I scrambled towards my only ally in this precarious situation: Omega. He still hadn't defeated his soldier. The Chaos soldier seemed to be capable with his sword using it like a natural extension of his hand. However, he was a thin lad using an equally-thin rapier; the exact opposite of the captain.
I jumped in the air, broadsiding the soldier, and we tumbled to the ground. His sword slipped out of his grip and clattered to the ground ten feet away.
Omega stood still for a moment, as though he was still processing what happened, then asked, "What the heck was that for? I was winning!"
"I wasn't!" I shot back as I restrained the squirming soldier. "Defeat the captain for me, will you?"
Omega realized that the captain was quickly barreling toward him, terrifyingly roaring at the top of his lungs in rage. He turned towards him, on guard.
"Let go of me!" The soldier I was pinning down exclaimed, drawing my attention from Omega. "Fight like a real man!"
"I am," I replied, then promptly smashed his face into the cobblestone, knocking him out.
Meanwhile, Omega was faring much better with the captain than he was with the soldier. A moment before the captain collided with him, he simply stepped to the side and stuck his foot out. The captain was big, and he couldn't maneuver well with his momentum. He could only widen his eyes in horror as he tripped over Omega's foot and toppled to the ground. His head banged against the cobblestone, rendering him unconscious.
Behind us, the trapped soldier pulled the sword out of the cobblestone and his clothes, finally freeing himself. He raised it above his head, ready to charge at us—and then he saw his captain limp on the road. His expression changed to worry, and he swiftly ran away, screaming at the top of his lungs for help.
Omega looked at me as we sheathed our swords. "Did you see where Lord Chaos and his company went?"
I pointed past the inn. "They took the next right, I believe."
"Then let's go. We have no time to lose." He snapped his fingers, and Charlotte and Fauvel appeared next to us.
I stared in shock at Fauvel, failing to stifle my laughter. "What happened to you, man?"
He was covered in so much pink that it was hard to see his coat, and his eyelashes glittered. Mini tutus had been placed above his hooves, though they were so small they looked like sparkling scrunchies. Worst of all, he had a hot pink party hat strapped to his head. It looked like he was trying to be the first horse ballet dancer.
"The handiwork of Lady End's handmaidens' daughters," Omega said with a sigh, then snapped his fingers again before jumping on Fauvel. All the pink immediately disappeared from Fauvel, and the horse let out an audible sound of relief.
Fauvel glared at Charlotte, who was still laughing. It isn't that funny.
It is, Charlotte countered with a snort as I grabbed her reins and climbed astride her. Whenever I see you, I'll remember that your favorite color is pink.
Omega and Fauvel charged forward. Caught by surprise, it took me a moment to spur Charlotte, but we caught up a few seconds later.
Again, I had no idea where we were going, but Charlotte just followed Omega's lead.
As we turned a corner, the thunder of hooves filled my ears from behind me. I turned in the saddle and gasped.
A dozen mounted soldiers were boring down on us. All had hateful expressions on their faces. As I was watching, half of them loaded their crossbows, grabbed their reins tightly in one hand, and stood up, aiming their weapons at us with their other hand—all in a fluid movement. Their horses didn't even miss a step. It was an impressive show of skill, to say the least, but since they were aiming at me, it was concerning.
"Um . . . Charlotte," I said, whipping back to face the front. "You don't mind getting hit by a crossbow bolt, right?"
It would be appreciated if I didn't, Charlotte said. Hold on tight.
My eyes widened when she said this, and I gripped the reins tightly in both hands, then tightened my legs around her abdomen. I leaned forward. It wasn't often that Charlotte told me to "hold on tight," since it meant she was going to do a maneuver that was very risky. And that's what she did.
The twang of crossbow strings and the telltale whooshes of crossbow bolts filled the air. I heard one whistle over my head and thunk into the stone of a house just as Charlotte began weaving from side to side. Even though she had warned me, the speed still caught me by surprise. Instead of slowing down, she sped up. I found myself holding on for dear life, while my brain rattled everything she abruptly shifted directions.
