The Last Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (22 page)

Emmeline set her jaw. She wasn’t going to give up. She wasn’t going to let herself push away her problems anymore.
She knew she needed to redirect her spinning thoughts to anything that could calm her. Anything that would help her walk back into the forest alone.

Erick’s face danced in her mind
. She let her mind fill with thoughts of him, thoughts she had considered forbidden. His face soothed her in ways that nothing or no one else could. She relished in her thoughts of him, knowing she would have to push them aside once she returned to the palace. She pictured his playful grin, and how his lips curled higher on one side than the other. She recalled the tender way his hand rested on the small of her back when he led her forward, and how her body shivered with pleasure at his touch. She heard his voice, his whisper, his laugh.

And before she knew it, s
he was calm. She could do this. She could be strong for her father’s people. Pushing on the door, Emmeline winced at how much louder the grinding seemed to echo into the night. Each stone grated against the heavy wood in an announcement to all of Dolmerti that she was escaping into the night. She paused to listen, poking her head out of the opening. Satisfied no one was near, she dashed out the door and into the night.

The road le
ading to town was easy to find. Emmeline stayed near the edge should another traveler pass by. It made her progress slower than she liked, but she wouldn’t get very far if someone recognized her. She descended the steep incline and looked to her right. The mountain dropped into a deep chasm of blackness. Her heart, already ringing in her ears, thumped louder.

The road wound around the mountain and into the wide valley below. Lights twinkled in the distance and Emmeline was confide
nt Albin’s Pub was among them. Quickening her pace, she turned from the road and stepped into the field, preferring dark shrubs to an open road.

A step shuffled behind her, followed by the crunch of dry grass. Emmeline spun around.

“Who’s there?” she whispered into the dark.

A shadow towered at the edge of the road. She gasped, a scream catching in her throat. The shadow moved toward her and raised its arm. Emmeline took a step back, a hand over her chest.

“Emmeline, it’s me.” Erick whispered.

Emmeline let out a long breath. “What are you doing here?”

“I should ask you the same.”

“That is my business. Why
are you following me?”

“You were behaving so strange
ly. I was standing on the edge of the road trying to figure out what had happened when you came back out. So I followed you. It’s dark out here. I was worried for your safety.”

“My safety? Er
ick, you shouldn’t be here. It’s for
your
safety that I didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Emmeline let out a steady breath. “Just go back, Erick. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not going anywhere. What
aren’t you telling me?”

Emmeline turned toward the town lights and sighed.
“There is a meeting tonight that I need to eavesdrop on. It is important for Dolmerti and Pamizak.”

Erick’s eyes flashed. “Are you talking about the countrymen who are trying to start a war?”

“You know about that?”

Erick ran a hand through his hair. “It’s getting around. How do you know about it?”

“I overheard two men talking in the palace courtyard. They said they were going to meet in the basement of Albin’s Pub at midnight to discuss final plans.”

“Emmeline, why didn’t you tell me? I would have come with you.”

“I don't want you to get involved.”

“I don’t know how I feel about you being involved either. These men are greedy and ruthless. They care about expanding their own pockets, nothing more. If they see you, or find out that
you know anything…”

“
Yes, I have been warned before. But I'm the only one who knew of this meeting, at least the only one who isn’t itching for a war. The King can’t traipse around town in his condition and it isn’t as if the Crown Prince is here to do anything about it. I had to do something. I won't sit by and do nothing while Dolmerti crushes Pamizak.”

“How about I go
for the both of us and just tell you about it tomorrow.”

Emmeline folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t think so. This isn’t some stream or ravine you can cross while I wait
, Erick. I have to do this.”

Erick sighed
. “You aren’t going to change your mind, are you?”

“No.”

“Come on then,” he said reaching out to take her hand. “We’ll go together.”

Setting a brisk pace, Erick
led her back onto the road and toward the twinkling lights. As the town grew nearer, he explained that they would come at the pub from behind. “It’s the best chance we have of listening to the meeting undetected,” he said. “There might be people stationed outside, though.”

“W
e’ll see them before we get too close, right?”

Erick s
wallowed, leaving Emmeline with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

T
he town streets were grey-black with an occasional light in a window. Creeping to the side of a building, Erick glanced at her before pulling her into a dark alley. His grip tightened as they made their way through the darkness. A few steps further he pulled her closer and draped his arm around her waist, as if holding her hand was no longer secure enough.

“It’s just up there,” Erick whispered as he pointed to a large building at the end of the alley. “Are you sure you want to come?”

“Positive,” Emmeline said. “I don’t care about the dangers. We have to do this.”

Erick groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

He pressed her closer to him and Emmeline knew she was going to the worst possible place an Incenaga could go.

They found the rear of the pub and once Erick was satisfied no one was stationed outside, they crawled toward a basement window. The glass had been left partly open, allowing shouts to filter outside.

“Brothers, shall this thing take place?”

“No,” a chorus of voices rang out. At least forty gathered on wooden chairs scattered about the room. All their eyes focused on the man speaking. Emmeline didn’t need to see his face to know who it was.

“We don’t care about political alliances and trade agreements,” Mahlon
shouted. "Dolmerti deserves the best! We deserve power and wealth! Pamizak will crumble underneath our heels!”

