Three days of madness. Three days of planning, three days of hurry up and wait. Three days that really weren't a lot of time. Dark clouds hid the sun, moon, and stars, giving yet another advantage to Drew. Only a few guards stayed in the dungeons at night, along with the rest if the castle. As long as no one made it out of the barracks, there would hardly be a fight at all. Lord Calmar and his troops were taking the city, the castle was Drew's job. All the pieces were in place but one, but it wasn't up to Drew to make it so.
The halls were dark and silent as Blaze walked along. Nothing made more noise than his own rapid heart beat. He'd faced a hundred foes, fought battles, led raids, broken into ships and houses and prisons and temples; but nothing terrified him more than what he was about to do.
He didn't dare knock on Amber's door, knowing she was in there. But Cimmorene was expecting him, and he knew she would be checking every minute. He leaned against the far wall, closing his eyes. Gods, why did Drew have to give me this job? Why me? Any other man could've done it. But no, it had to be him. Maybe because I have the most to lose if this is messed up.
He opened his eyes at the sound of a door.
"Hi, perki parga," Cimmorene slipped into the hall, a smile brightening her features. She wrapped an arm around his waist and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "Sorry, you can't come in yet. Amber's still awake."
"That's alright; I can't stay tonight."
She settled against his side, still smiling. "You said you needed to talk to me about something important?" There was a gleam in here eyes that she tried to repress, but it shone through anyways. Blaze's heart ached. She thinks I'm going to finally ask. He'd been putting it off on purpose, knowing this awful moment would eventually come.
Blaze stepped away from the wall, pulling Cimmorene with him.
"I need to tell you something."
"Mh-hm. We already established that."
"But, it's something I should've told you a while ago."
She paused at this, doubt flashing across her face. "What is it?" They were close to Amber's door now, exactly where they needed to be. Blaze disentangled himself and cupped her face with his hands. A wariness hid in her gaze, but he pushed it away with a long, hard kiss.
"I love you, and I'm so sorry."
"Wh-"
"But I can't explain everything now." Cimmorene tried to pull away, gold rising in her eyes, but Blaze was already moving. He flung the door open and shoved her inside, wincing as she struck the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL!" She staggered to her feet.
Blaze shut the door, slapping a magic seal on the edge. It melted into the wood, glowing blue. The only way it could be opened was if Blaze or Drew commanded it to.
"BLAZE! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Cimmorene hammered on the door, and in the background he could hear Amber's puzzled voice. "I SWEAR TO LUPA'S MATE IF YOU DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT-"
"I can't!" He didn't yell, but Cimmorene heard him anyways.
"What do you-"
"I can't! I can't tell you yet. I said I'm sorry." He started to back away. "I'm so, so sorry."
"Blaze? Don't you leave us in here!" They had minutes now, sheer minutes before they lost the element of surprise. "Blaze?" He turned away, fighting the urge to run back and tell her everything. But the last thing Drew had ordered Blaze was, tell Cimmorene nothing. He couldn't disobey. He physically couldn't disobey. "BLAZE!"
YOU ARE READING
Age of War: Book One - Alliance of Wolves
Fantasy"I wasn't raised to be a king, I was raised to be a monster." No truer words were ever spoken about Drew Hawthorne. Werewolf and gladiator, all he has ever known is death and hatred. Until one day he's given an opportunity, a purpose, by Roksov, lea...
