Page 234 of A Queen's Game
She turned the corner and resisted collapsing to her knees. Rows of guards in Satiroan uniforms surrounded the temple’s entrance, keeping a clear perimeter around the steps. Already, a crowd formed in the street’s square, yelling at the guards.
Gods, she couldn’t break through that crowd, not without drawing attention. Marietta swore, staying to the edge of the street, reassessing her position.
Figures of blue stood at the temple’s entry, swords drawn and shields raised as a handful of guards approached. In the crowd below, robed attendants from the other temples joined, jeering at the blockade. She leaned against the alley wall, her heart sinking. She tried to remember the route Ryder took when she last visited the temple. Their carriage had traveled from the south, and Marietta was north of the temple. Perhaps if she—
“There you are!”
Marietta jumped, turning to run as Deania peeked up from behind her.
“Deania, thank gods. What’s going on?”
“Keyain ordered the guards to surround the temple once he realized you were missing. I’m lucky I found you. Where’s Amryth?”
Marietta frowned. Of course, he did. “She used herself as a distraction so I could get away.”
Deania nodded her head. “I can get you to the temple. I don’t trust the guard to put up with Coryn and the other paladins much longer.”
Marietta followed her through the back alleys, ducking behind barrels whenever footsteps sounded.
“They won’t expect you to make it this far, so the back alley should be unguarded,” Deania murmured, her eyes searching in front of them. She stuck out her head, checking the streetthat sat between the alley they were in and the one behind Therypon’s temple. Deania motioned for Marietta to follow as she took off running.
As they dodged bystanders walking along the street, someone gripped Marietta’s arm. “She’s here!” a guard shouted. Small but quick, Deania jumped in front of her, grasping the man’s exposed wrist. Solid black filled her eyes as dark, crackling energy released from her hand. He cried out in pain, trying to fling Deania, but she held on.
“Run!” Deania screamed.
Marietta sprinted to the alley, leaving her friend behind. Cerulean banners waved from the upper floor of the temple, encouraging Marietta forward. She glanced back, realizing Deania hadn’t followed. Gods, first Amryth, now Deania. If they were caught, if something happened to them because of her—no, she had to focus. At the opposite end of the alley, two guards appeared. Marietta swore, her legs pumping faster as she raced toward the temple—toward the guards, too. She was so close to the back wall of the temple grounds. She just needed to get on the property.
Relief flooded her as she reached the gate, pulling the handle. But it wouldn’t budge. She frantically tried again, the guards closing in, yet it remained locked. Marietta took a calming breath, staring at the wall. She’d have to climb.
Her nails chipped as they dug into the mortar, her feet slipping as she struggled to find a hold, yet she climbed and continued to rise, cresting the top and seeing the temple gardens from the other side. “Help!” she screamed towards the temple, attendants in blue appearing in the windows.
A hand wrapped around her ankle, ripping her from the brick. Marietta crashed onto the cobblestone with a groan. Shaking off the stinging pain, she lurched to the side, throwingoff the guard, but a second seized her, pinning her to the ground. “Run, tell them we got her.”
One guard took off running. The other grabbed her by the hair, holding her in place. “You’ve made quite a disturbance, haven’t you?” The guard laughed, pulling her to her knees.
Marietta turned to spit in his plump face as someone’s foot slammed into it. The guard released Marietta and Amryth jumped on him, the kick stunning his reaction, and she landed a second blow to his nose with a sickening crunch.
Deania came running up behind her, arms flailing towards the temple. “Open the gate!” she screamed. “Open the gods damned gate!”
Amryth grabbed the guard by his collar, head-butting him, and dropped back onto the path. “Mar, go!”
She darted, but the guard reached out, snagging her ankle. Gravel stung her face as she fell, just as a group of guards charged the alley.
Amryth swore as the guard kicked out at her, and she launched on top of him. “Go!” she screamed again.
Deania grabbed Marietta’s arm, helping her to the gate as the group of guards approached, the first meeting Amryth’s fist as she held the line. Deania threw Marietta towards the door as she turned to help Amryth.
Marietta dove through, crawling away from the entrance. There was a flash of black, followed by Amryth and Deania racing through the gate.
Deania held up her hands, her fingertips glowing white. “On behalf of the Goddess Therypon, I declare Marietta Vallynte and Amryth Sulyng under our protection!” A white barrier appeared in the fence’s gap where the door should be, the guards slamming into it.
“Quick, close the gate,” Deania ordered two attendants who remained off to the side, mouths agape. Deania wiped her handsoff on her pants and looked up at Amryth and Marietta. “Well, wasn’t that fun! I haven’t had to fight like that since I fled Chorys Dasi.”
Amryth stood, offering Marietta a hand, eyes lining with tears. She pulled Marietta into a tight hug. “Thank gods. We did it. You’re safe.” Her voice was thick with emotion.
Marietta hugged her back, squeezing, unable to believe it herself. Amryth, who saved her once, had saved her again. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, a lump rising in her throat. “You risked everything for me.”
“I couldn’t leave you there, not after all you’ve been through with Keyain. But we did it; you’re here. We’re both here, and we’re safe.”
