Chapter 38

My body bows backward involuntarily, and the cold wind of a sword grazes inches past my face. Slamming against the stone stairs beneath me at the same time the sword slams into the stone wall, I have a brief second to scramble backward as my target comes around the corner.

I don't know if the illusion is still in place. I don't even know if Binx is still alive. I avoid thinking about either as I roll out of the way of the guard aiming directly for me. That answers at least one of my questions.

He blocks the bottom of the stairs and I stand, facing a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy with such revenge in his eyes that I wonder if I did something to hurt him. "I don't want to kill you," I pant, exposing my gloved palm in innocence.

No better than a wild animal, he growls and charges at me. I duck underneath his swiping blade, finding an opening to the bottom of the stairs, and leap for it. I'm slammed to the side, not by the guard I just escaped or the other standing in the hallway. Binx's body is what hits me and the wall of Silas's tower doesn't give way to my shoulder slamming against it.

Renit appears at the top of the stairs, cursing under his breath, and Binx groans. I push him off as the guard charges, and on my toes, leap out of the way. "Witch of deflection," Binx mutters with what breath he has left.

On my knees, I twist. It's enough to avoid a blade aimed directly for my heart, but it puts me out of the position to deliver a brutal attack of my own. Binx kicks the guard's leg out from underneath him but it's not enough. We'll have to kill him; it's our only chance.

Just as I'm about to do just that, his steel sword, perfectly cleaned and polished, comes for my head. These guards are aiming to kill, even if we're the greatest targets the king would rather have alive for torture. They don't care. Either that, or the king didn't think we'd get so far as to make it inside the castle in the first place.

He figured we'd kill Binx.

That's why we made it this far.

My sword in my hand, I lean back against every failed swipe. I've trained for this moment, avoiding weapons. Binx was always on the other end, but my body moved like that of a ribbon, carelessly frail in the wind. It's not until he swipes for my head that I duck down, my knee slamming against the stone, and thrust my sword forward.

The guards are wearing armor, but nothing stronger than leather. A blade cuts right through it. I crouch onto my shoes, shifting positions at the same time blood leaks through the gloves covering my hands. At least I believe that to be happening. The guard attempts to pry the blade free, gasping for air, and I kick out his knee.

Bone pops and he falls, sliding further onto my blade. I had no choice. I had to kill him.

I don't have the opportunity to apologize for killing someone that might've had a family, for a horn louder than one I've ever heard echoes through the hallway. I clamp both hands over my ears, the shrill clamor shaking my entire being. It stops abruptly and when I open my eyes, I find the guard's head pooling blood onto the stone floor. Renit stands above him, his hands clenched into fists.

"We need to go," he orders. "That's a warning call. Guards will be here at any moment."

The castle seems to shake with the thundering of their boots. They're coming here, each and every one of them. Like a herd of wolves chasing a wounded deer.

I run towards Binx and take his arm, hoisting him up. He stumbles, a result of hitting his head on the wall when he crashed into me, but he's able to walk by bracing his hand against the wall. Silas's body is still limp and unresponsive next to his chambers, his head hangs low and the dark strands of his hair hide his features.

"Binx, I need you to put on another illusion," I pant.

He groans in pain but accepts and that small pinch of his magic waves over us. At the perfect time. The guards are coming closer.

Renit rushes towards Silas's window and thrusts it open. Warm summer air fills the room. My tongue is dry with the stench of freedom right around the corner. Renit grabs onto the vines down Silas's tower and uses those to climb down, all the while carrying his brother's body over his shoulder. How he manages to do it...it's impossible.

He uses daggers to brace against the stone and secure himself, but my heart thunders at the possibility that he might fall. And this time, I won't be able to catch him. So instead of waiting for him to fall, wobbling as his weight is pulled in Silas's limp direction, I climb down after him.

Binx is the last to make his way down the tower, following us after shutting the window. From inside the castle, commotion erupts. Shouting from all different guards. Find the prince! The prince is gone! Alert the king!

That's the last thing we need right now. If he has more witches of deflection amongst his soldiers, they'll spot us quicker than a field mouse disrupting the smooth sway of grasses.

I climb down far enough to where I'm at Renit's side and brace a hand against Silas's shoulder. Renit is dripping with sweat; he blinks away the stinging in his eyes, his breaths coming in quick pants. But he forces himself to thrust the dagger into a crack in the stone wall and grips onto the vines at the same time. There are enough footholds for Renit to take a break if he wishes, but we don't have the time.

My tongue is clenched tight between my teeth to keep from pointing that out to him. So instead of making matters worse, I attempt to hold some of Silas's weight underneath my palm so it's lifted off of Renit's shoulder.

