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

The Rogue Knight: 18

Not far into the ride, when Mira mentioned that she was thirsty, we realized that we had brought no provisions. Skye had grabbed blankets with the saddles, but they lacked anything to eat or drink. Minimus volunteered to go find food and water, and rode away alone.
As the day progressed, the road we traveled dwindled to a trail. We passed nobody coming from the opposite direction, and nobody approached from behind. By the time the sun went down, the faint trail was becoming hard to follow.
Minimus caught up to them while they were making camp off to one side of the trail near a stand of trees. The sight of the little knight filled me with relief. I hadn't eaten since a quick snack before dawn, prior to the duel.
The Halfknight led a second horse burdened with supplies including biscuits, sausages, cheese, nuts, and containers of water. Me, Skye, Cole, Mira, Jace, Twitch, Dalton, and Minimus sat in a circle to share the food.
"Should we build a fire?" Jace asked.
"I don't know," Skye replied. "Brady was tended by Enforcers. They'll send out search parties. We don't want to draw attention."
"The night is not cold," Minimus said. "The food doesn't require heating. No flames would be safer."
"Where did you find all this?" Cole asked. "We weren't expecting a feast!"
"I had to ride most of the way back to Blackmont Castle," Minimus said. "Nobody lives out this way."
"It's true," Skye said. "Hopefully, this will be the last place they'd expect us to go. Everyone knows to stay away from the torivor."
"He has servants, though?" Cole asked.
"The Red Guard," Skye said. "They're the ones who must have taken Honor. If a member of the Red Guard is ever caught by legionnaires or the city guards, the penalty is death. No crime required. Members of the Unseen treat them the same way. They are servants of an ancient evil. You don't come across them often. The chances increase as you get close to the Lost Palace."
"I've heard of Trillian," Dalton said. "People talk about him like he's the scariest creature ever. But I've never heard who he actually is."
Skye shook her head. "That's because we don't really know. People who go to the Lost Palace rarely return. If they do, they've joined the Red Guard and become Trillian's devoted servants."
"Haven't you interrogated members of the Red Guard?" Jace asked.
"I've only ever seen one," Skye said. "It was back when I was new to the Unseen. I didn't get to talk with him, but I understand that he refused to answer any questions, even under torture. Frankly, I think most people prefer to leave the torivor alone. We don't need to understand him as long as he stays put. Nobody wants to stir up that hornet's nest. He's the monster our parents scared us with to make us behave."
"Go to bed or the torivor will get you," Cole joked.
"Exactly," Skye said. "Trillian has symbolized fear for generations of Ellowine children. Since he can't leave the Lost Palace, the people of Elloweer keep away and try to ignore him."
"And that's where we have to go," Twitch said.
"It's where I have to go," Mira corrected. "Nobody else has to follow me. I have to try to help my sister."
I knew Mira's current expression. It reminded me of when she had insisted they go after Carnag. I knew she would proceed alone if necessary.
But was that smart? Of course Mira wanted to help her sister, but what good would it do Honor if Mira got captured too? If people were scared to even go near where the torivor lived, it had to be bad news. Oster had acted like it would be suicide. If the mission was ridiculously dangerous, shouldn't we skip it? If we got captured or killed, who would help Jenna? I glanced at Dalton and Cole, who appeared thoughtful.
"I won't leave you, Minimus assured Mira. "I'm under orders."
"I may be useless," Jace said. "But I'm loyal."
"Useless?" Mira exclaimed. "What about when you attacked the Rogue Knight? That was one of the bravest things anyone has ever done for me!"
"Yeah." Jace chuckled darkly. "I really made him pay. He'll never tangle with me again. Attacking him was the loyal part. Failing was where the uselessness came in."
"Losing to the Rogue Knight carries no shame," Minimus said. "I doubt whether any warrior in the five kingdoms could best him."
"I didn't just lose," Jace said. "He didn't even consider me worth fighting."
"Be glad," Minimus said. "Your attempt was valiant, but the fight was not fair. He was a seasoned warrior, fully armored. You were a lad with a short sword. You have a brave heart. That can be more important than size or strength."
"Easy for you to say," Jace replied. "You're really strong."
"None of us start out strong," Minimus said. "And none of us have the exact same strengths."
"Cole, thank you, too," Mira said. "I couldn't believe when you came flying after us. How did you make the Jumping Sword work?"
"I don't know," Cole said, looking embarrassed. "I was really desperate, and it just happened. I haven't been able to make it happen again."
"You found Dalton," Mira said. "I know you three have other friends out there still. You don't have to feel stuck with me."
I glanced at the boys. I was worried they were going to leave.
"They found me by sticking with you," Dalton said. "We'll try to help."
I knew Cole was wavering, but if we were staying with Mira, that meant standing by her through the good and the bad.
"We're not leaving you," I said.
"We've made it this far together," Twitch added.
"That doesn't mean we'll keep surviving," Mira cautioned.
"Don't get me wrong," Twitch said. "I'm not above running away if it comes to it."
"I'm with you too, Mira," Skye said. "Hopefully, we'll never have to enter the Lost Palace. Maybe we can deal with the torivor through his Red Guard. Honor could be our only hope to stop Morgassa. Let's hope Trillian will listen to reason."
"Morgassa?" Mira said.
"You need to fill us in," Twitch said.
Skye explained what they had learned about Morgassa and her horde. Mira and Twitch listened with wide eyes.
"How long before she reaches the capital?" Mira asked when Skye finished.
"The Rogue Knight estimates she's nine of ten dam away from Merriston," Minimus said. "She doesn't hold to a straight path. She weaves around to hit any nearby town."
"Is the Rogue Knight keeping track of Morgassa?" Skye asked.
"He's aware of the threat," Minimus said. "He knows she is using figments to change people. Last week he sent a couple of his knights to investigate."
"And they came back?" Skye asked.
"He's never lost a knight," Minimus said. "We're not easy to bring down. Any of his men could defeat the greatest champions of Elloweer."
"How did he find such talent?" Skye asked.
"He's a unique man," Minimus said. "Unique men follow him."
"How much do you know about him?" Skye pressed.
"More than I can tell," Minimus said.
"What can you tell?" Cole asked.
"The Rogue Knight is the truest person I know," Minimus said. "I'm proud to serve him."
"How old are you?" Jace wondered.
Minimus laughed. "Why? Because you're all taller than me? Don't worry, it's a common question. Some people assume I'm a child. I'm more than twice as old as any of you besides Skye. I have never been endowed with great stature.
But I embrace my humble proportions. Hence my name, Minimus, and my title, the Halfknight."
"You named yourself?" Dalton asked.
"Nobody knew I would be so tiny at birth," Minimus said. "That name would have been quite a coincidence. My perents were both of normal size. They had me and then a brother. He was a dwarf as well."
"Is he a knight too?" Jace asked.
Minimus chuckled. "In his own way. Like I noted before, we all have different strengths. But my size has advantages. My opponents tend to underestimate me."
"Are you going to eat?" Cole asked. "We're all chowing down on the food you brought."
"I had enough on my way here," Minimus said. "I'm content. Part of my vow to the Rogue Knight stresses that I keep my armor on while in public. My true identity must remain secret. None of us go by our given names."
"Do you think you could give me some lessons with a sword?" Jace asked. "Maybe I could become less useless."
"So long as we journey together, it would be my pleasure," Minimus replied. He stood. "And I will keep watch during the night."
"You can't watch all night," Twitch said. "When will you rest?"
"I've always been able to cheat sleep at need," Minimus said. "I'll let you know if it starts dulling my edge. Tonight, sleep well. I'll rouse you if danger approaches."
"I'll lay a seeming over us that will last through the night," Skye said. "To any onlooker, we'll appear to be bushes and small trees."
"You can make that hold while you sleep?" Dalton asked.
"I use some of the same principles involved with a long term seeming," she explained. "It will only be good was around sunrise unless I strengthen it."
"Rest sounds good," Twitch said, yawning. "That was, long ride."
"It'll be a longer one tomorrow," Skye said.
"If nobody ever visits the Lost Palace," Cole said,
"how do you know where we're going?"
"Nobody goes there, but everyone knows the way," Skye said. "We just have to find the Red Road."
"The what now?" I asked.
Sky gave a half smile. "You'll see.

