Blood Rider [Alonia's Queenslayer #1]

21

// Hey guys! This book is nearing its end. There's maybe two or three chapters left! But don't worry, the second book will come out with minimal delay. :)

A chilly breeze swayed the trees in the dead of the night. An occasional cloud joined the audience of stars to gaze upon the clusterfuck of events which was about to go down.

Eli finished putting on her boots and opted for a single knife in her left boot. She was dressed a bit more appropriately than usual. She even put on pants, and wore a cloak.

She pulled out a bag from under her bag containing supplies for Ril. There was water, food, a warm cloak, armour, a sword of questionable quality, and two daggers. She stuffed all the important documents, such as the map, plans, and letters for Tanya and Ejder and her friends, into a separate, smaller satchel.

She made sure that everything was well organized and that everything would go perfectly.

"I've been watching you check everything for the past hour now, come on!" the elven maid said in an irritated tone. Eli turned around to give her a stern look.

"All you have to do is shut up and stay in my bed. Stop complaining," Eli said, looking at the girl. She had surely made herself comfortable.

The young elf sighed, looking back at Eli. "You sure this is gonna work?"

Eli nodded. "Of course. I'll climb back inside through the window, and once they come knocking, they'll see us both here and realise I must be innocent."

"That's fine and all, I have nothing against sharing a bed with you, but do you even know my name?"

"I don't, and I don't want to know. It's safer for you to have as few ties to me as possible."

She scoffed. "If they think you slept with me, I think that ties me to you pretty tightly."

"Not at all. I've lived my whole life pretending to be a man, so trust me when I tell you that the relationship between a soldier and his one-night-stand is as non-existent as it gets."

The maid didn't reply, and instead faced the wall again. Eli picked up both bags and opened the door to her room. "I'm leaving. Lock the door behind me and don't open it if someone knocks. I'll be coming from the window."

"Yes, yes, good luck, let me sleep already!"

Eli closed the door behind her and barely resisted the urge to wait for the girl to lock it. She could trust her with that one simple task, definitely.

Earlier in the evening, Eli had stolen a horse and tied it up in a clearing hidden by the forest on all sides, so that nobody would stumble upon it by accident. She had also attempted and succeeded in picking the locks of the cells some of the previous nights. It would take some time, but it was definitely possible.

It was a pretty solid plan. Eli had faith it would work. Everyone depended on her being able to execute it, and if she didn't, she'd be condemning everyone.

After making sure there were no guards near any entrances, Eli slowly and quietly made her way down towards Ril's cell.

"Did you manage to get some sleep?" Eli asked as she kneeled in front of his cell and already began picking the lock. Ril was pacing around the cell, restless.

"Of course not. I can't even tell when's day and when's night, I approximate it based on when you come to visit me. Last time I slept was maybe twenty hours ago, so it's not that bad."

Eli frowned as she kept fiddling with the lock. "What were you doing for twenty hours stuck in a cell? All I'd be doing is sleep."

"Well," he scoffed, "I tried to stay in shape. Pacing around, exercising, I even wrote some poetry in my mind. I wrote a song for you, even."