Lunar Marked - Chapter 62

[I’m back! Sorry again for all the hiatuses of late. Hopefully another chapter on Friday.]

The second explosion hadn’t been nearly as shocking as the first. Though even as it shook the ground, I had no idea where it was. In truth, I was far too stunned by the smoking rubble in front of me to pay it much mind.

At the Praevus’s insistence, we approached one of the horses. Lena hopped up into the saddle with a grace I couldn’t hope to match. As I stared up nervously, a sentinel offered me a helping hand, allowing me to climb up in front of her.

I was surprised that we had the steed all to ourselves, though neither of us held the reins. Instead, a man on another mount was guiding our horse along. One of Lena’s arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace as we began the strut through the edge of town, as I gripped tightly onto the saddle. Horse riding wasn’t something I was practiced in.

Both of us stayed silent as we trotted through the narrow street. To my relief. no one attempted to speak with us.

I kept trying to think up some way out of this. Only to come up completely blank. Had we ruined everything?

Had I ruined everything?

The thought sat poorly in my stomach, and I wasn’t sure if it was that or the slow-moving horse that left me overcome with nausea.

As we moved, another sound, one slowly rising in volume, met my ears. A strange stomping noise that I couldn’t quite place. I didn’t have long to ponder before dozens of mounted sentinels poured through the streets ahead. I’d never before seen or heard so many in one place. The world felt as though it was beginning to tilt, as a weight in my stomach dropped.

Lena’s arm gripped me tighter, as a man parted from them, riding up to meet us.

The Praevus didn’t even wait for him to stop before saying, “Tell Revon that his orders haven’t changed. Every house, execute anyone who resists. We’ll be catching a few rats hiding away in the mines in the meantime.”

“Sir,” the man acknowledged, before riding back off, and we continued onward.

It was then that I knew what it meant to feel truly lost. As much as my mind kept trying to grab at solutions, each one as ridiculous as the last, there was little hope left in me.

I could only pray that Camilla would somehow swoop in and rescue us—or that we got lucky enough to escape and find her. Now more than ever, I understood her reluctance to face the Praevus, magic or not.

They hadn’t tied us down to the horse. In theory, I could just jump off and make a run for it. Yet I had no illusions on what the Praevus and his sentinels would do in response. We were unbound because we didn’t need to be. I couldn’t help but wonder if his words from before were more for our benefit than for the man he’d given orders to.

I gripped the saddle tighter, wishing I had even the stupidest idea of how to get out of this. Then the slightest hint in the air that something was off made my thoughts pause…

A violent blast slammed into my side—so rapid that my mind caught up just as my head smacked into the ground. The air flew from my lungs, and I gasped out, struggling to breathe. As pain threaded through my skull, my ears rang and the world around me lost focus, twisting and turning in a hazy blur. Vaguely, I could hear shouting, and cracks of smaller explosions, though I couldn’t tell from what direction.

I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the open sky and sucking in breath after breath as the ringing gradually faded. Sleek leather boots strode up to my side, and my eyes could only just make out the Praevus’s blurred form standing above me.

Someone said something, though I couldn’t quite hear it.

Then through the ringing haze, Emver waved his hand and said, “No, let her go. Some other soldier will take care of her. The maid here is the important one.”

It took only a few seconds for my mind to catch up.

Lena?

— — —

Lena ran. She ran as fast as she could, dodging down side streets, ducking behind corners, and overall, trying to stay out of the sight of the sentinels crowding the streets while making her way back to the mansion. As voices shouted behind her, she ran even harder.

Lena didn’t know if Camilla would be at her home. A terrified part of her just knew she wouldn’t be. Not to mention that the sorceress had no confidence in her ability to survive a fight with Praevus Emver and his sentinels—else she would have already.

But what else was Lena supposed to do? Where else was she going to search? And who else could she go to?

So she ran, praying to any god who would listen that she’d find Camilla. That somehow, despite all the odds, they would all get out of this alive and well.

And that Pearl was okay.

As the estate came into view, her heart began to sink. She hadn’t found Camilla on the way, as a small part of her had hoped. Chances were, she wouldn’t find her ahead either. Then Lena would face a choice: go back out, searching aimlessly until she got caught or killed, or staying inside and hiding, hoping this all blew by like a terrible nightmare.

