The Grim (Ravens #3)

xxxvii. marching forward, marching on

A/n: I told y'all I was spamming. Here's a surprisingly funny chapter. Thank me later. 

 Under Sonja's guidance, King Hunter Summers made no move to block the united Union forces from marching on his city.

"Let them come," she had said. "They can't charge us with anything if there was no crime."

"We already did. We skipped Vanessa's trial."

"We don't know that she's one of their citizens," Sonja snapped. "We won't know that until they show us proof. And if we were wrong about her, if she played us, then we were reckless and deserve whatever is coming."

"This is a city that honors the fight," Hunter grimaced, running his hand through his dark hair. "I refuse to just let them in so easily. They will be our destruction."

"If we have broken the charter," she began, "Then punishment is inevitable. But by letting them through, we feign cooperation and they will be more willing to be merciful. This is the fight, my love. Besides, denying them entrance would mean that we have most certainly broken the law, and I'd rather gamble that we're still inside the lines."

"They are going to kill us, Sonja. If we were fooled by a child—"

"If we were fooled by a child, we deserve whatever the hell is coming."

After a brief moment, Hunter nodded. "They can investigate the ring, but they won't touch the bitch who brought this upon us."

Sonja approved of this concession, and turned to the guards in the room. "She's been quiet lately, but if she hears intruders she'll know to make noise," she said. "Drug her again. We have the claim to Vanessa Doe."

------

"Do we have any idea where they might be keeping her?" Mai asked, drawing the other three to the side of the concrete palace once the troops had the city's familiar walls.

"Either in there," Donny gestured to the building beside them, "Or she's in the cells beneath the ring. Ezra said they kept them there initially."

"Then we should split up," Skylar suggested, to which the others nodded. She took a deep breath. "Alright, Maibastian take the ring. Donny and I will handle the palace, since he's been in there before."

"Sounds good," Mai nodded, reaching for her boyfriend's hand to get him to focus his attention back on the plan rather than scanning the exterior for any sign of his sister, for she knew well enough that they would not be so stupid to hide Emma where the outside could see her. Before they walked away however, Mai turned back around. "Hang on, what did you just call us?"

Skylar smirked. "What?" she snickered, "It's easier. Go do your job."

Rolling her eyes, Mai turned back around, Sebastian trailing a step behind, still overthinking every rock on the cobblestone street. Skylar sighed, watching them walk away. "I feel so bad for that kid," she said. "This is, what? The fourth time he's thought his sister was killed? That sucks, man."

"Yeah," Donny nodded. "So let's go find her." The building itself, however, was surrounded by guards glaring at them with rifles in their arms. Weapons that could do immense damage compared to Skylar's pistol.

"You happen to know of any secret doors that might be unguarded?"

"Servant's entrance," he said. "They don't put guards on those doors. At least, they didn't the last time."

"How do you know this shit?"

"Ezra and I had her in common. Thank him." That answer was enough for Skylar, who nodded and beckoned for Donny to lead the way. Just as he had hoped, the narrow door leading towards the servants' quarters was unmanned. He opened the door slowly, but there was nothing stopping them from entering. This was, of course, because the guards were located where this wing met the main building, and the king could not have cared less about who was visiting his subordinates.