The Seven Souls

Chapter 12 (Amber)

So there were me and Julius, sitting in the back seat of a stranger's car with the driver wearing a guard's uniform. He probably bought this car on a guard's salary, too.

Julius was the one to break the ice. "So who's your friend?"

"Everyone, this is Blake Remington of the Kospolginian Castle Guard," Marigold answered with a hint of fake high-class airiness.

"I told you, my name is Chris," the guard grumbled.

"Blake, Chris, I've called you by your last name so many times I've forgotten your first name," Marigold chuckled.

So many times? How long have they known each other? "Lemme get this straight," I said. "You befriended a castle guard?"

"Incorrect," said Marigold. "I bribed a castle guard."

Julius leaned over to me and whispered, "How many crimes are we going to commit before we save this kingdom?"

"I don't think bribery is a crime," I whispered back. "It's just frowned upon."

"It's a funny story," Marigold continued, completely oblivious to the two of us literally talking behind her back. "So Remy here is one of the guards who threw me in the dungeon when I tried to kill the king." She turned to Remington. "Do you mind if I call you Remy?"

"No," Remington answered succinctly.

"Cool. Well, Remy threw me in the dungeon—"

"I meant no as in you can't call me that."

Marigold huffed. "'Do you mind?' Most confusing question ever. Well, he throws me in the dungeon, Wally busts me out. Remy Who Insists on Being Called Remington notices. Before he can arrest me again, I put a few bucks in his hand and say 'No one has to know.'"

"Where does the getaway driver part come in?" Julius asked.

Marigold said, "That was while we were getting driven off to jail. While you two were in your own car, I was in the back seat of my own trying to get Remy on the line."

Remington interrupted with, "I already told you—"

"But Remy sounds much cooler," Marigold whined, "and it's easier to pronounce. Anyway, as it turns out, you can use magic to contact someone who doesn't have a wand, so I called Remy and said, 'Hey, we're getting whisked away to jail. We're gonna need a getaway driver when we bust out of there. I'll pay you if you do it."

Remy sighed. Oh, great. Marigold's got me saying it, too. "Spending time with you is going to compromise my morals, isn't it?"

"Don't worry," Julius said with a sigh. "We've all compromised our morals, too."

But I had a different question on my mind: "Where are you getting all this money to bribe him with?"

Marigold scoffed. "My family's financial situation is none of your business."

"Alright, fine. I just expect most teenagers to have just a few hundred dollars."

"I'm not most teenagers." Marigold waved her wand. A huge wad of bills appeared in her other hand. She held it out to Remington.

"Not while I'm driving," Remington said.

"You're no fun." Marigold put the money away.

So maybe I was wrong. I sort of thought from looking at her that she was middle class like everyone else. Maybe I shouldn't have assumed what class she was from based on the bandanna on her head and the glasses on her face. What if she really did have money?

"Do you even know where we're going?" Marigold asked.

"I've got the address you sent me in my GPS." Remington pointed at the GPS poised on the dashboard. Please tell me we were going to her house and not back to the castle to try and kill the king again. I was thrown in jail once for talking about killing the king once. I don't want to go in again for being an actual accessory to murder.