Court of Flame Read online

  I blinked. "Plum?" I asked, looking at the smaller man.

  He grinned. "My mother had a fierce craving for plums when she was pregnant with me," he explained. "It is not my given name, but it stuck."

  "That's all very interesting," Jacob cut in, impatience seeping into his voice. "But we need to get the hell out of here now, or it won't matter if we should have trusted you. We'll be dead all the same."

  Morris nodded. "True enough. We know the patrol routes. We'll lead."

  And they were off. I was getting a little tired of people running off without waiting for a response, but it wasn't like I could yank them back. I looked over at Jacob and then at Sven.

  Sven shrugged. "They haven't raised the alarm yet. And I remember Morris from Emberich's guards. He was never one of the sadistic ones."

  "Good enough," Jacob muttered, looking behind us. "We don't have the luxury of debating this right now. Let's go."

  So we followed the three large men through a more circuitous route than I would have taken in the interest of time. But we didn't have to stop and hide once, so they really must have known the guards' routes. Because of them, we were out of the city faster than we'd come in, without having to go through the tunnel that we'd originally been aiming for. I hadn't wanted to reveal that exit to them—some things were better left a secret. As luck would have it, I didn't have to.

  Because there was already air patrol and a patrol on foot and there were multiple exit points for the city, Emberich hadn't bothered with anyone stationed only at the base, which was standard. As flying creatures, we tended to focus on the air more than the ground.

  A mistake.

  Jacob was right about that, though this particular mistake wasn't one Sven made. I was certain Emberich's arrogance had something to do with it as well, or maybe he didn't have that many guards he could trust. That was an interesting thought, but one I shelved for later as we exited the city.

  Once we were out, I only felt the danger more. We were a larger group now. And Sven couldn't make the distance we'd traveled on foot. Let alone drop down and freeze every time we had to.

  "We can't walk," I murmured.

  Jacob nodded, his expression grim.

  "We likely won't be stopped if we fly," Morris suggested. "The people on air duty might think we're just running an errand for Emberich if we are bold about the flight rather than attempting to hide."

  It was as good of a plan as any. I trusted them somewhat, but not enough to hand Sven over to them when he was in a weakened state. Not normally anyway. This wasn't a normal situation. I would offer to fly myself, but I could feel how tired I was already. I would hold everyone back when speed was our priority.

  "I have to stay with Sven," I said.

  They nodded, not arguing. They could see the shape Sven was in.

  "I shall carry you both. Aag can take this one," Morris said, pointing at Jacob. "We will move faster if we separate you."

  That made sense, though I was uneasy still uneasy about the whole thing. Jacob looked at me, seeing my hesitation.

  "It makes sense," he said. "We'll be fine. We need to take the risk."

  I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. And we needed to get moving, not dawdle here. I took out the small travel net from my backpack, one I'd brought just in case. It wasn't as nice as the one Ashur had used for us, but it would get the job done. I'd given one to Jacob to carry as well. I believed in being prepared.

  I walked over to Morris. "We're meeting our party just outside the border." I explained the location of the meeting place and he nodded.

  "I know where it is," he reassured me.

  That would have to do. The men all stripped and changed quickly, Jacob helping to get Sven into the net with me. As soon as Sven was in, he passed out in my arms. It was probably for the best, but it did worry me.

  Hold on, Sven.

  Jacob then scrambled into his own net, his jaw already clenched for the ride. I'd forgotten to tell him it would be worse in the thin travel net, but he was about to find out on his own.

  We launched into the air with a hard beat of wings. I clutched at Sven, trying to keep him as stable as possible. Morris situated himself in the front of the group with us in tow, the other two behind us. I tried my best buffer Sven against the movement, but it was impossible to not move him at all. I still winced, thinking about how much his entire body must hurt. I hoped he stayed unconscious for the trip. It would be the kindest way for him to travel.

