War of the Princes 03: Monarch (32 page)

Had I done the right thing? Kneeling in the grass, I drew the symbol of the Shadow Chasers in a small patch of dirt. They spouted out of the ground by the dozens, skittering over one another to escape. Many of them were missing limbs and tails. All appeared scuffed and scraped. There were so many of them, they pooled around my knees, crawling onto me like rats drowning in a stream. I jumped to my feet, shaking them free. I was repulsed by the number that had curled up and died, but most wriggled away into the grass to hide.

My concerns were confirmed. At the very least, I hoped I'd struck down Prince Raserion. I should have known he wouldn't hold to his bargain. He didn't care about being fair, and he didn't care about being honest with me. All he wanted was to kill his brother, and right now, the closest person to Prince Varion was Kyle.

Sirens sang out, and the ground
shivered beneath my feet. I set off into the blazing city to find Rune and the others, and as I crossed the blood-spattered field, my dress tattered, and my nerves raw, I didn't feel very much like a hero.

Chapter 51: Can't Outrun Your Shadow

Across the courtyard filled with the trampled and wounded
, up the raised balcony lift to the keep, past the nobility huddling in their finery, down the stairs that fed into the keep's corner column, and through an empty barracks, I followed Rune.

The thick walls
of the barracks muted most of the sounds of outside. It was very recently evacuated. Bed sheets were rumpled and creased. Food still steamed on plates. I passed a broken window and saw flames leaping through the city, lighting up the night sky. It looked just like Wick's recording of Prince Varion's death.

Kyle.

Below, out on the street, I saw a troop of Hussars on horseback, charging into battle. The armor on mount and rider alike was magnificent, with colored streamers and banners lapping at the wind of their attack. They held their spears at the ready, and forked Dragoons off of their mounts as they collided. General... Lord Deasun was among them. His thick, ropey white hair was unmistakable. Beyond a picket line of Northern infantry soldiers, I saw Wick. He appeared to be issuing battle commands. Kyle shouldn't be out there. It was too dangerous. I used the Pull to find him, and my instincts led me away from Wick. The same direction that I'd been sent to find Rune. So, Kyle and Wick had separated.

Good.

I resumed my chase, following the Pull down into the basement of the barracks into what I assumed had been a secret tunnel for escaping the keep. A stone slab door rose up from the dusty basement floor, left ajar by my friends.

My lungs ached and my legs wobbled with exhaustion. Torn as my dress was, it was still heavy, and my torso was still locked into place by a corset. I was glad I hadn't laced it as tightly as Carmine. My ivory underskirt was ripped, exposing the stocking of one of my legs and the boots that I had continued to refuse to exchange for lady's shoes. Sweat dampened my brow, and my hair clung together in thick strands.

By the time I caught up to my friends, I was ready to have a coronary attack. The tunnel had come up in the back rooms of a closed tavern. We weren't far from the harbor. I could smell the sea and gunpowder. The intermittent cannon-fire sounded nearer.

I whimpered at the last few steps that led me into the tavern's great room.
Although the windows were boarded up and signs read, “closed,” the place was finely decorated in billowing curtains, cushioned chairs, and smooth carpets, all in red. An ebony bar with tall matching stools filled the right side of the room. Starry lights hung from the ceiling, the only gold in a world of red and brown. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to so much of one color.

Rune, Kyle, Carmine, and Sadie were there, making their way through the middle of the room, heading for the front doors.
“We should stay here a while. Find out. This place is as safe as anywhere else in the city,” Rune was saying.

Carmine was shaking her head. I could barely hear what they were saying.

Flattened against the wall for support, I called out weakly. “Wait... wait...”

Rune turned around first and a grin spread across his face. He was holding his forearm, covering the Dragoon brand as though it
were painful. I wondered if something had happened to him when the Monarch had gone off. “Kat, you did it!” he said, elated.

