Color of Roses

Freedom

Chapter 32

"Thank the gods I got here in time."

Giles helps lower me from the railing and I collapse in his arms. He holds me close, something I never expected of him. I remain in his arms for a matter of minutes before I pull away. I can't even find the words to say and thankfully he explains everything.

"We've been planning to invade Stein to bring you home. We had to make sure our plan was flawless before following through with it."

"I'm so glad you're here," I say wiping away tears of relief.

"What did they do to you?" Giles examines the bruise upon my cheek and I look away. Giles looks to the door as the sound of men fighting comes through. "We need to get out of here now." He grabs my arm and pulls me through the door and down the hall. Men in Wysterian uniform and Stein's copper colored garb swing swords up at each other up and down the halls. Giles is quick to avoid any slices that come our way. We reach the staircase and I nearly stumble rushing down the flight of steps.

We burst through the front door where more men continue to fight. "We've got a horse waiting for you just outside the wall a few yards away. You need to hurry and ride to the next town over. Someone's already ordered to wait for you there. They'll get you back to Wysteria in secret."

"Wait, what about Alyn?"My eyes wander to the building off to the side of the castle. Giles follows my gaze. "He's in there?"

"He was captured by Byron's men! He's been horribly wounded."

"Hurry to the horse. I'll get Alyn."

"I'm coming with you," I say following behind him. He stops and faces me. "You need to get to a safe place as soon as possible."

I push past him and run to the building. He calls after me and grumbles something as he follows. I pull open the doors in a rush and the smell of mildew doesn't bother me as I'm focused on finding Alyn. Giles follows behind me, our footsteps echoing in the empty halls. I find the door where I first saw Alyn and Giles goes in first. The room is clear and we both run towards a bunch of cells in the rear. I look frantically in every cell and they're all empty. Panic rushes over me and I realize we're too late.

"Where is he?" Giles says with concern.

We look through all the holdings once again when a cry startles us from another room. We follow the cries until we burst through a door outside into a small courtyard. Albert stands beside Alyn as he tries to hold himself up with his arms. Albert swings the butt of his sword at Alyn and he topples over and cries out.

"Leave him alone!" I scream but Giles holds me back. He steps forward and pulls out a sword he had hidden beneath his tunic.

"You're all foolish to have come here. Byron has fled and you won't be able to find him."

"As much as I'd love his head, we're not here for him," Giles says smoothly. He steps closer and Albert places a foot on Alyn light a footstool. "You're here for this garbage?" He stomps his foot and Alyn groans.

"Just hand him over and we'll be on our way," Giles says. He was horrible at negotiating.

Albert removes his boot and rushes toward Giles who blocks the blow but stumbles back a step. Albert continues to swing and Giles has a hard time keeping up. Eventually his sword flies from his grip and he staggers back as Albert slices his arm. Albert laughs at him and lifts his sword up. I quickly grab the sword a few feet away and yell as I rush for Albert as he begins lowering his sword. I pierce his shoulder blade and he immediately drops his sword. He turns around angrily and kicks a boot to my ribs. His arm goes limp and rushes toward me. I turn to run away when he grabs my hair. I scream as he pulls me close and whispers in my ear, "I'll have fun slicing you apart."

I squirm beneath his grasp but his hold is tight. I hear Giles yelling behind us and I force my eyes closed expecting the worse.

The grip on my hair loosens and I hear the sound of blood squirting out. I turn around to see Albert's eyes grow lifeless as a sword protrudes from his abdomen. Alyn wavers behind Albert's collapsed body. Giles walks over to us gripping his wounded arm. "We need to get out of here quickly." He looks to Alyn. "Go with Aria. There's a horse waiting outside the city."

Alyn's eyes linger on me and I feel myself starting back. Color has returned to his eyes and I release a breath I hadn't realize I'd been holding. "Are you okay for horseback?"

He tosses the sword to the side. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me," I say sternly.

He grabs my hand and we start running toward the front gate. Giles goes in another direction and I follow behind Alyn. His wounds on his back have healed decently despite the condition he was in. His body is covered in dirt and grime and glistens with sweat. We dodge soldiers as we run through the open gate. Alyn starts to slow down as his breathing becomes heavy. "Are you sure you're alright?" I call out to him.

He continues to push himself and I do all I can to keep at his pace. We reach a clearing where a Wysterian servant stands with a black stallion. "Head north from here," he says as I start to climb onto the saddle. Alyn climbs in front of me and grabs the reins.

"You're in no condition to do that," I lecture. He slaps the reins and I grab hold of his muscular abdomen to keep from falling off as the horse gallops away.