  As Morris had planned, we didn't try to be stealthy, though I didn't know how we would have been with so many people and with nets to carry. As we flew through the sky, I felt like I had a giant target painted on my back. We didn't even have boxes to obscure our figures in the nets. If anyone got close enough, they would see right away that people were being transported.

  We needed to move fast. But Morris kept a steady pace, as if he didn't have a worry in the world. When I spotted one of the guards on duty veering towards us, I saw why. Speeding away would make us look even more suspicious, though I felt like carrying nets already accomplished that.

  The guard didn't look alarmed, like he'd recognized Morris and the others and was just checking things out, but I saw him hesitate as he got closer. As he got a better look at the burdens they were carrying. At us.

  I almost saw the routine check turning into something else as the phoenix checked himself.

  Before he could raise the alarm, Plum darted in behind us, attacking the guard, his beak closing over the other phoenix's.

  They both burst into flame as they tumbled to the ground, entwined with each other. That light show would be enough of an alarm if someone was looking in this direction.

  Morris didn't look back. He picked up the pace until I knew I wouldn't have been able to keep up with him, his powerful wings beating hard and fast. Aag matched him beat for beat.

  I looked back, trying to find the two tangled guards, but I couldn't see the fire anymore. My heart ached for Plum. We couldn't wait or go back for him, or his sacrifice would be in vain.

  It wasn't just us we needed to save. It was the whole phoenix race.

  I'm sorry, Plum.

  My heart hardened as we put miles between us and the capital.

  Emberich would pay.

  For all of this.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I'd never been carried when someone was flying so fast. Especially not while I was also holding an injured person. My back, my arms and legs, everything ached in a way that it never had before. My head hurt from the strong wind buffeting us as well, until I couldn't hear anything, until my face felt numb. Mentally gritting my teeth, I pushed through it. My body would heal.

  What they would do to us if we were caught would be much worse.

  That sprint through the deepest part of the night was a blur of my aching body and worry for Sven as Morris and Aag tried to eke out every last surge of speed from their powerful wings. I was also hoping against hope that Plum had managed to survive, unlikely as it was.

  It lasted forever. A nightmare of a flight that almost didn't feel real. But we made it through.

  We made it back to the agreed upon spot, where Ashur and Mia were waiting along with a group of their guards in dragon form and Reelin and Amna already in their phoenix forms. Morris led the way down to the ground, cupping his wings to catch the air and slow us down, trying to make the landing for Sven as gentle as possible.

  My own touchdown was a little rougher. I felt completely uncoordinated, the sudden lack of harsh wind hitting us a shock all on its own.

  But we'd made it.

  I untangled the net and drew it off us to check on Sven before I even greeted anyone. Still unconscious, but he was breathing.

  "Is he...?"

  I nodded at Mia's soft question.

  "He's alive," I confirmed, gripping his hand in mine. "Morris and Aag here helped us escape." I looked up at Mia and then at Ashur's face. "Can you offer them shelter as well? We wouldn't have m
ade it without them." That was a hundred percent the truth.

  Ashur looked over at the other two phoenixes. They'd already changed as well and were sitting on the ground, looking as tired as I felt. That sprint had been no joke.

  "Yes," Ashur said simply. "We need to leave now. In case they're in pursuit," he said, his eyes scanning the sky behind us.

  I was absolutely okay with that, even though I wasn't looking forward to more net time. Ashur carried Sven and me in one of the larger nets, and the guards split Jacob, Morris, and Aag among them. I cradled Sven against me, trying to buffer him against the wind and the motion of the net again.

  That leg of the journey was another blur, one where my aching body just wanted to sleep, but I couldn't—not in the air with the wind hitting us like it did. And not while I was trying to support Sven's body.

  But there was a peace there as well. I had gotten him back. I had Sven in my arms. We were almost to a place we could rest. I kissed his forehead, leaning my head against his as I closed my eyes.

