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

The Rogue Knight: 3

Mango flutter down. "Found Jace. Didn't take long."
"Scout ahead and behind," Mira said. "Let us know if danger approaches. After we get to Carthage, we'll cross into Elloweer. As a semblance, you can't go there, so find Joe and tell him where we went. Once Joe catches up to us, go back to Liam and let him know what we're doing. Then serve him until I return to Sambria."
The cockatiel dipped her head. "As you desire." She took flight, climbing swiftly.
I shook my head, realizing I barely even reacted now to a magically created talking bird helping out the group. It was amazing how quickly the totally bizarre could become normal when it was part of your everyday life.
"I've never been to Carthage," Jace said. "I hear it's quite a city."
"Not many cities span two kingdoms," Mira said. "Add that it's on a river, and you have a major trade center."
"And we have a few ringers to spare," Jace said with a grin. "I brought our money from the coach."
"We're not on holiday," Mira scolded.
"Plenty of people in cities have money," Jace said. "We'll draw less attention if we don't look like we're hiding."
"He has a point," I said slowly.
"Kids spending a lot of money always draws attention," Mira said, "as curiosities and as targets."
"She has a point too," Cole said.
"So do I," Jace replied harshly. "I've spent my life as a slave. I don't want to keep living like one longer than necessary. I'm free, and I have money. I don't think we should start tossing around gold ringers, but plenty of free kids our age have some money on them. Enough to buy some food and have a little fun."
"No fun," Mira said sternly. "We need to stay as miserable as possible."
Jace chuckled. "You know what I mean."
"I do," Mira said. "We'll have to spend a little money on food and lodging. But we need to be smart about it. Kids our age don't normally book rooms for themselves."
"Some kids have wealthy families," Jace said. "Some have jobs. Leave it to me. I've worked in cities. I can imitate a free kid better than any of us."
"You don't have to imitate one," Cole said. "You are one. Your mark says so."
Jace rubbed the freemark on the back of his hand. "Declan gave us the right marks, but free kids and slave kids act differently."
"Me, Kendal, Twitch, and Mira used to be free," Cole reminded him.
"Sort of," Jace allowed with a snort. "Mira was royalty on the run, you and Kendal were free in another world, and Twitch was free among the grasshopper people. I actually know what normal life is like here. How people act."
"Yes, you're very streetwise," I said, rolling my eyes but I was fighting back a smile. Jace noticed and smirked at me.
"Just try not to spend too big. And don't lose your temper."Mira said.
Jace grinned at her. "Lose it? Don't worry. I always keep it handy. Last one to Carthage has bug parts."
"Hey!" Twitch protested.
"Oh, yeah," Jace fake apologized. "Rat parts?"
"How about last one there was born a slave?" Cole retorted.
Jace flashed him an angry look. "Last one there hangs back in fights and sometimes helps a little at the end."
"Cut it out," I said. "How about we actually start?
First one there is the fastest." I raised my sword and called, "Away." I heard the others following.
By jumping each time I landed, I didn't find the travel too tiring. The Jumping Sword did most of the work. I just needed to correctly time each command and aim the blade in the right direction.
Even without heavy exertion, I wished I had caught some sleep in the coach. By the time the approaching dawn began to color the horizon, my eyelids were feeling heavy.
I wondered if it was possible to fall asleep while sailing through the air at terrific speeds. If I got tired enough, and the jumps were repetitive enough, I suspected the answer was yes.
As the sky grew lighter, I paused and sheathed my  sword. Mira came to a stop near me. "Anything wrong?" She asked.
"I noticed cottages up ahead during my last jump." I explained.
"It's getting too bright." Mira said.
Twitch removed his ring, and his translucent wings disappeared. He looked like a normal human boy.
"We have to be close," Jace said. "We went fast all night."
"I probably need to lose the flail," Mira said. "I can't use it in Elloweer, and it'll attract too much attention on the road."
"Aw, crud," Cole said. "That thing has saved us more than once."
Mira pointed off to the side of the road. "Flail, hide." The flail plunged into a bush beyond some trees in the direction she had indicated. "I'd send it back to Asia and Declan, but it can't interpret commands like that. Maybe we'll come back this way someday."
We started walking. My eyes felt dry and itchy. I kept blinking and rubbing them, but the irritation persisted. I needed to sleep.
Under the light of dawn, they began to pass farms. A wagon went by in the opposite direction. The driver hardly looked at them.
After the road briefly became the main street of a little amlet, they began to pass many more homesteads, large and mall. People went up and down the road on horseback, in wagons or carriages, and on foot. The presence of so many other people helped me relax and feel less conspicuous.
