Chapter 63

[CW: Blood, Violence]

My hands pulled against the rope bindings, twisting in an effort to slip out of its tight hold around my wrists. Yet no matter how much I tried, I made no progress.

They were far too well tied, especially so for someone with no experience in escaping them. As expected, the sentinels knew what they were doing. My fidgeting did little more than rub my wrists raw.

As my horse continued at a trot, following alongside the Praevus and his men, I couldn’t help but think back to the fateful day that started everything. If I’d never snuck into Camilla’s room, I wouldn’t have become marked, and chances were, we wouldn’t be in this mess. In a way, this was my own fault—the result of my naive foolishness. I couldn’t have known it at the time, but that did little to change the outcome.

And now, people would die because of it.

Perhaps some of this would have occurred regardless, but I was the reason Lena, Rosetta, and even Camilla, got involved in all this. Even if I survived the day, I wasn’t sure I could live down what was to come.

I glanced over at the Praevus, a few meters ahead. Part of me almost expected him to gloat. Yet here at the end, with his plan all coming together, he no longer seemed to bother even acknowledging me. I was simply the hostage maid—soon to be the rogue sorcerer, I was sure. Does he already know? If not, he would soon enough.

Our horses strode around low branches and thick foliage for several long minutes, until we came to a stop within a small glade in the forest. While empty of trees, it was not empty of men. Numerous sentinels, some mounted and some standing with tall shields and spears filled the area.

“Report,” the Praevus commanded.

The man in front of him saluted. “No signs of anything since the cave-in. We suspect they’re still down there, though, despite the failed blast. We’ve been waiting on word from the unit in the mines. I am…” he paused, hesitating. “Forgive me, Praevus, but I’m uncertain of when exactly we will hear back from them. It seems they may have been delayed.”

The Praevus made a gesture I wasn’t familiar with. “I doubt it will take them more than a few more minutes. Still, send someone in who’s quick on their feet to update us. There’s no point in leaving this to chance. One never truly knows what to expect from cornered rats.” His eyes shifted over to me. “And I’ve reason to believe a certain sorceress might be causing problems.”

I shifted my gaze away as I put their words all together. This was all clearly the work of the smugglers, at least I assumed it to be. The explosives were probably the ones used in the mines, though it surprised me that the Praevus hadn’t confiscated them on arrival. Or perhaps he had, and they’d gotten their hands on them regardless? Either way, it was clear the man had expected all of this to happen. He seemed to know what was going to occur down to the minute. As though he’d orchestrated it all himself.

Had the smugglers ever stood a chance? Had we?

One of those explosions must have been made to create an exit from the mines, only to instead cause a collapse? Glancing around, I couldn’t see any signs of it, though I admittedly had no idea what I was looking for.

But why was Camilla down there? Had she found Rosetta?

Would I see them or Lena ever again?

At the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder—if the blast had failed, why was the Praevus out here? There was only one answer that made sense: he had to be expecting them to escape still.

And this small army of sentinels would be here waiting for when they did.

My grip on the saddle tightened, and once more, I wished there was something I could do as dread threatened to overtake me. Part of me wanted to fight, to go down making a stand. But what would be the point? Even if I somehow killed the Praevus himself, it would do little to stop what was to come. If anything, it would make things worse. They’d probably purge the town. Everyone would die.

Emver stepped off his horse, grabbing an impressively styled metal helmet hanging from the saddle. As he slipped it on, tightening a strap under his chin, the man looked my way with a smile. At a calm pace, he strode toward me.

The sun gleamed off of him. I hated to admit he had the look of a hero of old, now fully armored in plated metal, chain mesh, and the most clean and professional white-dyed leather I’d ever seen. The helm easily completed the look. A few weeks ago, I’d have looked up to him with wide eyes full of amazement and longing.

Now, all that filled me was a deep foreboding for what was to come.

As he stopped in front of my horse, the Praevus reached out a hand. Reluctantly, I gripped it and allowed him to assist me off the saddle.

His arm wrapped around my shoulder pulling me along with him as we moved behind a group of sentinels, half of them holding their massive near-body-length shields, the others gripping onto spears. I suspected only the bow-tied bonnet kept my status as a sorcerer a secret—if he didn’t already know.

The Praevus continued giving out orders, his firm grip on my dress never leaving me, but I’d stopped paying any real attention. As the seconds turned into minutes, my gaze never left the ground, clouded thoughts drifting in a daze. At some point, my eyes began to blur as tears built. The grass below melted together in a haze of green.

It was all my fault. Everything.

And now everyone would suffer the consequences of that.

The earth beneath my feet suddenly shook as another explosion blasted up into the air. I blinked, looking up just as the sentinels raised their shields. A group of them fully surrounded the Praevus and I, blocking out even the sky from view. I could only hear rather than see the debris falling around us, dirt and stone plinking off metal.

A cloud of dust swirled up around me, catching my lungs. I coughed and the Praevus’s hand tightened. More than ever, I wanted to pull away from him—to run and at least see what was happening. Instead, as he held me firmly in place, all I could do was listen.

Shouting erupted as the cracks of spitfires met the air. A loud guttural scream made me wince. Relief mixed with guilt at its distinctly masculine tone, though it truthfully told me nothing about whether the others were okay or not. The clash of metal followed, as a fight erupted despite the dust only just beginning to settle.

Were Camilla, Rosetta, and perhaps even Lena out there? Fighting. Dying.

As I pulled away from him, the Praevus gripped harder, firmly dragging me fully in front of him. He didn’t say a word as his fingers dug into my shoulder, making me wince. I squirmed beneath his grasp, trying to escape, only to cry out as my shoulder ached from a jolt of pain. Instinctually, I twisted around, preparing to kick and throw my bound hands at him. It was then that I noticed the sharp dagger in his grip, now slipping gently beneath my throat.

