A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 6: Now or Never

They came two days later under the cover of night.

I woke up from the empty to the sound of screaming in the palace. Arlo and Kilgorian raced to my bedroom door to investigate.

"Stay here." Arlo ordered before slipping out.

I jumped out of bed with a dagger in hand, pulled free from its hiding place under my pillow.

"Get dressed." Kilgorian pointed towards my wardrobe with his free hand, sword at the ready in his other.

I tossed open the cabinet doors and quickly shifted all of my finery out of the way. This was no time for dresses. I dug deep into the bottom of the cabinet to find the male attire Arlo stole for me. I couldn't very well escape the palace dressed as the Princess; it was time to go undercover once more.

Arlo pushed back into the room.

"What's going on out there?" I asked as I finished tying my sword belt around my waist.

Arlo moved to help me with my cloak, pulling the hood over my head to speed up the process. "It's a second Galacian attack. They're here to finish what they started."

Kilgorian cringed at the memory of his lifeless Prince. "They're here to kill the royals."

Arlo nodded before turning his attention back to me. "And unfortunately, that includes you, Princess."

We stepped out of my room in formation. The hallway was still empty; the Galacians hadn't found me yet.

"So what do we do?"

"We use this opportunity to escape."

"Are we sure this is the right time? I thought your associate was supposed to send word."

As if responding to my apprehension, an arrow flew through the air at impressive speeds, lightly grazing my cheek before lodging itself into my bedroom door. I gasped at the sudden sting, eyes wide in confusion as I searched for the shooter. I removed a second dagger from my belt at the sight of the dark, hooded figure standing at the end of the hallway with a bow in hand. Kilgorian took a step forward with his sword, ready to charge at the shooter.

"Wait!" Arlo grabbed Kilgorian's shoulder to pull him back. He then moved towards the arrow lodged into my door and removed a piece of parchment that was tied around it.

We all took our eyes off of the shooter for a mere second, but that was all it took; they disappeared without a trace.

Arlo didn't seem fazed by it. He unrolled the parchment and began to read the message. Once he was done, he crumpled it up and put it in his pocket to dispose of later.

"We have to go to the main balcony that looks over the square."

"I take it that wasn't a Galacian?" I inquire, gesturing towards the end of the hall where the shooter once stood.

"We work for the same person. They're here to help with our escape."

Kilgorian shakes his head. "And we're just supposed to trust them?!"

"We don't have a choice."

Arlo was right... this was our chance to escape and we had to take it.

"We have to hurry. The path through the palace that leads to the balcony won't be secure for long. Galacian assassins are moving closer to their marks."

Galacian assassins. The very thought of these people would make most Romallians run in the opposite direction, but not me.

Arlo and Kilgorian took a sharp left just as I began to sprint down the hall on the right. Arlo called after me angrily, but I ignored him. I could hear the stomp of their feet as they began to run after me, but I would reach my destination before they caught me.