Aurelie and Orken caught up to Daerious at the gate. He stood just below a balcony, hidden in the shadow of it, and scouted the entrance toward what looked like a condensed residential street.
The buildings smelled of mossy rock and had a dark green layer covering the brown bricks. Clothes hung on one of the second-story balconies. A couple kissed behind a curtain made transparent by candlelight. Aurelie looked away quickly, feeling a pang in her heart at the sight of them.
Daerious raised his hood and motioned the two of them forward with his shoulder. Aurelie followed close by, happy to have her attention swept back onto the task.
The buildings were blazing with light. The town pulsed with energy. People were dancing and singing, kegs were passed, and stories told.
Every second person seemed to be wearing the uniform of the King. The chances that the man had already alarmed them were high.
"How are we going to do this?" she asked them. "We will never find him amongst all these people." She lowered her voice. "And have you seen the number of guards?"
"Just keep your eye out. He'll get cocky," Daerious told her, and Orken nodded. "The grounds massive tonight. He'll think he's invisible."
Aurelie pulled her hood further forward and climbed the steps of a thin, gray building.
Her eyes crossed a familiar face on a poster. A hot flash traveled through her body with the realization that it was her. She doubled back to the poster and gapped at her printed face. She noticed more posters. They were bloody everywhere. Her eyes widened, she bent down, grabbed Daerious by his shirt, and dragged him up the step to see.
"It's me!" she said, flicking her head toward the poster. "Oh God, I'm everywhere."
His eyes looked past her. "Look behind you," he said, flipping his hood over his head. Daerious's face was on a poster behind her, Reward: 150 silver, it read.
"A hundred and fifty silver?" he spat, his lip pulled up in disgust. "Is that all?"
Aurelie rolled her eyes. "What does it matter how much the King is willing to pay for you?" She sighed, her hood slipped, she caught it and pulled it back over her face. It felt suddenly as if she had eyes on her back, even with a tall and thick wall right behind her. "Our faces are on every door!"
"Kidnapper? Oh really?" Daerious spoke to himself, still focused on the poster. "A hundred and fifty coins?" he muttered. "For the man who kidnapped the Princess? That cheap bastard," he said and folded her arms. "This is..." He shook his head, his lips puffing out in vivid disappointment, very mediocre convict status. "That's not even worth a barrel of ale."
Aurelie stood on her toes and looked at a poster of her that was near. "What's mine?" Aurelie asked.
"Fifty thousand," he muffled.
Aurelie laughed and covered her mouth. "Sorry," she lowered her voice. "Calm down. All that means is that no one will really look for you. It'll probably cost more to get you to the castle," she told him and bumped him with her shoulder, biting her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud.
"Yeah?" He glared. "Aren't you funny? Heck, I could do with fifty thousand."
Aurelie ripped off the poster and tore it in half. "There," she said. "I can't believe how upset you are. No one will ever claim that reward!"
"Once your precious egos are healed, can we get on with it?" Orken said and fell into the crowd.
"Hey! Get back here," someone shouted. Aurelie looked for the voice. She froze and grabbed Daerious's cloak as he stepped off the stairs. The man she had seen in the forest was standing on the steps of a corner shop by himself. He put on a black hat and walked down, falling into the crowd.
"Orken," Daerious called as they chased after him. "There in front of the lady with the feathered dress, the one with the black hat."
People were scattered about everywhere. They rushed closer, trying to keep him in sight. Shoulders scraped past her. The murmurs of the crowd escaped her attention. He was wearing a navy blue cape with golden engravings along the edges.
The man stopped and spun as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His eyes fell on hers. He smiled, baring his big white teeth, and winked. "The Dragon King's daughter," he yelled and pointed at her, "there with the old man."
Daerious broke away from their group and chased after the man.
For a moment, people just started. Then, having made the connection between her face and the poster, the crowd looked as if it had just become static with energy.
The fire rose in Aurelie's hand. The people around her stepped away, but the reward took away all their fear. Even the drunks appeared to sober up.
"Guards," a woman's voice cut through the silence.
Guards broke through a tight group of people. Another group crashed through the doors of the tavern. They withdrew their swords and surrounded the two.
"Stay back," she shouted, her fire rising higher. More guards rushed through the streets. They were surrounded.
"Frio," Orken shouted, his eyes were on the roof of a corner building. The bricks shifted, then slowly popped outward, bit by bit as if something had been knocking them from the inside the building, until they eventually fell. A grinding sounded from above the building. The roof came loose, no longer supported by the walls, and slid downward, distracting at least one side of the town from them.
Aurelie turned her back to Orken and let the fire drift off of her hand. The fire crawled in a line, stretching along the walkway. Aurelie willed the fire to climb higher, creating a tall wall. A dagger flew through the fire, shaving her shoulder.
Aurelie bared her teeth, pulled her hands back, and then pushed them outward, swiftly, sending the wall of fire backward. Shouts sounded from behind the wall. She watched it for a moment, and then just as she was about to turn to one of the open sides, one of the guards allowed his greed to drive him. He took a step back and leaped through the fire.