~Timeskip~

Once everyone was settled down, I laid down on my sleeping bag next to Jace. He was laying with his hands behind his head, looking at the sky.
"This is crazy." I muttered.
He looked over to me. "What is?"
I sighed. "All of it, I guess. Back home, I never thought any of this could be possible. And now, I have these powers, that I don't really know how to use, we're on a suicidal mission that could get us all killed. It's just so . . . I don't know."
He was quiet for a moment. "Tell me about your life back home."
I sighed. "Where do I start? Me, Cole, Dalton, and our friend Jenna met when we were in third grade. We've been best friends since. We went to school everyday. Me and Jenna had volleyball practice. The boys had soccer and football. It was on Halloween when we got stuck here. We had went to a haunted house. We were told the basement was scarier, so a whole group of kids from our school went down. Dalton had heard the door lock, and me and Cole didn't listen to him. They sprang the trap when we got down the stairs. There were kids from our neighborhood in cages, and bones all over the floor. Me and Cole got covered by a curtain, and the slavers didn't see us. We watched as the kids were forced to go through a manhole. Eventually, the slavers went through as well. We ended up following them down. There was a Wayminder there. He told us we couldn't go home, that we would just get drawn back here, to the Outskirts, and that our family's wouldn't remember us. Eventually, we snuck over to the slave wagons, where the kids were kept. We spoke to Dalton for a bit, until a kid gave us away. We tried to run, and eventually got caught. They made us walk behind the wagon for a day with no food or water. It was brutal, probably the hardest thing I've ever done. The next day we got put in a wagon with the other kids. A couple days later, we met Durny when he bought us. Then he brought us to the Sky Raiders, and you know the rest."
Jace looked at me. "I can't believe that happened to you."
I just shrugged. "At least some good stuff came out of it."
"Like what?"
"Well, I met you. And Mira, and Twitch. We found Dalton. I get to make seemings, which is pretty cool."
He smirked. "I am pretty awesome."
I laughed. "You are." I tried to say something else, but I yawned.
Jace laughed. "Maybe you should get some sleep."
I started to protest, but yawned again and gave in. I got under my sleeping bag, and promptly fell asleep.

~Timeskip~

I woke up in tears. I had had a nightmare about Jenna and the rest of the kids from home. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't help it.
It was still dark out. Jace was still awake.
"Hey," he shot up from his position, he had been laying down on his sleeping bag. "Are you okay."
I just nodded, not trusting my voice. I tried to pull it together, but the tears kept coming.
"Come here." Jace said, quietly. He gently pulled me over to him so I was sitting in his lap, facing him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my head in the crook of his neck.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice softer than I had ever heard it.
"Nightmare," I said, lifting my head to look at him. I realized how we were sitting, and blushed.
His featured were etched with worry.
"I'm okay." I promised.
He nodded and I moved away from him. He crawled under the sleeping bag, and patted the spot next to him.
"Do you want to stay with me?" He asked. For a moment I was surprised, but I climbed in next to him.
He wrapped an arm around me and I buried my face in his chest. I fell asleep to his comforting scent.