"This is not the last you'll see of me," I whispered to Maisa. She had to have hope or else I was afraid that she would give in.
I didn't close her cell door, just in case, and hurried over to the others. All were clad in the black cloaks of the priests, even Tiris.
"So I know how to get us out, but I don't know these woods. What direction is the quickest to get us to people who will shelter us?" I asked.
There were a lot of blank stares going around, but Marek finally spoke up, "There is an army outpost two hours hard ride from here. I don't know exactly where we are but if we follow the main road north, we should stumble across it."
"Alright, we'll head for the outpost," I said, spinning around to make sure everyone was with me. "Are we ready?"
I received nods from each person in response.
Tiris nudged me, "The other prisoners."
Right. I turned to the people that I had set free that I didn't know. Tiris hadn't had enough cloaks for all of them. "Your best chance of escape is when the yelling starts. You get out and run in any direction except north. The priests will follow us, giving you plenty of time to get out," I said to them. Grim faces stared back at me.
I looked to the royal family and my new friend. "Tiris, get them to the spot we specified. Remember, when the yelling starts."
"Good luck," she said, and hugged me.
"The Goddess go with you," I whispered as she gathered together what used to be my family and led them out into the corridor.
I gave them a few minutes to get in position and reiterated several more times to the other prisoners that to leave this room before the yelling was certain death, if not torture. I think they understood.
I hurried up the stairs minutes later and into the still deserted kitchen. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could not seem to get a full breath. This had to work. If it didn't...I could not even think about the consequences.
I rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen, looking for a wooden ladle or some other long and skinny wooden utensil. The few I found were short, and when I stuck them in the fireplace, caught and burned too quickly. Finally I spotted a stool in the corner. I broke off one of the legs and wrapped a drying cloth that I'd found sitting on the counter around one end. The leg was as long as my arm and hopefully wouldn't burn as fast as the utensils.
I stuck the end of the stool leg with the fabric wrapped around it in the fire and waited for it to catch. It took a long time, perhaps because of a lacquer that had been painted over the wood, but eventually it began to burn. I hurried from the kitchen, holding the stool upright in my hand to stop it from burning down the leg.
I ran through the hall. Speed was what I needed now because even with a cloak on to look like one of the brothers, a stick of wood with fire was too suspicious.
I easily found the room with the tables and chairs again. The window was still open, exactly as I had left it.
I pulled myself up onto the sill one handed. Climbing with the fire would be difficult. If I had power like Tobin's I could have just magicked a fire once I was already on the roof. Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately—I didn't have any power and so had to make do by climbing a vertical wall with a torch in one hand.
For most of the way I was able to climb one handed, keeping the fire well away from my billowing cloak. I kept climbing faster and faster, worried that the torch would burn out or that we would be discovered. I had never climbed so fast one handed.
At one point, I did stick the non-burning end of the torch in between my teeth so that I had both hands to pull myself up onto the flat roof.
I removed the torch from my mouth before my hair could catch fire and hurried across the roof toward the south side of the compound. If everything had gone correctly, Tiris and the others would be waiting in an empty room near the entrance of the building. The good thing about entrances was that they were also exits.
I examined the open bailey for priests—they were all still inside finishing up their meal—before stepping up to the edge and throwing the torch as accurately as I could into the thatched roof of the stables. Unlike the compound, the stables were built of wood and mud bricks. If the fire caught, it would burn quickly.
"Please, Goddess. Please," I prayed, watching the little flame on the end of the torch. The stool leg had landed right on the edge of the stable roof.
The flame danced over the thatching but didn't seem to want to catch. Finally, after what felt like years, I saw the fire begin to spread. It grew into a small blaze, too strong to be put out by the lesser priest's powers. The horses inside began to wicker louder and louder and then to panic. The priests in the gatehouse turned to see what the commotion was. I heard their yells of surprise even from up on the roof. One of the younger priests took off for the compound, pushing the doors open and sprinting to the dining hall.
The other two priests ran into the stables to start saving the horses. I realized that I was standing on the roof, grinning like a madman as my plan began to fall into place.
I took a few steps back to give myself enough room. Then, taking a deep breath, I ran toward the edge of the roof. I reached the edge and flung myself off into space. I could feel my cloak rippling behind me in the wind as I fell into a cloud of smoke and imagined that I must look like an avenging angel, a harbinger of death and destruction.
