So sorry for the wait! :/ But I'm out for Christmas Break now so I'm hoping to get some chapters in. I apologize in advance for the end of this chapter. Hopefully y'all won't have to wait too long for the next one.
Peri surveyed her things, which were strewn across the bed Nick had given her for the duration of her stay. They'd decided to wait three days, just to let things die down a little, and now they were finally leaving. The egg rested on her thin pillow, and as if sensing her attention the dragonling gave a mental hum. Peri smiled and ran a hand listlessly across its shell. This is all your fault, you know that? The dragonling gave a mental huff, which it had recently learned how to do, and Peri laughed out loud. When are you supposed to hatch, anyway? It's been four days. The dragonling didn't respond, apparently ignoring her after the accusation. Peri lifted her hand off the shell and returned to her packing, choosing to bring only the things she would need. Which meant all her weapons and a few shirts, some pants, and her boots. She still couldn't fit them over her ankle, but with the help of some healing herbs from Nick the swelling had gone down considerably, and she could walk on it without much pain. Once she had stuffed everything into her pack, she set it on the bed and sat down beside it, pulling the egg into her lap. She stared blankly at the wall until a cough at the door alerted her to Nick's presence. She glanced over at him and he entered the room, coming to sit down beside her.
"You know you stroke that thing, like, constantly?" he said, nodding at the egg in her lap. Peri glanced down and realized that he was right, so she made an effort to still her hands.
"Ready to go?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She still didn't feel comfortable talking about the dragonling out loud, even with her best- and only- friend. Nick gave her a knowing look, but he nodded in response to her question.
"Yup, just waiting on time," he said. "Would leaving at midnight be too cliché for you?"
Peri shook her head and stilled her hands, which had resumed their thoughtless stroking once she had ceased paying attention.
"Why not?" she said, closing her hands. She set the egg aside and stood up, walking over to the shuttered window.
"Your ankle seems better," Nick pointed out from behind her. "I suspect it's my superb healing abilities."
Peri laughed softly and pressed her eye to a crack in the shutters. The night was fast approaching as the sun sank below the rooftops, but it couldn't come fast enough for her. The longer she stayed here the more danger she put herself and Nick in, because Dareth could find them at any second and he wouldn't take pity on Nick, even if he wasn't involved in the original plan. Peri scanned what little street she could see for any sign of the Riders, but they hadn't seen anything in days and now was no different. She turned away from the window and leaned against the wall, tapping her fingers against her thigh.
"I can't stand just sitting here!" she huffed, fighting the urge to leap out the window with the egg and run for it. "It makes me feel like I'm just waiting for Dareth to find me."
"I know, I feel the same way," Nick said soothingly, giving her a sympathetic look. "But you'll feel worse sitting in prison if we tried to leave in daylight."
"Aren't elves supposed to have, I don't know, super night vision?"
"Super night vision?"
"Never mind."
"No, tell me more about this 'super night vision'."
"Shut up," Peri snapped and began pacing the length of the room, her breathing matching her rapid pace. "My point is, Dareth would see us even if we left at night."
"So when do you propose we leave, if he can see us in the day and probably see us at night?"
Peri sighed and paused, running a hand through her hair in agitation.
"Fine, we'll leave at night," she muttered, and resumed pacing.
Sometime during the hours they had left before sundown, Nick got up and left the room, but Peri could hear him upstairs in the attic, doing God knows what. She let nothing get in the way of her pacing, except for once when there was a loud bang from outside and the entire house froze. It turned out to be a loose horse kicking out at something, but it was whatever the horse could be kicking at that kept them frozen for half an hour. Finally, the sun had vanished from the sky and night was falling quickly, spreading across the once bustling city. Nick appeared at the doorway again and she stopped to look at him in exasperation.
"What now?"
"It's time to go," Nick said, and Peri whipped around to see that he was right. She had lost track of the time, and now it was black as the inside of her tunnel.
"Oh," she muttered, earning a snort from Nick, but she ignored him and walked over to the bed. She scooped up the egg and quickly buried it underneath her thin layer of clothes, making sure it was wrapped in a shirt to prevent any scratches from her surplus weapons. She tied the pack tightly shut and swung it onto her back, where it settled with a low thump. "Ready."
