His Captive Sorceress

Chapter 27: Nepolis

Morning light seeps through the roof's seams. The silence outside indicates that the Versillian soldiers have moved on.

Trevus jumps out of our hiding spot and then helps me down. I collect the saddlebag and Trevus's sword, and we step out the tavern together.

The soldiers' fingerprints cover the city. The streets are a mess of broken pottery, discarded food and the occasional unconscious man. While the inhabitants of Sisarea emerge from their homes, there isn't a Versillian soldier in sight.

"They'll reach Nepolis before we do," I say.

Trevus draws a golden coin from his pocket. "I have a strategy."

I follow his zigzags through the city streets. He soon finds what he's looking for – a stable master.

He selects a large brown horse for purchase. As I'm studying the magnificent animal, Trevus reaches under my arms. A yelp escapes me as I'm lifted into the air and placed on the horse's saddle. The great beast doesn't budge an inch, as if I weigh no more than a fly.

Trevus climbs on behind me. His chest presses against my back, and I'm sandwiched between his arms as he takes the reins.

He taps the horse's side with his ankle, and the animal's large shoulder muscles begin to move.

"Boulder," I say. "We'll call him Boulder." The name suits him well. He's heavy, unstoppable, and so strong that a home could be built upon his back.

"Very well." Trevus directs Boulder down the main street, and he begins to pick up speed. "To Nepolis."

* * * * * * * *

I perk up at the sight of a stone structure behind the trees. Trevus pulls back on the reins, bringing Boulder to a stop inside the forest.

He climbs off the saddle and helps me down.

Is this it? I tread through the crunchy long grass to get a closer look. I should be running in the opposite direction, but after nearly two weeks of traveling, curiosity draws me closer.

As I pass the trees obscuring my view, the edges of the structure become apparent. I have to crane my neck up to see the castle's crenelated walls. It's the height of five people head to toe, or perhaps four men like Trevus. Trees in the immediate area around the castle have been cleared, guaranteeing their archers a line of sight on anyone approaching the castle – as we are about to do.

"No further," Trevus says. "You shall be spotted."

I return to him. He holds a folded maroon and purple dress sewn together in a complex pattern. "Are these the clothes of a noble lady?" I ask.

"'Tis a replica gadin – the garment worn only by the Mephian Council of Six." He hands it to me. "Dress."

With my back to him, I change from my black dress into the gadin. The gadin dress reaches from collar to ankle, hiding all but my boots. Decorative black strips flow over my shoulders and separate from the dress at my waist, hanging loose. Maroon and dark purple segments are sewn together like a stained-glass window. The design hugs my middle tight, but the material is light, not restrictive like the oban.

Trevus crushes red paste with a pestle and mortar.

"How long until Evecius's army arrives?" I ask.

He kneels down, putting himself at eye-level with my neckline. He dips his finger in the red paste and draws a semicircle under my eye. "An hour if we are fortunate."

His fingers trace the bone under my other eye, completing the pair. "You shall play Grand Sorceress Ametha, the Fifth of Six. She is highborn."

He draws two vertical lines on my cheeks, resembling the path of tear streaks.