‘The storm will be here in a few light beads,’ Alawani said, bringing the hourglass close to his eyeline. ‘Definitely before sunset tomorrow.’
They heard raised voices and although L’?r? couldn’t hear what they were arguing about, she heard Márùn’s voice and a word – Msàn. Msàn meant nine. Was this another memberof their group? L’?r? didn’t understand how this group worked and it unnerved her.
The soft hum of the market they’d passed by still buzzed in the air. Suddenly the voices turned to screams and shouts. Márùn ran out of the house and then quickly disappeared behind it, returning with two horses.
‘Climb. Now!’ Márùn commanded.
A man came out shouting, ‘The crown will have your head for this, Márùn!’
In the direction of the market, blasts of explosions lit the night sky as the screams intensified, and L’?r? knew in her guts that Milúà was coming for them. They rode their horses fast and hard towards the base of the border wall leading into the sixth ring. A light bead later, they came to a stop about a mile away from the King’s Road entrance.
‘Here’s the plan,’ Márùn said. ‘Ìlú-Òdì is a military stronghold. This ring is unlike any other in the kingdom. This wall is the only one big enough to be a garrison in itself and it has ten times more battlement stations built into the wall than others. Now is your best chance to get in. Just before first light, when the soldiers on night shift will be a little extra tired and less vigilant. More than half the population are soldiers, so once you’re in, prioritize stealing armour or anything to help you blend in. All you have to do is get past this wall and make it all the way to the Lord General’s keep that leads into the graveyard. If you get in there just as the storm picks up, the guards will have gone underground, and you can cross without being shot to death. You still have Ìyá-Idán’s hourglass, right?’
L’?r? nodded.
‘I’ve spent a few blood moons in there with the Lord General,’ Alawani said. ‘I can get us in. I trained with him many first suns ago.’
‘Perfect. Then you should know your way around,’ Márùn said.
‘Are you not coming with us?’ L’?r? asked, panic rising in her chest.
‘I need you to listen first,’ Márùn said as she unwrapped a package strapped to her horse. ‘Alawani, make sure no one recognizes you. Moving through the ring should be easy with these cloaks. Blend in as much as you can, keep your head down. You already have a head start, so stick to the plan.’
‘The Lord General’s keep is at least two miles long. It’s the longest castle in Oru, crawling with soldiers. There’s a reason it leads out into the graveyard,’ Alawani said.
Márùn turned to him, ‘Yes, but the sandstorm will get bad enough to make the Lord General and the majority of his soldiers leave the fortress when the winds pick up. Last time I was there, the storms had destroyed huge portions of the forward-facing side.’
L’?r? held up Baba-Ìtàn’s map as Alawani and Márùn bounced ideas off each other.
‘Here,’ Márùn said, illuminating the map with her agbára and pointing at the line indicating the fifth ring. She slowly moved her finger through in a winding motion. ‘On the other side of this wall is the soldiers’ keep. It’s not as big as the Lord General’s, and so there’s a way here leading into the servants’ quarter.’
Alawani nodded, pointing at another spot within the sixth ring, ‘This will be less guarded. This way, we can avoid the training grounds altogether.’
Márùn nodded in agreement, pulled the map closer to her face, and pointed at a curved line at the far end of the kingdom. ‘There’s no way to go around the Lord General’s keep without losing half a day, but if you can cut through, you only need to hide out in the stables.’
Alawani shook his head, ‘Stables will have guards, we can’t risk being recognized. We can hide out in the kitchens.’
‘Fine,’ Márùn said, ‘just be close enough to get out when the time comes.’
Alawani nodded and pointed at a spot a few fingers from where Márùn had indicated, ‘We don’t have to go all the way around. If we go slightly east and avoid the mid towers, we can still access the graveyard without risking the Lord General’s battalion.’
‘Good,’ Márùn said and turned to L’?r?. ‘The graveyard is a mile long, the ground is hard and the air even worse. Stay close to him, and don’t get killed. The graveyard is dangerous because there’s nowhere to hide while crossing it. And the guards have the standing order to shoot on sight anyone who approaches the last wall without permission. But when the storm starts, they hide within the walls, some even going underground. So as long as you cross that path before the storm becomes deadly and eats you alive, you’ll be out of the kingdom without anyone even seeing you. After that you’ll have to find your own way north – I have no idea what’s outside those walls.’
‘And where will you be in all of this?’ L’?r? asked.
‘I’ll be right back,’ Márùn said, walking away from them. ‘I just need to find the way up. It’s here somewhere.’
The night was so dark that in a few paces, she was out of sight.
‘Is she gone? Márùn?’ Alawani called out.
‘I think she’ll be back,’ L’?r? said, ‘I guess if only for the life debt that has her following you.’
Alawani held on tight to L’?r?’s hands, looking around the darkness. ‘I don’t like this.’
‘Alawani,’ L’?r? said in a soft voice, terrified of his response to her next words. She wanted to blurt out everything aboutCommand – they had promised each other, no more secrets – and standing so close to freedom made the guilt eating at her so intense she had to say something. He smiled at her softly, and her heart warmed at his touch and that was all it took for her to lose her resolve. She couldn’t ruin this. Not now. Not when they were so close to freedom.
After a moment, she pulled out the other half of the map Baba-Ìtàn gave her and spread it open. Alawani’s agbára lit a soft glow over it. The map to freedom. She wasn’t free as long as her father remained in those dungeons, but she’d lost this battle with the Holy Order.
