CHAPTER 8
Robbins had done a little midnight recon and found a camp a few clicks into the forest. This was not the same group that made an appearance the day before. There were twenty of them, all men, in black cloaks. And they were armed.
Wyatt Cain laid out his plan. Surveillance devices were placed at all four entrances to the grounds. They would be monitored by him in the security office, and he would coordinate security movement from there. Vetch and Lawrence were back on the roof. Jeb would keep the princesses inside and together, and the six others would do crowd and menacing men control.
The girls spent some time in the library that morning, but Jeb was on edge the whole time. He stared out the window at the grey cloudy sky, and every sound had him reaching for his revolver. He had a bad feeling he just couldn't shake.
Just after noon, the radio chatter picked up.
"Robbins, this is Vetch. Our friends have arrived." Some of the previous day's protesters had been back non-violently for a few hours, but now it seemed the black-cloaked men had arrived.
"Copy that, Vetch. They're trying to blend into the crowd."
Jeb turned to the princesses. "Can we move to Az's quarters?"
Azkadellia, who had definitely noticed his mood, nodded and rose without question.
DG followed. "What's going on?"
He held the library door for them. "To be honest, I'm not sure, but I'd feel better in a more secure place."
The communications continued as they walked down the hall.
"Lawrence," Wyatt's voice said carefully. "Do a head count on our friends."
"Yes sir. I've got…fourteen."
"Fourteen?" Robbins came back. "I counted twenty last night."
A twinge of alarm rose in Jeb. Azkadellia's door was still locked, but he gave the entire area a once-over before assuring himself it was safe. DG made a beeline for the bathroom, muttering something about how it "sucks to be a girl".
"I want a visual on our missing six ASAP. Recount from the roof. Vetch?"
It was Lawrence that answered. "Shot fired!" a pause, then "Man down! We have a man down! Code one on six men!"
"What?" Wyatt roared. "There was nothing on the monitors, they must have come over the wall somewhere."
This is not good.
He had just enough time to look over and see Azkadellia's fear-filled eyes before a splintering crunch revealed the tip of an ax coming through the wall of the sitting room. A couple more swings and they'd be through.
He dragged Az into the bedroom. He needed a defendable position. Next to the bathroom door was a desk and bookcase.
"Sorry 'bout this." He said as he tipped the bookcase over on its side and tossed the princess behind it just as the men stepped through the wall. Diving behind his barricade, he reached back and slid the desk in front of the bathroom door. Hopefully DG would understand later. Azkadellia was crouched next to him, absolutely terrified.
"We know you're in here!" The lead man bellowed as he stepped into the bedroom.
Jeb checked his revolver. Six bullets. Damn. His extra boxes were in the sitting room. Better make 'em count.
He sat up and fired, hitting the first man square in the chest.
--
Az fought to still her shaking hands as bullets zinged over her head or hit the bookcase with a crack. Jeb would occasionally turn and fire, then another volley would zoom their way. Please, please just let this be over soon.
The last time Jeb pulled the trigger, she heard the awful click of an empty gun.
"Goddammit." He hissed as he ducked back down. He looked over at her. "There are two of them left."
"Well done, boy." A gravelly voice said. "But now you're trapped. It's not you we want anyway. Come out with your hands up or I'll shoot up that bookshelf and kill you both."
Az looked at a few places where the wood was splintered. Their barrier wouldn't take much more.
Jeb grabbed her hand. "Whatever happens, stay right behind me."
She nodded. They stood up, Jeb shielding her. The two men were dressed all in black and wore black masks.
"Ah, just the tyrant we were looking for." The men started forward and Jeb backed up until Az was pinned between him and the wall. It was then she noticed the tear in his shirt sleeve that was oozing blood.
"What I don't understand," The intruder continued. "Is why a Resistance hero is willing to take a bullet for the sorceress." He shook his head. "You ought to be thanking us, boy."
"Let me go, Jeb." She whispered. He didn't move. "Really, it's okay."
