Chapter 16: The Shadow's Gambit - Chapter Thirteen

Lucinda hurried across the ice-cold room toward the king as she swiftly moved past Alexis. Kneeling next to William, she put her hand on his shoulder before feeling his father’s chest. She explored around the dagger in his chest for a heartbeat.

“Is he still…?” Alexis began. “He cannot be-”

Lucinda stayed focused on the king before she closed her eyes. She then mouthed a few words under her breath before she started mending. Lucinda tried to heal his heart, but then she sat back on the ground, letting go of both William and the king. She sat there, feeling a small tear fall from her right eye and freeze on her cheek.

William saw her face. He gripped his father’s hand as he closed his own eyes, looking away from the others. His head shaking back and forth, his mouth opening before closing quickly. Breathing heavy as he sat against the cold ground, speechless.

Lucinda lifted her hand to her cheek, frozen as his blood covered her hands. Her breath lay heavy as she wiped the frozen tear away from her cheek with her shoulder. She looked up at Alexis as she shook her head. “The blade pierced his heart. That is an injury that I cannot even mend.”

She stared as Alexis took a step back, closing her eyes, and turned away from the two of them. Lucinda heard William hold back his own emotions as a gasp escaped his lips. Alexis glanced back and stared past Lucinda at her father lying lifeless on the ground.

Alexis could feel the room grow a little colder as she tried to hold in her emotions. Her eyes grew wet as the tears that dropped onto the floor shattered against the ground. Lucinda stood and wrapped her arms around her friend. Resting her head on Alexis’s bare shoulder. “I am sorry I was not here earlier. I should have never left you two. Maybe if I were here-”

“There is nothing you could have done. Those damned puppets came from the ceiling and got the jump on the two of us,” Alexis explained, tightening her arms around Lucinda. “I was not fast enough…”

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Kota took in a deep breath and looked back at Sonya, who stretched her palms. She moved her leg and knocked his boot against her own. The two stood up as they looked around for the door. Sonya tapped his shoulder, and the two made their way before the door opened. He felt the tug of her hands as she pulled him behind a bookshelf.

They remained silent before an older voice called out, “Is anyone in here?”

She met his gaze and mouthed something, and he reached up, feeling his mask no longer on his face. Instinctively, Sonya grabbed Kota’s shoulder and leaned close to him, placing her hair to the side of her face before the two of them were locked in a kiss. Kota stood surprised, but he embraced it as footsteps grew louder, moving closer to the two of them.

“What are you two doing here?” asked the figure in a mature, feminine voice. “Stop that nonsense! This is not the time for that.”

Sonya lifted her hand, removed her mask from her eyes, and handed it to Kota. She stood in front of Kota, pushing his face away from the woman’s gaze. He quickly struggled to put on the mask and reached behind his head to tighten the straps. Kota could feel the heat of Sonya’s hand on his shoulder as her cheeks lay flushed with red. The woman tapped her foot against the ground, and she placed her hands on her hips.

“Sorry,” she said. “We may have gotten a little carried away.”

Kota leaned forward and apologized, but Sonya kept him behind her. She smiled at the woman as she looked them over, noticing the torn and burnt dress Sonya was wearing. Sonya looked down at the burnt fabric and smiled at the woman.

“Clean yourselves up and get back to the party. We will not use this night for that type of behavior, especially while I am around,” said the woman, turning her back to the two of them. “Wait until the two of you leave the castle and get home before you do that kind of business.”

Then she moved away from their path to the door and placed her hands on it. Sonya reached up, checked the mask against his nose, and then pulled her hands back from behind his head. “We need to keep your identity a secret. I will be fine, and we will talk more about everything later, all right?”

“Yes… exactly. Let’s find the others before we do anything else.”

Sonya nodded as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. The woman stood with her arms crossed, and she shook her head while the two of them passed her. “Sorry about that. We will get back to the party,” said Kota, smiling at her as Sonya opened the door and pulled him out into the hallway.

Sonya looked left and then right before looking back at Kota. “You lived here. Which way is the party?”

Kota looked in both directions and pointed to the right. “This way will bring us to the party, but not the main entryway. We don’t want to draw any more attention to ourselves. At least, no more than we already have.”

He pointed out that their clothes were dusty and torn. She agreed and followed Kota down the hallway, glancing at the suits of armor and paintings on the walls. They stopped at the sound of wood splitting and sudden silence, then began sprinting down the hallway.

Kota turned the corner to see a door wide open with a piece of pointed ice melting on the ground next to it. Staying quiet, he moved toward the ice, crouching in front of it. He examined it before he turned back to Sonya. “This has to be Alexis, although I am not sure why she would have to…”

He paused as Sonya walked up next to him and tapped on his shoulder. He looked up to see a puppet in the open doorway, its chest pierced through. Moving closer, Sonya looked up at the figure before turning to the room, waving to get Kota’s attention. “Lucinda? What happened?”