Silas may be thinner, but that doesn't mean he's an easy mass to carry. Limp weight is as good as the weight of the dead. Heavier, unsupported.

When Renit's close enough to the ground, he drops. His ankles give out underneath him and he falls, taking Silas with him. The two princes roll in the grass until I drop down myself and hoist Renit up. The guards are coming at any moment; the warnings are being shouted from the top of the castle. We'll be surrounded and if there's a witch of deflection, we're dead. If we're not already.

Renit fights against the exhaustion dragging him under and hoists Silas over his shoulder again. This time, Binx is there to help, and he presses both hands against Silas's shoulders as we run towards the woods. I keep an eye out for what is behind us, the possible guards, but they're focusing on the front of the castle rather than what might be behind it.

Vines covering a wooden, under-used gate, are quickly torn away by my hands and, by slamming my shoulder against the wood, the gate falls open and we're met by the dark encompass of the woods surrounding us. Renit and Binx rush through and, to slow down the guards, I shut the gate behind me and use my power to create a blockade.

Luckily for us, the ground shifts quietly. Renit and Binx are already running, hopping over tree roots and rocks along the way. There is no light, no guiding force, so I follow their fast-moving figures and leave the castle behind. I won't feel comfortable until the shouts from the guards are long behind me, as well as the king himself.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I look behind me, but nothing is there. Not the king. Not guards. But something moves. It shifts in the dark and I come to a stop while Renit and Binx keep running. I'll fend off whoever it is.

They're still moving, albeit slowly, as if they're trying to detect where Renit is going with Silas. Steps of their own turn in that direction and I thrust my power after them, wrapping around them like a cocoon, and slam their body against the ground. It's not until I leap on them, my hand cocked into a fist and aimed to strike, that I realize it's not an enemy at all.

Bren glares at me from underneath my power. "You asshole," he barks.

"Sorry." I hiss through my teeth and my power furls away. "Don't look so suspicious next time and I won't have a reason to kill you."

He brushes off the rocks and dust from his armor. "If you're planning on there being a next time, I think I'll have to reconsider going with you."

Tesha appears around a tree, snickering to herself. "I saw that happening the entire time, but I wanted to see what would happen," she says around a silent laugh.

I click my tongue. "Come on. We need to distance ourselves from the castle."

I follow the sound of Renit's steps and Binx's panting breath. It's not until I arrive in a clearing far enough away from the castle that I realize it's not Renit's steps or Binx's panting breaths at all. It's Silas, and he's awake.

Binx is against a tree, slouched over, but not from a wound I can visibly see. Silas must've knocked him unconscious. The real danger is the crown prince, snarling and foaming at the mouth over his brother, pressing a blade dangerously close to Renit's throat. Renit's arms shake with the strain to keep the weapon away and attempting to speak to Silas at the same time.

He's a complete animal. If there's anything left of Silas, we'll have to dig deep to find it. Because there is nothing I'm seeing that reminds me of the crown prince he once was, the gentle smile and condescending eyes. The reassurance in those first days that everything would be all right. He helped me with my power; he gave me the confidence to use it.

I don't see any of that now. And I don't think twice about rushing at him, slamming into his side to push him off of Renit. His grey eyes turn a new shade of feral when he spots me and I don't have time, or the chance, to move out of the way. Silas tackles me to the ground, teeth bared, hair wild, and sits on my chest, fingers wrapping tightly around my throat.

My arms are pinned underneath me so I can't grab for a dagger, I can't do anything other than attempt to heave my body off the ground but Silas is too heavy. Black spots fill the corners of my vision and I wheeze Silas's name as if that'll help. There's nothing left. Not a single blink belongs to Silas, not one breath. This is all the king. Through and through.

Renit is behind him, appearing out of the dark, and wraps his arm around his brother's throat. Silas's nails dig into my skin as if he'll take me with him, drawing blood, but then Bren is there, unhinging the crown prince's hold. He's dragged away by Renit, thrashing and kicking to get back to me, and the air restores itself into my lungs. I take a deep breath, clamping a hand over my stinging throat, and prop myself up on my elbows.

"The king will call him at any moment," I remind everyone with a rasped breath. "We need to get him farther away from the castle."

Silas's thrashing slows against Renit taking the air from his lungs until his brother's body is completely limp. "Grab Binx," Tesha urges to Bren.

Although he doesn't want to, Bren hoists Binx's unconscious body over his shoulder and Renit, once again, is forced to brace Silas's weight. My throat stings and I can already feel the tender graze of bruises against my skin, but this is nothing compared to what will come next. We've only begun. 

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