“Alright, geez. Can’t blame a man for trying,” the man added with an irritated groan.
Miron pulled back from the door, and I could feel his elevated pulse in his clenched fingers. “That devil,” he hissed under his breath. “Come on, let’s hurry.”
With rage and terror filling us to the brim, we hastened our pace until we had reached the servant stairwell. I let out a soft breath of relief now that we were in a more concealed part of the castle, but another jolt from Miron stopped us all in our tracks.
“Someone’s coming,” he whispered. “Go back, quick!”
We all turned to hurry back up the steps, but a soft sound made me freeze and jerk Miron back with me.That voice...Can it be?Miron tugged at my hand more desperately, but I didn’t follow him. Instead, I released his hand and took another step down.
“Mabel...? Is that you?” I called out gingerly into the echoing void. The muttering I had heard earlier went silent, and then a thunder of footsteps rattled against the stairs.
“Elle! Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!” Mabel’s sweet voice sent a comfort through me I didn’t realize I had been longing for. I reached out my arms with a tearful smile and was instantly greeted by the warm embrace of my dear caretaker. “What are you doing out here? And what happened to your hair? When the king told me I could visit you I was so worried...” Her voice trailed off as she likely noticed the cluster of mages all lining the stairs behind the youngest prince.
Her grip on me tightened for a moment, and I gave her a reassuring hug. “I’m leaving, Mabel. We all are. But I’m so glad I got to see you one more time.” A joyful tear slid down my face and a few sniffles echoed up the stairs as well.
Mabel pulled her hand away from me to touch at her eyes, then took a large breath to regain her composure. “Alright everyone, follow me. If you’re getting out of here, then we’re going to take the passages that not even the king himself knows.” She took me by the hand and led me down the steps with a determined spring in her step.
Miron fluttered down behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you want to help us? If my father found out, you could be in serious trouble.”
Mabel’s arm jolted mine as she whirled around to face the prince. “Of course I’m sure. These are my children. If the king wants to stop me, then I’ll toss him from that blasted tower. Now let’s go.”
chapter nineteen
Elle’s servant friend had been far more useful than I could have ever imagined. I’d lived in the castle my entire life and even I didn’t know half the passages she swept us through. When we opened the last door, it swung out into the eastern corner of the palace grounds. The collection of mages all stared up at the expanse of blue sky with wide eyes, as if it was the most enchanting sight they had ever seen. Even Elle’s hand jittered excitedly as a soft spring breeze brushed through her sparkling silvery-black locks.
“Exit through the east gate—only servants use it, and no one should be working the grounds for another hour,” Mabel instructed firmly. Her eyes were glistening with tears of joy as she scanned across the awestruck faces of the mages she’d cared so tenderly for. “I’m going to go pack a few bags and stay with my children for an extended holiday, so don’t any of you worry about me.”
Elle reached out for Mabel and the older woman caught her hand and placed it gently on her cheek. Elle’s sad, yet blissful smile sent a sweet warmth through my veins as she caressed the woman’s cheek. “Thank you, Mabel... for everything. I hope this isn’t goodbye forever.”
The other mages chimed in with their own declarations of gratitude and took turns embracing the woman with tearful farewells. Mabel brushed at her eyes, but refused to shed a single tear in front of the group. “I’ve hoped for this day for a long time. Go, live your lives and be free.” She turned away from the group and locked her warm brown eyes onto mine. “Thank you, Your Highness. Please keep them safe.”
Her fierce gaze held a deep trust that almost felt undeserved considering my bloodline, but her soulful eyes were filled with gratitude, nonetheless. “I will, you have my word.” I turned my attention back toward the group of freshly freed prisoners and stiffened my gaze with a reassuring authority. “Let’s move. We’re heading for the western border. If we hurry, we should be able to make it before sundown.”
Elle tugged on my sleeve and I turned to give her my attention. “What’s at the western border?” she asked curiously. The other’s expressions seemed to mirror her inquiry.
I took in a tense breath and blew it out through my teeth.I’ve dreaded that this may happen someday.“With any luck, my brother. The ex-prince, Killian.”
Just as I’d hoped, the invading forces had moved farther into the kingdom by now, so it only took us a handful of hours after escaping the capitol to locate the bustling outpost. I had been briefed on the invaders' location before deciding to break free from my duties as prince, so it was a fairly simple task to pinpoint where they were now.
The Ashbourne military had formed a perimeter around a sparse forest that lined up with the border between Sybettal and Ashbourne. As we approached the outcropping of Ashbourne tents, I quickly noticed they were lightly guarded and spaced out too far from each other to be an effective barricade. Our military was far more powerful than this, so it seemed clear to me that this was an intentional choice.
Father wanted to lure them closer with false confidence.
It wasn’t terribly surprising. My father never missed an opportunity to implement his own sick trickery. He likely had no issue with his soldiers being left out here with weak defenses. After all, they were merely his pawns... My gaze shifted back to the exhausted cluster of mages. They had all sprawled out across the ground behind a collection of brush as I investigated the enemy—I mean, our allies... or my brother’s outpost. None of them had complained about the long journey, but it was clear they severely lacked endurance after being trapped in a single room for the last twenty years.
I wasn’t in great shape either, but it wasn’t from my fitness. For the past few days my headaches had grown more fearsome and lengthy. It was beginning to grow difficult to focus when my head pounded with a hammering ache. Another wash of painful pressure flooded through my brain, and I gritted my teeth until it passed.
Elle sat silently against my legs as her breaths puffed in exhaustion. Ever since we left the castle, she had remained glued to my side. I could only imagine how terrifying it must have been for her to leave her home and be forced to travel blindly. Her shoulders pressed all her weight against my legs, nearly knocking me over in the process, but I locked my knees and stood firm. Right now, she needed strength, and that was something I could provide.
I scanned across the forest’s edge until I found a clear blind spot between the Ashbourne outposts.That’s my way in.“Alright everyone, here’s the plan.” I turned to face the group and a collection of tired eyes looked up at me wearily. “The outpost inside that forest contains soldiers and officials from every other kingdom in the realm. If I can get inside and convince them that we are no longer loyal to Ashbourne, then they should be able to help us.”
Elle’s head jerked upward and looked straight up at me with a puzzled frown. “You’re not planning to enter by yourself, are you? Out of all of us, you’re the one who is most likely to get killed on sight. You’re an Ashbourne prince. I don’t think they’re going to welcome you with a fruit basket.” Her tone was jesting, but I heard deep-seeded fear behind her words.
I brushed a stray strand of blackened silver from her eyes with a soothing touch. “I’ll be fine. You already know what my future holds. If Killian is there, he may not be happy to see me, but he certainly won’t kill me. I can’t make that same promise for the rest of you if he sees you in my company.” Elle’s frown deepened, but she didn’t argue any further. “Stay here, and keep each other safe. If I’m not back within six hours, then go around the perimeter and head west into Sybettal. You’ll be safe there as refugees.”
Elle tugged my hand with a pleading squeeze and I aided her to her feet. Before I could ask her what she needed, she threw her arms around my neck and yanked me into a tight embrace. “Don’t leave me yet, okay? Come back soon,” she pleaded in a soft whisper.
I wrapped my arms around her delicate frame and squeezed her as hard as I dared. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I whispered back. If there weren’t so many eyes on us, I would have done more than simply embrace her. A soft sting pricked at my heart as we pulled away from the embrace, and I looked longingly at where her eyes hid from me.Oh, how I miss those eyes...