The Rebel Assassin

Chapter 13: Marked for Greatness

I nodded. "Relax. We just have to watch everyone come past without looking suspicious."

"Oh, easy," he said, sarcastically. "This could take all day."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It did, in fact, take all day. Neither of us wanted to leave our post to get food, so we were bored, tense, and hungry by the time the sun began to set and the balcony began to empty. I was feeling discouraged and slightly panicked that no one had shown any reaction to stepping over or on the dirt. We didn't have much time. Iso could find out we were here soon, and we didn't know how far behind us Magali's own search party was. Things would get a whole lot more complicated if we didn't get the Knight first.

I was almost too focused on my worries to be paying attention when a small group of people about my age walked past us, talking and laughing together, and started down the stairs.

I blinked and looked up at them just as one boy in the middle of the pack fell at the top of the stairs and slid down the steps to the first landing, inducing a sudden scramble among his friends to hurry after him.

"Gal!" Several of them yelled. One girl, getting there first, slid an arm under his and helped him up.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

He shook his head as if dispelling a daydream. "Uh... yeah. Yeah, I think so."

"Did you slip?" another girl asked from the top of the stairs. "There's all this dirt up here for some reason."

"I don't think so. I just felt... weird, for a moment. A little light-headed. I guess I just missed the step."

Joshua and I exchanged a split second, wide-eyed look, and then pushed through the gaggle to the landing. I noticed as I flew down the steps that I'd felt a noticeable, though not unpleasant, difference as I went over the Solangian dirt, a feeling that might have unbalanced me if I hadn't expected it.

"Hey!" Joshua said, reaching him first. "Noticed that fall. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He looked embarrassed now. "It's not a big deal, I'm fine."

The group of friends shot us strange looks, probably wondering why we were interfering, then the first girl turned back to him. "You probably just need to eat. We've been up here a long time."

He agreed, and the group set off down the rest of the stairs.

"We can't lose him," Joshua whispered, looking at me in panic.

"We're not losing him. Follow me." I trotted down the stairs after them and touched the arm of the girl in the back. "Hey, I heard you guys say you were going to eat? I'm new here, could my guard and I follow you there?" I made my voice all half-nervous question marks hovering in the air, just begging for someone to take pity on a poor new student.

She smiled at me. "Of course. This place is huge. Just stick with us." I smiled back at her as we joined the group.

On my other side, Joshua yanked my arm and hissed, "Your guard?"

I pulled my arm back. "Makes it sound like I'm a noble prisoner. Might help us get to him."

He took a deep breath, and I maneuvered out of earshot of any whispers before he could let loose what he thought of that plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was hard to get to Gal. His friends surrounded him closely, and it would look weird to try to force my way closer to him. And any time he caught my eye by accident, he looked almost unnerved. Maybe it was my fault for staring, but it was hard to look away.