Lucinda moved her head off Alexis’s shoulder as she saw the two of them standing in the doorway. Then she ran over to Kota and quickly pulled him into a tight hug. “I am sorry. There was nothing I could do. He was already…”

“Wait, he? What happened?” asked Kota.

He embraced her back before looking over her shoulder to find William standing beside the desk. “William?” Kota responded as he saw his brother standing across the room with blood on his hands, looking down behind the desk.

Kota hastily moved out of Lucinda’s arms. When she held out her hands in front of them, he saw the blood on her hands before grabbing her wrists lightly. Kota examined her palms before releasing her wrists and approaching the desk. Looking around the desk, he saw the king with a bladed weapon sticking out of his chest. He placed his hand over his mouth as he felt the air get sucked out of his lungs.

A creak came from the doorway. The group watched as the puppet figure moved its head. It focused on Kota and the others before a scratchy and muffled voice came from behind its metal-and-wood mask. “Kota, I hope by now you understand that the wish for your family to be whole again will never be fulfilled. Fate has changed your life forever.”

Kota clenched his fist and moved closer to the puppet. “You are the man from Asana. Why did you do this? This is what Cordelia wanted, isn’t it?”

It creaked again as the head rose, looking toward the ceiling as it spoke again. “So, you have learned her name? She has plans for you, but you will have no home here. The kingdom will find out you are alive right before they lock you away for treason.”

Kota glanced back as Alexis ran her hand along the wooden edge of the desk. A line of blood flowed from her fingers. Alexis looked down at her dress, seeing the red of her father’s blood. “This was her plan all along, was it not? She plans to blame us for his death. What end will that accomplish?”

The puppet appeared to look at Alexis as she came to stand beside Kota.

Lucinda took a step away from the puppet and turned toward Kota. “You met the woman who kidnapped you? Cordelia?”

Kota nodded as he moved past Lucinda and stood beneath the puppet. He examined it before the puppet spoke again. “Your life is a flowing river, and this is only the beginning, Kota. Like the raging river, blood will engulf the kingdom until she gets what she wants. Maybe she will even let your friends—”

Kota quickly interrupted the puppet by ripping its arm off, and with his blade, he furiously and rapidly cut the puppet from neck to shoulder. The puppet’s pieces crashed to the floor as the group stood around in silence. Kota watched as the piece in his hand and the rest of the puppets disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke.

Kota turned to Alexis and Lucinda as he clenched his fist. “She had to have known we were going to be here, but she told me otherwise…”

Kota stood staring emptily into the space above the desk as the surrounding puppets disappeared in a familiar black smoke. His left hand tightened into a fist as he closed his eyes, feeling the icy air enter his lungs.

William moved into the middle of the room and focused on his siblings. Whistling as the four of them turned to see him. “We have to get you guys in the open. Let’s get Kota in front of the people at the party and show everyone that-”

“Unfortunately, we cannot do that,” said Kota, looking at his brother while tightening his fists.

He felt the rage inside as his left hand tightened harder than before.

Lucinda spoke up as she looked at his anger. “What did she tell you?”

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“The only reason I left the party was that she threatened to have everyone who traveled with me, including Grace and our mother, killed. She said she had people planted at the party. People who are not with Damira but with her. I will not risk any more lives here tonight.”

Lucinda moved her hand to her chin as she commented, “That explains my run-in with Arvind and our suspicions about the guards that attacked us in the woods. If the advisor is within her grasp, then we have to believe she has people inside the castle. There is no way to guarantee any of their safety at the moment.”

William raised his arms. “I am a prince of this kingdom. They will have to believe me. You did not kill our father.”

Sonya crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, looking at where the puppets had been scattered across the room. “Without the puppets, no one can truly dispute who killed the king. All your lives are in danger. Does anyone know about the queen and princess?”

William glanced at where the king was lying. “Do you think the two of them are in trouble right now? They should still be within the main hall, surrounded by witnesses.”

Kota looked around the room, feeling the piercing cold that lingered in the air as he looked at Sonya. Her skin steamed against the cold air. He walked closer to her as she gave a weak smile in his direction.

Sonya turned to William and shrugged as she replied in a calm voice. “Either way, we need to figure out our next step. We are running out of time before we are caught in the lion’s mouth.”

William moved toward the door, and Kota joined him a few steps behind.

Alexis called out, “Stop!”

“We have to make sure Grace and Mother are safe, Alexis. We cannot lose any more of our family tonight,” said Kota.

Sonya stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Kota demanded she move. She shook her head as she focused her attention on the blood-stained hands of William. “This is what she wants right now. A quick, thoughtless decision made by rage. I know rage, and this will help nothing.”

Kota clenched his fist before Alexis came up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were still a touch of red from her tears as she looked at William. “What I am going to ask of you, William, will not be easy. Kota, you will stay quiet and trust me.”