She backed away and held out her hand. The fire rose from it, reflecting in his eyes. He ran at her before she could release a wave toward him. His wrist locked onto her forearm. Light flashed in her eyes as he swung her violently around and pulled her back against him, his dagger pushed into her neck.
"No tricks, dragon. The King didn't specify whether he wanted you alive or dead," he warned, drops of his spit landed on her ear and neck. She cringed and struggled for air with the pressure of the dagger pressing into her throat.
Meanwhile, the townsfolk had gathered water and splashed it against the walls, but the fire only grew stronger.
The earth quaked beneath Orken's feet. The people around him were crawling away backward on their backs to keep themselves solid on the ground. Their bodies jerked up and down on the ground. He had twenty guards cowering away, and she couldn't fight off one.
Aurelie focused on the blade in his hand. She closed her eyes and felt it heat on her skin. When she opened them again, steam rose from the blade. He gasped, jerking her forward with his chest and further into the dagger. A hot streak traced her neck, and she felt a little blood gather where the blade had cut her.
The hot dagger fell from his grip. Aurelie spun around, lifted her leg, and kicked without watching where her foot landed. He doubled up, his hand gripping her wrist harder.
A flame ignited in Aurelie's palm and moved up her arm. He cried out when the fire reached him, and his grip loosened. She pulled her hand out and ran toward Orken.
"Let's go. We need to find Daerious."
His eyes were wide with rage, and a thick vein had risen in the middle of his forehead. "Humans," he muttered and panting. The ground stopped shaking.
Orken looked around them and turned in the direction Daerious had followed. People had gathered there, watching them but quickly dispersed once they saw Orken focus his attention on them. Aurelie ran after Orken as he hurried through the new opening.
When they had crossed the last street out of town, Aurelie stopped and traced another fire line to block the passage.
"Did you see where they went?" she asked.
Orken turned his head, avoiding her eyes. "Straight. Come on. We need to go faster."
At the first tree leading into the woods, Aurelie stopped and faced the town. She closed her eyes and willed her fire stop. Smoke billowed up. The wailing horror of the citizens cut through her heart. How many lives did she ruin? How many people had she left homeless with her magic? Who would help them?
It was much darker in the woods. The trees covered the moonlight, and they were forced to follow their ears more than their eyes. A fierce scream came from Daerious somewhere in the distance, and Aurelie fastened her pace, her heart jumping up to her throat.
Two bodies stood in the darkness. A rope was tied around Daerious's neck, and his feet dangled above the ground.
"Stop!" Aurelie commanded and summoned a ring of fire around the man's feet. Aurelie raised the fire past his head.
Daerious landed on his feet and pulled the rope off his neck, raising his bow.
"No," Aurelie yelled and ran to stand between the man and Daerious.
Daerious's eyes blazed with anger. He bared his teeth and looked past Aurelie at his attacker. "Get out of my way, Aurelie," he commanded, ready to release the arrow.
Aurelie stomped forward. "Or what? What are you going to do exactly, Daerious? Shoot me?" she asked.
She had said there would be no more killing, and she was adamant about keeping her word. They could use this man, interrogate him, and gain information about the King. Daerious was not thinking straight, following Kirin's kill everyone who isn't our mentality.
"We can use him," she reasoned.
Wet slime landed on Aurelie's back. "I will tell you nothing, you traitorous whore. Your father would have you killed for this."
His spit slid down her back. The initial landing spot dried and left a sticky layer behind.
"Do you want to live?" she asked him. "I'm a traitorous whore? How long do you think my father will keep you around before he decides to drain you of your magic too? You're disposable to him. The whole kingdom is, and you will spit on me for trying to change that."
"He'll keep me far longer than he kept your mother. Do you know what she screamed before he let his shadow walker rip her throat out?" he asked her. "Please don't hurt Aurelie, Emile. Please," he mimicked her mother's voice and laughed.
The fire crawled closer to him. His head shone with moisture.
"Do you think that you can shake me?" she asked him, half smiling. "You're a small man. You're not worth the blood on his hands. That's the only reason I stand here.
"By morning, you will all be dead either way. What's a little blood? All except for you, of course, Princess. "
"Oh, shut it," she ordered and raised the heat of her fire. He screamed and made the mistake of jumping outside of the circle that she had surrounded him in. The fire clung to his clothes and melted his skin.
"Stop!" he begged, but Aurelie left the fire as it was. "Stop it!"
"We are taking him back. We can get information out of him," she spoke again, looking at Daerious, who had not moved from his position. The man fell to the ground and began to roll. Aurelie glanced down and up again at Daerious.
"It is not a bad idea." Orken stepped it. "We can get him to speak or kill him if he doesn't."
Daerious lowered his weapon and tore off a piece of his shirt.
Daerious lowered down beside the man, and Aurelie extinguished the flames that remained on his clothes. Daerious' fingers clasped his jaw, denting in his cheeks.
"One mistake, and I will kill you, do we understand each other?" he barked at him.
"For now," the man replied through tightly gritted teeth.
"Here." He passed his torn piece of the shirt to Orken. "Tie him up."