  We made it back to Ashur's territory without encountering any other phoenixes. The guards took Morris and Aag somewhere else, but Ashur, the guard holding Jacob, and Mia all landed on the roof of Ashur's building.

  There was already someone there waiting, dressed in a doctor's coat. The older man ordered us to move Sven over to one of the beds set out to one side of the roof, where he hooked him up to monitors. Barking out orders to a nurse to get an IV started, he checked Sven over with sure hands.

  "Is he going to be okay?" I asked, holding on to Sven's hand throughout.

  The doctor grunted, his silver-haired head bent over Sven's body.

  "Yes," he said. "I don't think there's any internal bleeding, but I don't want to move him too much. Might have some hairline fractures, but nothing is out of place so I’d rather he healed those on his own. I am going to have to stitch up the worst of these cuts. And he's severely dehydrated." He looked up at me, his piercing gray gaze startling in his lined face. "He needs to stay here on the roof and absorb as much light as he can. He is well into the sun sickness."

  "I'm not taking him anywhere until he's better," I reassured him.

  He grunted again. What an excellent bedside manner.

  I looked away as he got to suturing, unable to watch the needle and thread piercing Sven's skin.

  He woke briefly.

  "Adara?" he asked, his expression confused.

  "Here," I said right away, moving so he could see my face.

  He passed out again.

  By the time the doctor was done with the stitches, the sky was growing light above us, the sun just starting to peek over the horizon. It felt symbolic. A new day. Renewed hope.

  The doctor checked me over after Sven, concluded I'd live, and ordered me to rest along with his other patient.

  "That's an order I can live with," I murmured.

  "See that you do," he said, finally cracking a smile.

  I was too stunned to smile back. With a nod, he was gone, taking his quiet nurse with him.

  Mia showed up not much after that with food.

  "You need to eat," she ordered. "So you can heal."

  She was right. I needed to be strong right now. So, even though what I really wanted to do was sleep, I forced myself to eat first. Ashur appeared while I was still in the middle of the meal I was doing my best to choke down.

  "We have your phoenix friends under watch," he said. "Just in case."

  I nodded. It was only smart. They could be loyal to Emberich and this could all be an elaborate plan of some sort. I didn't think it was. But I also wasn't at my best. I wasn't thinking clearly. Better to be safe for now.

  "Go to sleep," Mia ordered, taking my now empty plate. "Everything will be here to deal with after you've rested."

  "Thank you," I said, getting into the bed beside Sven.

  "We'll watch over you," Ashur said. "Nobody's getting into my territory without me finding out."

  I sighed, my eyes shutting, Sven's comforting warmth next to me. Sleep engulfed me like the old friend it was, and I welcomed it. My body was tired, and my heart and mind were as well. I needed the sweet comfort of unconsciousness before I could deal with the enormity of...

  Everything.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I sighed, snuggling into the warmth next to me. The sun beat down on my skin with a comforting heat, adding to the delicious sensations. I hummed in enjoyment. I could lie there forever...

  Sven smoothed a hand down my side, the touch welcome. I'd know the feel of that hand anywhere—

  Alarm shot through me, easily tearing through the gossamer threads of that half-awake state. My eyes snapped open as I bolted upright into a sitting position.

  "Sven!" I gasped, jerking my head down to look at him lying next to me. "Are you okay?"

  Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it was well into the afternoon. We must have slept for a good six to eight hours at least. My body felt a lot better, my head clearer. The sun and the rest had also done Sven a world of good, judging by his appearance. I felt myself calm slightly as I scanned him.

  He still looked beat-up, but his color was so much better, his bruising was much lighter, and the cuts were healing. Both of his eyes were open, the dark irises clear as he looked up at me. The IV was also gone. The doctor must have come in to get rid of it while we slept. Both of us must have been in a really deep sleep not to stir at all.

  Sven smiled at me, and I felt myself settle inside.

  "I am now," he murmured, sliding his hand down my arm in an effort to soothe. His smile faded as he linked his fingers with mine, his eyes sobering. "You shouldn't have risked coming to the capital to get me out like that. It wasn't safe."

