The Poison Prince

Chapter XI

THE citizens of Adavale must have sensed something thrilling was afoot. More of them were now gathered in the streets and town guards loomed in the busier districts, blocking the obvious exits from the port. Taiden held on to Xylia's hand, dragging the stunned girl along. She had almost completely shut down after the fight in the mayor's residence and was now stumbling every few steps, blindly following him as he pushed her into alleyways and pulled her down shallow side streets. He wondered what had happened to her. She had come into that room – and the fight – with a confidence even he had been surprised by, but now she was broken apart, her free hand still clutching tightly to her dagger.

Taiden halted suddenly when he saw the escape route he had been heading for was blocked by more armed guards.

"How many does Adavale need?" He muttered to himself, scrubbing his hand through his hair in frustration. Desperately trying to think up another plan, he pressed himself against the shadows of the outer wall, tugging Xylia with him.

Taiden was so busy wracking his brain for ideas that he didn't notice Xylia twisting and squirming her hand in his. Finally, and with some considerable force, she wrenched her hand away from him. The cold air hitting his clammy palm was what got his attention and he blinked before startling at her moving further into the shadows and away from him.

"Xylia, no! Get back here." He hissed in a panic. She wasn't thinking straight and if she was spotted by the guard then there was little he could do for her. He doubted she would be in the right frame of mind to fight again now.

She ignored him, and instead found a section of the wall where the stone was easier to grip with her fingers. Taiden watched as she climbed it, one foot at a time, using her hands to find the strongest parts before she pulled herself up and then climbed higher. Soon she was swinging herself over the top, keeping flat and low to avoid detection and vanishing over the other side. All he heard next was the dull thud of her landing on the soft earth outside of Adavale's boundaries. Her plan suddenly became apparently to him and he grinned wildly.

"Of course. Xylia, you beautiful genius."

He quickly copied her improvised escape, and was soon back at her side on the outside of the Adavale walls. He noticed her dagger was sheathed now, and she looked a little better now than she had done in the town. Colour was back in her cheeks and those ice blue eyes no longer looked vacant and unaware. She also looked mad, specifically when she looked at him.

"We get to where it's safe and then we need to talk about a few things."

Taiden nodded, but kept his lips tight shut. Xylia had gone from a walking catatonic state to frighteningly angry in the space of time it had taken him to climb a wall. He didn't want to push anymore of her buttons; not after just discovering what she could be capable of in the mayor's house.

It was her turn to lead the way now – not that Taiden was given much of a choice. He watched her, studying her movements, as she snuck them around the guarded gate with a hunter's prowess. When Taiden accidentally stood on a twig and snapped it, catching the attention of a man in black chainmail, she acted quickly to hurl a rock back over the town wall, pulling his focus in the opposite direction. Her skills were sharp again, and if Taiden hadn't been the one to drag her along when she had fallen he would have struggled to believe she had collapsed into such a withdrawn state at all.

Soon, they were back in the forest, safe between the trees Xylia trusted. Trees could not betray her the way people could; the way Taiden had. She kept walking, feeling her anger fire up within her. She didn't know what direction she was heading in, but she could hear him close behind her, wordlessly keeping up. Xylia just kept moving forward until eventually she felt like she was going to explode. She was hot with rage, feeling her own blood racing around her body, her limbs aching as she tensed her muscles to try and combat her own emotions.