Chapter 91: Chapter 91

Guards stood at all their post inside of the Prince's quarters. The false break was not intended for them, and they had been completely unaware of it. Which was why the plan was to just take Fiorella out, not allowing her to run into a pack of wolves.

Ñiraka gritted her teeth as she used her speed to reach Avril, grabbing her arm and covering her mouth at the same time.

The girl struggled and screamed for Ñiraka to let her go, but instead Ñiraka sped her to the back of a small maze.

“What in the world do you think you're doing?” she growled in a whisper.

“Dakar's awake. Those maidens said Dakar's awake,” Avril panted, it was as if she was under the influence of drugs—an addict who wanted more.

“They never said Prince Dakar was awake. You have no idea who they're referring to. You would get not only yourself killed, but me too if you're caught. I'm not about to jeopardize my life just because I want to make up for trying to kill you.”

Avril swallowed and looked towards the direction of the gate. Her heart was racing. She wasn't thinking. She wasn't existing at that point. She just wanted nothing else than to see Dakar. To be assured he wasn't dead.

“Now guess what, the loophole is covered. The guards are coming back as we speak, and they're going to figure out you're gone in less than five minutes,” Ñiraka spelled out, her eyes showing hatred mixed with anger and wonder at how stupid Avril could be.

“Then what?” Avril managed to ask, ignoring the look in Ñiraka's eyes.

“You and I would not make it to tomorrow morning. Remdangit, I shouldn't have used my speed. These guards can track a distinct scent that comes out only during speed. They'll know where we are or who I am. This is why I didn't use it to get us out in the first place.”

Avril's heart thudded against her chest. She peeped beyond the thick maze and saw, truly, guards running back to their duty posts. Only God knows what sort of false break these guys had initiated. Just to get her out. And yet she jeopardized it.

“Wouldn't they scent us still?” she asked.

“I made a glamour out of our scents. We both smell like fresh earth, for now.”

Avril could see the palpitation that Ñiraka was hiding. She was scared, but it was hidden behind that ever-frowning face of hers.

“I think I have an idea,” Avril said. Guards were still running to their posts, some even passing closeby but not sighting them thanks to the dark space behind the maze, their outfits that blended into the darkness, and their glamored scents.

“Whatever you want to say, please don't include killing of guards. We'd just worsen our sentence.”

“If we get caught in this plan of mine, there won't even be any sentence. We'd get annihilated right on the spot.”

Ñiraka scoffed.

“How would we make it then?”

“By not getting caught.”

“So how are we executing this? We can't get to the unofficial gate, guards are already there.”

“We don't need to get there when there's a gate right beside us.”

There was a one second pause in their whispers before Avril continued, “We are sneaking into the Prince's palace. His kitchen to be precise.”

“I hate you.”

**

Camper's eyes flitted through every dark corner, eagerly waiting for two hooded people to creep out. But the time was almost over, and not even a change in the position of the stones on that pathway.

“Calm down, or your heart would jump out through your mouth in a blóody vomit,” Verona hissed beside him. They were atop a tall tree, watching the unofficial gate.

“I'm not as reserved as you are,” he replied.

“Says someone who hides his real self behind the stupid ever-smiling face of a ‘women-struck’ afflicted moron.”

Camper managed a sideways smile.

“Hey, I'm not hiding that. That's the real me, the one I've been these past few days is the unreal me.”

Verona rolled her eyes and continued to watch the gate. Camper glanced at his watch.

“Five more minutes. Keran said he can only keep them disorganized for this long.”

Keran was the lead guard who had almost brought in Nana and Chidi. The one Camper would have killed with a swing of his own sword.

None of them spoke a word next, their eyes never leaving the gate. And then the five minutes elapsed.

“They must have run into trouble. I'll go help them,” Verona declared and almost swung down.

“Every idiot knows you're literally Fiorella's best friend inside the Palace walls. If they see you alone outside at night, the night Fiorella gets missing, then be rest assured you're being dragged down to the lowest level of the dungeon.”

“And what should we do?”

Camper sighed and ran a hand through his hair. A guard approached the gate with a frown on his face, looked at his watch and casually stood there.

“I'll go,” Camper whispered.

“If any more guards go down, you won't be able to cover your way out of this one.”

A muscle ticked in Camper's clenched jaw.

“I know,” he simply said then swung down and blended into the darkness until he reached the fairly lit up gate.

**

The gate to the Prince's palace had never seemed as big and undaunted as it looked this night. The two pure metallic wolves growling at each other seemed like they were alive, with all their features extremely drawn out. Avril thanked God there was no moon, or there would have been no darkness to aid them through tonight.

Ñiraka bit her lower lip as she cut her forearm a little. It didn't hurt too much, but she just hated the idea. She looked to see no guards were coming towards that side before stepping out from the maze and hurrying to the middle of the tarred road that led to the gate. She began to stagger as she clutched her blood stained arm, soiling her palm with blood too.

“Help please. Please help me,” she cried as she moved. The two guards who were stationed outside the gate sighted her and drew their swords. Apparently, the news of Fiorella's escape had not spread yet...or had not been figured out.

The two guards recognized her but did not leave their posts.

“Come on,” Avril urged nervously under her breath.

“Please help me. It's silver...please,” she groaned and almost fell to the ground. The two guards, on instincts, sped to stop her from falling. Avril seized the much awaited opportunity and dashed from the maze to the magnificent gate. Ñiraka cried and tugged on both the guards necks, to keep their heads down as Avril pushed the gate open soundlessly. The gate was always smooth to open, Dakar's preference.

“How did this happen?” a guard asked Ñiraka as they pulled her up to move her from the road.

“Fiorella. I saw her just now. She's escaped. I don't know how but she bumped into me and wanted to keep me shut. Fortunately, the knife missed it's mark for my stomach.”

Ñiraka cringed at her terrible lying. Even she wouldn't believe herself, but the guards didn't seem to care about the story.

“Fiorella's escaped?” the other one asked with wide eyes.

“Over there. She's over there.” She pointed at the direction of the unofficial gate where she had dumped her own cloak in the middle of the road. The stupid guards left her immediately and ran there.

“Wait, what about me? Help me,” she half-whispered after them.

“Greedy bàstards,” she said under her breath. They wanted to be the first to either apprehend the prisoner in order to be awarded, or they wanted firsthand proof so they could voice it out and gain some recognition as the only witnesses.

Ñiraka hurried after Avril who had long since slipped into the quarters. Her hand was healing up, but the blood couldn't magically disappear. Now the scent of blood lingered after her, for a stupid plan that had five percent chance of being successful.