Nick didn't say a word and left. Peri followed him with equal stealth, her soft moccasins sliding across the wooden planks without a whisper. Nick led the way down the hall, away from the room where Peri had first snuck into the house, and turned suddenly into a large room with a stone fireplace on one wall. The room was dusty and neglected, but Nick had left it that way for a reason. Any officials who came in here wouldn't even consider that it was a hideout for dangerous criminals and assassins. Peri didn't know much about Nick's 'safe house', only that it was riddled with secret passages and compartments. She knew some of them and could only guess about others.
Nick led the way across the room, being careful to avoid touching any of the furniture and disturbing the layer of dust over everything. The only thing clean in the room was the floor, so no footprints could be collected. Strangely enough, any officials that inspected the house failed to notice that the furniture was dirty and the floor was clean. Nick stopped when he reached the fireplace, motioning Peri closer. He motioned for her to duck, so she did, and let herself be pushed inside, remaining stooped over so she didn't whack her head on the stonework. Nick squeezed in beside her and crouched down, examining the blackened bricks near one corner. Peri couldn't see what he did, but she did hear the click of gear and clank of a lock drawing back. An iron gate suddenly slammed down in front of her eyes, cutting them off from the room before them, and the wall she had been leaning on suddenly gave, nearly sending her tumbling to the floor. Nick gave the wall a harsh shove and it swung away, revealing a long expanse of darkness. Peri stepped out of the fireplace and into the tunnel, able to stand upright again. Nick pushed her forward and swung the door shut behind them, the sound of a lock resounding throughout the dark space. The gears whirred again, and then an eerie silence dropped over their ears. It was completely dark now, and even with her hand in front of her face she couldn't see it. She felt a hand touch hers and fought the urge to punch Nick in the face. Instead she let him guide her hand to the wall, which was smooth and cool. A light touch on her back told her to go forward, so she did. It killed her to put her life so completely in someone else's hands, but she had no choice. She had to get away from Dragon's Landing before she was captured and killed.
As she walked, Nick kept a light pressure on her back, like he knew she wanted to know exactly where he was, and not have to guess in the dark. The dragonling gave a comforting hum and was otherwise silent. With frightening suddenness, the wall of her left disappeared and she jolted to a stop, but a firmer push on her back urged her forward. Slowly, reluctantly, she edged forward until her foot hit another wall, parallel to the wall she'd left. Nick guided her to the right and they set off again down a different tunnel. They repeated this process countless times, until Peri had no clue where in Dragon's Landing they were. She felt betrayed, in a way, that Nick had kept this information hidden from her, but she was hardly surprised. Secrets were how they survived, both of them, and they both had demons they fought alone. After walking for ages, the touch on her back lightened and she slowed. Then it vanished altogether and she stopped.
She stood stock-still, trying to control her breathing, and waited for another touch to guide her. Nick's hands dropped on her shoulders and turned her to face the wall they had been following, and she put her hands up instinctively. One touched the same smooth wall, but the other touched a wooden plank nailed to the wall, about chest height. Peri ran her hands up and down the wall, finding more of the planks about a foot apart from each other. She hesitated, wondering what she would find at the top of the ladder, but a light touch at her back interrupted her thinking, reminding her that they were running on borrowed time. So she began to climb, pulling herself up through the darkness, and the quietest shuffle below her told her Nick was following. She didn't have to climb very far, and soon her hand struck what felt like a trapdoor instead of another handhold.
"Knock twice, then three times quick," Nick breathed, but his voice sounded unnaturally loud after the quiet of the tunnels. Peri did as he said, and then waited. After a long moment she heard footsteps above them and suddenly the door was whipped aside and proved to be not a door, but the bottom of a barrel. A round, bearded face peered down at them and frowned, as if expecting someone else. But he beckoned her up all the same and helped her out of the hole. Peri nodded silently in thanks and the man grunted, moving to put the barrel back into place. Just then Nick appeared and sprang swiftly out of the hole, as if he'd done it a million times. The man immediately grinned broadly and opened his mouth to speak, but Nick jerked a hand across his throat in a gesture of silence. The man nodded and rolled the barrel back into place.
Once the barrel covered the gap in the floor to the man's satisfaction, he swung around and strode off across the room, which appeared to be a cellar. Nick glanced at her and gestured for her to follow. As they weaved among the crates and barrels, Peri leaned over to whisper, "Where are we?"
"Somewhere safe," was the only response Nick would give.