William looked down at his blood-soaked hands before glancing back up at his sister. “I think I know what you are going to ask of me, but I cannot do that to our family. I cannot lose you two again.”

“This will be for the good of the kingdom and our family... for the time being. It will keep the three of you alive and, hopefully, the resolve of the kingdom strong while you figure out how to root out that snake,” said Alexis in a calm voice. She raised her right hand for her brother’s, and as he grabbed it, she continued. “Blame this on us.”

Kota looked confused and focused on Alexis. “What are you talking about? We did nothing here but deal with that blasted woman again.”

“I said, silence, Kota.”

Lucinda moved right behind Kota as she answered his question. “If Arvind believes that everyone, including the royal family, knows nothing of his schemes, then maybe they will not be targeted for the time being. We must take the blame to fight another day. We have to let them believe they won tonight. Is that what you are saying, Alexis?”

William shook his head and placed his hand on his eyebrow, leaving small blood marks on his forehead. “We will label you two traitors, but I can delay the news for a few days at most. I will not stand by as you are betrayed by your own family, though. I will tell Queen Amelia and Grace about all this and demand their silence.”

Kota took a deep breath, feeling the surrounding air warm, and raised his left hand before rubbing his palm. “Alexis is right. I hate saying this, but they must label us traitors so we can still attack on two fronts. You are in the castle against whatever she has planned here, and we can go after whatever she has planned outside the kingdom. The puppet said this is just the beginning of her plans for us.”

Lucinda took Kota’s left hand in hers before taking in a deep breath, focusing on mending the curse. “William, please check on the princess and queen. Make sure they are safe while we make our escape. I do not want your family to be any more broken because of this woman.”

William nodded as he looked back at his father and started to tear up before turning to Alexis. “I will do what I can here without giving away my intentions or feelings toward that snake, Arvind, but you need to get to safety first. Get out of the castle and then make your way to Pasea. Once I get things settled, I will send a messenger to an old ally named the Wanderer, who will meet you there. You two will know him.”

He walked over to Alexis and Kota, and the three of them embraced each other in a hug before William broke off, heading for the door. He stopped at Sonya. “Please watch over them,” he implored her. “I do not want to lose any more family members. Whoever you are, Kota trusts you, and so do I.”

Sonya nodded in agreement, and the group watched him leave. Then Sonya moved closer to the other three. Unsure what to say, she took a deep breath as Lucinda looked at her with concern. She placed her hands on Alexis’s and Kota’s shoulders. “I know this is difficult, but we have to get you out of here.”

Kota stared at Alexis for a second, seeing the anger and sadness behind her eyes. He nodded before grabbing her forearm and pulling her along out of the door. Kota watched William open the door to the main hall and go through, closing the door behind him.

The group headed in the opposite direction, walking down the right hallway. Alexis stopped to lean against a table against the outer wall of the hall. Kota drew near as she slammed her fists on the table and said, “This was not how this night was supposed to go. When I find that woman, I will make her regret ever messing with my family.”

Kota agreed as he looked back in reaction to the sound of footsteps and doors opening. People from the party were coming through the hallway toward them.

Sonya pushed them all forward. “He did not give us much time, did he?”

Lucinda turned back, looking at Sonya. “What did you expect? His father just died, and he has to pin the blame on his own family. We are lucky he even agreed to this crazy idea.”

The group turned another corner, and they saw a door opening on the other side of the hallway. “Get inside here.” Alexis pointed at one of the nearby doors.

They rushed inside, closing the door behind them. Sonya turned, seeing an empty room with different materials sprawled around in no particular manner. She moved deeper inside and snapped her fingers, making small flames on her fingertips to illuminate the room.

Kota walked over as he examined a small slit in the stone on the opposite wall to let some light in, but there was no exit in sight. He turned toward the door and told Lucinda, “Find something to barricade the door. They will look in this room soon.”

Lucinda looked around the room. She noticed a few crates and barrels before turning to Alexis. “Can you help me move these?”

Alexis stood still in silence as she stared blankly into the dark room. So Lucinda asked again. She jumped a bit before turning to see Lucinda struggling to move a crate, and she hastened over, lifting it to place it in front of the door.

Kota looked around the room for another escape as Sonya. “Do you have a plan to escape this place, Kota?”

“All we need to do is get to the tree at the edge of the grounds. We have to hurry, though. Otherwise, they will be all over the grounds,” stated Kota, moving around and thinking about a plan.

A few moments passed as all of them were silent in thought. Then Kota asked Sonya, “Do you think you can blow our way out of the wall with your calling?”

She shook her head in response. “Saving your skin again drained my energy too much. If I use any strenuous amount of calling now, my skin will burn. I cannot generate that type of power without risking my flesh.”