My muscles stiffened like hardened stone, and a faint breath shuddered out as I failed to hold it.

I don’t want to die.

“Do try to keep still. Your corpse won’t be nearly as impressive to bargain with.”

I’d have nodded were I not terrified of the blade cutting me. The Praevus pulled me back up against him, his dagger quickly following.

“Sir, the sorcer—” one of the sentinels began, only to be cut off as a small blur curved down from the sky toward his head.

Camilla?

The man coughed, and took a step forward.

He swayed and then fell, the shield going with him. My eyes caught the spray of blood on the man to his left, splattered across his face and armor.

The Praevus raised his voice, yet spoke in a tone so at ease, it could have been a comment on the weather.

“The corrupted demon finally reveals herself, I see.” Then to me, he commanded, “Walk forward.”

Nudging me, I followed his steps carefully, fearful of the blade still at my throat. The sentinels shifted around him, opening a hole in their defense for him to step through—or more accurately, for me to step through. Emver stopped just between two of them, as both shielded our sides.

Finally, I could see the battle ahead. If it could be called that.

Several miners were laid out along the ground, their bodies unmoving. I hesitated to look at them too long. The rest were on their knees, arms and legs bound in rope much like my wrists. A few looked to be bleeding, judging by their red-stained clothes and leather padding, and one was struggling to breathe. It was with both dread and relief that I spotted Lena and Rosetta there with them. The former stared at the rope binding her hands, barely looking my way as Rosetta glared at the Praevus, her eyes so full of defiance they held a near-sinister glow.

The crack of spitfires met the air, and bolts pierced the surrounding forest, firing at seemingly nothing. At the same time, two sentinels fell, one just after the other. Then dropped a third. As he tumbled, the man turned, and I could just make out the dagger pierced through his eye down to the hilt. It took barely a second more before the rest finished forming up into another shielded wall on each side of us. They braced back to back, forming a seemingly impenetrable barrier. The only openings were for the occasional arrow or bolt, and while I could make out a grunt of pain when something came flying toward them, no one fell.

I squinted into the forest, unable to spot Camilla within its shade. Another object shot towards us, aiming for the Praevus only to be blocked by the large shield to our right. As it fell to the dirt, I recognized the familiar dagger as one of Camilla’s. The same as the one strapped around my thigh. I’d somehow forgotten about it. Though I feared it was far too late to be of use now.

“Kill me and the maid dies as well. Though you know that already. Don’t you, Camilla?” Emver said.

Then he raised a hand, his voice almost too soft to hear. “Hold your fire.”

The air turned silent, all but a light breeze brushing through the trees. Why was he stopping them?

“Let her go and I’ll let you live,” the sorceress hissed out from the trees. Despite the conviction in her voice, not even I was convinced the words were true. “She has nothing to do with this.”

Another lie. I had everything to do with this.

The Praevus responded back calmly, not even bothering to shout. “Let her go? My dear Camilla, your maid here is guilty of treason. Surely you don’t expect me to simply release a known criminal, a traitor of the Empire even?”

I paled at his words. Did he know about my mark after all?

“Though I can see how her hands were tied in the matter. After all, the poor maid had to decide between betraying me or betraying the dangerous sorceress she worked for,” he continued. He hummed, as though thinking it over. “Perhaps she deserves a little leniency.”

The only sound that followed was the flowing breeze and a gentle bird song beginning again in the distance.

Then a blur of shadow flowed from the forest, stopping several meters away from us. It was only then that I could make Camilla out, her last step ending in an obvious limp. The shadows I’d grown so accustomed to rolled and bit at the air around her, far thinner than usual. The bare flesh and blood it revealed was telling, as well as the hand gripping her shoulder. A large bolt from a spitfire had pierced into it. Blood pooled down her arm, dripping to the dirt below. Even her face held a deep gash from her nose toward a pointed ear.

Yet somehow she still stood, a dagger in hand. To my amazement, several more swirled in the air around her in a loop, held up by her magic alone.

Can she throw them like that? Is that how she was killing the sentinels?

I couldn’t help but shudder.

“What is it that you want?” Her voice hovered somewhere between venomous and defeated.

What was she doing? Had she lost her mind?

I opened my mouth to shout at her—to tell her to leave me be and just save herself and the others. But the Praevus wrapped his other hand beneath my jaw, pinning it shut as the blade pressed against my skin. I could feel a light drop of blood slide down my neck to my dress, and my body froze completely rigid once more.

“You know precisely what I want, Camilla. I want you of course.”

“Why?” she demanded. “Why do all this rather than just killing me?”

The Praevus shrugged and I pressed myself further against him, fearful of the shifting blade in his hand. “Perhaps I wish to make an example of you. Or perhaps I have some other reason. Does it matter?” he asked.

Camilla glared, her heavy breaths slowly becoming lighter. Then her eyes met mine.

I tried to convey through expression alone not to do it—to just leave me behind. The barest shake of my head left more blood dripping down my neck.

Her gaze shifted back to my captor. “And you’ll just let her go?” She glanced over to Lena and Rosetta. “As well as the reeve’s daughter and her maid?”

“You have my word on my honor as Praevus that neither I nor any of my men will bring harm to your precious maid.” His hand cupped my cheek, giving it a pinch. It took everything I had not to flinch away. “And I will offer the same for the other two.”

A cool breeze made me shiver. Camilla’s dagger fell from her hand, and her gaze trailed to the ground, avoiding my own.

“I surrender.”