Then I hit the hay pile. I sank into the scratchy straw up to my waist. I tried to move and found that the hay was almost impossible to get out of. Now I felt less like an angel and more like a fool. Who knew that pieces of dead grass could be so heavy?
I finally managed to scramble out of the dry hay moments before other priests came rushing out the compound doors. I brushed hay off of my cloak and pulled at least seven pieces from my hair, before pulling my hood back up and hurrying into the stables to help rescue horses. I pulled the side of my hood around to cover my mouth and filter out some of the smoke when I breathed.
When I emerged, coughing and bruised from being kicked in the thigh by the panicked bay mare I lead, I spotted Tiris and the group of priests that was my family in disguise. I shoved the horse's lead into her hands and went back in. I saw Marek and Daivon inside the stable, as well, each grabbing two horses.
I only had to go into the burning death trap one more time before we had enough horses to transport the whole group; most of the young people would be sharing.
Other priests poured out of the compound doors. I even caught a glimpse of Camus before jerking away. I couldn't risk him noticing anything amiss.
I helped Cynthia and Jovian onto a black horse and then grabbed the lead of a sand colored horse. I hurried over to the gate, and shoved. The huge wooden doors opened slowly, too slowly. I put my shoulder into it and pushed with my legs.
Suddenly Marek appeared beside me. He braced himself against the door and pushed also. Shouts ran in my ears. I turned to watch as Camus and Icas together, with a bunch of other priests giving them energy, raised their hands and shouted foreign words. They lowered their hands slowly and the flames flattened like a giant hand was squishing them. The whole blaze went out with a whoosh. All of the flames were just gone.
Marek and I managed to open the gate enough that two horses could ride out at a time. I heard a few priests yell that the gates were open and then I heard Icas's distinct voice shout, "The prisioners are escaping!"
Dionisa, with Joyce in front of her on the horse, and Tiris half a step behind her on her own horse, came charging out of the gate. Then came Jovian and Cynthia on one horse and Daivon on another. Next was Peter and Arabelle, Gavin riding with his cousin. Marek and I both vaulted onto our steeds. My horse was slippery because we hadn't had time to get saddles or even bridles. Please don't let me fall off this damn thing, I begged whichever god was listening.
I heard the sounds of boots running up the wooden ramp on the other side of the wall. Glancing behind me, I saw priests lining the top of the wall. A few had crossbows. Camus Nox appeared on the wall moments before I looked away because the horse under me was moving.
The horse was freaked from the fire and the shouting. He reared at my sudden weight, his eyes rolling, and I threw myself forward, wrapping my arms around his neck to stay on. Finally he landed on his front feet again and I dug the heels of my boots into his sides.
He took off only a few seconds behind Marek's horse. I wrapped my hands in his mane and held on until my knuckles turned white.
I looked up to see the vast array of horses and people in front of me. Daivon and Tiris were now in front, their horse's hooves pounding on the dirt path, leading the way to the main road. Peter was bringing up the rear with Marek and me. It was working! We were escaping!
Then an arrow sprouted out of Peter's back. The king of Arovia yelled and fell from his horse, crashing down into the undergrowth on the side of the track.
I whipped my head around to see Camus Nox smiling. Three priests with crossbows were on horses galloping after us. They were closing in fast.
"Come on. Faster," I whispered, the wind tearing the words from my mouth. My horse pricked his ears back, listening and then we were gaining on Marek's horse. One, two more gallops and I was a stride behind Marek's dark colored horse.
"Marek," I screamed. He glanced over at me, tears silently falling from his eyes and shook his head.
"What?" I yelled, but he didn't look at me again.
I glanced at the compound behind us. One of the Red Priests had his crossbow raised. His target: Marek.
But Marek wouldn't look at me. I pulled my feet up until I was crouched on my horses back, rocking back and forth with the cantering motion. The only thing keeping me on the animal's slippery back was my hands wrapped tightly in the her mane.
"Marek!" I kept screaming his name.
I turned my head to watch the priest. Instinctually I knew when he was going to release. He must have taken in a breath or given off some signal that I could read, even from up here rocking smoothly side to side. I bunched my muscles and sprang forward at Marek. Once again I was flying, but instead of feeling powerful like an angel, I was filled with desperation. Desperation to not only keep the next ruler of Arovia alive, but also desperation to save the family I'd once had from fracturing even more.