Page 35 of Gilded Crown

“Get the fuck up, Jari!” Aurelius twisted a bit and grabbed onto Jari’s pack to yank him up. “Now! Don't you dare fall!”

Jari wasn’t sure if the order helped or not. Somehow, in a blur of terror and speed, he managed to get himself situated with hislegs and the rest of his body right as he clutched onto the Crown Prince.

His arse was barely settled in the saddle before he caught sight of two riders. One threw energy, missed, and Jari tossed a fireball at the horse’s head. The other drew nearer as he gripped his flaming sword.

Jari yanked his sword from his scabbard and barely parried the blow in time before it struck his side. He swung at the horse, and blood flew from its unprotected neck.

Aurelius yanked on the reins, forcing Galahad to the left. A warehouse built on the edge seemed to be his goal, and he clipped around the corner and damn near caught their legs.

Maybe setting so much brush on fire had worked to slow the others down, and it was a miracle they’d escaped any attacks and still had Galahad. But the horse couldn’t go forever, and Jari was surprised it hadn’t flagged yet.

Aurelius stuck to the edge of the city and guided their mount around a few more buildings. Jari saw fliers in the distance, but they were heading toward the Palace, clearly thinking the trouble was all still that way. Thank Elira the bells didn’t have a signal to say the perpetrators were heading away. Jari kept twisting around and expecting to see a rider that had caught up, but the buildings had helped to lose them. All of the rest of the city guard were likely headed to the Palace.

A few workers carrying crates across the mostly deserted back street scattered with curses and yells as Galahad carried them down the cobblestones. The horse jumped a dropped crate, and Aurelius yanked on the reins.

Down a side street and into the main road leading in or out of the city they went. Jari wrapped his arms around the Crown Prince and expected to hear a nasty crunch. Someone was going to be turned into a smear. People ran at the sight of a charging horse, and Galahad barely avoided another that neighed inpanic. Someone leading a unicorn down the street dove out of the way.

The main road grew steeper as they went downhill. The guards at the main gate to Morning Glory must have finally decided to close up to be safe since they wouldn’t know what was happening, and they weren’t allowed to leave their post. The ones that typically patrolled along the top were gone, and they must have been ordered to head for the Palace.

They weren’t going to make it. Lightning crackled around a guard’s sword as he drew it. Jari sent fireballs toward him. Another who looked young from the glimpse Jari caught of him lost his nerve as flames headed toward him too, and he ran for the gatehouse.

The bottom of the gate was low, and Galahad ducked his head as the Prince shouted at him and dug his heels in. He stayed low in the saddle, and Jari, still holding onto him, tried to make himself small.

He expected to feel steel scrape his skull, and he was sure one of the points brushed his hair, but they made it under and through. Two things hit Jari’s pack in quick succession and forced his chest into Aurelius’s back. Whatever it was, it hadn’t gone through enough to hurt him, or maybe he had too much adrenaline pumping through his veins to feel it.

The pass ahead widened bit by bit and continued downhill. Once they were free of it, Aurelius guided the horse left and ran him hard until they made it into the scraggly forest. To go through it and head north led to more mountainous areas. The trees grew thicker as they went.

Jari’s heart pounded while Aurelius slowed the horse and checked over his shoulder. Nobody was flying or riding out to find them, but they didn’t have long. Sticking to the trees might be their only chance.

Galahad’s sides heaved as he sweated, and his mouth foamed. Jari was sure he’d crumble right there. Aurelius shifted and jerked an elbow back. “Off.”

Jari released his death grip. Right. Touching. He was lucky Aurelius had managed to deal with him so far.

“How has this horse managed?”

“He has a unicorn Grandfather,” Aurelius said in a tight voice. “And luck.”

He'd never mentioned that before. “Your horse is a hero now.”

Unicorns rarely mated with horses, but their offspring were usually quite swift and sturdy. The horn was sometimes lost in the children. Grandchildren seldom had it and looked like any typical horse, but they had excellent speed and stamina. Galahad had surely cost a fortune.

“He’ll need that stamina because we can’t dally.” Aurelius sucked in a shuddery breath. “I’m surprised we got this far. Where was the crown?”

“I got into Eurig's rooms. He saw me, and the crown was hidden under his bed. That's the short version.” Jari reached behind him to feel for what had hit him.

Aurelius glanced behind. “In the hatbox?”

“Yeah. No spells. Nothing.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Jari could almost hear Aurelius’s thoughts: Fool. Idiot. What the fuck?

He felt two skinny things sticking out of his pack. Arrows. Thank Elira that his stuff had managed to stop them or he’d have two holes in his back.

“No wonder I didn’t find it,” Aurelius finally said. “I-what fucking idiot would hide something like that under their bed?!”

---