CHAPTER FOUR – SNEAKING AWAY
Dax let out a loud sigh of displeasure as she fell backward onto the soft mattress beneath her. Her mind raced with the events of the day. The hardest part had not been dealing with the loss of her sister, nor the queen’s refusal to let her join that knightess’s hunt.
The hardest part of that afternoon had been knowing that she was about to betray the Queen’s trust and do something that could wind up with her very much dead.
Dax was no fool. She knew that her actions would have direct consequences. Stealing away into the night would be difficult with a guard doubtlessly posted at her door, knights patrolling the streets, and Silva, the woman determined to keep her out of her business. If Dax pulled off her stealthy mission to follow Silva out into the wilderness, it would be a miracle, but what then? Her life would be in danger. She didn’t know how to hunt down animals, let alone people, either. Her only choice was to join up with Silva in the end instead of following her from afar.
Silva wouldn’t like that idea.
Dax scoffed to herself, then felt her cheeks burn at the image of Silva’s powerful profile her mind conjured up. Picking up her pillow, she pressed it to her face. Dax had crushed on other girls in the town before. She had come out to her sister when she was thirteen, and Lance had been supportive. However, what would she think of her little sister experiencing these feelings for the grumpy, dangerous knightess? What did Dax think of it?
Dax sat up fast and shook her head. “Damn, I don’t have time for this crap!” she admonished herself. She stood and began to pace, her eyes watching the horizon as the sun slowly began to lower in the reddening sky.
She had a few hours before darkness would set in. Then it was time to move.
Silva’s preparations took time. She packed all she needed – dry meats, bread, cheese for nourishment. She pulled her bedroll from her closet and changes of leather clothing and armour. Everything essential was taken, and it didn’t take long. The part of her ritual before every hunt that took the longest time was also the most important.
She had to settle the lioness within her.
Silva headed to the most secluded part of the castle grounds. It was a little outdoor terrarium in the garden, with gorgeous stained glass and a collection of floral flowers within. Queen Korinia had it built for her own joy, loving plants as she did, and opened it for servants and knights to enjoy during their breaks.
It fast became Silva’s ‘settling place’ once she became a knight under the Queen’s employ. Silva rested upon one of the benches, her armour removed, and pulled her knees to her chest. The evening was setting in and she didn’t have much time before she must leave, but she was patient with this part.
Holding her knees to her breast tightly, she bowed her head and let her mind seek out the lioness. The beast inside of her met her half way as she mentally sought it out with an inner hand reaching for the fur of the animal’s golden coat.
Sleepily, the lioness’s golden eyes opened and Silva and the lion became one. While Silva didn’t borrow the lioness’s power and form to shift, she was in touch with her lion at this point in time. Mentally they were a single form.
Silva could feel the tension of the creature. She was eager for this hunt. Eager to punish those who hurt her human self, who caused pain and destruction in her human’s world. Silva soothed the beast with waves of love and appreciation for the lioness. She assured her animal that soon she would be free of her inner cage and could join on the hunt.
Minutes passed until the lioness was satisfied and settled back down to rest, every ready to join Silva but content for the moment to wait. Silva opened her eyes. To others they would be glowing gold with the spirit of her lioness, the connection between them fading with every second. Her eyes returned to their normal icy coloured hew and she rose from the bench.
It was time.
The guard posted outside of Dax’s room felt like he had drawn the short straw. Patrolling the streets, breaking up minor fights, putting a rest to squabbles… that was his job. Not making sure that this kid would break out of her room and take off into the night.
Queen Korinia had assured the senior knight that Dax would certainly try something, and despite his boredom, the knight was prepared. He had three little sisters of his own. He was ready for anything this little brat might try.
Or so he thought.
After about three hours of standing guard without a single peep from inside of the room, he heart a knock on the other side of the door. Puzzled, he stood aside so the young woman could open the door.
The knight stared down at the short girl with the short shaggy-cut black hair and blue eyes. Her ears were adorned with many silver rings. The knight smiled to himself lightly. If his sisters had ever tried to get piercings like that, their mother would have killed them, then he himself for doubtlessly putting the idea into their heads.
Dax watched him, looking sheepish. She had her hands deep in her pant pockets and stepped from one foot to the other. “Umm, sir knight? I was wondering if, uh, you could…”
The knight frowned and leaned forward. “Sorry, what was that? I didn’t catch the last part.”
Dax huffed and stared at the ground. “It’s just, I kind of have a… problem.”
The knight’s frown deepened with irritation at this dance of words, but he reminded himself to always be chivalrous. As was the way of the knight. “What kind of problem is it? Perhaps I can help.”
Dax’s cheeks reddened. “Oh, I don’t think that’s possible,” she said with a weak smile. “You see, it’s a…” She trailed off, then motioned for the knight to lean closer. He complied, and into his ear she whispered with a hidden smile, “it’s a lady ‘problem.’”
