Interlude [h.s]

forty-five

They spend the next two hours awake, glaring at each other from the opposite sides of the room, not a word being shared. The silence is heavy and so is the darkness in Harry's eyes, so intense that it makes Alouette want to leave the room. She can't do that, though, so she resorts to staring back at him while she tries to figure out what to do next.

Dawn is still a couple of hours away when she suddenly hears a car stop outside. Her head snaps up and her eyes land on Harry only long enough to see the same confusion on his face.

"Get up," she hisses, getting off the chair and grabbing his wrist.

She gets out of the room, narrowing her eyes when she sees the lights downstairs are still on. Something's wrong.

Alouette pulls Harry into the room across the corridor and nears the window, keeping the lights off so that she won't be seen. She looks down and her heart drops when she sees two sleek black cars have stopped in front of the house. It doesn't take her long to recognise them after all the months she spent in the Palace.

Harry's guards.

A faint smile curves Harry's lips and she knows he recognised them as well.

She curses under her breath and tugs him back into their room, turning the key in the lock and turning towards Harry. She takes in his black suit, vest and tie and she immediately realises how stupid she's been. He's wearing the same clothes he shoots his videos in, his uniform. It's no surprise that the farmer recognised him and called it in.

And now the Palace is here and she knows Harry is coming up with an escape plan in that very moment. It won't take long, considering his guards are only some floors below.

A car door is slammed and Alouette flinches. What now?

There's a knock on the door, and then she hears steps move downstairs. She's like a mouse in a trap, waiting for someone to come find her.

She suddenly remembers Harry trying to leave from the window only some hours ago. They're one floor up but he isn't foolish, he wouldn't have tried if he hadn't been sure there was a way down.

Alouette walks past Harry and towards the window, but before she can reach it a vehicle steers violently downstairs.

Shots ring out and people scream. The door downstairs is opened and steps run up the stairs. Voices call out to each other, gunshots echo up the stairwell.

She doesn't need to look outside to know the Revolution is here.

She grabs Harry's hand and runs to the window, opening it and looking outside. Harry knew what he was doing, the roof of a veranda is right under them.

"Out," she hisses, pulling him out of the window with her.

The roof trembles and creaks under their weight and she stills, holding her breath as she waits to discover if anyone heard.

There are people running in front of the house and car doors slam repeatedly, shots rend the fresh air of the night and screams boom through the walls. The fight seems to be on the other side of the building, which means they have some time to slip away unseen.

Alouette closes the window and runs along the lower roof, taking out her gun and checking the darkness around her to make sure they're alone.

She drops off the roof. It isn't an easy task since she refuses to let go of Harry, but they both manage to make it back to the ground without falling.

She could bring Harry straight to the Revolution, she considers. They're right here. She could say something happened yesterday and they'd believe her, and then he would no longer be her problem. She could try to convince them to spare him, to listen to her, but deep down she knows it would be useless. They answer to Ezra, not her, and Ezra's orders are to kill him. Until she finds a way to talk to him directly, she simply can't risk it.