War (The True Reign Series) (16 page)

“
You are full of questions today,” he said, glancing sideways at her. “Why the sudden interest?”

“I
’m simply curious,” she said. “And I find talking helps pass the time.”

Nathenek smiled. “Fine, I will answer all that you ask until we reach the city.” Looking around, he shook his head and said,
“No, the rest of Emperion is not like this. Emperor’s City sits on the southernmost tip of the mainland. The further north one travels, the higher the land becomes. The increased elevation brings cooler weather, more rain, and lusher landscape. Granted, it’s not like Greenwood Island, but it’s not a desert either.”

Rema scrunched her nose. “Why does the emperor live here
instead of further inland?”

Nathenek shrugged his shoulders. “Security
, I suppose. There are nine palaces throughout Emperion, and the emperor will spend time at each of them. He chooses to maintain this one as his main residence because it’s close to the empire’s largest military garrison, it’s near the ocean, and the city is well protected.”

That shocked Rema
.
Nine palaces.
Were all the emperor’s homes as luxurious as this one? She wondered how he could afford so much, including maintaining such a large army.

“
Enough questions,” Nathenek said in a clipped tone, glancing up ahead. His entire body went rigid.

Rema followed his line of sight. A squad of soldiers jogged
in their direction. As the soldiers neared, Rema moved to the side of the dirt road, giving them room to pass. Instead, the squad halted five feet before them.

“
Captain,” a man said, stepping forward, out of formation.

Nathenek
slowly pulled the rope, bringing Rema closer to him. “Yes?” he said, his voice hard and deadly.

“
We were sent to guard the prisoner. When we arrived at the Execution Tower, we were informed you hadn’t delivered anyone yet.” The soldier glanced back to his men. These soldiers made her nervous. Rema wanted to be on her way. “We will escort you.”

She
wondered how these men knew she was being transported for execution. After all, the emperor had only just sentenced her. It was almost as if they’d known she was here…but how was that even possible?

“
It’s not necessary,” the assassin said. “I can take her to the holding cell easier without the notice of so many guards accompanying us.”

Rema prayed Nathenek outranked these soldiers and got his way. If the
squad surrounded her, she would have no chance of escaping.

“Of course,
Captain,” the man replied. He slid back into formation, and the group continued in the direction of the military compound. As the squad passed, Rema realized several of the soldiers were female.

“
Come on,” Nathenek mumbled. He pulled the hood of his cape over his head. Rema did the same, shielding herself from the harsh sun and unwanted eyes. They traveled the remaining distance to the city in silence.

Walking down the narrow street, tall buildings lined both sides, situated so close
ly to one another they touched. People were also about, quickly walking with their heads down, paying no attention to Nathenek or Rema, even though he pulled her by a rope.

There were enough people that if she could manage to untie her bindings
, she’d have a decent chance of disappearing among the crowd.

Very slowly, she slipped her hands under her cape, concealing them from sight. She had to walk a little closer to Nathenek so he didn
’t notice the rope wasn’t as slack as it had been.

Turning a corner, something hooked around Rema
’s ankle, making her fall. She hit the ground hard, unable to catch herself. Nathenek leaned down. She thought he was going to help her up; instead, he took a small piece of rolled paper out of his boot, placing it on the ground, and then fixing the laces of his boots. Another man stopped and helped Rema to her feet. The man smiled and walked away, slipping the rolled paper up his sleeve.

Nathenek
stood and jerked the rope, pulling her down the street once again. She was about to ask him what had just happened when his head shook ever so slightly. There was someone watching them. She could feel it. Instinct told her to play up her part of the prisoner, so she tried yanking away from her captor. When he pulled her back, she wiped her cheek as if she had been crying.

A few streets later, a man bumped into Rema
’s shoulder, throwing her off balance. Nathenek reached out, pushing the man away from her. She could have sworn she saw the guy take a small piece of paper from Nathenek.

“
I want to know what’s going on,” Rema demanded.

“
You know I’m a member of the emperor’s Elimination Squad.” Rema nodded, listening carefully to his words. “I took an oath, and am dedicated to preserving the royal line.”

Did that mean he was
on another assignment right now? Were the men he’d exchanged something with also assassins? Did he intend to deliver her to the Execution Tower so he could get onto his next kill? If he truly cared about the bloodline, then he should want to put her in power, and not support Emperor Hamen. But he’d sworn an oath to the emperor, not her.

They turned a corner
and onto another crowded street. Several food carts piled high with brightly colored fruits and vegetables lined one side, while carts filled with wares and goods lined the other. People shopped, hovering under canopies, trying to avoid the scorching midday sun. Rema had never attended the market in her hometown of Jarko; yet, she suspected it was similar to this one. She observed people shopping for leather belts, candles, and eating utensils. Her stomach growled from the smell of smoked meat up ahead.

There was enough activity going on that Rema thought she might be able to
escape. She fumbled with the knots around her wrists, loosening them. Four soldiers stood up ahead, asking for people’s papers. She was about to ask what the papers were for when Nathenek stepped to the left in order to pass by the soldiers. Rema hurried and moved behind him, so he wouldn’t suspect she’d untied her bindings. She slid the rope from her wrists, holding it, waiting for the perfect opportunity to run. The soldiers nodded to Nathenek in acknowledgment, letting him pass without question.

There was a narrow space between two food carts that led to an alleyway. Rema dropped the rope and casually stepped between the carts. When no one seemed to notice, she
took off, sprinting down the alley. A ladder was attached to one of the buildings and she grabbed on, climbing as quickly as possible. She dared not look back to see if Nathenek followed.

