Bram sidles closer to the enraged Elder and whispers again, louder. “Shebrought the panther into our midst.Sheoverthrew you.Sheis the real cause of your pain.”
What is Bram doing? I almost think him a madman until I see the cell key appear in Kryos’s hand. Kryos sneers and turns the key in the lock to my cell. Bram must be egging him on to get him to release me for execution. Will this plan work? I can’t use my Suntouched powers in these chains.
Bram’s plan is risky. If he doesn’t kill Kryos in the first strike, the Elder’s shout will summon more guards, and we’re all done for.
The cell door creaks as Kryos pulls it open. He reaches for his own knife, one designed for the dining table more than for combat, but sharp enough for his purposes. Stab me in the right place with it, and I’m dead regardless.
Kryos creeps into my cell, dining knife drawn, his entire being focused on my demise. My heart races as the Elder man moves forward. I remember Corvin moving just like this, moving in to hurt me. Moving in for something terrible. I remember, and my body remembers, and my body reacts as though Kryos was his grandson. I scramble back to the far wall of my cell, pressing into the rock as though I could merge with it to escape.
Then, from my angle, I see Bram stalk up behind him. I see the general’s raised knife.
I see Bram strike.
His aim is true. The knife enters Kryos’s brain stem and pierces through to the front of his throat. Kryos gurgles around the blade, and his eyes roll back into his skull. Bram catches the body with his other arm and lowers Kryos to the ground. I breathe a sigh of relief and beg my racing heart to slow down.
Is that it? Is it over?
“There are still the other two to contend with, plus Corvin and the other generals loyal to them.” Bram’s calm declaration is a harsh reminder that I have more foes out there. He yanks the ring of keys off Kryos’s belt. “I can unlock your chains, but I can’t come with you. I have to stay and play my part.”
“I don’t understand …”
Bram sets to finding the right keys. “You have to leave, Suntouched. You have to take your friends and leave this place. Go south, beyond our borders. Let your panther guide you. I’ll stay behind and cover.”
Hugh pipes up from his cell. “They’ll know it wasn’t Cara. They’ll know it was you, Bram. You can’t hide a wound like that.”
My chains click open, and I dart out of them. “I can, though,” I say as I summon my flames. “If there’s only a charred corpse to find, they’ll assume I did it.”
Bram nods, and he steps back. “I’ll go buy you some time. Get everyone freed, and go south." He points down the cavernous halls behind him. “Take that passageway. There's a gap in the walls several yards down that lets out below the palace. You'll have to widen it with your powers, but once you do everyone should fit. Don't look back. Just concentrate on surviving, Suntouched.”
I make quick work of Kryos’s disposal, and after a short nod to Bram, who has been opening cells, I grab Hugh’s arm and practically drag him to Sable’s cell. Bram tosses me the keys, and I fumble with them until I find the one I need. “C’mon, Hugh. I'll need you to carry her. I can’t with this broken arm of mine.”
Sym grumbles that we don’t need her, that we can find south on our own, but I trust Bram, and he said to have her lead us. He’s got to have a reason for that, so I'm not leaving her behind. Hugh picks her up gently, taking care with her wounded shoulder. Taking the lead, I ignite a small flame in my hand to light our way. We follow the light into the darkness beyond, and I leave the only home I’ve ever known for the unknown before us.
Chapter 19
Cara
We find the gap without any difficulty, but widening it proves more troublesome than Bram indicated. It takes several focused blasts of my flame powers to widen it enough for the women to slip through; the men have to shift into their wolves to squeeze between the charred rocks to continue to the sewer letout below. A new moon and clouded sky help hide our escape from any curious eyes.
I keep waiting for guards to come running at the sounds of my fire blasts, but none do. I don’t know if I can attribute that fortune to Bram’s interference or to dumb luck, but either way I’m grateful.
Getting Sable passed through the gap has its difficulties as well. Hugh waits at the gap while I shimmy through, then he hands her over. I’m not strong enough to hold her up for long, but I manage to keep her safe while he shifts and follows. The pain in my arm is searing. Once he’s through, Hugh shifts back and continues to carry the unconscious pantherkin. Sym growls at this, and I find myself shrinking back any time he does. I worry at this new reaction of mine, this fear of large men, and I hope that it’s temporary.
The journey to the southern woods is arduous, frought with risk of capture at every turn. By the time we reach the base of the palace hill, guards and soldiers stream out of the palace, shouting orders to find us and recapture us no matter the cost. We exit the gap at the north end of the small town at the bottom of the hill, meaning we have to skirt around the town to prevent notice. It takes longer than I’d like, and the extra time it takes to stop and take care of injured escapees only adds to my anxiety.
Somehow we make it past the town, stealing spare clothes off lines outside the houses for those of us who were caught while shfited. We scurry across an expansive empty field to the southern treeline without anyone catching up to us. Once everyone’s hidden by the trees, I allow myself a moment to breathe.
We’ve made it this far, but we’re at the end of our journey if Sable doesn’t wake up. I can get us around any other towns or villages on the way, but Bram said to haveherguide us. Whatever his reasons, it won’t matter if she’s been beaten so badly that she can’t. I have Hugh set her down, and I look her over, trying to determine how bad her head injuries might be.
Sable comes to mid-inspection, groaning in pain. She opens one amber eye to look at me, silently watching as I check her wounds. When I’m done, I sit back on my heels. Sable tries to stand, and I have to enlist Hugh and two other wolves in stopping her from hurting herself by stumbling into something. Sable shies away from physical contact, but I note she’s not as fearful of a man’s touch as I seem to be. At one point in the scuffle, I trip on a felled branch and almost scream in terror when Hugh reaches to help right me.
Hugh has been my friend since we were pups. Why am I so afraid of him touching me?
It takes three more incidents, with three different men, to realize it’s not Hugh that’s the problem; it’s me.
This could be bad.
While I debate my effectiveness in any upcoming battles, Sable starts to wake up more and more. She’s groggy at first, which is to be expected with her injuries, but after a couple of hours she’s able to move on her own, and an hour or so after that she perks up and starts taking the lead. I ask where we’re going, but she only responds with a cryptic “Home.”