"Aw." Laughed the second man. "Even she knows what she deserves. Why don't you let her go, boy?" He turned to his partner. "Maybe she's really good in bed."
She was sure her cheeks were burning. A disturbance from the doorway created the distraction Jeb needed. He pulled a knife from his pocket and sent it flying into the chest of the closest masked man. A gunshot rang out and the second man fell to the floor, revealing Wyatt Cain in the doorway.
Az closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was over, for now.
--
"Good timing." Jeb remarked to his father.
"No problem." Wyatt surveyed the damage. "Nice work."
Pounding on the bathroom door, DG was livid.
"What the hell is going on out there? Let me out!"
Wyatt stepped over a body. "Simon's going to be fine. He's in the infirmary right now."
As they moved the desk from in front of the door, Jeb noticed his arm.
"You okay?" His father asked.
"Yeah, I just got nicked." He tied his bandana around it to stop the bleeding. That was when he realized Azkadellia was gone.
He sprinted out the door as DG emerged from the bathroom exclaiming "Holy crap!"
Az wasn't in the library. She wouldn't be outside. Where would she go? A stab of fear shot through him and he remembered that the tallest point of the palace was the Eastern Tower. He took the narrow, winding steps two and three at a time until he came out at the top to find the princess sitting on the railing facing him. She looked up at his approach.
"I knew it would be you."
--
Rain started drizzling down; the breeze blew it into her back.
"Come downstairs, Az."
"Why are you here, Jeb?"
He appeared confused. "I don't understand."
She sighed. "I mean, why are you up here talking me down when no one would blame you for pushing me off?"
"That stuff before, it wasn't you."
"Wasn't it?" she retorted angrily. "I had my part in it. At best I put up no fight and at worst I was a willing accomplice. If you only knew, you wouldn't hesitate."
"You were a child –"
"At first."
"Az," he started.
"How many people have you killed, Jeb?" she whispered. He didn't answer. She slid off the rail onto her feet. "How many? Tens? Hundreds?"
"I –"
"How'd you do it? Did you shoot them? Stab them? Beat them over the head, maybe?"
"Az –"
"What about unarmed people? Ever killed anyone unarmed? What about women? Or children? Have you ever tortured anyone? Not just scared them, but really tortured them?"
The drizzle turned to a steady rain, soaking her.
"How about enslavement? Have you ever worked someone to death? Used a pain stick? Ripped out a brain?" The memory of Ambrose's extraction forced acid up her esophagus and she turned quickly, dry heaving over the railing. And he was right there, holding her hair back. The rain was now coming in sheets. She pulled back from the side and sank to her knees.
Looking up at him miserably, the tears started to fall, mixing with the rainwater on her face. "You got hurt."
His brow creased and he dropped down next to her. "I'm fine. I just got grazed. Simon Vetch is going to be fine, too."
"This time. Oh Jeb, I don't know what I'd do if you were shot." She buried her face in her wet hands.
His fingers gently pulled hers away. "I'm right here, Az."
"I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you on account of me."
"Azkadellia." He waited until she met his gaze. "If there's anything I've learned, it's that life is completely unpredictable. You're right, I might get hurt being your security detail. But if you jump off this tower, I might go to Central City, join the police, and get shot by fugitive criminals. Or I could be walking through the woods and a branch could fall on my head. You can't live your life in fear of what might happen. I know this job has its risks. I took it anyway. And I'm not sorry I did."
She could tell by his face he was telling the truth, but she just couldn't understand. "Why?"
He laughed. "Az, you are unlike anyone I have ever met. Past magical happenings notwithstanding. You are very smart. You make me laugh. You teach me things. You care about everyone but yourself. You can make flowers bloom and when you're happy, you make everyone around you happy, too."
She sniffled and pushed back a wet lock of hair. "You make me sound really great."
His walkie-talkie crackled before Cain's voice came over. "Jeb, are you with Azkadellia?"
Jeb pulled the device from his pocket. "Affirmative."
"Meet us in the Great Hall. DG's got a crazy plan to end this once and for all, and it just might work."
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