Even though we were taking the most indirect route ever, we quickly caught up with Omega, who was tensed in his saddle. A few seconds later, we pulled up alongside him, and I had to yell to be overheard over the thunderous sound of horse hooves—not to mention the wind. "Would you mind taking care of the soldiers? I'm afraid if Charlotte tries to dodge them, I'm going to fall off."
Omega nodded, and I let him take the point, urging Charlotte to slow down until we could once again hear the familiar sound of crossbows reloading. I gave a quick glance backward. All of the soldiers were standing up now, aiming carefully at us. The leader gave me a malicious grin. You're going to die today, he mouthed at me.
I gulped and looked forward again, praying that Omega would distract them before they would kill me.
Upon flying through a corner, I saw the western gate: two godly-stone towers with a small space between them, connected by an arch. Surprisingly, no guards—Chaos guards, I was pretty sure Void soldiers were almost extinct in this city—were in the towers, on the lookout for anybody trying to escape. The portcullis had been winched open, and three cloaked figures on horses were galloping towards the gate: Chaos, Jessica, and Psi. We had caught up to them.
Something's not right, Charlotte said.
I glanced forward at the riders. They were low in their saddles, trying to get as much room as they could in between us. Er . . . that figure in the center sure looks like Lord Chaos to me.
But have you seen his face? Charlotte asked pointedly.
I didn't reply, which was an answer in itself.
His official steed is Aeschylus, Charlotte explained. And my brother is very possessive of his owner—and Lord Chaos knows that. He takes extra precaution to only ride him, and no other horse to not anger him. That horse in the middle is clearly not Aeschylus.
I looked at the horse the middle and tallest figure was riding as he passed through the gate: a brown one with a few blue highlights. Definitely not Aeschylus.
Before I could answer Charlotte, Omega snapped his fingers directly in front of me. Immediately, I noticed all the junk—things made from wood and stone mainly—in the street and alleyways we were passing disappear. It all reappeared a few inches behind Charlotte and me—just as the soldiers released a volley of crossbow bolts. The projectiles splintered and tore through the junk, but didn't pierce all the way through.
However, the junk also blocked the road for the soldiers following us. I spun around in my saddle just as their horses neighed in fear while skidding, jolting their riders unexpectedly with the sudden stop.
It didn't help that they were standing up.
Some collapsed, using the abrupt energy to safely seat themselves back into their saddle, only getting their breath knocked out of them. Others—the unlucky ones—got thrown off completely as their horse bucked unusually, shooting them into the air and landing on the ground hard enough to knock them unconscious. Within a few seconds, Charlotte left them in the dust.
However, as she galloped towards the gate, I was still looking backward, wondering if what Charlotte was saying was true. I knew her intentions were pure—with her experiences and observations, she gave me her concern—but she still could be wrong.
My gaze turned to the leader. He was one of the lucky ones, who landed unharmed back into his saddle. To my surprise, he didn't seem angry at us thwarting them. Instead, he was looking forward at the gate with an expectant expression.
Then I knew.
I thought back to the captain and the soldier that had ambushed us near the inn. They'd jumped from the rooftops, as though they had been stalking us for a while, even though we'd been sneaking past guard patrols they could've warned. And then, only a few minutes after we had defeated them, mounted soldiers chased us. It wasn't just luck.
They knew where we were at all times.
The three riders weren't Chaos, Jessica, and Psi. They were three guards who looked like Chaos, Jessica, and Psi, what Charlotte was getting at.
They were merely trying to lure us away from Chaos, Jessica, and Psi's real location before trying to kill us.
"Omega!" I cried out. "That's not Chaos! It's a trap!"
Just as he reached the gate, Omega tugged at the reins, forcing Fauvel to a skidding halt. He spun around in his saddle, confusion clear on his face.
And then the attack came.