Glow

Chapter Seventeen

Back, baby. For a limited time.

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"What can we do?" Arvind whispered to Kitsune. They peeked over the wall to the castle.

"Technically, Archers are welcomed in all realms. If we seek Asylum, they have to take us in. Hide under my cloak. I'll take both of us inside."

Arvind surveyed the situation critically.

"I'm about as tall as you are. Even if I crouch and we walk close together, we'll look deformed. It will be suspicious. Is there any way I can get in as myself?"

"You either have to seduce a guard, which may be difficult, or you must present yourself as royalty, which we have no time for."

Arvind huffed decidedly.

"You go first. I'll meet you in the dungeons."

"What are you going to do?!"

"I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just get to Samara as soon as possible, and then go quickly."

                                                                      *

Kitsune found it relatively easy to get down to the lower hallways. There she waited for Arvind, who showed up relatively quickly and looking quite flustered, and they worked their way to the end of the hallway.

There was silence all around, the kind that drives against your eardrums, which was rather unsettling. Motes of dust spun and wafted in the rays of light that extended between the bars of the doors. There was emptiness in most of the rooms. A few younger folks who wispered amongst themselves in the corners, eyeing the Archer and the boy with suspicion when they passed by. There was an older gentleman in the very last door, asleep on a stack of hay. And there was Samara, in the last room on the right wall, curled up against wooden floorboards and looking off into space. When she saw Kitsune, however, that quickly changed.

"Archer!" She whispered excitedly, standing quickly and rushing to the door. "You've no idea how excited I am to see you! There are whisperings throughout the castle. Drexel, the older man over in that dungeon, talks about a murder! Even the servants that bring secret news through here speak of it. One of the boys in that cell, right over there, his wife is a maid. She came in this morning, talking about a plan to kill the king!"

Kitsune wasn't listening, instead putting all of her attention on the lock. She was adding some kind of yellowed powder to the inside of it. Samara turned to Arvind.

"Listen to me, the guard who took me was of Kunda. He's part of the royal army. His name is Callius, and he's coming back very soon. You need to be on the lookout.

Kitsune finished with the powder, put her arm across Arvind, and backed up. "Samara, take a few paces backwards."

Once Samara was far enough away from the door, Kitsune leaned in carefully, pulled a phial from within her cloak, and poured it into the mechanism, stepping hurriedly away. A moment later, there was a fizz, a few small pops and bangs, and then the metal of the lock started to rapidly rust. A second later, Kitsune covered her fist with her cloak, gave one good whack to the lock, and the mechanism fell to the groud in hundreds of pieces. The door swung open easily. Samara rushed out, giving Kitsune a long hug.

"Thank you."

"It wasn't a problem. Now hurry, before we're seen."

And with that, they hurriedly made their way through the side doors of the castle, into the entrance area, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"We need to stay quiet," Kitsune warned. "If a guard sees us with a captive like you, he will be after us quicker than you can say-"

"Aphorel!" Came the shouts from the bottom of the steps. There was the cry of metal upon metal, and then shouts.

"Quiet!" Kitsune warned, before peeking outside.

There was Xefarias, decked in armour, and on a steed of chestnut brown, covered in a cloak emblazoned withe the royal shield of Nore. He had his sword out and pointed straight at a burly fellow.

"That's him!" Kitsune growled. "Xefarias, you old fool!"

"Who?" Arvind asked. But Samara and Kitsune weren't listening. Instead, Kitsune was pulling her cloak over her head and wrapping it around Samara's. Once the girl's face was hidden from sight, Kitsune was off, sprinting across the castle steps to the Knight before he did anything stupid. Arvind followed close behind.

The Archer moved gracefully and quickly in between the two men, before the other could make a move, and in a second, her own daggers were in her hands. She stood before Xef and his horse, looking up with distaste, and then glanced over her shoulder at Callius, whose eyes were narrowed, and lips turned in an ugly grimace. Other guards were making their way over, waiting in the wings behind Callius, waiting for an order to be given or a fight to break out. Arvind stood to the side, waiting himself.

"You best be on your way now, Guard," Kitsune warned him, facing Xefarias, but glaring over her shoulder. "This doesn't concern you."

"I could say the same for you, Archer," He retorted. "This is a family matter. None of your concern."

"It seems to be mostly my own concern, considering you have a blade pointed at my guide."

"Guide? He's no guide. His horse betrays him- he's a guard for Nore, come to declare war."

"On whom? You've no evidence. Sheathe your blade, step back, and allow us to be on our way."

"He engaged me in combat."

"It was not his to engage in. Forgive him."

"Pardon me for my impudence, miss," He snarled, spitting out the word miss like it pained him. "But once a man challenges me to combat, I rarely step down from my challenge."

"You say rarely. This is one of those rare moments. Forgive him."

"You cannot tell me who I can and cannot forgive."

"Forgive him."

Callius's face twisted into a scowl. He glared at Kitsune for one moment, and then another, until he turned back to Xefarias and then rolled his eyes.

"I deny your challenge, Sir. Perhaps next time we can engage in combat. And perhaps next time," (Here he bared his teeth at Kitsune), "Your handmaiden won't be there to stop us. Make your way from this castle."

Kitsune gave Callius a curt nod. Then she took Xef's horse and began to walk. She nodded at Arvind, and at the shadow behind the pillar, Samara.

That brought him back to the presend. Arvind found he had been breathing hard, and his sword was in his hand. He hadn't remembered drawing it. He turned to go after Kistune and Xefarias, but felt a hand on his cloak. He turned, and came face-to-face with Callius.

"Remember this, youngling," Callius growled. "Just because Chi has great power, doesn't mean that he can help you."

"What?" Arvind asked, shocked. His hand was still on his sword, but he had forgotten it for the moment. How did Callius know?

"There are eyes everywhere, young kidnapper," The Guard smirked. "Ears as well. Your head would fetch a fine price, considering you're a traitor to the throne."

"What?! Why do you speak in riddles? What are you talking about?"

"I'm not going to turn you into Sarojin, but know this. You're a traitor. A man who was once loyal to his children will not answer to a traitor. Be prepared to fight once you find the Tower. Be prepared to die."

Arvind wrestled himself from the vice-like grip of Callius and backed away slowly, glancing at Xefarias and Kitsune as he did. He saw Samara through the corner of his eye go out the gate. It was only until he had left the large gate that he breathed a sigh of relief.

But what had Callius meant? Who was the man he was destined to fight? He was a traitor to the throne of Sarojin? All of these things he frantically pondered, but one thing hung heavy and dark on his mind.

He had to prepare to die.