Carmine and Kyle were on his heels as we all came together. I found a last reserve of energy, and it was enough to make me run to them. I half leaped on Rune, throwing my arms out farther to hug Carmine and tousle Kyle's hair. Sadie paced the room around us sniffing and looking beneath tables.

“You don't know how much it means to see you guys,” I told them, my voice shaking.

“
Are you alright?” Kyle asked. “You're wheezing like a potbelly pig.”

“
I don't think I've ever slapped a
prince
before.” As I released them, I couldn't keep from smiling. “I– uh– just need to catch my breath. Chased you– all the way here. You guys move fast.”

“
Had to,” Rune said. “Deasun sent us here. The place may look wooden, but the outer walls are all solid stone. Our reinforcements are securing the barracks and this area as we speak. They should be here soon.”

“
Vance took Wick with him as a diversion,” Kyle said, patting Sadie on the shoulder. “He's the most impressive machine I've ever seen. I hope nothing happens to him.”

“
How are you holding up?” I asked him.

His crooked smile was wary.
“We're all here, so I'm fine.”

Carmine's hand glided over his back and he looked about ready to fall flat on his face with contentment.

“We're not
all
here though, are we?” Rune said, growing more serious.

“
We knew you would catch up, Kat,” Kyle said optimistically.

The absence of one beautiful and nasty blond boy was a gaping hole in our group. No one could irritate me the way he did.
“Dylan.”

“
Still missing,” Kyle said.

“
And don't you think it strange?” Carmine asked.

“
We're not leaving without him. I made a promise,” Rune said to Carmine.

“
Wait– what do you mean leaving?” I asked.

Carmine huffed and rolled her eyes at Rune.
“Well, our good deed is done, isn't it? Kyle went along with their little charade. I was paid handsomely by the good general for ferrying you all here. The ships have long since heaved off to Breakwater for aid, and there is a battle that could nearly lop all of our heads clean from our shoulders. One could ask for no better diversion. We gave them a prince, we got what we wanted, and now we go.”

“
I see your point,” I admitted. We could still make a run for it after all.

Kyle looked uncomfortable.
“She's right. I did what I had to. We can still go back to Breakwater. We can go home to Haven.”

I'd have been happier than anyone to get back on the Flying Fish and see this city behind us.
“But what about Dylan?”

“
He probably left for Breakwater on those ships. And if he didn't, there's no way he can find us now. It's not like we left a trail of breadcrumbs.” Carmine crossed her arms and tapped her fingers against them. “The longer we wait, the closer those reinforcements will come. This is our only chance to escape.”

“
I swore that we wouldn't leave him here,” Rune said stubbornly.

My sense of urgency conflicted with my feelings for Dylan. I'd always wanted to believe there was some good in him. The evidence in our past didn't quite support that ideal.
“Why would he leave without saying anything? Unless... unless he had something to hide. Why would he disappear conveniently the night before a Monarch shows up in the middle of Deasun's ceremony? Do you think... do you think he had something to do with it?”

Kyle frowned and turned to Carmine.
“Didn't you say you saw him speaking to strangers last night?” Sadie sat beside him and curled her tail around his feet.

Carmine nodded.
“They were whispering and handing papers to one another. After their conversation, they parted ways. Dylan saw me in the hall and I pretended I didn't see anything. We agreed to rejoin the rest of you for supper, and as we passed a hearth, I saw him throw the papers into the fire.”

Rune clutched his arm and his eyes darted across the floor as he thought.

I went cold with disappointment.

Why do you have to do things like this, Dylan?

“So, he's been working for Raserion all along?” Kyle asked. “What happens if we find him in Breakwater? What do we do?”

Carmine shrugged, at a loss for suggestions.

“Whispers and paper mean nothing,” Rune declared, striding out to rest his arms on the surface of the bar. “If you'd obtained the note,
that
would be evidence. Our choice now could determine whether Axton lives or dies. If he still is in the city, if he is innocent of this and we leave him, can you live with that error? I can. Easily. But I don't want to be that person anymore.”

