The Outskirts: The Rogue Knight (Jace x OC) BOOK 2

The Rogue Knight: 1

We had been progressing toward Elloweer for many days now. Mira was so excited to see her sister that I sometimes wondered if she remembered that Honor was in peril. Twitch remained quiet and content, not speaking much unless asked direct questions. Joe spent most of his time focused on the possible dangers of the road. Jace grew more cranky and restless with each passing day, and I couldn't blame him. The only time he wasn't cranky was when he was alone with me.
Me and Jace had a special relationship. He was the person I go to for just about anything. We usually spend our time together teasing or playfully bantering. But for whatever reason, sometimes when I'm alone with him, he lets the mask of humor and sarcasm drop, and I get to see the real him. The him I have grown to love.
Typically, at night, we wait until everyone else falls asleep so we can talk. Just the two of us. We can't about stuff when Coles around, because he's so protective of me. I understood why. He was like my brother. But it gets annoying sometimes.
I have been trying to work up the courage to Jace that I like him, but I haven't been able to do it.
Right now, he had his head in my lap, while I ran my fingers through his hair. We sat like this a lot, and I knew it made him feel better. It made me feel better too.
Suddenly I heard soft snoring. Jace had fallen sleep, and honestly, I was glad. He gets the least amount of sleep out of everyone, and he needs it. He almost always had dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping.
As I sat in the dark while the others slept, the reality of my circumstances confronted me. Until a few weeks ago, I had lived a normal life as a sixth grader in Mesa, Arizona. Then one trip to a neighborhood haunted house on Halloween had landed me and my friends in the Outskirts, a mysterious realm made up of five kingdoms that each contained distinct forms of magic. As if getting stuck in another world wasn't terrible enough, all the kids who had traveled with me to the Outskirts had been branded as slaves the second they arrived.
Me and Cole had got covered by a curtain and the kidnappers didn't see us. After a failed attempt to rescue our friends, me and Cole became separated from the others when we were sold to the Sky Raiders, a group of scavengers who salvaged valuable items from dangerous castles in the sky. We had no clue where any of our friends from Arizona had ended up, including our best friends, Dalton, and Jenna. The four of us had been best friends since first grade, we did everything together. I knew they were somewhere in the five kingdoms, and I was determined to rescue them. But sometimes the task of finding them felt impossible.
The only bright spot for me was the new friends we'd made in the Outskirts—including Jace, Twitch, and Mira, fellow Sky Raiders who had escaped with me. Joe had come to warn Mira of danger, and later had joined them. Me and Cole felt that sticking with Mira was important. She had connections across Elloweer that made travel easier and that might help us find leads about his friends. Of course that meant facing a lot of danger in the meantime, since Mira was on the run from an incredibly powerful evil ruler who just happened to be her father, the High Shaper who had proclaimed himself High King.
Having stolen Mira's power once, he wanted her abilities back, and after seeing firsthand what that power could do, I understood why.
Since arriving in the Outskirts, I had flirted with death several times—while scouting sky castles, escaping Skyport, and battling my way through a dreamlike land created by some magical kid. And there was no foreseeable end to the danger. How many near misses could I expect to survive?
Home felt a million miles away. The actual distance was probably even worse. From all appearances, the Outskirts existed in a whole separate universe. But we were here in Sambria, one of the five kingdoms, and that wasn't changing anytime soon, so all I could do was focus on my next goal.
Mira's mother had used her shaping talent to place a star in the sky above Honor, which meant Mira's sister was in trouble, but they had no other details. Not long ago, Mira's power had taken tangible form, and defeating it had nearly cost them their lives. Were they now heading toward a similar battle? They had no idea what threat Honor could be facing, but Mira was determined to rescue her.
Bertram, the coachman, slouched forward on his bench, eyes on the floor, elderly features blank. As a semblance created by shaping, he didn't need sleep, but he wasn't designed to provide much company. He sometimes shared useful information about their route. According to Bertram, they would reach the border of Elloweer tomorrow morning.
The autocoach usually provided a smooth ride, so when it jostled over two rough patches in succession, I began to pay attention. The clip-clop of the trotting brick sounder faster than I had ever heard it. Then the rhythm of the roe changed to one of a loping stride, and the speed of the autocoach increased even more.
Neither animal nor machine, the autocoach had been created by shapers. It never tired, but it never went fast, either.
I shook Jace awake gently. He rubbed his eyes. "Whahapped?" He mumbled, looking adorably sleepy.
"I don't know. The coach is going really fast."
Jace got up and tapped Betram "Why are we speeding up?"
