I looked over at his wife to see if she showed any signs of sympathy, but she only shrugged with her own cheeky grin. Killian shook his hand for a moment to relieve his knuckles of his own sting. “That’s for you, Aurelia,” he said, earning another chuckle from his wife. I arched my brow as I dabbed that last droplet of blood from my nose. “If I’m honest, it was a little for me, too.” He shrugged playfully.
I rolled my eyes as I returned to my full height. “Well, then. Now that we’ve gotten the formalities out of the way, can we get down to business? I have valuable information about Ashbourne’s military and leaders that I am willing to barter with.”
Killian crossed his arms stiffly and glared at me through slitted eyes. “Barter? What makes you think I’m going to trust you? There’s not a single person in this compound you haven’t hurt or offended with your existence. Why in the realms should we do anything for you?”
My eyes turned to stone as I took a solid step forward and looked deep into the stare of the brother who was far wiser than I’d ever credited him for.If anyone would understand, it’s him.“Because you wouldn’t be doing it for me, you’d be doing it for the innocent Sybettians who I just sprang from Father’s private prison.” My tone was steel as Killian’s unmoving façade faltered for a brief moment. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nixie raise a shocked hand to her gaping mouth. “I want to help them, and all the other mages that our father has kept on a leash. It’s time his reign of terror was brought to an end.”
Nixie stepped forward and placed a tender hand on Killian’s shoulder as she fixated her frantic eyes on me. “These mages... have they been trapped since the siege?” Her face was heavy with remorse, and I noticed Killian’s icy expression soften at his wife’s words.
“Yes,” I said grimly. “They’ve been there for over twenty years.” I met both of their faces with a shadowed expression. “You may even recognize one of them... Her name is Princess Estelle.”
chapter twenty
I twirled the jagged ends of my hair as I anxiously watched the light fade through my blindfold. The sun was beginning to set and Miron still hadn’t returned.What’s taking him so long?Sarah had allowed me to sit against her so I would notice her move if we needed to make any quick escapes. The contact was reassuring but didn’t grant me even a fraction of the comfort I normally received from Miron.
Please don’t leave me, Miron...
The only other truth I knew about his future was that he was going to die in the king’s throne room... So, while it was true that he was likely safe in his enemy’s compound, I had no reassurance of whether they would hand-deliver him right back to Conan or not. My stomach growled hungrily, but the churning nerves overruled my body’s craving for food. The other’s chatted softly amongst themselves, but it was clear they were starting to worry as well. We couldn’t hide here forever...
My pulse spiked as Sarah jolted at a sudden sound. I picked up on the noise only a moment later and vaguely recognized the clopping clatter. It wasn’t a sound I had heard in my tower, but I think I had heard it before in a vision. Was it... horses?
A distant whinny confirmed my guess right as Sarah rose to her feet and yanked me up with her. “Someone’s coming! We need to run!” she projected in a panicked hush while dragging me by the wrist behind a slurry of frantic feet.
My feet stumbled out from under me across the uneven ground, but Sarah didn’t loosen her grip and instead, pulled me back to my feet without hesitation. We ran for maybe twenty yards before it became imminently clear that the horse hooves were growing louder and nearer. My heart pounded viciously in my chest as whinnies and snorts sounded from both behind me and in front of me. Sarah skidded to a stop and I smashed into her back with a painful groan.
The hooves clattered from every angle, and I could almost feel the warmth of the beasts’ looming size.We’re surrounded.I pressed tightly against Sarah and she kept a firm grip on my wrist. We all remained petrified as the horses halted and the thud of boots landing on the ground cascaded to my ears.
“We’re only passing through. We don’t want any trouble,” Otis called out bravely.
The soft footsteps grew a step closer and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. My eyes darted rapidly beneath my blindfold as if I could make out even the smallest semblance of our pursuers’ appearance, but all I could do was imagine a terrifying captain or general blazing down at us with a fiery gaze.
“Don’t be afraid, we’re here to help you.” My mouth fell open as a delicate, sweet voice filled the air. “My name is Nixie. Miron told me your location so I could escort you safely to our compound.”
My heart swelled with joy at the sweet name of the prince. An overjoyed smiled beamed across my face as I felt a flood of relief pool through me.He did it!He must have found his brother after all!
The woman named Nixie stepped a touch closer to me, scuffling the grass with a soft rustle as she moved. “I presume you must be Princess Estelle?” she questioned with a respectful light in her tone.
I stiffened for a moment, uncertain if my identity was a safe secret to disclose, but then I realized she only could have known my name if Miron had described me to her.That meant he trusted her.“Y-yes.”
“I can’t tell you how much of an honor it is to meet you, Your Highness.” Her voice dipped as she presumably bowed. I squirmed awkwardly at the gesture, but didn’t know how to refuse it since it was technically a respectful action. “I have actually wanted to meet you for a long time now, but that’s a story for another day. Right now, why don’t you all follow us so we can get you a hot meal and some warm cots for the evening?”
A melodic chorus of thankful agreements filtered from the group, and we followed the soldiers without further argument. There weren’t enough horses for us all to ride, so we ended up walking alongside the giant creatures, while Nixie allowed me to be guided by latching my hand onto the horse’s saddle. The animal seemed almost monstrous in size compared to my much more petite frame, but Nixie assured me they were gentle animals. After a few soft huffs and snorts from the beast, I began to feel more at ease knowing that it only sounded as vicious as a pot-belly pig and didn’t roar like any tiger or bear.
It was easy to tell when we had entered the compound just by the sheer amount of noise. My heart pattered nervously at the jumble of voices and unfamiliar sounds. Flashes of my traumatic journey to the market flickered through my mind as Nixie took my hand to lead me away from the horse and the rest of the group. My breaths came short and quick as the sounds grew louder and more jumbled the deeper we went into the encampment. My chest tightened and my lungs felt shallow as if I couldn’t suck in air at all. The sensation of being suffocated sent a soft tremble into my finger-tips and I felt my hands grow cold and stiff. Nixie didn’t seem to notice my building panic and instead, led me through a wall of fabric that sent a startled jolt through me as the rough canvas brushed over my face and head. I gasped anxiously as the fabric slid away from my face and touched at my head with my free hand. The sounds around me dampened almost instantly, but my panic only eased for a moment, because at the same time Nixie released my hand.
The memory of the king’s lesson seared through me as I reached back out for the guiding hand, but only grasped air. My blood rushed through me at chilling speeds causing me to grow dizzy. My chilly fingers began to tremble as I feared I had once again been abandoned in a dangerous and unknown environment. I clutched my arms and squeezed myself tightly in an attempt to constrict the panic that was preparing to burst from within me as I shook violently.
Miron... Where are you?
Warm hands brushed against both of my arms and before I could process anything else, I was pulled into a soft embrace. My panic melted away as easily as a summer snow, as I recognized the warm scent and touch of my beloved prince. I nuzzled my face into his neck and released my arms so I could wrap them around his strong torso.
“I’m here, Elle. Don’t worry, you’re safe here,” he whispered soothingly into my ear.
We separated and I quickly noticed that all the overwhelming stimulation merely felt like white noise now that I had readjusted my focus. I smiled in relief. “I’m glad to see your brother didn’t tattle on you. I was worried that you would get shipped back to your father.”
“I won’t say I didn’t consider it...” a new voice piped up, and a rush of embarrassment filled me as I realized our intimate embrace hadn’t been very private. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Estelle. I’m Killian, and you’ve already met my darling wife, Nixie. We also have King Peter Williamson of Isalla, and General Fabian Maximus from Drancos here.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Please, call me Peter,” the king said kindly.