She raised her left hand and showed Kota the red of her palm against the tan of her regular skin. Kota sighed as he nodded, knowing it would hurt her. Then he glanced up at Alexis as she walked across the room. Grabbing a small goblet, Alexis turned to raise it to Kota, and she used her calling to freeze the goblet. “We may not need a blast to escape.”

“What do you mean?” Kota asked.

Alexis stayed stoic as she allowed the goblet to fall out of her hands to the ground. The goblet smashed into pieces. “If I can freeze the stones, we may loosen them enough to break out of here.”

Lucinda sat on the crate in front of the door and gestured to the group. “That is fine and everything, but—”

Abruptly, she stopped talking as someone tried to open the door from the other side, and the group fell silent. The guard pushed on the door again, causing the crate to move faintly. Lucinda jumped off the crate and waved Kota over. “Better get started. I think our time is up.”

Kota sat down and pushed back on the crate, holding the door closed as the guard yelled out, “Someone is in this room!”

The guard pounded on the door harder. Then he slammed into it, shifting the crate again as they braced themselves.

Alexis grabbed a small piece of wood that lay on the floor as she moved closer to the wall.

Kota turned his attention to Lucinda as the pounding got louder. More guards joined in as they braced themselves at the door. “Hurry, Lex,” he said.

Sonya snuffed out her light as there were sounds of scraping on the other side of the room.

Suddenly, after a few moments of darkness, the outer wall fell to the other side, giving them light from the moon and an escape. Alexis walked back over with the piece of wood dripping with ice and water. As she swung it across her body, she told them, “Move out of the way!”

Lucinda and Kota hastily scrambled out of the way of the door, moving toward the others. As the two of them ran away from the door, they saw Alexis’s calling covering the wall and floor with ice. Lucinda approached the outer wall, seeing a tree with its branches right on the other side, and she directed the rest of the group. “We have no time to waste. Let’s move.”

One by one, the group quickly jumped onto the branches of the tree and climbed down. Kota helped Lucinda to the ground, then moved his hands away from her waist. She groaned, telling him, “You are fortunate to have done that not wearing a dress.”

“That’s why I burned off most of my dress.” Sonya landed smoothly behind the two of them, and she gave out a small laugh.

Kota led the group away from the tree before he turned back to Sonya and looked down at her legs, examining the burnt dress above her boots. Sonya looked confused before he asked her, “Speaking of burning, can you set the tree ablaze? A little extra distraction?”

Sonya nodded and walked over to the tree, grabbing a small pile of leaves that lay next to it. She took a breath and let it out as she brought her hand closer to her face, igniting the leaves. They fell onto the tree trunk, starting a small fire where each one landed. Hearing the door breaking through the hole above them, the group crossed the castle grounds, staying low near the bushes and small walls that littered the courtyard. Alexis remained in front as they moved through the castle grounds before stopping and gesturing for them to stay close to the walls. Kota pulled Sonya to the wall next to him as he cupped her hand within his, feeling the warmth of her calling.

Silently, they stayed low and in the shadows of the fire as three guards passed in front of Sonya and Kota. The guards waved over a few others before yelling out, “Gather some water to put out the fire!”

As the guards ran toward the fire, they took the chance to swiftly cross to the gate where they had entered the castle earlier, but they saw no one this time. Sonya moved closer to the small gate and pushed it open, seeing a clear path on the other side. She glanced back at the other three as she moved through the opening. “The path is clear. Let’s get moving.”

Kota followed the others to the other side of the gate, where a guard lay unconscious. Lucinda knelt by the guard and checked his pulse as if she knew someone was there. She asked, “Did you bring the gear?”

“It is against the wall, my dear,” said a figure, stepping closer from behind a tree, revealing the old seamstress.

Lucinda moved closer to the woman and hugged her before directing the group to grab the supplies. “Thanks for believing in me,” she said. “I know it must have been hard to get away from the compound at this hour.”

“I hope the gear you mentioned will help, because whatever you did in there—” she looked at the red glow of the fire on the gate “—is going to cause a lot of problems for everyone around here.”

Lucinda nodded in agreement before Kota walked over and whispered in her ear. “We shouldn’t stay here any longer.”

Lucinda smiled as she grabbed the woman’s hands, telling her, “Keep your head down. Akar and the kingdom will look for us, and they cannot know you helped me, all right?”

The woman smiled back before embracing her. Kota and the rest of the group headed away from the castle, into the woods that led to Pasea. Lucinda turned, leaving the woman behind.

“Did you know this would happen?” Kota asked her.

Lucinda shook her head as she moved alongside him. “No. I had her prepare some extra equipment to be left here in case something went wrong or we needed it for Arvind, but I never imagined this is what we would do after we met with…” She took a breath as she looked forward to Alexis and back at Kota, a tear falling down her cheek. “We will make this right, Kota. Trust me, we will.”