“
We don't have time for this!” Carmine protested. “I don’t want my life to end here, do you?”

I'd caught my breath, but I felt like I was running again. We had to make a decision,
and quickly. I'd never truly recovered my trust for Dylan. He'd given me little reason to, and this was too much. But if there were a slight chance he wasn't working with the prince, it would be wrong not to find him. Besides, if he had anything to do with the Monarch's attack on Caraway, I'd want to deal with him myself.

“
I know what to do,” I said, pushing a lock of damp hair behind my ear. “I'll use the Pull to point me to the harbor.” I turned in a semi circle and stopped, facing the wall of beverages and bar table. “There. We know the keep is that way.” I pointed to the back room where we'd entered. “The tunnel was a straight line. So now, all I need to do is focus on Dylan. If he's still in the keep, it's safe to assume he was resting and had nothing to do with the Monarch. The pulse would have killed him too. If I know one thing about Dylan, it's that he'd do anything to save his own skin. If he's at sea, it’s safe to say he's our enemy, and we leave this instant. All I need to do is...”

Focus. On. Dylan.

I was exhausted, and my Abilities depended in part on my physical energy. After running across an entire district of the city, this was going to be more difficult than usual.

A sharp pain, like a pinprick
, stabbed at my arm, breaking my concentration. “Ow!”

Carmine smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry dear, you had a splinter. And what in all of Lastland happened to your dress?”

“
It's a long... story.” My head felt heavy. My shoulders felt like they weighed a ton.

Dylan.

“Oh,” I exhaled. “I don't know if I can do this right now. I think I need a break.”

“
Just take a minute.” Kyle held a hand up to Carmine before she could protest. He was crazy about her, but he'd never compromise his judgment or a friend's well-being. Stubborn as a bull. That's what I loved about him. “You can't keep pushing yourself so hard.”

“
Yeah.” My voice came out wispy. The red tavern with its starry lights and many cushions and curtains looked like it would be a pleasant place to rest. “I will. It was just so far.”

“
Do you need something to drink? Anyone?” Rune offered from beside the bar.

“
No... I... don't... think... so.” Was I speaking slowly? Or was the room turning?

“
Is something wrong?” Rune asked. I could hear his concern. What was he concerned about? I was so foggy.

I felt like I might collapse into a fitful slumber. There was something I needed to do. It was so important. Determined, I pressed my lips together, narrowed my eyes and forced what was left of my energy to find Dylan. As the Pull guided me, I felt like I was thigh-high in mud. I looked up and saw the door to the tunnel that led straight back to the keep. He was still there! He wasn't working for Raserion!

Sluggish, I turned back around to tell my friends.

We have to go get him! We have to hurry!

Rune had his back turned to the bar and the wall of spirits when the Gateling showed itself. Its shoulders were crooked, its head was twitching to the side and its wide white eyes were locked onto Rune. I shouted to warn him, but it was too late. The Gateling latched onto his injured forearm, squeezing until he screamed in pain and his legs buckled. Like the giant shadow beast in the courtyard, the Gateling's form expanded to overwhelm him. Rune fought back in futility. It covered him, driving him to the floor, coated in a dark mass of shadow.

“
Gravity, no!
” Kyle gasped.

Sadie was on her feet in an instant, hissing and lashing her tail, ready to attack the creature.

When it happened, Carmine had her long, shapely leg up on top of a chair. Her skirts were pulled back as she adjusted a stocking. Calmly, daintily, her hands reached her thigh. Past the lacy black garter was another with leather straps. She unholstered a small pistol, already packed and loaded. Like she was picking flowers on a light, sunny day, she hummed to herself, smiled, and shot Sadie in the head.

Kyle turned to her in horror, and she flicked her skirts to the side, produced a second pistol from her other thigh, and shot him square in the chest.