Flames of Ashes

Chapter Twenty-One. Sneak Out

"The pain we feel only fuels the fire for the future quests"~Athika
***

After Battle Strategy Class and The Art of War, I managed to get Ben and Celia alone to discuss the next course of action.
"We need to sneak out of the knighthood," I had not finished my statement when Celia interjected, "Okay, when do we leave?"
"You have not even heard why we need to do it"
"But it involves sneaking out and I'm up for some mischief, what about you Ben?"
"Why on earth would I say no?" he grinned and I was speechless. They agreed so easily, probably because being trapped here was insanity. Someone was always dying. They reminded me of Drake and Arthur when they wanted to engage in a hoax in the capital.

"Are you sure? We could get punished if we are caught." I reminded them and I too was not sure what the punishment was.
Celia rolled her eyes, "Stop being a flinchlet and tell us the plan."
The plan was to leave during the mid-day break and sneak back in if we did not make it back in time for afternoon drills, which included exercises that gave me a serious headache. We were going to Caramat's Night Market. Yes. Caramat might have a slight obsession with Night.

As I waited for Celia at the gate with Ben, I spotted a familiar black, green, and red-haired girl with a silver nose piercing.
"No, no, no. Oh hell no!" I shook my head, repeatedly as Celia, Raph, and Eritrea got to where we stood.

"What is she doing here?" I turned to Celia.
"She heard about your plan to save Tammy and I thought it might be a good idea to bring her along."
"How in the four kingdoms did she hear about it?" I crossed my arms, my voice tight with disbelief. Celia must have told her. Her hearsay would get her into trouble one day.
"Xarian, Eritrea just wants to help, so I think you both can set aside your differences and work together," Raph stepped in but I glared at him, so hard I thought my eyes would pop out and stab him with a knife. We did not need to work together. I had them and that was enough.

"Our differences? She is not going anywhere with me!"
"Like I want to go fucking anywhere with you," she retorted.
There was no other sentence that could convey what I wanted to say better than this as I narrowed my eyes at her, "I do not trust you."
"Xarian, I can vouch for her. I have known her since we were kids and she is trustworthy." Raph said while Ben held my wrist, stopping me from storming off.
"And I don't give two shits if you trust me."
I gave a plastic smile. "Well, lucky for you, I do not, because you have given me no reason to. For all I know, you can just put an arrow through my heart! First, you tied to me a tree, took everything I had, and left me to die in the woods, I got scratched by a bear and then you attempted to disable me!"
"Too bad I didn't get to finish the job," she took a step forward, eyes brimming with anger and I clenched my jaws, my face hardening.

"Stop it, both of you! You are causing a scene," Ben gestured to the other knights staring at us, curiously. "You need to get along for Tamsin"
"She is not coming with us!" my voice drowned his out.
"You are not the only one that cares for Tamsin."
"Why do I find that so hard to believe?"
"Because all you nobles believe that when you speak, everyone should fall at your feet," I traced my tongue on my upper teeth, trying to not commit another arson. I knew she hated me because Caramatians raided their villages, killed their people, and separated her from her sister, but it still annoyed me that she just judged me based on that. Well, I did murder her sister.

"And because your thinking is even smaller than your tits," she added and before I knew it, my crutch had hit her face as hard as I could swing it.
"Shit! Xarian what are you doing!?" Ben exclaimed while Raph pressed his lips into a thin line to contain his laughter.
Celia held me back as Eritrea spat out blood that the snow soaked up, eagerly. Yes. I nodded. That felt oddly satisfying. The last thing I wanted was to hurt Maze's sister but she deserved it.