News of King Forest’s plans to turn Gray into an Assassin within the Guilds unsettled me. It meant that the king had found a way to use her to his benefit. Seeing as she could be as powerful as Chrome, having her allegiance to her father didn’t bode for us. Training the princess to be able to protect herself was important,but now that the king saw her potential, the game had suddenly changed.
The mission to ensure she remained on our side had just increased exponentially.
Once the three of us left the alleyway, only black char lines marring the brick walls and concrete were left behind. But that could be mistaken as spray paint. No blood pools or signs of a fight remained.
Silence sunk over us as we trekked back to the King’s Palace, my thoughts a mess. I wondered how long it would take the king or his inner circle to notice the missing Kinetic Scout and link his disappearance to us. I hedged that he’d chalk it up to another Elemental attack, but a large part of me worried that he’d piece together that we were connected to it.
“Don’t breathe a word of what just happened,” Chrome said in a low voice. “No one can know. We don’t know shit. We were all at the park. There are plenty of witnesses that can attest to it.” His heavy-lidded eyes met mine, then Hazel’s, driving his point home.
Hazel and I both nodded in agreement, pushing aside the anxiety pressing on my chest. I glanced at my sister on my right, her face growing paler by the second. She’d hardly spoken since Chrome showed up. She hadn’t made a peep when she helped clean up and not on the walk back to the King’s Palace. Nothing but deer-in-headlight eyes and white lips pulled taut indicated her emotional state. I worried her hearing would be permanently damaged, but she continued to assure me that it was just fine.
Until…
Hazel dashed from my right, shoving Chrome and me out of the way, her hand covering her mouth as she made a beeline for the wall of the nail salon we passed. She wretched, her body hunched and jerking as it expelled her stomach’s contents.
I rushed to her side, grabbing her glamoured chestnut hair to pull away from her face. Wanting her to know she wasn’t alone, I placed my free hand on her back. “Let it out, Hazy. You’re in shock, which is normal. We’ve got you.”
This was Hazel’s first experience of any sort of danger and violence. She’d never been attacked or seen death up close, much less the complete annihilation of a body. On top of that, the fear of the king discovering the events of what had just transpired…it was too much for my sister. She had never wanted to be a Warrior.
Chrome stood at my side, observing Hazel with a frown, his face drawn downward by gravity. “I’m sorry, Hazel.”
Hazel vomited again, her spine arching as she did. I soothed her back, adjusting my grip on her hair to make sure none slipped through my fingers. Looking at Chrome, I shook my head. “Don’t. This wasn’t on you.”
Chrome ground his teeth together, falling into an empty stare that refused to deter from Hazel. I knew he blamed himself, but I could only focus on helping one of them at a time, and currently my sister was in shock, so that took priority.
Finally, Hazel straightened, leaning on the wall of the building, wiping her mouth. With a sheet-white complexion, her eyes drooped as exhaustion took control. Fuck, how were we going to get her in through the palace undetected and then kept out of sight from our parents?
“We say she got sick,” Chrome said, his voice monotone and dull. “Food poisoning.”
“Our bodies heal ailments like that. No one will believe us,” I argued.
“Redfern poisoning, then,” Chrome said with a shrug. “Just a tiny dose will have that effect on you. We’ll blame Elementals at a restaurant or something.”
I angled my head, wondering just how often he had to come up with quick lies like that. Honestly, I didn’t want to know.
“Yeah, sure. If you think they’ll buy it,” I said, stepping closer to Hazel.
“I know they will,” Chrome said, leaving no room for doubt.
I wrapped an arm around Hazel’s waist and one around the backs of her knees to cradle her against my chest. Her body trembled as a cold sweat broke out over her skin. She stared vacantly ahead as I began walking toward the King’s Palace. “It’s gonna be okay, Hazy. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
Despite my strength, my arms strained as she shook in my grip. Fifteen minutes into our trek, my breaths came in harsher, especially as I tried to comfort my sister.
Chrome spoke up. “If you need to, we can swap out, and I’ll carry her until we get to the palace. Give you a rest so you can take her inside to bed.”
The drive to protect my sister wanted to rebel against him for it. “There’s no need for that,” I grunted out.
“Give her to me, Slate. Breathe for a minute, dude,” Chrome said, rolling his eyes and stepping in front of me, holding his arms out to scoop Hazel from mine.
I was too tired to debate him. The adrenaline had worn off, and I was beyond exhausted. “Fine.”
Chrome cradled her to his chest with ease as he took a step back, turning to continue our way to the King’s Palace.
My body basically screamed with joy at the reprieve. I was dead—a walking corpse, I was convinced. It was a steady reminder that I needed to increase my workouts. My lean frame was strong in muscle, but I wanted to bulk up more—my height demanded it.
Passersby cast concerned stares at us at the sight of Hazel draped in Chrome’s arms. We ignored them, keeping our gazesahead and not stopping for anyone. I could only imagine the dark suspicions they must’ve had.
At last, Chrome and I neared the guarded gate to the King’s Palace. Beads of sweat slid down Chrome’s temple as he passed Hazel off to me. I embraced her, my arms fatigued but more rejuvenated than they had been previously. Now she slept, sleepiness claiming her during the rhythmic walk.
