Audrira pulled back, her breaths quick and uneven. She stared at him. “Now? Really?”
“No, please,” Jocelyn snarked. “Continue making it uncomfortable for everyone.”
Gideon smirked, rolling his eyes. “Come on. We’ve gotta get out of here.”
He held her hand tight, peering out the door, scanning the halls, barely registering Audrira’s quiet snort. “It’s my head that’s at risk. You’re a prince.”
Gideon muttered, “A bastard prince.”
They moved silently through the halls, resisting the urge to run as their instincts screamed at them.
Audrira inched closer to him. “The castle walls are tense. It’s like a silent chaos.”
“Then we need to hurry,” he answered, knowing that could only mean they were looking for someone.
Since Gideon was also half his mother, a snake shifter princess from Iostria, he could sense things most couldn’t. Like the vibrations in the walls, the floors, the ceiling, and now the castle felt angry, desperate.
“Run!” Gideon’s voice was sharp as he broke into a sprint. He glanced back. His heart pounded with fear and relief. Audrira and Jocelyn kept pace, their faces filled with fierce determination.
Most witches lived sedentary lives compared to warriors, but they ran like they had trained for this day.
Gideon led them through the castle’s west side, to the passageway hidden by a glamour. A glamour undetected by his father, thanks to his own doings.
The souls of the fae and witches he killed remained stuck within the walls of the dungeon, unbeknownst to him. Audrira asked those souls to help her, and none of them needed further convincing. For as soon as the passage did its duty, or failed, Audrira crafted a spell that ensured their safe travels to the afterlife.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall, just outside the glamour. A knight stepped forward, his voice sharp. “Your father wants you. Now.” To another, he ordered, “Take the witches.”
Gideon filled with rage and did the only thing he could: he ran. He couldn’t teleport like his brothers, a constant reminder of his filthy blood. If his grandparents across the sea hadn’t known of him, the king would have killed him too.
To Gideon’s frustration, even the officers were able to teleport. The guard materialized in front of him, his fist slamming into Gideon’s throat. The impact sent shockwaves of agony rippling through his body, his vision blurring with dark stars. The force of the blow crushed his windpipe, and he doubled over, choking. A searing pain exploded in his neck, and he could feel his vision darken at the edges, like ink seeping into his eyes.
As if his title of prince meant nothing. Not a surprise to Gideon. Nobody seemed to give a shit about showing him respect, a bastard-born prince who should’ve never been given the title, they said many times.
He coughed, scrambling to his feet as he saw them grab Audrira’s arms. The officer twisted Audrira’s arm behind her back, hard enough that Gideon could hear her cry out,her shoulder nearly dislocating under the force. Jocelyn was miraculously holding her own with her own magic and fists. He lunged without hesitation. Audrira thrashed, screaming for Gideon as he lunged for her, but he was also pulled back by his arms.
Any moment now, they would teleport them to different cells, and Gideon screamed, knowing that as a witch, they might just kill her for treason and drain her blood for stronger enchantments.
Their screams were echoed by another familiar war cry, and Gideon was suddenly falling forward, towards Audrira.
Without a glance back, Gideon drew his sword and lunged at the guard gripping Audrira, plunging the blade into his gut with a savage twist. The man gasped, his eyes widening as Gideon twisted the sword, feeling the resistance of flesh and bone, hot blood spurting onto his hands.
Many backed up for a moment, taking in Gideon’s wrath before making any other sudden moves, but then they looked behind him to see Oliver, with his back facing Gideon, he killed the officer who thought to detain his youngest brother.
Turning around with blood splattered across his face, with eyes that looked like he was dead inside, he teleported behind Audrira, defending them before screaming, “GO!”
Gideon’s eyes began to water.
“They won’t kill him,” Audrira whispered in his ear. “Let’s go.”
Gritting his teeth, he and Jocelyn followed Audrira to the hidden doors and tunnels that led to the forest, west of the castle. Audrira at his side, they ran towards the horses tied to the trees, less than a mile into the forest.
“How did—”
“Max and I have been bringing them out here every night for weeks.”
Jocelyn narrowed her eyes as she mounted her horse. “How long have you—”
“Years,” he answered her. “We’ve been planning this for years. It wasn’t until Sin came around that Max felt more urgency. We’ve gotta find her first, then head to the coast.”