The crowds dispelled my sleepiness. I watched for legionnaire uniforms and tried to casually notice whether any of the passersby showed unusual interest in Mira.
As the sun climbed, the lane continued to get busier until it joined up with a larger road. Coming around a bend, I looked out at a massive wall that was the dark green of a forest at twilight. Beyond the imposing barrier, rooftops, domes, towers, and spires suggested a city of greater scale than I had expected. It didn't look anything like the scattered tall buildings and sprawling suburbs of Phoenix. This city was more compact, with architecture that brought to mind ancient capitals from history books.
"That really is a city," I muttered.
"Mhm." Cole said in agreement.
"You didn't think the five kingdoms were all farms and woods, did you?" Jace asked.
"And magical floating castles," Cole added.
"They haven't been here long," Mira said. "And we've avoided the more populated areas."
"Which isn't always the best strategy," Jace said. "It can be easier to get lost in a crowd."
"There are pros and cons," Twitch said. "Crowds have lots of eyes."
"Among the pros are food and beds," Jace said. "I'll take my chances." I agreed with him.
"What's Elloweer like?" Cole asked. "I still don't know much about it."
"It's hard to explain," Mira said. "The shaping in Sambria seems straightforward to me. Elloweer is more mystical. The shapers there spice things up with showmanship. They call their art enchanting."
"They make seemings," Twitch said.
"Seemings are illusions," Mira explained. "The best seemings look totally authentic, but they're not tangible, no matter how solid they appear."
"And then there are the changelings," Jace said.
"Changelings are living things that have been altered," Mira said. "In Sambria, we can imitate life with semblances, but our kind of shaping doesn't work well on living things. Some of the Ellowine enchanters can make astonishing alterations to living beings." Cole glanced at Twitch.
"What? Are you wondering if I'm a changeling?" Twitch said, looking offended. "If so, it happened a long time ago, to my great-great-great-grandparents and eventually I inherited it. But our traditions hold that our ancestors came to Elloweer from elsewhere."
"It's believed that Elloweer connects to many worlds" Mira said. "Or at least it may have in the past. Like Twitch, some of the unusual Ellowine people look human if they leave their kingdom. Others physically can't leave at all."
"Standard advice in the five kingdoms is to steer clear of Elloweer." Jace said.
"I didn't get taken as a slave until I left Elloweer," Twitch complained.
"Well, in Sambria, people think twice before heading too far east," Jace said. "Weird stuff happens there."
"Nobody knows all aspects of Ellowine enchanting," Mira said. "It's almost as murky as the shaping in Necronum."
Cole stared ahead at the city. "What's the wall made of? It looks a little translucent. Is it jade?" "The wall spotter strikes again." I muttered to Jace and he snorted.
"Who knows?" Mira said. "It was shaped long ago. You can bet it's tougher than jade. The old-timers who used shaping for construction knew their craft."
"If it was made by shapers, the wall must be different on the east side of the city," Cole reasoned.
"We'll see soon enough," Mira said.
The nearer they drew to the wall, the more details I could distinguish. The smoky green surface was ornately carved, especially near the top, with figures in relief and twisting vines bearing fruit. Because of the size and artistry, I suspected that on Earth, the wall would be one of the wonders of the world.
The road led to a massive gate, wide enough for a pair of wagons to pass each other going through. A raised portcullis hung above the opening like a row of giant spears. Pairs of armed guards stood at either side of the gate, vigilantly watching all who came and went. At least the guardsmen weren't dressed as legionnaires.
"We should split up on the way in," Twitch suggested. "In case they have descriptions of our group."
"Not a bad idea," Jace said. "I'll stick with Kendal. You three go first. Just head straight, then wait for us down the road Remember, you come here all the time. You're bored of this place. You belong here."
Once they were ahead, I said. "I hate how they think they have to baby sit us."
Jace laughed. "We are the ones that are most likely to make trouble."
I shook my head. "That's not why Cole is so weird about it."
"Why does he care so much?" Jace asked.
The real reason was because Cole knew that I liked Jace, and didn't want us alone together, but I was not going to tell Jace that, so I just shrugged.
The gateway's tunnel was about fifteen paces long. As I entered, I noticed one of the guards watching me. Beneath the shadow of the wall, I became painfully aware of the sword belted to my side. How suspicious did it look? Did kids carry swords here?
The grew hyperconscious of the ringers I had tied around each leg a serious amount of money. What if I was caught hiding so much cash? Jace must have noticed my nerves, so he occasionally bumped his shoulder against mine, reminding me that I wasn't alone. I looked at him, and he gave a small smile. A wave of emotion ran through me. I loved this boy with my whole heart.