The man led them over to a set of stairs, but instead of starting up them he beckoned them over to the side. A closer look told Peri that a well-disguised door was built into the wall underneath the short flight of stairs, and she bit back a sigh. More darkness, it seemed. She normally didn't mind the dark, but she had no clue where she was or where she was heading. The man pulled a key out of his many pockets and inserted it into a tiny hole in the wood, then stood and walked away, leaving them alone. Nick didn't hesitate and pushed the door open, and they crawled inside.
"Kick the door shut," Nick ordered from in front of her, so she did what he said and nudged the door shut behind her with her foot. It locked instantly and they continued on, crawling on their hands and knees. This tunnel was much smaller, barely big enough for Peri to fit, and she only had a few inches on either side of her. The pack was constantly scraping across the top of the tunnel, so she swung it around so that it hung underneath her.
"How long do we have to crawl like this?" she hissed in annoyance.
"Not long."
Peri rolled her in irritation and reached forward, tugging not-so-gently on Nick's ankle.
"I don't appreciate being kept in the dark," she snapped.
"Get used to it. I'm saving your life."
"I'd rather be dead and know what's going on than alive and confused."
"No you wouldn't."
"Don't tell me how I feel." Peri yanked on his ankle again.
Nick didn't respond and crawled faster. Peri was forced to speed up or be left behind in these claustrophobic tunnels. She reached forward, intent of yanking Nick's knees out from under him, but instead nearly pulled his shoe off.
"Try that again and I'm kicking you in the face," Nick snapped. "Quit throwing a temper tantrum and hurry up. If you hadn't been so slow in the tunnels we'd be on time."
"Well it's not my fault," she retorted. "Maybe if I actually knew about them I could navigate a little better."
"No you couldn't. It took me years to figure them out."
"Maybe you should have told me about them years ago, then."
"I didn't though, so shut up."
Peri growled furiously and steamed in silence, the only sound being the shuffle of their hands and knees as they crawled. To her surprise, it was only a few more minutes before Nick paused up ahead and suddenly the tunnel was flood with a weak light. It was an assault on her dilated pupils, and her eyes snapped shut instinctively until she could bear the brightness. By that time Nick had already crawled out of the tunnel and was standing outside, waiting impatiently. Peri was sorely tempted to take her own sweet time, but the night was flying by whether she liked it or not. She quickly scrambled out of the tunnel and got to her feet, swinging her pack back around to settle on her back. She looked around and recognized another cellar.
"Let's go," Nick growled and stalked away, somehow managing to stomp and remain silent at the same time. Peri hurried to catch up, not bothering to ask where they were.
They approached another set of stairs, but these they ran up, emerging in an abandoned kitchen stripped bare of any pots, plates, or silverware. Nick rolled his shoulders and walked into a connecting room, equally as bare. Nick quickly walked over to the window and snapped the curtains shut, which were miraculously still here. He turned to face her and his usual good mood was replaced by irritation.
"Rest," he ordered. "Five minutes before we run for it."
"Only five?"
Nick shot her a glare and sat down with his back against the wall.
"It would have been fifteen but someone kept slowing us down."
Peri bit back a response and sat down, pretending to check the straps on her pack. The silence was almost palpable, and she kept waiting for Nick to laugh off his mood, but every time she glanced up he was running a pale, slender finger over the edge of a wicked-looking sword. Peri frowned and thought back to the entire trip through the tunnels, but she couldn't remember him having a sword.
"Where'd that come from?" she asked carefully, feeling like if she spoke too loud something would shatter.
Nick ignored her. Man, he must be pissed. She hadn't been that bad in the tunnels, had she? She thought back, but she couldn't find anything that warranted such an extreme reaction. Sure, she'd been annoying when they'd been crawling through the second tunnel, but she'd said worse and Nick had laughed it off within moments. And it was hardly her fault she'd been slow in the tunnels. She considered asking him what was wrong, but her pride reared its head and locked her jaw shut. The five minutes allotted to her passed with agonizing slowness, but finally Nick got to his feet and motioned for her to do the same. He turned to face her and his face was carefully blank.
"What's the plan?" she asked.
"Simple. You run, I wreak havoc."
"Just like old times."