The old man looked at him, lips quivering, one eye twitching. Bertram only spoke to share information about the roads ahead or to assure anyone who cared to listen that he was on holiday with his grandniece and grandnephews.
Though his replies weren't always relevant, he had never failed to respond to a question.
"Guys!" I yelled. "Something's wrong!"
Joe's soft snoring sputtered to a halt. He squinted at me. "Is the coach running?"
"Yeah," Jace said. "And Bertram won't talk."
The old semblance wore a pained expression. One hand clenched sporadically.
Joe hastily shook Cole, Mira, and Twitch. "Wake up!"
Twitch sat up with a start. "What's happening?" he asked.
The brick's pace increased to a pounding gallop. The autocoach rattled and creaked, then jolted over a sharp bump, knocking us all around. I fell into Jace, and he caught me, helping me back to my feet.
Jace produced his golden rope, the magical item he obtained when he worked for the Sky Raiders. Mira reached for the jumping sword that Liam made for her before returning to the grand shaper of Sambria. Me and Cole grabbed our swords as well.
Joe slapped Bertram briskly across the cheek. "Bertram! Slow us down! Stop the coach!"
"Halt the coach, Bertram," Mira demanded.
Face contorted, Bertram's lips peeled back as he ground his teeth. Drool leaked down his chin.
"Stop us, Bertram," Joe insisted. "Stop us now!"
Rocking from side to side, Bertram screamed. The wretched, desperate cry filled me with panic. What could make the calm old semblance behave like this? If anything, the autocoach gained speed.
"Should we bail?" Twitch asked, slipping on his Ellowine ring to reveal his semitransparent wings and grasshopper legs.
"What about our stuff?" Jace asked.
"You kids go," Joe instructed. "Use your renderings to land softly. I'll stay with the coach to see where—"
His instructions were cut off as the autocoach launched into the air. For a moment, gravity disappeared. I was floating, as were the others. We all came crashing down when the coach landed thunderously, slanted steeply forward as it plunged down a sharp incline.
I ended up on the floor. Cole groaned, who was sprawled on the floor next to me. Mira and Twitch had fallen back against the seats, and Joe and Jace had been thrown forward by Bertram.
I groaned. "This thing needs seat belts."
The autocoach quaked as it skipped out of control down the slope. Before I could sit up, the coach went airborne again, tilting sharply to the right.
Jace's golden rope suddenly expanded, zigzagging around the inside of the compartment in a complex pattern. The autocoach landed on its side and tumbled wildly, flinging me and everyone else against the soft cushioning of the golden rope.
The elaborate tangle cushioned their movements and kept them from slamming against the interior walls of the coach. I lost all sense of direction as I flipped between segments of rope, the coach whirling and shattering around me.
The autocoach came to a rest upside down. For a moment, we all hung suspended upside down like bugs in a spiderweb. The stillness and silence was eerie after the chaotic crash. Then the rope web slackened, and they dropped to the ceiling.
I felt dizzy and sore.
"Jeez Jace," I whispered. "You don't have to drop us on our heads."
"Sorry," Jace mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Get out," Joe whispered urgently. "This was an attack. It's not over. We need to move."
The door had been torn from one mangled side of the coach. Twitch ducked through and into the darkness beyond. Jace shrank his rope to its normal length and exited as well. Mira went next, followed by me and Cole. Joe came last.
The autocoach had settled at the bottom of an earthy ravine that was spanned by a bridge. Dim moonlight revealed steep, brushy banks sloping up on either side, and a stream, crawling down the middle, narrow enough to step across.
The rocks, branches, and warped old logs littering the bottom of the ravine suggested that sometimes the stream rose higher than its current trickle.
I took a deep breath of the night air. It definitely beat the odor of six bodies crammed in close confinement day after day. Since they had started their journey to Elloweer, we had only left the coach to use the bathroom and occasionally to eat at a roadside inn.
Jace pressed a finger to his lips and pointed at the top of the ravine. A pair of caped, armored figures was descending the slope, one astride a huge jungle cat, the other riding what appeared to be a writhing mass of rags. The intimidating mounts glided down the incline with slinky grace.
Crouching low, I held my breath. The last few days had been quiet, but we knew Mira's father had people hunting us. When Mira defeated the semblance monster Carnag and regained her shaping power, the High Shaper had lost all claim to her stolen abilities. With the power he took from her other sisters fading, the High Shaper would be in a panic.
The sinister riders didn't look like legionnaires or city guardsmen. Could they be Enforcers? I had heard warnings about the High Shaper's secret police, but had no way of knowing if these riders were affiliated with them. Whoever they were, the sight of them gave me chills. In a land where reality could be reshaped, I had learned to accept the impossible, but that didn't mean I liked it trying to hunt us down.
