“Are you sure?” Elara asked, and Cordelia nodded.
“We’ll be fine. You get to the palace, and Anesta and I will find you.” It was the best option we had.
“What about Eloisa?” Elara looked back to the ship.
“We’ll take care of her too,” Anesta assured her.
Jack managed to secure horses for the four of us as well as the handful of palace guards we’d taken with us on the journey. I wished Alastor had been here, but I had asked him to stay in Everness. I needed someone to watch over Gwen and Thatcher while we were gone.
Nobody spoke much during our journey to the palace. There seemed to be the overwhelming threat of doom looming. My stomach was tied in knots. But I had to stay strong and certain. People were relying on me for their safety.
* * *
We were all exhausted by the time the palace came into view. The journey had been long and hard. We’d pushed ourselves and our horses to get to Mistwood as quickly as possible. Aries’ soldiers had most likely reached the coast by now. Hopefully Anesta, Eloisa and Cordelia got somewhere safe in time. When we finally reached the palace gates, there were no guards stationed on the walls or towers. Perhaps they were rotating shifts. But when we entered the courtyard, I knew my gut’s warning had been right. It was deathly quiet, not a single soul in sight. No guards, no servants, no courtiers, nothing.
A crow landed on one of the roof ledges in the courtyard. It gave a loud shriek, breaking through the silence. I watched as it pecked at one of its black feathers. Something about the bird created an uneasy feeling in me. “Where is everybody?” Elara asked.
“Something’s wrong.” Rhen stated the obvious.
Jack dismounted and pulled out his sword. The rest of our party followed suit.
“Stay behind me, Your Majesty.”
I obeyed as he led the group inside the castle, our guards surrounding me and Elara.
We crept through the hallways, all empty, anticipating something or someone jumping out at any minute. Where were the courtiers? My guards and my family? What the hell had happened?
We finally reached the throne room. I shouldn’t have been surprised at the Argonian soldiers. I should have known better. And yet nothing could have prepared me for the sudden fight that broke out.
How did they get inside the palace? How was Aries always one step ahead of us?
If Argonian guards had taken hold of my home, then what had they done with everyone in the palace? I forced my train of thought away from all the gruesome possibilities my mind managed to conjure up. My sole focus was keeping Elara safe and getting out alive.
One of the Argonian soldiers broke through our small wall of guards and swung his sword towards my torso. I managed to block it and the next few swings after. He was so distracted trying to fight me, he didn’t notice Jack coming for him from behind. With the soldier down, we nodded at each other and moved on.
I struck at the next soldier and the next, the fury at Aries building up more inside me with every passing second. I looked for Elara behind me, but she had Rhen on her side, defending her. Another soldier. Another. I was out of breath, trying to block the memories of killing one Argonian soldier after the other during the war.
The tiles in the throne room became slick with blood and I slipped, losing my sword in the process. I panicked and one of the soldiers saw this as his opportunity. He came at me. I pushed myself up, bracing for what was to come.
“Cai!” It was the last voice I thought I’d hear. I looked to my right where Thatcher stood in the doorway, pale but armed.He tossed me a sword just in time for me to defend myself and counterstrike. The soldier was young but unfathomably strong, and it was an effort to keep him from slicing through me. I searched for weak spots — areas he left vulnerable and exposed to being hit. When he raised his sword to come down at me, I struck his chest as quickly as I could. Blood seeped through his uniform before he dropped to the floor.
My heart beat so loudly I could hear it, overcome with an overwhelming need for survival. I had tunnel vision as I searched for the next attacker.
Thatcher rushed over to me, his own sword in hand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. He looked dishevelled and tired.
“I just arrived. I came back as soon as I heard Aries was coming with an army. It seems I got here just in time.”
I looked around the room. There were so many dead bodies on the floor. Too many. Both Argonians and our guards. But Elara was still safe, and Rhen was fighting among our other guards. Only a few were still alive. I heaved.
Jack was on the floor. He’d taken a nasty hit to the leg, red colouring the breeches of his uniform.
“Jack!” I feared one of Aries’ men would take advantage of his vulnerability before we could reach him.
Elara was next to me. She had blood on her chest.
“Are you hurt?”