A thunder of applause broke out.
Emmeline looked at Erick to see horror written across his face, knowing her face mirrored his. The magnitude of the group’s passion for blood and wealth was more than she had expected.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, calm d
own,” Mahlon continued. “Listen well. Our leader apologized for not being here tonight, but he has devised a foolproof plan, which he explained to me in great detail. We’ll let the Crown Prince marry his Pamizakian whore and on their wedding night, she will have the pleasure of eliminating our weak Prince.

Murmurs spread across the room.

“Do not worry; royal blood will still command Dolmerti. I am confident that Prince Weldon will heed our demands and give us the glory of war. The treachery of the Pamizakian Princess will fuel hatred in our people. They will demand retribution for their fallen Prince and our reserves will only strengthen!”

Applause
erupted.

Emmeline
shifted her weight and bit her lip. Resisting the urge to gauge Erick’s reaction to Mahlon’s revelation, she craned her head to see who was in the room. She recognized a few guards, but no one else. Someone from the back called out.

“
And what of the King? Won’t he stop us?”

“
The King is weak,” Mahlon said. “Once he learns of his son’s death, he will follow soon after. He won’t be able to bear such devastating news. Before the next year is through we will be swimming in wealth and free labor.”

Another roar of applause.

Mahlon held up his hands. “But listen, listen. I can’t divulge all the details now, but I am securing another means for our future successes. It is taking more effort than I first considered, but will be well worth the trouble. Dolmerti will never again lose a son to battle.”

The
men’s voices melted together in a hum of approval.

“
Thank you for helping us infiltrate the palace. We now have, on our side, the number of guards and soldiers we need to succeed. And we
will
succeed.”

Sickened, Emmeline glanced at Erick. He sat motionless.
However, she knew from the flashing of his eyes that a storm raged inside. “I’ve seen enough,” he whispered.

“Do you recognize any of
them?”

“All of them.”

“Are any in the palace?”

“Several.
”

Emmeline gasped.
“I’m not safe anywhere!”

A dozen
heads snapped toward the window. “Someone is out there!” one of them shouted.

“Seize them!” Mahlon barked. “I want their heads!”

Erick and Emmeline scrambled to their feet. The men inside bolted for the stairs, their fists shaking in the air as they cried out for blood and death. Erick grabbed Emmeline’s hand and propelled her down the alley. They reached the empty main road and raced toward the forest. Rebels crashed out the front of the pub and streamed into the road. Veering to the right, Erick led them toward another alley, but it was a moment too late.

“
There!” one of them yelled. The rebels whipped toward the alley, cursing and shouting threats as they ran.

Erick’s grip on Emmeline’s hand
tightened as they were swallowed by towering walls on either side of them. Darkness enveloped them as they ran deeper into the alley. With only a moment’s notice, Emmeline imitated Erick’s every move as he leapt over crates and garbage strewn about the alley floor. She knew that if she missed any of his cues, she would end up on the alley floor with the mob on top of her.

The rebels
charged forward, the sound of their chase growing louder and louder as they drew closer. Other than his steady breathing, Erick was silent as he pulled Emmeline forward. After another few leaps they ran full force into a solid wall, their bodies colliding into one another upon impact. Erick yanked her to the right, but they crashed into another wall. They darted across the alley and scraped their hands on yet another wall.

They were trapped, c
ornered in a pitch black dead end. Emmeline’s heart sank. Erick would die because of her. Not only was she the one who had brought him into this disaster, but she was the one who had cried out, alerting the conspirators in the first place.

Despite
their predicament, Erick seemed to remain calm. He dropped her hand and groped the walls around them, tapping his palms on the brick. Emmeline couldn’t imagine what he was looking for so she stayed put in the center of the darkness, bracing herself against the inevitable. The rebels would be upon them soon. There was no escape. The dead end held them in a grasp so dark she feared her life would end in blackness. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that at any moment the rebels would be upon them. And they would kill her. And Erick.

Erick’s strange tapping continued, growing quicker and louder as
the rebels approached. She could tell he was becoming frantic, but he didn’t stop until the timbre of his tapping changed. He had found a window!

Erick slid the window open and reached out for her, not bothering to find her hand, but instead grabbing a fistful of her gown and yanking her toward him. He hoisted her up and pushed her through the open window wit
h such force that she fell to the hard floor on the other side.

The rebels
reached the end of the alley and bellowed around in confusion as they collided into one another and the brick walls. Erick managed to pull himself up to the window, but just as he kicked a leg over the pane, he let out a grunt.

“
What’s wrong?” Emmeline said, rushing up to Erick.

“They…have…my leg.”

Emmeline pulled on his shoulders as he gripped the window. “What can I do?” Her voice had gone up in pitch.

Erick’s
hands slipped. “Run Emmeline!” he yelled as he tried to hang on.

Emmeline shook her head
. She wasn't going to leave him behind. Groping around, she searched for anything she could use to help him. Her hands grazed a metal rod and her frantic breathing came to a sudden stop. Without hesitation, she clutched the end of the rod and threw herself toward the window, swinging in the direction of Erick’s dangling legs. Her first swing met air, the second hit the brick wall. She pulled her arms back to strike again and swung hard. The rod came down with a resounding crack. Erick jerked against the window. A muffled thud sounded from below and Emmeline hoped it meant the rebel had fallen.