Peri was rewarded with a small smile, so she thought maybe Nick was just stressed from finding out she'd been the one who'd stolen the dragon egg. He had to know that if they were caught he'd be killed, and not just for his involvement in the plan to smuggle Peri out. He had countless other crimes sitting on his head, and most of them were punishable by death.
"I'll sneak out of the house and walk a few blocks away, then do everything I can to catch Dareth and Iridessa's attention. You'll stay here and wait exactly two minutes, then run for the wall. If you sneak out the back, it should be two streets down. The Saphira Gate should be unlocked, as long as you get there in under a minute. That's as long as I can convince my man to hold it open, so don't dawdle. Hopefully, I'll meet you outside."
Peri realized just how much Nick was sacrificing for her. He was throwing away his career, all his contacts that he'd built up over the years, and possibly his life. She bit her lip, guilt wracking her, and suddenly she didn't feel like she should be asking Nick to do this. He looked at her critically and smiled softly.
"Don't worry about me, Kitty," he said. "I can take care of myself."
"You don't have to do this," she mumbled, looking at the floor.
"And leave you to the mercy of Rabies? Not a chance."
Nick glanced outside and heaved a deep breath.
"Time to go. Remember, two minutes. No more, no less. And get to the gate in a minute, or you're screwed. See you in ten."
With that Nick snapped the curtains open and threw the window open. He threw her a jaunty salute and dropped outside, sliding the window shut behind him. He didn't look back as he took off running down the street, his curved blade in one hand and what looked suspiciously like a brick in the other. Peri began counting, forcing herself not to speed up, and waited. About fifty seconds later, an explosion rocked a street a few blocks away, followed by a loud whoop. Peri couldn't help a headshake of amusement. Nick always had a flair for the dramatic. A second explosion soon followed the first and Peri thought she saw the glow of flames over the rooftops. Within seconds enormous, dark shapes began swooping overhead, their ear-splitting roars echoing over the city.
"Ninety, ninety-one…"
No more explosion followed, but slowly Freida and Kaji winged their way across the rooftops away from Peri. Nick must be leading them further into the city.
"One hundred and eight, one hundred and nine…"
Peri found she couldn't wait any longer, no matter what Nick had told her, so she abruptly stood and swung the pack onto her shoulder. She was yanking the window open before it even settled against her back, and within seconds Peri was outside, slamming the window shut again. She took off running, not bothering for stealth, making her way around to the back of the house. She found the back window Nick had told her to use and shot off down the street, the wall looming up two streets away. She had just reached it when a low thud shook the air and a massive shape shot by overhead. Her stomach dropped out through her feet and her heart leaped up into her throat, but she kept running, praying that somehow the dragon hadn't noticed her. She was so close, if she could just reach the wall…
The dragon made a second pass and Peri knew she was dead. She kept running anyway, even as the dragon swooped down on her from behind. The wind from the dragon's wings warned her of its approach and Peri managed to dive aside in time. Its talons literally grazed the back of her cloak, but by some twist of luck they didn't catch on her pack. The dragon flapped clumsily to get clear of the rooftops again and gave a frustrated roar, which was mirrored by a fainter one towards the center of the city. Peri felt a pang of worry for her friend, but she had to keep going or his sacrifice would be for nothing. Peri got to her feet and resumed sprinting for the gate, taking advantage of the dragon's struggle to gain altitude. She darted out from the shelter of the closely-knit buildings and across the small space between the buildings and the wall. The expanse seemed miles long to her, but it was only seconds before she caught herself on the door of the Saphira Gate. She scanned the trees for the dragon and, seeing nothing, yanked the door open. She darted through and tugged it shut behind her, turned to run… and froze.
Kaji's dagger-sharp green eyes were inches from her own, narrowed in absolute fury. At this distance, Peri could see every different shard of green in the dragon's predatory gaze, and it pierced her heart with terror. Choking smoke wafted from Kaji's nostrils and leaked out of her mouth, spilling across the grass like poison. The spring green dragon, who appeared a light gray in the darkness, lashed her thin tail angrily, but otherwise she didn't move. Her wings were held half-open at her sides, like she was ready to take to the air at any second. The dragon looked murderous, and Peri could guess who her next victim was about to be.
"Sorry, Nick," she whispered. She could see no way of escaping this alive, so she closed her eyes.
And she waited to die.
Muhaha! Thanks for all the great reviews on my previous chapters, and try not to come find me and kill me for the cliffhanger there.