Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) (20 page)

I didn’t see that going too badly, at least for us. I knew it would come to another slaughter and at this point, from waiting it out all those days, I just wanted to get it over with. All I thought about was making it to you no matter what we had to do. We couldn’t take back anything we’ve already done so there was no point in being subtle. We were already condemned as traitors.

We had the stables now in our sights and hope came back to me again about getting out. The soldiers there seemed a lot more bored than they were alert. That would make things easier for us. I looked next to me at Darius and Troy and they knew it too. Now we just had to get in.

I wanted to do it as discreetly as possible and hold off on any fighting until we were on our way out. It would have been easy with the condition these soldiers were in but it would mean we couldn’t just walk through the front doors. We snuck around back and Troy pointed to the loft doors open above. It was perfect. No one was around and we were able to climb the stacks of hay right up to the loft, unseen.

Now we had to be as quiet as ever on the creaking floor to find exactly where they kept our horses. We barely moved our feet to make a sound and found the proper edge where we could look down.

Being mostly abandoned since the wall was built, our horses were the only ones inside. We saw where they were but they weren’t ready. The only thing they had on were the reins from being brought there. The saddles were visible and we looked at each other, knowing we would have to try and put them on without being seen.

We had one thing on our side at least. The soldiers were up by the entrance, the only way in. It was a distance from where our horses were kept and we knew that if we were quiet enough, they wouldn’t notice what was happening until it was too late.

Everything seemed perfect. We just had to get down without startling the horses and drawing attention to them. I would have to do it alone. They both knew it, meaning I would have to try and get on three saddles without being discovered.

It was an easy thing to accept, knowing I could get down without a sound from using my gift. I felt everything around me become stronger when I turned my senses on and I could almost feel my eyes changing. That’s when I left their side for the first time since I found them and crawled down one of the thick wooden pillars that framed the inside of the stables.

My feet didn’t make a sound when they touched the ground and I could feel the calm relaxed vibrations from the soldiers just ahead. They didn’t notice me and I snuck over to my horse first.

He wasn’t startled. He looked glad to see me. He was probably wondering what the fuck was going on and I kept him calm with a simple stroke of his neck. He remained relaxed and I carefully lifted up his saddle onto his back. It made just a light clanging sound from the straps dropping down and hitting each other and my eyes quickly found their way up towards the doors.

No one heard a thing. They were just standing around as they have been, going on in their own conversations that I didn’t bother to hear.

I continued with what I was doing, randomly looking up every few seconds to make sure I wasn’t seen and I completed my task. All three saddles were on and ready. Now they just needed their riders.

I looked up and nodded. They seemed to know exactly what I meant and dropped down onto their horses as I got up on mine.

Our presence was finally noticed and the soldiers turned and looked in. “It’s them! Close the doors!”

I wasn’t about to let that happen. We got our weapons out at the same time that we set our horses to sprint to the open doors. The soldiers rushed to get them closed but their previous laziness made them too late. We killed who we had to in order to escape the stables and ran out into the city.

This was a much faster pace but I knew others were being warned as we ran. We kept our weapons out and dodged many air attacks. We didn’t slow down at all. I could see the inner gates ahead already open and most of my focus was on it. We were just that much closer to you and it was like I could almost feel you next to me. I wanted it to be real and we killed whoever stood in the way to make sure we reached the gate before it was closed.

We did and it felt like such a rush. Slowing down to breathe seemed almost impossible. I didn’t need to breathe. I needed you and sprinted out into the fields towards the military base.

Word could definitely not have traveled faster than us and we would surely make it there before anyone left behind knew we were coming.

They invited us right in by already having that gate open and our next challenge would be getting out the last gate. It would surely be closed. They wouldn’t have possibly opened that for any reason or nothing I wanted to think of.

The base almost seem dead, not what I expected. It’s been days but no one was back. Perhaps, taking rest, assuming we had made it out. There wasn’t anyone around as we rode through.

“Where is everyone?” Darius asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Something feels wrong.” Troy said. “It’s too easy.”

“Let’s just get there.”

We approached the other gate and just as I thought, it was closed.

“Shit.” Darius muttered. “We have to open it.”

I looked up to the wall where the doors needed to be opened. “Take my horse. I’ll do it.” I did design the wall after all. If someone could bring it down or at least get through it easy enough, it would be its creator.

I got down off my horse and used my senses to climb the wall to the top. It didn’t seem too difficult. All I had to do was turn one handle for the locks to be removed and turn another to open the doors.

It was loud like I’ve heard before and I looked down over the wall to make sure it was working. That’s when my senses caught something else. I looked up to a tower adjacent to where I was and an archer had just drawn back his bow, pointing it at me.

Our eyes were on each other and I could feel he was very shifty about letting go. The sound of the door was blocked out of my mind as my eyes were on his and his hand began to shake.

Just like the soldiers before, I don’t think he wanted to do it. Would killing a Prince based on false orders make him a hero? I felt questions such as this were going through his mind, knowing the King would surely be furious with the one that done it.