Orken complied and wrapped it around the man's hands, tying it twice.
"You're explaining this to Kirin," he said to Aurelie and pulled the man to his feet. "Walk!" he snapped at him, pushing him forward.
"Kirin doesn't have a say. He isn't here," she said. Orken turned his head and raised his brow.
"What? You said it was a good idea," Aurelie said.
Orken shrugged his left shoulder.
"You may have been able to protect him from me. I can't imagine that you will have the same luck with Kirin," Daerious said, pushing the prisoner forward. He ran in a crouch, regaining his balance, and muttered something under his breath.
Rays of light shone through the trees as they neared the inn. Before they stepped out from the last tree, Aurelie stopped and turned to the prisoner.
"Did you warn anyone?" she asked him.
He just bent down laughing, the noise echoing through the woods. Daerious's leg swung up, and the man fell, his face skidding on the rough ground.
"Doesn't matter if he did, Princess," Orken told her. "He'd have to physically be with them to break the enchantment."
"But you missed me. You missed me. It is done," he sang.
Orken's eyes sparkled with rage. He came to stand right in front of the prisoner and bent down.
"Nihilominus Claude." The man's lips sagged and melted like strands of rubber until they met the other end. "You interrupted me," Orken matter-of-factly told him. "Don't do that again. It is insulting."
"So, we are still okay here?" Aurelie asked Orken.
"We should be unless he left a letter on someone's doorstep. I know the person from the house he visited, and he is no wizard I can assure you of that. More like a desperate merchant," he replied. From there on, they walked back in silence. The inn was just a short distance away.
Leila came out first, sniffing the air in her human form, then ran towards them.
"You brought him back alive?" she asked, her eyes not once falling on the prisoner. "What were you thinking?"
Daerious flicked his head Aurelie's way. "Orders from our queen," Daerious said.
"Aurelie?" Leila asked, looking bewildered.
Aurelie lifted her chin. Leila was the last person that could question her decisions. "I thought we could use him. Kirin's not here to tell us anything he knows about Emile's plans or my aunt and uncle, so there."
"Look at him," Leila said and pointing at the prisoner. "Does he look like someone the King would share anything with?"
The man looked noble. His cloak alone looked more expensive than the cabin she had lived in. She narrowed her eyes.
"He's certainly not a commoner," she replied.
Leila gave a quick look at the prisoner and shook her head in exasperation. "You're wrong."
Aurelie lifted her palm. "Enough!" she said sternly and frowned at Leila, then turned to Orken, who had stood waiting with his eyes averted from them. "Get him inside."
The living area was crowded. Aurelie had to lead people aside for Daerious to come in. Gasps sounded as they entered but were countered by Aurelie's glare. Daerious led the prisoner to the basement. Leila and Sasha following the two of them.
Aurelie cleared her throat, all eyes were already on her, and an explanation was due. "There has been a lot of unnecessary death. We brought him here too so that we can gain information from him. We still do not know how he found us and if there are any more of the king's men nearby looking for us," she addressed the angry residents, but her voice disappeared in the murmur of the crowd.
"Wait until Kirin hears about this," someone said. Aurelie gritted her teeth and searched for the voice.
"She will get us all killed," said another. People nodded, and the murmur grew louder.
Orken climbed onto a table in the center. "Settle down," he said, and the crowd fell silent. "If you are scared of one enemy, you are in the wrong place. We are fighting a war and will have to deal with far more than just this."
"Orken, surely you see the danger of this?" said a scrawny man, who stood just behind Aurelie.
"Being part of this group is already a risk, Heron. If keeping this man here is the biggest threat we have all week, I'd say we are doing pretty well. We could question him. If he causes trouble, he knows himself that he will be a dead man," he answered. The man began to protest further, but Orken cut him off.
"This is the decision of your queen. Who stands right in front of you? Do you really dare challenge her?" he asked.
Aurelie's lips fell open. Had she really managed to win him over?
"No." Heron fell silent after that.
The room was emptier after his speech. The new entertainment had been the prisoner. Orken came to stand beside her. "Let's get food before it cools." He tapped her on the back.
Aurelie's forehead creased. "Why did you help me?"
"Because you finally started to lead," he said.
Aurelie nodded, making it as if she understood. She had no idea how he had placed being a queen next to making simple threats, but she did not complain at Orken's sudden change in attitude once again.
Daerious approached, his expression blank. "We need to create a schedule to guard him."
"I will watch him tonight," Aurelie said. Her head ached, but she had decided to drag him to the inn. She could not expect others to suffer for it.
"Sounds good to me," Daerious said and walked to the stairs.
"Don't be stupid," Orken said. "You're paler than a corpse. Sasha," he called.
"Yes?"
"Find someone to watch the prisoner tonight. Groshal will do. Maybe he can knock some answers out of him."
Sasha nodded and traced her hand through Aurelie's hair. "How's the headache?"
"It is not too bad today," she lied, her brain felt beat and swollen, and the candlelight burned right through her. It did not matter which way she tried to turn. The light still hurt her eyes.