Neither sat well in her stomach. But she knew what choice she would ultimately make.

A hand gripped around her arm, one of the sentinels finally catching her. She turned around, throwing a punch, only to swing at nothing. The unseen man jerked her toward the looming darkness, pulling her behind a building, and placing a hand across her mouth just as she was about to scream.

Lena was just about to bite down when a soft voice shushed her.

“Quiet.”

She blinked, and then squinted her eyes, trying to see through the shade in front of her only to spot two softly glowing red eyes.

“Camilla?”

Her heart nearly gave out on the spot as it rose from abject panic to the most intense relief she’d ever felt in her life. Lena had found her, against all odds.

Or perhaps, Camilla found her.

“Where’s Pearl?” the sorceress asked.

Right. Pearl. Explaining all this was going to be difficult.

Lena met the sorceress’s faint, red gaze. “She’s with the Praevus.”

Lena expected a response, but no immediate one came. As her eyes adjusted, she finally managed to vaguely make out Camilla’s figure, her body almost entirely covered by the strange magical shadows that she wore like an outfit.

“Let’s go,” the sorceress finally said.

Before Lena could respond, she found herself being quickly pulled along at a run that she could barely keep up with.

“Where—I,” Lena gasped out. “I haven’t told you—where they are,” she managed through heavy breaths.

Camilla stayed suspiciously silent.

Lena’s eyes narrowed and she slid to a halt, pulling her hand from the sorceress’s grasp.

Camilla turned and glared, her form now much more visible. “We’re leaving.”

Leaving? No. Nononono. “We,” Lena began at a shout, before quieting from the dark hand over her mouth. She stepped back. “No. I won’t leave her. We won’t leave her. Or Rosetta. Not—not to him,” she insisted.

She wouldn’t leave them to die. She wouldn’t.

Pain lit up Camilla’s eyes. “There’s nothing we can do. Nothing I can do,” she said, though they both knew it to be a lie. “This isn’t the time to argue about this.” Then as though to tempt her, she added, “Rosetta’s safe. I can take you to her.”

The words left Lena stunned.

The moment passed as she recognized the attempt at manipulation for what it was. Camilla tugged her forward, and Lena once more snatched her arm from her grasp.

“What is wrong with you?” she hissed.

The sorceress stepped forward, leaning down over her with a look full of venom.

“I don’t want to die,” she growled back. “I want to live. To escape from the man that’s held my life in his hands for my entire life.”

Lena opened her mouth to scream back.

Then, in the most defeated voice Lena had ever heard, Camilla’s words tumbled out in a whimpering cry, “I—I can’t watch someone else die. I can’t.”

Even her shadows shuddered as she whispered, “not again.”

The silence dragged, only the chaos of a crashing door in the background bringing Lena to finally speak.

“Fine. Fine. If you won’t save her. Then I will. By myself.” She didn’t know how, but she would. Even if it killed her.

Lena turned, not even bothering to wait for a response, when instead of stepping away, two arms scooped her up, throwing her over a shoulder. The young noble gasped out, thrashing to break from Camilla’s hold. Yet the sorceress might as well have been made of iron for how little she budged and how useless Lena’s kicks and punches seemed to be.

As Camilla carried her, moving at surprising speed given the extra weight, she whispered, “I won’t let you get yourself killed over nothing. That maid you love so much is waiting for you down in the mines.” After a pause, she added a solemn, “I won’t ask you to forgive me.”

Lena’s writhing stopped, not from the mention of Rosetta, but the part after.

The mines?

It was precisely where the Praevus claimed to be heading.

She opened her mouth to speak, only for Camilla to shush her. “Stay quiet,” she said, just as they moved in sight of dozens of sentinels. Lena froze, yet Camilla’s pace barely slowed. Somehow, as she dashed from shadow to shadow, none of them ever seemed to spot them. It was amazing just how effective her magic was.

Then the noble girl took a moment to truly consider her words. She needed to tell Camilla about where the Praevus claimed to be heading, but she didn’t necessarily need to tell her now.

In fact, it seemed quite prudent not to.

Perhaps it was best to wait until a much more optimal moment. Like, say, when they were already deep within the mines. Her admittedly dubious decision made, Lena committed to continuing the act of the upset girl wanting to save her friend.

Camilla, I hope you can forgive me for this.

The betrayal swallowed Lena’s heart whole.