CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The sun was setting by the time Gantalla made it back to the town square. After buying the gem, she’d gone back to the hospital, packing another set of clothes into her bag. Alithmain was wearing a distinctive red blouse, and Gantalla was concerned it might easily be recognised, even after she was in human form. Her old set of trousers and a blue blouse were the last of her possessions, and they barely fit into the bag. Thankfully, the nurses’ quarters had been empty at the time, so that no one would ask questions about what she was doing.
Then she went over to the bed Gosta sometimes used and rifled through her possessions, finding a small purse tucked down beside the mattress. She opened it and took out two silver coins. If she had the chance at some point in the future, she’d send the money back again, but for the moment, she hoped Gosta wouldn’t be too angry about her borrowing a few coins, since the woman understood the urgency of Gantalla’s situation. She found a cobbler, where she bought another pair of boots. Alithmain would need them for the long walk ahead of them, given that she was currently wearing a pair of court shoes similar to the pair Gantalla had had when she’d arrived.
Then she found a street stall and spent her last few copper coins on a few strips of jerky. Food, clothes, necklace… she frantically tried to come up with anything else she might need for their daring escape plan, but found it almost impossible to think. It would have to do, she decided.
Then she headed back to the square, praying fervently that Nalyx had been successful with his part of the plan.
She spotted him sitting at the edge of the square, staring at the cage. Most people had left by now, heading home for dinner, though a few lingered, still casting wary glances at the demon in their midst. Alithmain was sitting slumped against the bars, and Gantalla once again felt a strong desire to go over and tell her who she was, to give her a glimmer of hope before night set in.
But she resisted the urge. Their plans were fragile enough as it was without Gantalla ruining them with her own impatience. Instead, she headed for Nalyx. “How did you go?” he asked, standing up as she arrived.
“Found one,” she said, feeling lightheaded all over again. Gods above, was this plan actually going to work? “What about you?”
“Got it,” Nalyx said, and Gantalla felt a rush of relief so strong she actually swayed on her feet. “As far as I can tell, Leefe hasn’t noticed it’s missing.”
“Thank the gods.” She glanced over at the cage again. The light was fading quickly, but it would be another hour at least until it was fully dark. “Now what?”
“Now we wait. We can go back to my room for a couple of hours. We’ll have to wait until about eleven o’clock. The square will be deserted by then. Hardly anyone comes out at night, and if they do, they’re usually just drunks stumbling home from the pubs. It’s going to be a long night, though. You’ll have to get as far away from here as you can, as quickly as you can, which means walking until at least sunrise. Possibly longer. Are you ready for that?”
Gantalla nodded. “I have some food with me. And some clothes for Alithmain. And my boots.” She picked up one foot to make the point. “But…I had another idea. It might be a stupid one, but maybe…”
“What is it?”
She looked over at Alithmain. “You said before that you thought it might be possible to tame a unicorn. Which is entirely possible, by the way.”
Nalyx looked surprised at that. “Oh, shit, yeah. I guess you’d know about that sort of thing. I hadn’t actually thought about that since I found out that you were… uh… yes. Right. So what’s your idea?” Was he feeling an ongoing unease about her identity? Or was he just refraining from saying anything in public that shouldn’t be overheard? Either way, there wasn’t much she could do about it now.
“Is there any possibility that we might be able to convince the captain that Alithmain isn’t actually evil? That demons aren’t actuallydemons? Maybe if we showed him that Alithmain can talk, and that she’s kind and harmless and… Do you think he might consider it?”
Nalyx shook his head. “Not worth the risk. I honestly don’t believe anyone would go for it, no matter how much evidence they saw. And that’s not just idle speculation. I mentioned my idea about the unicorns to the captain.”
Gantalla’s eyebrows rose at that. She hadn’t been sure he would. “What did he say?”
“I damn near got laughed out of the barracks. Leefe himself might be talked around, but the rest of the warriors would never stand for it.”
“But all the warriors are away at the gate.”
“But a lot of the townsfolk think the same way they do. And as much as Leefe might want to be reasonable, he’s not going to risk starting a riot in the middle of town for the sake of saving one demon. If there was absolutely no other option, I might consider it, but as things stand, the risk is too great. I’m sorry.”
Gantalla sighed. “No, it’s fine. I knew it was a long shot, but…” She felt tears pricking at her eyes all over again and blinked them away. This was no time to be falling apart. “It’s not just her, though. It’s every single person who comes through that gate. If we could just show people that we don’t need to be fighting them, that they don’t mean you any harm…”
“One day,” Nalyx said. “Maybe one day, we might all figure it out. But not today.”
Gantalla nodded. “I know. Well, let’s get back to your room. There’s not much point just standing around here all night.”
Nalyx led the way back through the barracks, but he seemed oddly furtive as he went, checking every dark corner, looking this way and that for anyone who might be watching them.
“Is something wrong?” Gantalla asked. Was there some threat she was unaware of? Some means by which their secret might already have slipped out?
“Not specifically,” Nalyx replied. “But technically, you’re still engaged to Hallix. So if anyone saw you with me, there might be some sticky questions about what exactly you’re doing with a warrior other than the one you’re engaged to.”
Gantalla snorted. “I’ll just tell them I’ve decided to marry you instead.” She was done playing these ridiculous games the humans insisted upon. “I’m sure that would cause a scandal, but after tonight, it’s not like it’s going to matter anyway.”
Nalyx glanced sideways at her, a look of admiration on his face. “You’re quite something, you know that?”
Gantalla shrugged. “I fought my way through hundreds of miles of scorching desert and avoided being killed by at least a dozen bands of thugs along the way. I suppose that sort of thing leaves an impression.”
