Page 65 of A Kiss of Embers
And what?
Die the moment he crossed the border of the woods? After they had dragged his father back to Attleglade, he realized they would never stop looking for him, even if he managed to escape.
He would never be free.
He sat crossed-legged on the ground as he stared down the guards, all while trying to ignore the throbbing ache in his shoulder. Only hours remained until dawn. If he didn’t find a way to escape by then, he would be a dead man.
Seraphina was officially lost.
She started back down a fork in the tunnel on frantic feet when she realized this path led to a dead end, just like several others she’d tried. Emeric hadn’t mentioned multiple obstacles, which made her believe the trees had done this on their own after years of disuse. Either that, or he’d created them himself so others would get lost if he were followed.
When she reached the fork in the road leading to five different tunnels, she paused as she tried to recall which ones she had already explored.
“Blazes!” she cried, cursing her stupidity. She’d been in such a hurry to reach Bastien that she hadn’t bothered to mark which paths she’d already traveled.
One of the council members had said Bastien would be hanged at sunrise. How close was sunrise?
A tired ache settled in her eyes and in the slump of her shoulders. But she broke through the haggardness and forced herself to continue forward.
Holding up her flames, she stood in the center of the fork and lifted her hand, waiting patiently while intensely watching the fire. After several moments, the flames billowed to the right, indicating a slight breeze within the tunnel on her left.
She left a marker at the tunnel she had recently exited and started down the left tunnel. Instead of gnarled branches poking out of tangled roots, these tunnels contained smooth roots with an easy walkway beneath her feet.
Another breeze whipped through her hair, and she quickened her pace when she realized she likely traveled the correct path this time.
But then the tunnel ended far too soon, and she despaired when she stared back at a gnarled wall, mocking her in her failure. Should she turn back and consult Emeric? Was losing precious time worth it in the end?
Deciding to return to the man, she turned around but paused in her tracks when her flames billowed again.
Her heart leaped to her throat as she spun on her heel and faced the gnarled wall once again. This time, she approached and placed her hand on one of the tree roots. The walls around her shuddered as if the tree had woken from its slumber. And like a stretch during a yawn, the tree roots parted to reveal a rocky wall with the smallest slit for someone to fit through.
And through the slit, the light of early morning broke through the crevice.
“Bastien,” she gasped as she raced toward the opening and peered outside. The faint blush of dawn decorated the skies with streaks of pink, orange, and gray-blue. From her vantage point, she noticed the fissure lay within the side of the mountain, with numerous trees blocking her view of the village below.
Wary of the possible patrol guards within the area, she slipped out of the crevice and traveled nimbly from tree to tree, keeping her wings close to herself to camouflage as much of her movements as possible. Brown and green with veins of black to blend in with her surroundings.
At last, she crouched behind a cluster of boulders and peered over the top, and her wings transitioned to gray and black to match. Down below, a scaffolding lay erect while a large audience surrounded the wooden platform as if they couldn’t help but witness an unjust murder. Because that’s what it was. Bastien wasn’t sentenced to die because he’d done something awful. But because he’d done something good.
You are all just going to stand there?She wanted to shout at them, take them by the shoulders, and shake sense into them.
Slowly, she pulled out her blow-dart gun from her belt and loaded it with a hallucinogen. But even as she placed the end against her mouth, she knew she was too far out of range to hit her target. She needed to get closer.
But how without drawing notice to herself?
Everyone’s attention lingered on the currently empty scaffolding, and she took advantage of their distraction to slink closer while attempting to stay within the bounds of the underbrush. She could do nothing to disguise the color of her hair nor the color of her lips, but her wings did a decent enough job at concealing her.
Every fiber of her body thrummed with anxious tension as she scouted the boughs overhead, as she peered around trees, as she watched the waiting noose hanging dangerously as it lay in wait.
And then a hush fell over the crowd as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the distant mountains.
Seraphina’s jaw clenched as she surveyed the distance between the tree she hid behind and the scaffolding. From her vantage point, she might not hit her target. And in that case, she would use her magic. She wanted to light up the scaffolding immediately, but she would sooner find herself with an arrow through the head before she managed to break Bastien free.
What am I supposed to do?
She swallowed uneasily as she spotted five archers standing at the front of the audience, arrows nocked but bows not drawn quite just yet. If the noose failed to do the job, she didn’t doubt the archers would finish the feat in its place.
The red Ember gem hiding within her blouse burned against her breastbone, and she jumped as it startled her.