Trying to dwell on dull thoughts, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I felt relief as me and Jace passed through to the other side of the wall, and I saw the city spread out before me.
The smallest buildings in view were three or four stories high, with some structures rising much higher. Merchants peddled their wares from stalls along the street. Others set their merchandise on blankets. Products included fruit, meat, clothing, jewelry, live birds, and painted statuettes.
The herds of people forced the wagons to make their way slowly, though the throng tended to part when horses got ar. A couple of autocarts fought the crowd as well, pulled walking bricks.
Me and Jace moved down the street a few blocks, then paused at a corner. The cross street was busy but not as busy as the avenue that came through the wall. After a couple of minutes, we saw Cole, Mira and Twitch. Jace being Jace, decide to sneak up on Cole, and he clapped a hand on Cole's shoulder from behind.
"We want you for questioning," he said in a gruff voice.
Cole went tense for a moment, then shrugged away from Jace. "You're hilarious."
"I told you we'd sail through if we just acted natural," Jace said.
"Where to now?" Twitch asked.
"I vote for food," Jace said. "We should spend most of our time on the Sambria side until Joe shows up. We can check his fountain every day, but I'd rather lay my head where I know my gear will work."
Down the cross street some distance, I noticed a man step out of a doorway. He wore a familiar wide-brimmed hat and a long, weathered duster. Not a young man, he looked as lean and tough as beef jerky. I would never forget that face. It was Ansel, the slave trader who had brought our friends to the Outskirts.
For an instant, I could neither move nor breathe, Ansel was the man who had taken us captive, threatened us with a sickle, and chained us to the back of slave wagon. He was cold, competent, and dangerous, And he was not yet looking my way. By the look of panic on Cole's face, I guessed he had seen Ansel too.
I grabbed Coles arm and yanked him around the corner and out of sight.
Ansel's narrow eyes flicked in my direction. Perhaps the motion had drawn his glance. There was no way to be certain whether Ansel recognized us, but for a slight moment our gazes connected. With a sickening jolt of panic, I knew I had better assume the worst. Ansel wasn't the type to miss much.
"We need to split up. Now." I said hurriedly. I didn't want to leave the only friends I had with danger coming my way, but I knew it would be tricky to disappear into the crowd moving as a group. If they stayed together, they might all get captured. My friends didn't deserve that risk. Besides, the others would have a better chance of helping us if they were free.
"What?" Mira asked.
Backing down the street, I gestured for the others to scatter. "The slaver who captured us is here. I think he saw us. He knows we shouldn't be free. Let's meet up on the Elloweer side by the fountain Joe talked about. You guys can't be seen with us. It will draw to much attention to you. Me and Cole will stick together."
"I'm not leaving you!" Jace protested, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up in wavv spikes.
"I'll be fine. I promise. Please go. You guys can't get into more trouble because of us."
Twitch was already walking away into the crowd. Mira hesitated, but a shooing motion from Cole got her going. Cole started walking down the alley and I turned to Jace. He was in anguish.
If me and Cole got captured, we probably wouldn't see them again.
I quickly kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be fine. You trust me right?"
He nodded, his face flushed.
"You have to go," I said, putting my hands on his chest and gently pushing him away. "We'll find you guys."
He looked like he wanted to protest, but he walked away.
I soon lost sight of him. We were on our own. At least our friends had taken me seriously.
"We have to move." I said, catching up to Cole.
"Do you think he saw us?"
"I don't know, but if he did, we're in trouble."
If Ansel was running, he might already be near the corner. If he was walking quickly, we still only had a moment or two.
Having already hustled some distance down the street, we stepped through the nearest door and into a large, busy eatery. It was mostly men inside. They sat on benches at long, wooden tables. Huge, skewered roasts rotated above fire pits. The air smelled of smoke, charred meat, and herbs.
In spite of our current desperation, my hunger reacted to the rich aromas.
I noticed windows on the far side of the room.
Windows meant a yard or a street. We had no idea whether Ansel had seen us duck into the eatery. I hadn't risked looking back, for fear of showing my face. But I knew I had to keep moving just in case.
Running would attract attention, so we walked across the room as slowly as I dared, weaving around tables, trying to look casual. Nobody seemed to pay us any mind.
Maybe Ansel wasn't following us at all. The slaver might not have recognized us. I risked a backward glance. Nobody else had come into the establishment yet. If Ansel was in pursuit, he may not have seen us go in here. The crowded street outside should have provided decent ene Even if Ansel caught up to us what could the do? According to the mark on our wrists, we were free.