She sprang onto the roof
top and ran, removing her cape and tying it around her waist. At the edge of the roof, she jumped, flying through the air and landing on the adjacent rooftop three feet away.

“
Stop!” Nathenek shouted. She heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching.

When she
reached the next ledge, she noticed another ladder, so she descended, knowing Nathenek followed closely behind.

Running t
o the main street, she spotted a man sitting on the ground with a gray fabric draped across his legs. She grabbed the man’s cape, throwing hers back at him as she sprinted away. As soon as the cloak was on her shoulders, she forced herself to walk in order to blend in. Several people wore their hoods up, so Rema slid hers on in order to shield her face. Unfortunately, the cape was a little long. With any luck, Nathenek wouldn’t think to look for her in a different color.

Sto
pping at a cart, Rema examined the various woven baskets, as if in the market for one. Holding a basket up, she pretended to inspect the bottom, while secretly glancing down the street, searching for Nathenek. She didn’t see him anywhere.

Putting down
the basket, Rema slowly walked away. Her best bet was to head toward the merchant port to try and board a ship unnoticed. She stopped at a cart selling leather boots. Examining a pair, she casually asked which direction the docks were.

The man selling the goods squinted, looking at her funny.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”

She
’d forgotten about her accent. “No, I’m not.” She couldn’t afford to bring attention to herself. Savenek always told her to tell a believable lie. “I am with my father on a merchant vessel from the southern islands. We stopped to unload goods. I must get back before he notices I’m gone.”

The man smiled.
“The merchant pier is that way.” He pointed behind her.

She hurried away, eager to distance herself
from the assassin. Looking at the position of the sun, Rema tried to get her bearings so she’d travel in the correct direction. Forcing herself to walk at a slow pace, she headed toward the ocean. After three blocks, there were no longer any vendors and the crowd thinned. Rema felt exposed, so she kept her hood on, head down, and pretended to walk with purpose.

F
ive men dressed in army uniforms headed toward her. Since there weren’t any side streets, she kept on course, desperately praying they wouldn’t ask for her papers. She recalled Nathenek passing on the left, so she moved over in order to pass them on the correct side. The men talked and laughed, not appearing to be in any particular formation. Perhaps they were off-duty.

Her heartbeat quickened as she
neared the group. Forcing herself to stay at a slow, steady pace, she kept her eyes averted, hoping to walk by avoiding any incident. Once the men were behind her, Rema relaxed, thankful to have passed by without notice.

“
Rema!” a male voice called.

She glanced a
bout, looking for who said her name. Not seeing anyone, she turned around. All five soldiers stood staring at her, smiling. It felt as if a cold bucket of water had been tossed on her head. They knew who she was.

Taking a step back,
Rema wondered if she could outrun them.

“
Someone’s looking for you,” one taunted. The men spread out, blocking the entire street, leaving her no choice but to go the other way. What if another group of soldiers stood waiting for her? She unclasped her cloak, needing her legs free and uninhibited. Her only option was to run and hide.

“
Why don’t you make this easy on yourself and come here,” the taller man in the middle suggested.

“
Fine,” Rema said, making her voice quiver as if she were weak and scared. “Just don’t hurt me.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. When the soldiers laughed, perceiving she wasn’t a threat, she dropped her cloak, spun around, and took off running.

Several shouts echoed behind her, but she ignored them and turned down
a side street. Tan, rectangular buildings lined the road, offering no opportunities to hide. She continued running, her lungs burning, but she dared not slow down. She heard boots pounding on the street behind her as the soldiers drew nearer.

A few people loitered up ahead.
Rema ran around them and spotted a dark alley on the left. She rounded the corner and sprinted down the narrow path. When she came to the end, she was back on a main street, and people were everywhere. She dodged around a group, almost losing her footing. Glancing back, all five soldiers were gaining on her. As Rema ran past a cart piled high with apples, she shoved the fruit, causing them to topple down to the ground.

Turning down
the next street, she hoped to find a place to hide. There were several doors, but she didn’t have the time to stop and check to see if any were unlocked. There had to be a heap of trash or a feed barn somewhere to hide in. The soldiers were almost upon her.

Rema knew she couldn
’t keep this pace much longer. She flew onto the next main street, hoping to hide under a merchant’s cart. She kept close to people, shoving a few, wanting them to get in the soldiers’ way and slow them down. Glancing back, the men still pursued her. She couldn’t gain enough of a distance to buy her time to hide.

Someone grabbed her arm.
Without thinking, she swung, punching her assailant in the stomach. He doubled over and she brought her knee up, slamming it into his face. He released her.

The remaining four soldiers formed a
circle around her. She looked to the merchants and citizens for help, but they avoided eye contact and moved away from her.

F
our soldiers. How could she fight four men at the same time? Savenek had always told her to hit and run away. Darmik had taught her to use her size and femininity to her advantage. Nathenek had expressed the importance of being confident and believing in herself.

Taking a deep breath, Rema
squared her shoulders and prepared to fight. The soldiers closed in, tightening the circle. Keeping her hands at her side, she tried to appear small and harmless. All four of them were at least a head taller than she was, with two times as much muscle. She knew she was nowhere near as strong, but she was flexible and fast.

The first soldier went to grab her wrist. She pulled her arm back and broke away, adrenaline rushing through her body. She was determined to get away. Aiming straight for his knee, she threw a powerful kick
. The soldier yelled from the sharp pain as his knee buckled beneath him, and he fell to the ground, clutching his injured leg.