  I scowled down at him, my back immediately up.

  "What, you expected me to just leave you there?" I demanded incredulously. "You know you would have done the exact same thing if it had been me—"

  "But thank you for doing it anyway," he interrupted before I could get a real tirade going, bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing the back of it.

  I deflated, my anger fading immediately.

  "I had a lot of help," I pointed out quietly. "Turns out there are a lot of people out there who like you." I smiled at him, knowing my heart was in my eyes. "Go figure."

  He chuckled, his face softening. "Go figure," he agreed in a low voice.

  I went to say something else, to keep our mood lighthearted, but everything felt like it just hit me all at once. I bent over Sven, resting my head against his shoulder as a fine tremor went through me, one that I couldn't stop no matter how much I tried.

  "Sorry," I muttered, bunching my hands up in the sheet around him. I couldn't stop shaking.

  "Shh."

  He rubbed my back, crooning softly to me, letting the delayed reaction play out. I hadn't let myself really think about how much danger Sven had been in, how close he'd been to dying until that moment. I knew in my head, but I wouldn't have been able to function if I'd let my heart truly feel that possibility. So I hadn't, not fully. All that pent-up fear, that sheer terror of losing him, came out in those shakes. I didn't cry, though maybe that would have helped release some of that ugly pressure.

  I lay there for some time, with Sven's arms around me and his voice whispering soothing words in my ear, telling me that he was okay, that we were both safe. When that didn't work, he just made comforting sounds, holding me tightly. It was what I needed. Eventually, the shakes subsided, and I relaxed against his side, taking a deep breath.

  "Delayed reaction," I muttered, feeling a little embarrassed and a lot drained. "I'm sorry," I said again.

  His arms tightened around me. "Stop apologizing," he growled.

  So I did, and then we just soaked in the sun for a few more minutes, in silence. I appreciated those moments, but I knew it couldn't last forever. Real life was still happening around us.

  Sven's rumbling stomach signaled the end of the reprieve.

&nb
sp; "Let me go see about some food," I said.

  "I could eat an entire cow," he muttered sheepishly.

  "Not in this form you can't," I said wryly, smiling at his chuckle.

  I left the comfort of the bed and had only taken a few steps toward the door leading down from the roof, when Amna, Reelin, and Hathai all halted my progress. I hadn't even realized they were there because they'd all been careful to keep a good distance from us to provide us with what privacy they could. I appreciated the effort.

  I watched as my guards looked at Hathai and she looked back at them. They must have reached a silent agreement because Hathai nodded and spoke up. I wondered if there was some kind of guard micro sign language they all took that I wasn't aware of.

  "Do you require something?" she asked politely.

  "Food for Sven," I explained.

  "I will pass on the request," she said.

  "Thank you."

  She nodded, opening the door and speaking to someone already waiting inside. Less than fifteen minutes later, a couple of people from the kitchen staff were wheeling up a cart full of enough food to feed ten people. Sven was actually able to get through a lot of it, so maybe it wasn't quite as much overkill as I thought it was.

  But he really needed it. I didn't like seeing his ribs that clearly. Every one of his muscles was clearly outlined by his skin, his fat reserves low after that much time without sun and food. Not to mention sustaining so much damage from Emberich's cowardly beatings. Who took satisfaction in hitting a man who couldn't hit back? Just the thought of it made me angry all over again, so I firmly put that train of thought away. Anger wasn't helpful at this moment.

  As we were finishing up with breakfast-slash-late lunch, Ashur, Mia, and Jacob showed up and pulled up chairs around the bed. Feeling a little odd about being in a bed while they weren't, I pulled up chairs for Sven and me too. I knew he wouldn't like feeling like an invalid holding court either. His quick but sincere thanks let me know I was right.

  "It's good to see you up," Ashur remarked. "You didn't look too good when you came in."