Ansel knew we should have a slavemark. The unlikely chasm could lead to dangerous questions at a time when us and our friends needed anonymity. Slaves or not, they were fugitives.
The legion wanted all of them, especially Mira. Now that she had her shaping power back, the High Shaper would stop at nothing to find his daughter. Last night's ambush was proof. My stomach churned. If Ansel caught us and investgated our freemarks, our escape from Skyport would come to light, along with our connection to Mira. We would not only be in trouble with Ansel, but with the High King too. We'd end up enslaved, imprisoned, or worse. And that would be the end of trying to find our lost friends and get home.
On the far side of the room, beyond an interior wall I found a door. Relief surged through me. I glanced back across the room just in time to see Ansel enter.
The slaver's eyes found us immediately. In that steady gaze, I saw suspicions confirmed, along with the wordless gloating of one who has uncovered the guilty secret of another.
As Ansel calmly started our way, we darted out the doorway The door led to a narrow alley paved with dark bricks In one direction, the alley opened onto a busy street. In the other direction, the alley turned a corner. If we ran for the street, we could probably get lost in the crowd. But it Ansel doubled back and looped around, the slaver might be waiting for us by the time we got there.
We ran away from the street, toward the bend in the alley hoping it would lead someplace better. As we reached the corner, I heard the door open behind us.
Around the corner the alley became narrower, with puddles of grimy water where bricks were missing or had sunken. After no more than twenty paces the alleyway elbowed again. Beyond the next turn awaited a dead end.
Sheer walls rose five stories high in all directions. There was single recessed door on the left. Trying the handle, I found it locked. I swore.
"Now what?" Cole said.
Footsteps approached. Not running, but walking with purpose. Trying to stay calm, I drew my Jumping Sword. At least there were no onlookers. Cole drew his too.
I considered waiting for Ansel to round the corner, then jumping straight at him. It would be an all-or-nothing attack. What if the slaver dodged it? I had no desire to tangle with him in a fair fight.
Even if we could kill Ansel, would it be right? Ansel was following us, which seemed menacing, but the slaver had made no threat, and taking slaves was legal in the Outskirts. Then I had an idea.
"Follow me," I said quietly to Cole.
I aimed the sword at the top of the left-hand wall and said "away" in an urgent whisper. I soared upward like a rocket, and reached the top of the building at the apex of my flight, and landed gently. Cole came up right after me. The flat roof had hatches for access, and nobody was up there. Hurrying away from the edge, I lost all view of the alley. I couldn't be sure whether or not Ansel had witnessed our jumps, but I felt certain that if we peeked down to check, Ansel would see us.
We crouched in silence.
"I know you're up there, princess. You too scarecrow." said a parched from down below, not loudly, but loud enough. "Probably with renderings you swiped from the Raiders. You're in trouble. The life of a slave ain't no picnic, but the lie of a runaway is much worse. At least be man enough to face me. What am I gonna do? Fly?"
I hesitated. Ansel had just confirmed that he specifically recognized us. Could anything be gained by talking with the slaver, now that escape was in reach? Ansel thought we were runaways. If we explained ourselves, was there a chance the slaver would leave us alone?
Jenna came to mind. So did Dalton. Ansel might have information about where they had been sent. Was there any way he would cough up some details? I doubted we would get many opportunities to speak to somebody with direct knowledge of what had happened to our friends.
I peered down to find Ansel looking up. He had a satchel over one shoulder, but his hands were empty. The slaver gave a nod. "That's right. Nothing to prevent us from having some words. How'd you end up here, princess?"
"Adam Jones let us go," I said. "We're free."
"You have your papers?" Ansel asked.
We had no such papers and didn't want to show Ansel that our bond marks had been shaped into freemarks. That would only make the slaver more curious.
"No papers. But you're welcome to check with Mr. Jones. We didn't run away." I said.
"Hasn't been many weeks since I sold you to the Raiders, Princess. They free their own from time to time, but that takes years, not weeks. And they would give you proof of your freedom."
Adam Jones had helped me, Cole, Jace, Twitch, and Mira escape Skyport when the legion came looking for Mira.
By issuing a command in code, he had his men slow down the legionnaires while me and my friends got away. But if pressed, I figured Adam would call us runaways in order to keep up appearances.
"Why do you care?" I shouted down to him.
Ansel turned his head and spat. "Have we been introduced? Slaves are my trade, princess. I'd turn in a runaway on principle, especially two I sold, and that's ignoring the reward."
I knew I could end this conversation. I just needed to take off across the rooftops. But I didn't relish the idea of Ansel scouring the town for us. If his fellow slavers were also in town, it could end up causing serious trouble. And what about Dalton and Jenna?