The knight turned bright red, the crimson colouring starting at the tips of his ears and rushing across his face to the base of his throat. “O-oh,” he stammered, looking around as though his saviour were nearby to rescue him from the situation. Rubbing the back of his neck furiously, he wished with every part of his being that Queen Korinia had posted a female guard to the door.
As Dax watched the man struggle, she smiled to herself. She had him. The trap had been set and he was ensnared.
Dax pushed on. “I could go and… deal with this problem on my own. You know, to avoid any embarrassment.”
The knight shook his head quickly. “No, no, that’s not necessary. I can… I mean, I-“
Dax cut him off. “Look, this is obviously something that you can’t help with. The bathroom is at the end of the hall, right? I’ll be back in three minutes. You can time me.”
Dax tore off down the hall before the knight could stop her. As she raced down toward the bathroom, she had to fight off a laugh. Poor men and their struggles. She had known as soon as she saw the knight taking up his post earlier that evening that he was soft. Dax had always had a tactical eye and sized him up as he got her settled for the night before closing the door behind him. She had noticed a locked around his neck and asked politely to see whose pictured was adorned inside. He had shown her with pride in his eyes and named the three younger sisters framed in gold. Dax’s plan fell into place after that.
She raced past the bathroom, hearing the knight chasing from behind. She had known he would follow, but it didn’t matter. All she had needed was a head start. In his heavy armour he didn’t have a hope of keeping up with her, and she was fast. Late at night there would be few others to join the chase, and even if they did, Dax was confident she could outrun them all.
Around corners and through halls, she worked her way through the castle until she spied the way out. A side door, doubtlessly belonging to the servants. She crashed through without losing momentum and picked her way speedily through the shocked servants toward the door at the far end leaving to freedom. Behind her the knight struggled to move as fast or as efficiently as he crashed into a bedframe and toppled to the floor.
Standing at the door to the outside of the castle now, Dax turned to the knight and gave him the knight’s salute of respect. He had done well, but nothing could keep her from her quest.
From her sister.
Queen Korinia watched as Dax raced from the castle and into the streets, her destination the city gates. Smiling to herself, the queen sipped from her mug of tea and shook her head to herself. Just as planned, she thought.
The queen had known Dax would get away. She herself had even aided the young woman by posting Claus as her door. Claus was an amazing knight, brave and strong, but his sisters made him a soft touch to other younger women who he saw as people needing his protection. Bless his kind heart, but Dax played him like a fiddle, just as Queen Korinia had expected.
The tall, regal woman watched the young woman disappear from view in the streets and sighed. She hoped that her faith in this plan of hers was valid. She knew that Silva would protect Dax with all she had, and Dax would find her sister and the other stolen citizens.
Queen Korinia had known from the beginning that the women needed each other in order to complete this quest. Silva was an incredible fighter, with spear and beast within, and her tracking skills were unsurpassed. What she lacked, however, was a companion to keep her head in the game. Without someone else to look out for, Silva would work herself to the point of exhaustion and would let her guard down. She needed someone looking out for her, having her back in battles and keeping her on her toes.
Dax, on the other hand, was clever. The Queen could see in her eyes that she was always thinking, always calculating the situation. She had to learn how to wield that sword taken in her sister’s place, and she would learn under the best teacher, Silva. Dax brought her tactical awareness to the search, and on top of that, the Queen knew that the young woman needed to find her sister herself. It was simply something no other could do, and Queen Korinia knew what it felt like to have to act and answer that call.
So she watched the woman escape, having played her part, and prayed silently for her knightess and her young companion.
“Return safe, Silva and Dax.”
The city gate was more imposing than Dax ever remembered it being as she stood before them. Guards stood at the entrance and exit of the city, supposedly guarding the only way in and out, but Dax knew another.
Years ago, Lance had shown her a secret way out of the city. A short tunnel beneath the wall that had been dug before her birth. Lance had taken Dax to see the tunnel many times, but always reminded her never to take it alone. If she wanted to play outside of the walls, she had to ask Lance along.
Dax picked her way to the tunnel, remembering her childhood with her sister as she prepared for another farewell, this time to the home she had always known. Lance and Dax had never taken the tunnel, in the end. Lance was always busy learning to be a knight at school, and Dax remembered her sister’s words and held them to her heart.
“Never take that tunnel without me, Dax. Promise me.”
As Dax knelt beside the tunnel now, moving aside the sheet of metal that covered it, she felt tears pricking her eyes. It felt like a betrayal, going through the tunnel without her sister. Was it a broken promise if she was doing it to save Lance? She wasn’t sure, but she did know that she had no choice.
Dax slipped down into the dirt and started through the tunnel. She would save Lance and the other stolen people and bring them home, back to where they belonged. There was no need to look back.
Comments (0)
See all