𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙎 (𝙖𝙯𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡 )

𝑇𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸

Chapter Three
Midnight Rendezvous

Thirty feet. That's how long the drop was from my balcony to the ground. The bushes nestled down below could cushion a fall, but I doubt my legs could carry me any further.

Sitting next to my window, I would peer through a slit in my ivory curtains to check outside. The guards hadn't rotated yet, but I knew they always did fifteen before midnight.

The garden lay exactly one fourth of a mile away, beckoning to me from the distance. I patiently sat next to my window, glancing outside every few times.

Then one of the sentries walked away, his sword dragging behind him. Adrenaline rushed through my body as I tore my bedsheets off. Rolling them tight, I began to knot them.

Ten minutes later, my makeshift rope was ready. I sent the woven cloth down my balcony, securely tying it onto a ledge. Letting my feet dangle off the railing, I shivered as a cold gust of wind blew through the quiet night.

Gripping the rope firmly, I swung down. I managed to catch myself before I fell, now about twenty feet from the ground. My arms ached as I glanced around. The distant light of a torch caught my attention and I cursed under my breath. A new sentry was arriving.

Inching myself down at a generous pace, my eyes were trained on the garden. My future teacher was waiting there. I was desperate for these lessons, whether he was a monster or not.

Ten feet off the ground now. The footsteps in the grass were growing closer. My palms grew sweaty as I reached down to lower myself closer. My hand slipped, and I tumbled down.

I didn't scream. Closing my eyes and accepting what was to come, I braced myself instead. The impact never hit.

There I was, hovering above the bushes. Risking to crack open an eye, I was astonished to find myself staring at a bush that once looked so small from my balcony. Now I could count each one of it's individual leaves.

Shock and fear left my system as the wind loosened it's grip on me. I crashed face first into the bush, groaning a bit as I rolled over. Jerking my arm upward, I focused the air currents to push my dangling bedsheets up and back into my room.

I was gone before the sentry even had a chance to look. I didn't dare to look behind me, fearing that Tamlin or Lucien would notice my absence.

The garden was magnificent. Despite growing up with it for the past fifty years, I was always in awe of it's breathtaking beauty every time. Whenever I turned a corner, flowers bloomed to greet me. If I followed the sound of rushing water, a gorgeous marble fountain would find it's way to me.

Tonight, however, I lurked through the garden. In a pair of baggy pants I had "borrowed" from Lucien and a white shirt, my hand wouldn't leave it's weapon holster. As my eyes darted back and forth, I ran my fingers over the jewels that adorned the knife. Tamlin gifted it to me as an accessory, but to me it was freedom.

"About time you showed up."

Whirling around, my knife jammed to his throat, a pair of sharp azure eyes bore into me. He hardly flinched as the blade dug into his neck, looking at me with a strange glimmer in his eye. What it meant, I couldn't tell or care. He was in simple black pants and a long black shirt, but peeks of a tattooed and scarred arms still managed to stand out.