Should we show Ansel the freemarks? Would that evidence satisfy him? At this distance, Ansel might assume it was a trick. Even if the slaver could examine the legitimacy of the mark, the impossible change might only heighten his interest.
I bit my lip. No matter what else we tried, we needed to fish for information about the other slaves. This man might have all the answers we needed!
"What about our friends?" Cole asked. "Do you know where they ended up?"
"We sold the lot of them," Ansel said. "Are you still trying to rescue them? I can sometimes admire stubbornness. But not stupidity."
"Do you know where they went?" Cole repeated.
"All the deals go through me," he said.
"One of our friends is named Dalton. You remember him?"
"You both showed special interest in Dalton and another called Jenna," Ansel said. "They both went to Junction. That was temporary. They're long gone. They've been sent out across the five kingdoms by now."
I heard a creak behind us. Whirling, I saw a balding, beefy slaver coming up to the roof through a hatch. It was Ham, who had greeted us in the basement spook alley back in Arizona.
If not for the faint sound of the hatch opening, we would have been blindsided and captured. Glowering, Ham rushed toward us. Pointing our sword to the roof across the alley, me and Cole gave the commands and leaped across. The slaver dashed to the edge of the building, then eyed the gap, as if considering a jump.
"Send him away or were gone!" I yelled down at him, pointing my sword to another roof, ready to make a longer leap.
"Come back down, Ham," Ansel growled.
Ham retreated and disappeared down the hatch.
"Now I see why you were so talkative," I said.
"I do what I can," Ansel said. "Might as well come down too, Princess. That sword may let you fly, but once I'm on your trail, it's only a matter of time.
"Don't bother," I said. "Were free." We showed Ansel our wrists.
Ansel frowned up at us for a long moment. Reaching into his satchel, he withdrew a spyglass. He held it up to an eye, focused briefly, then lowered it. "That looks pretty good from here. How'd you manage it?"
"I told you, Adam Jones freed us. He had some guy he knew change the mark. That's why I don't have papers." Though bending the truth, I was trying not to stray too far from what actually happened.
"What guy?" Ansel challenged. "I've heard of some needle masters adjusting bondmarks after slaves are set free. But nobody can erase one and replace it with a freemark."
"This guy could," I said.
"Why would Adam Jones do a thing like that for two new slaves?"
"We saved some lives, including his." This wasn't exactly true either, but I was trying to stay in the same neighborhood as the truth. After all, we had saved Mira.
"You're a liar," Ansel said. "There's a lot more to this story."
"Were free," Cole said. "Leave us alone, or we'll tell the authorities."
Now Ansel grinned. Even from five stories away, the expression made me want to run and hide. Ansel removed his sickle from his satchel. "The authorities? Tell you what, Scarecrow, princess. I'm a man of my word. You come down here, let me have a look at those freemarks, and I promise not to harm you. We'll straighten things out between you two, Adam Jones, and the authorities. If they agree that you're free, I'll pay you handsomely for the trouble. Run, and I'll find you, hack off that hand with the phony mark, burn it, and drag you back to the Sky Raiders in chains. Choice is yours."
I really wished Jace was here. His rope would be a huge help right now. I glared down at him. "I'd like to see you try."
"How about option three?" Cole called to Ansel. "You already wrecked the lives of us and our friends, how about you find new slaves to pick on?"
"Not gonna happen, Scarecrow."
"You might end up chasing us for years," I said.
"Not likely," Ansel replied. "If so, I can afford it. The trick is living within your means. You stash away a little here, a little there. Go ahead, run off, and I'Il accept it as your admission of guilt."
"It's sad that your willing to throw away so much money just to find us." I said. "We don't like you and we don't trust you. Were leaving. You'll never see us again. If you do, you better watch out."
Ansel gave a dry laugh. "You just threatened me! That makes you the only living person to have done so."
Several paces behind us, a door crashed open. Ham staggered through, breathing hard, face red, pate sweaty.
We sprang back across the alley. I glanced down at Ansel. "Really?"
"I never agreed he wouldn't come up the other building," Ansel said.
"Door at the top was locked," Ham apologized.
"Leave us alone," Cole said. "Were not running because we're guilty. Were running because you're chasing us."
Without waiting for a response, I pointed my sword, gave the command, and jumped to a more distant rooftop a couple of stories higher than our current position. Cole followed me. Two more hops, and we found ourselves near a major street. After some brief reconnaissance, I jumped down into an empty alleyway adjoining the street. Trying to shake the suspicion that we were being watched and followed, I exited the alley and joined the crowd.
"What's the plan?" Cole said.
"Don't get caught." I replied.