Without saying a word, our small group headed in different directions: Twitch slithered behind a log, Mira crouched behind a bush, and Jace melted into the shadows behind a rock pile. Joe ducked back into the damaged compartment. Me and Cole had the same idea and crept to the opposite side of the coach, putting it between us and the riders, but so we could still keep and eyes on them.
The duo advanced with little effort at subtlety.
I realized they probably assumed the crash had left all occupants of the carriage incapacitated or dead. If not for Jace's rope, they would be right.
I considered retrieving my Jumping Sword from the coach. With a fight brewing, I hated to be weaponless. I worried about the noise spoiling their chance to surprise the oncoming riders. Both were almost to the floor of the ravine. Squinting, I tried to make sense of the squirming jumble of rags. The ragbeast glided along on tattered wisps of fabric, hovering more than walking. Though not very substantial, and lacking a clear shape, it seemed to support the rider without difficulty.
Joe sidled up next to us and quietly handed me and Cole our Jumping Swords.
"Lay low if you can," he whispered to us. He held up a bow—a shaped weapon Cole had retrieved from a sky castle and that produced an arrow every time the string was drawn. "I'm borrowing this. Top priority is getting Mira away from here."
Bow in hand, Joe slunk away from the totaled autocoach. He stepped over the small stream and took cover in some tall brush.
Staying low, I peeked as the riders prowled along the base of the ravine. They advanced straight toward the autocoach. Of course! They meant to search the wreckage! Why hadn't we picked a different hiding place?
Keeping the inverted autocoach between ourselves and the riders, we backed away, crouching, Jumping Sword held ready. If they spotted us, we could use the sword to flee up the slope. Maybe we could draw them away from the others.
Even with their strange mounts, the Jumping Sword might give us a chance to outrun them.
Cole stepped into the stream, making a little splash. I swore under my breath.
The big cat gave an angry yowl. I cringed, gritting my teeth. Beyond the coach, I could see Twitch had risen skyward, oversize dragonfly wings shimmering in the moonlight. Twitch had been spotted.
I shuffled sideways in time to see Jace's golden rope whip around the rider on the jungle cat. The rope hoisted the armored figure high into the air, then slammed him down on a rocky patch of the streambed with a resounding clang. The rope amazed me every time Jace used it. It could do everything.
The ragbeast wheeled toward Jace. Mira sprang out of hiding, flying through the air, Jumping Sword extended.
Her blade struck the ragbeast's rider in the side, knocking him to the ground without piercing his armor. Mira tumbled to the nearby creek bed, her sword falling from her grasp.
The huge jungle cat streaked toward Mira. Pointing my sword at a spot ahead of the jungle cat, I shouted, "Away!" The sword pulled me through the air on a low trajectory, skimming along just above the ravine's floor. As the big cat pounced at Mira, I, backed by the momentum of my flight, plunged the blade into the feline's ribs. The Jumping Sword had slowed just before reaching the target, but even so, I drove it deep, then collided with the furry, meaty side of the huge cat. I spun through the air and luckily, landed on my feet, but I twisted my ankle in the process. Twisting to nip at the sword in its side, the jungle cat hissed. Then an arrow hit the big cat in the neck.
"Flail, attack!" Mira called, pointing at the feline.
Accompanied by the crunch of smashed wood, the Shaper's Flail flew out of the wrecked autocoach. Composed of six heavy iron balls joined to a central ring by weighs chains, the flail whirred to the jungle cat, simultaneously pummeling it and wrapping it up. With two legs pinned, the huge feline ended up on its back, hissing and struggling. The armored rider Mira had unseated was now on his feet clutching a double-bit battle-ax. He clomped toward me, weapon raised high. I prepared to dodge away from the downswing of the heavy weapon.
Before I could move, a golden rope lashed the rider's ankles together, jerked him upward, and flung him against a boulder across the ravine.
I flashed him a quick smile, and rejoined the fight, not that there was much of a fight.
The gigantic jungle cat went still as arrows accumulated. Jace whipped the ragbeast a couple of times, but the golden rope passed through it without grabbing hold of anything. The attack seemed to spur the tattered mass of fabric into action. After whirling in place for a moment, the ragbeast swished by me, doing no more damage than a thrown pile of laundry.
I went and retrieved my sword from the big cat, jiggling it to wrench it free. I wiped the blade against the animal's fur.
At the top of the ravine, near the bridge, a horse gave a loud whinny. I glanced up in time to see the steed rearing. A rider slid off before both silhouettes moved out of sight.
Wings fluttering, Twitch landed beside Mira. He crouched and helped her to her feet. The ragbeast glided swiftly upstream alongside the trickle of water.