We stood there for what seemed to be the longest seconds of my life and he slowly began to lower it with his eyes still on mine. I was relieved for all of half a second until his eyes moved from mine to down below and drew back the arrow again.

I didn’t have time to let out a sound of a reaction before he let it go and my focus shot down the wall.

Just a muffling sound of yelling echoed in my ear and I didn’t seem focused to make out the words but I saw Darius completely turned around as if he just came through the gate with blood on him.

My reaction was quick. I kicked the handle to release the door and shouted down to them as I hopped over the other side. “Go!”

The doors were closing fast but they made it out before the archer had time to shoot another arrow. Darius’s breaths were quick but he mostly just sounded angry as he broke one end of the arrow that lodged between his shoulder armor and breastplate.

“Are you all right?” I asked, getting back up on my horse quickly.

“Do I fucking look all right? Damn it! That’s going to leave a mark!”

“Let me see.” I got closer and saw that the arrow head had pierced all the way through and was sticking out the back. “We have to get that out.”

“Perhaps farther out.” Troy suggested. “Others are coming.”

I sighed. I really didn’t want to have to do it now with Darius wounded the way he was but we had no choice. “All right. Can you ride? You’re bleeding fast.”

“I’m fine.” He assured me. “Let’s just get out of here please.”

I admired his determination greatly and knew leaving would have been the best choice. We could get out of firing range fast enough now that we had the horses and he could be taken care of then.

We rode for just a couple of miles with my eyes occasionally peering back to make sure we weren’t being followed.

I never thought we would have gotten this far or at least a few days ago that seemed to be impossible. Now getting to you was easy. We knew that you wouldn’t have waited anywhere for us unless it was on the other side of the border and we had a new goal, getting there.

It soon became that getting Darius to Jaylyn was added to that goal. He lost a lot of blood and taking out the arrow helped only enough to wrap it.

Stopping for long periods of rest probably would have made it better for him but we couldn’t take that risk. We had to get over the border. If we were in fact being followed, they’d never follow us there.

He hung on quite well for what he went through. I could only imagine what that was like but I was proud of him. He was really the one that didn’t let us stop. Determined to see Ruby again might have had something to do with that but still. He was strong about the situation even until we made it to you. Something I didn’t know that would really happen but when it did, I couldn’t have been more glad despite everything we’ve done.

Going back would only make things worse for us. We know that but just being with you is what really got us to stay.

Chapter 31

Darius

I didn’t enjoy hearing it again but I think he told it well and things finally settled with Adele—for now at least. I’m sure it would be about something else later the longer we’re together but I still couldn’t believe that he didn’t tell her. Sure, it wasn’t a fun topic. I certainly didn’t want to think that we would never go home but I have already agreed to it if it meant having Ruby. They were together a lot, alone a lot. I just didn’t get how it couldn’t have been mentioned.

At least things were better now. It was obvious she still didn’t like it since she kind of went a bit crazy when she found out but she’s probably thinking about that test. She’s a very determined woman and probably always had it on her mind. No one seemed to worry about it as much as they did but we had a reason not to. Just keeping them alive through this trip was more important. I didn’t down on our return this early. I already knew we would come out victorious. When haven’t we ever been?

The sky lightened—sort of the next morning. There was a constant cloud cover that I hear made all of Kalu fall into an endless night for the first few weeks of spring. It sucked to be brutally honest. I missed the sun.

We endured two more days of travel through the storms before finally coming up on what they called Daeu Lake where there was a house in the middle of nowhere.

“We’ll stop here for the night.” Adele stopped her horse first and started to walk to the stables. “We could all use the rest.”

“What is this place?” Zayden asked?

“It’s my father’s. We used to spend summer’s here.”

I guess it was better than being underground for another night and I bet this place had rooms. I could finally be alone with Ruby again.

We went inside and Ruby went right over to light a fire in the fireplace that was on the right side of the room with two gold-colored couches and a table near it. The left side of the room looked exactly the same and there were two doors along the back. It was spacious so we could also see three doors upstairs as well as two open entryways just below them.

We were all ready to get comfortable but Adele was still standing by the door and she seemed distant.

“Love?” Zayden went to her to get her to move.

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I just—maybe it was a mistake to come here.”

“Why?”

“Oh, Adele.” Ruby laughed. “Relax. It’s fine.”

She didn’t seem like it was fine and I had to ask, not yet sure if I was sorry about it. “Did something bad happen here?”

Adele hesitated to even answer.

“Bad memories maybe?”

Jaylyn laughed quietly, maybe a little nervously too. “I highly doubt you want to hear about that.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Zayden said. “Maybe we do if you’re making such a big deal out of it.”

“We’re not making a big deal out of it!” Adele snapped.

“Yes you are! You haven’t really even came in yet!”

He did have a point and tried to get her to walk closer towards the couches so maybe she would relax.

“You really want to know? Then fine, I’ll tell you.”

She snatched her hand away and was borderline anxious angry. This should be a fun tale.

Chapter 32

Adele

Why? Why? Why? Why was I doing this? Just to get Zayden to drop it? Not really because I would be telling him about it anyway. I know he really didn’t want to know but he just kept insisting.