Elsewhere [boyxboy]

*Chapter Three*

                'What's going on, exactly?' Ana interrupted. Her diminutive figure was glaring up at me, the thick black kohl around her eyes making her look all the more intimidating.

                'Shut up, Ana,' Adrian hissed. 'Now he's going to give us the whole sorry history of his stupid imaginary country.'

                Ana punched him so hard under the ribs in response to this that he actually doubled over.

                'Go on,' she said pleasantly, looking to me.

                'Uh,' I stuttered, momentarily lost for words as I watched Adrian wheeze. 'Right. Well. My father,' I tried not to choke as I thought of him, 'has been King in Elsewhere for forty years, since he was fourteen. My grandfather died, leaving behind a Kingdom that was steeped in debt and ravaged by civil war. My family have been on the throne for centuries, but any time a kinsman or subject sets his sights on the crown we must rise up and defend ourselves. My father restored wealth to the national treasuries and rebuilt the Kingdom to the height of its glory, but his generosity wasn't restricted to his people; he repaid everyone who fought by my grandfather's side by handing out the titles of the men who'd died to our allies. One fair-weather friend called Jurdon became Lord Kinsley, and later the Duke of Kinsley. As predicted by every other member of the Privy Council and even me when I came to live at court at the age of ten, he's turned his coat gone for the crown, tricking the people of Elsewhere into following him by promising them a government.'

                'So your parents...' Dom murmured, looking at me sympathetically. 'Are they really dead?'

                'I believe so.'

                'And who's the guy with the shampoo-commercial hair?' Ana insisted.

                'That's Loki,' I muttered, my face and voice hardening as I said his name. 'He used to be my best friend.'

                'Is that all he was?' Dom asked lightly.

                'Yes,' I said firmly.

                'So he's what, "turned his coat" as well?' Ana asked.

                'So it would seem. He says the plan was to capture my family and lock us in the Fortress like puppet royalty until we died.'

                'What's the Fortress?' Adrian interrupted, curiosity coating his words despite himself.

                'I suppose it would be the equivalent of your Tower of London,' I mused. 'Underground are the dungeons for the prisoners; above ground it's much like any other palace except for the redoubled defence structures. It's where we live when the country is at war.'

                'So...' Ana trailed off, glancing around before her gaze finally landed back on me and she asked the question to which I knew they all wanted the answer. 'What are you going to do now?'

                I took a breath, whispering so quietly I could barely hear myself. I couldn't risk these traitor-soldiers overhearing. 'I'm going to wait for the rest of royalists to show up. The men from earlier were sent by Lord Trorent; the rest of the lords will have sent men as well. While the generals are distracted by trying to hold them back, I'm going to steal a horse and escape. Get back to Elsewhere as quickly as I can and meet with the lords. Decide how to proceed.'

                'Why don't you just go with the royalists, or whatever?' Ana asked, frowning.

                I shook my head. 'Too risky. They might not win. I can't chance missing the opportunity to escape when they might not be able to rescue me.'

                'Then we're coming with you,' Dom said firmly.

                I shook my head again. 'It's too dangerous. Not to mention I don't even know if humans can go to Elsewhere.'

                But the others were already shaking their heads. 'A drunk roadie once smashed a glass bottle off my head,' Ana said matter-of-factly.

                'And protesters tipped the car my dad and I were in after last year's budget cuts,' Adrian added. 'We're not unused to danger.'

                'And we can deal with getting to Elsewhere when it comes to it,' Dom said. 'We're not letting you go alone.'

                I was still shaking my head, and opened my mouth to argue with them, but before I could speak there was a series of loud crashes from down below in the courtyard. The classroom we were in was on the other side of the school so I couldn't see what was happening, but given the sudden rise in volume and the panicked looks the soldiers in the room shot each other, it was safe assume my time was here.

                'Looks like it's too late to argue,' Dom said, grinning, as the soldiers rushed from the room, locking the door behind them. 'Lead the way – Your Highness.'

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Of course it didn't take much effort on my part to remove the obstacle of the locked door – whatever Kinsley might have in mind, Fate still recognised me as the rightful heir to the throne and all my royal powers were still intact.

                I locked it behind the four of us once we were in the hall, trapping the other students inside for their own safety, then quietly rushing down the stairs until we could clearly hear what was going on outside.

                Not that there was a lot of scintillating conversation. Aside from the clashing of metal on metal, the shouts of soldiers and the groans of dying men, there wasn't a lot to indicate what the safest route of escape would be. The structure of the building and the courtyard meant that there was only one exit, and one way or another we'd have to navigate the impromptu battlefield to get there.

                'Follow my lead,' I muttered, not bothering to look back at them as I glanced around the corner to see who was winning. 'Don't lose sight of me and don't even step where I don't step.'

My powers of stealth and natural camouflage would barely extend to them if they stayed close; they'd stick out like sore thumbs if they moved away from me.

'Okay,' I said, sensing the time was right. 'Now.'

I darted around the corner, sticking close to the wall and keeping an eye out for anyone who might spot us and raise the alert. Feeling the others following, I kept low and moved as fast as I could without making myself obvious, cursing myself when I realised I was subconsciously looking for Loki.

And I found him, too. He was still wearing his armour but seemed to have lost his livery; I paused long enough to frown when I realised he seemed to be fight against a Kinsley soldier. He looked up and his eyes met mine through the metal grill of his helmet; I swore and moved again, knowing my camouflage weakened when I stopped.

I jumped slightly when I heard a voice beside me. 'You're a damn idiot sometimes, Nota,' Loki muttered, catching me by the wrist and tugging me, to my surprise, towards the exit of the courtyard. 'Kinsley is here,' he continued quietly as we moved, not looking at me but glancing around like a trained soldier to make sure we weren't being watched or worse. 'Get to the other side of the city. I'll meet you under Great Oak Bridge tonight with the horses.'