On The Edge of a Blade

Chapter 15

A/N: So, basically, I finished the book and am on to the editing process. I considered not posting this draft of it, but, honestly, whatever. Some people still read, and I'd rather just let them read it to conclusion rather than wasting their time. 

Don't expect full editing. 

     Rose could feel James's eyes on her the entire way to the throne room. Physically he didn't seem like much, but it quickly became clear to her that the force of his glare made up for his thin body and utter lack of muscle. It was all relative, however, for she knew that she could give him a run for his money when it came to that game. Throwing physical daggers wasn't the only thing she excelled at, and her disagreeable personality gave solid proof of that.

Though being stared at was quite the annoyance, a disgruntled prince was the least of her worries. There was an abundance of far more pressing concerns to be dealt with at that current point in time. For one, her hands were tied with extreme care, leaving absolutely no room for wriggling free. That led into her second concern: her knife was no longer in her possession. That didn't make her completely useless, but it certainly put her at a distinct disadvantage.

But that was only the beginning, and the least, of it all. Her cover was blown; her mission was failed; her future was looking grim. On top of all those stabs to the throat, there was also one more additional kick in the pants to be recognized: while all of this was happening to her, James was tied up beside her.

Unless there was one complicated, hidden subplot in existence right under her nose, Rose was certain that James had nothing to do with these affairs. He wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind that could carry through with a conspiracy plot, and there was no one dumb enough in the entire Greater Desert and beyond that would allow him to be apart of a conspiracy plot. That being said, James was in no way dumb; he just wasn't the right brand of smart for all of this. There was no way that he could ever successfully become a link in the chain that was set upon major political change!

In other words, he was innocent. Now, lo and behold, here he was, mere minutes away from getting into deep trouble for doing absolutely nothing! And it was all made possible by Rose.

Maybe this was Shilah's plan all along! Why successfully assassinate the prince when a failure of an assassin could just screw up? This way, once both unwanted assassin and unwanted prince get thrown into the dungeon to rot, the two birds could be killed with one singular stone.

Rose wasn't scared of being brought before the king and condemned to a long and agonizing death. That was the sort of thing that she trained for, after all, and the ending to her life that she honestly expected. No; with James stumbling along beside her, she felt nothing more than simmering fury. If she somehow found out that all of this had been planned ahead of time by her anarchy-driven comrades, she knew that she could easily explode then and there. She had become a human volcano.

"James!" The loud exclamation tugged Rose out of her brewing thoughts, but it didn't cause her ire to falter in the least. She looked over as an older man came racing up to the advancing cluster of guards and prisoners. "Damnit, Rodney, don't you dare try and block me. I'll get your sorry hide demoted in a heartbeat."

"Maddox!" James visibly bloomed at the sight of a friendly, compassionate face. All of the vexation and perplexity which had been plaguing him before took a step back, giving hope and relief some room.

Rodney--the head guard--glowered in irritation, but didn't waste a moment in letting the newcomer pass, lest he be thrown aside forcefully. Though he didn't offer any physical hindrance, he wasn't shy in verbally expressing his opinion. "Last time I checked, you were no longer Lord Marshal Fowler."