The Death Kingdom

Chapter Twenty-Two

My dinner almost comes roaring up out of my mouth at the sight of the Guardians. There's no possible way we'll beat them. The Guardians notice us, yelling out in alarm.

I slam the door closed locking it within a second of seeing them. I turn to look at Prince Auden next to me, his face deathly pale.

The Guardians bang their fists on the door, trying to open it up. The lock won't hold them for long, they'll find a way in if they haven't already sent a few around to another entrance.

"We need to find another way," I say, my voice shaking with every syllable.

"They're going to be stationed around every exit if they're already here." Prince Auden's voice is clipped, anger flaring. He gives me a look and I go from frightened to seething in a second.

"And you think this is my fault?" I quip back, staring him down.

Prince Auden takes a step closer to me. "Yes, I think—"

"It's my fault brother. Don't bring her into this. If I hadn't insisted upon finding you and taking you with us we would've been free and clear. I wasted precious minutes coming to find you," Prince Kavi interjects, giving his brother a meaningful look. He places his hand on his brother's shoulder, giving a light squeeze. "I couldn't leave you."

The tension in Prince Auden's shoulders relaxes and he looks over at me, his gaze softened. "I'm sorry," he says much to my surprise.

"It's fine," I tell him, trying to shrug it off. I study his facial expression, remembering back to the first time I met him and something clicks in the back of my mind. "You know how to get out of here unseen don't you?" I raise a challenging eyebrow at him.

Prince Kavi gives me a confused look. "How would he know a secret way to get out of here?"

But Prince Auden stares at me. "Seems you remember our first meeting well."

"You were in the castle walls without anyone knowing. Come to think of it, why haven't you suggested your special way out yet?" I cock my head at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

Prince Auden glares at his brother. "I wasn't aware of how dire the situation is. This is the first I'm hearing about the Guardians."

I give Prince Kavi a glare, but he has the decency to look sheepish. "I didn't have a lot of time okay?"

Prince Auden turns his gaze back to me. "It's also not a pleasant experience. I hope you're not afraid of tight spaces."

I give a small shrug, not too worried, but I turn my attention over to Prince Kavi, whose face blanches. I share a look of concern with Prince Auden.

A loud bang reverberates through the hallway and we all flinch. The Guardians will get through that door in a matter of minutes.

"Time to move." I push both of them in front of me. We don't even bother to go one at a time past the archway into the kitchen because the entire staff is already there staring at us.

"Don't mind us," Prince Kavi says in a cheerful tone. "Came for a midnight snack but looks like there's some issue outside. Better be going!"

They look at us like we're insane, but at least they're not running to the door to open it for the Guardians. I think just seeing both of the princes at three in the morning is enough to shock them into doing nothing.

Prince Kavi and I follow behind Prince Auden as he starts sprinting through the hallways, his footsteps scary quiet. I'm still trying to figure out why Prince Auden has secret routes in and out of the castle. I almost don't want to question it since it'll come in handy now, hopefully, but all the same, I'm still dying to understand Prince Auden. I hate this fascination with him, the desire to learn more about who he is and what makes him tick.