk on his head chittered, chirped, and squeaked in its high-pitched voice while jumping up and down. It pulled on his hair, using the strands like reins on a horse.

“Gods, let me just kill that thing for you so we can focus on serious business.” Nylian marched toward Jasper, but the young wizard threw up his hands and backpedaled, attempting to ward the elf off.

“You can’t! He’s not a chipmunk. He’s my mentor.” Jasper argued.

I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose and pinched, fighting off the headache that was forming. It could be from the smoke or from Jasper-related chaos. I hadn’t decided yet. “Your mentor is a chipmunk? This might explain why you’re having such trouble learning magic.”

Adeline let out a long, frustrated groan as she shoved her sword into the sheath at her side. “We don’t have time for this. Long story short, Jasper changed his wizard teacher into a chipmunk by accident. Now, can we get the hell out of here?”

“I think Master Binx knows a way for us to get out of Ulmenor,” Jasper stated as the chipmunk seemed to settle in his hair.

I choked on a laugh. Binx the wizard? That was not one of the names I’d cooked up. Fuck, I hadn’t even gotten around to naming all the characters for the Galinaes part of the book. We were way off my plot outline now, but it was best to roll with it.

“Are you sure you can trust Master Binx?” I asked after clearing my throat. “You did turn him into a chipmunk, and I’m assuming you’re the one who blew up his workshop.”

“True,” Jasper agreed, hanging his head. The chipmunk scrambled to get a better hold of his locks for a second. Jasper’s head popped up, and the poor creature almost went flying. “But he also knows that I’m the only one who can change him back to an elf. If I’m caught by the City Watch, I’ll be executed, and he’ll be stuck as a chipmunk forever.”

“Fine. Fine. Let’s follow the chipmunk,” Nylian urged, sounding as if he were willing to follow just about anyone so long as they got moving. I couldn’t blame him. We’d been standing in the alley for several minutes now. The guards and servants he’d set to work on the rescue mission would search for us soon. We needed to put as much distance between us and the explosion as possible.

Jasper and Adeline jerked their hoods up again, and Jasper jumped into the lead. We wound through one alley after another. Sometimes he would stop and lift his hood, allowing the tiny brown-and-black chipmunk head to poke out and survey their surroundings.

It was hard to gauge how far we’d come. On one of our pauses, I gazed at the sky where the black smoke was still rising. The pillar had thinned, and there was now white smoke mixing in, showing that the elf version of the fire department had reached the building and was putting out the flames.

That meant the guards we’d ditched were now free and scouring the city for us. We appeared to be several blocks away in a different district, but I wouldn’t be able to relax until we were outside the high walls that surrounded Ulmenor.

“Here,” Jasper announced, pointing to a circular metal lid in the ground. A sewer grate. Lovely.

“You want us to go through the sewer?” I demanded.

“It will take us outside the wall.” Jasper pointed to the great wall that rose a short distance away. Logically, the trek through the sewer should be a matter of minutes.

But logic didn’t apply to sewers.

Down in the darkness, with a chipmunk leading us, we wandered for what felt like hours. Jasper cast one spell successfully—a small white ball of light that hung in the air in front of him, illuminating a tiny circle of space that pushed back the pitch-black permanent night that resided there. Jasper’s magical light provided only glimpses of crumbling brick walls and old stone that provided a bed for the city’s water runoff and sewage.

On the bright side, the stench wasn’t too bad, and the path seemed well trodden. They probably sent the human slaves in here to clean it out so that there wasn’t a potential buildup of debris to block the water’s path.

Or this was the same route countless smugglers, thieves, and other criminals took to get in and out of the city.

“How is it that we have encountered no one else in here?” I asked as we slogged along.

“Because they’ve been avoiding us,” Nylian replied.

“Seriously?”

He grunted as he took my hand to help steady me over a pile of broken rocks, tree branches, and some other things that I didn’t want to identify. “They’ve been watching us since we entered the sewer. As long as we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us. We’re just passing through.”

“That’s awful generous of them.”

Nylian huffed a laugh and glanced at me over his shoulder. “Not exactly. They can also tell we have a wizard with us. Everyone knows better than to impede the path of a wizard.”

Ah . That made far more sense now.

Of course, I wasn’t going to disillusion them with the truth—Jasper was a horrible wizard. Either his spells didn’t work at all, or you ended up a member of the animal kingdom. Those weren’t odds I’d fuck with.

At long last we escaped the sewer, and we were in the forest.

The only problem was that we were in the forest, in a country very hostile toward humans, with zero supplies. I doubted the chipmunk wizard was going to get us out of this new mess.