The Thief King

40 | An Occasion to Rise

-- Please note that below is first draft and to avoid spoilers, do not continue --

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Logan trusted Dorian to know where he was going. The alleys of the Nethercourt all looked the same to him. The buildings hid any possible landmarks to aid their flee and yet, the foreigner pressed on without a pause.

"How much further?" Sophia sobbed, clutching Logan's hand.

Dorian said nothing, but sent back a pitying glance.

"I need to rest, Logan," Sophia gasped, stopping in her tracks, her hand freeing itself from his own.

Logan stopped and so did Gemima, who knelt down next to the crouching princess. Sophia had buried her face in her knees, still balancing on the balls of her feet.

"We are not safe here," Dorian hissed. "We must keep moving."

"But moving where?" Gemima asked, rubbing Sophia's back. "Are we even headed for the palace?"

Dorian nodded as he surveyed their surroundings. "We are possibly very close to the second tier."

"Second tier?" Sophia cried. "But that is miles from The Golden Peak."

"Not miles, Princess. But a fair distance."

"I want to go back," Sophia demanded, standing without warning. "To father and the marshall. We are safe with them."

"We are far safer away from the fray of battle," Logan assured, turning to Dorian. "Forgive us, Lord Dorian, my sister is delicate and we both suffer from the nightmare and worry that our father suffers."

Dorian nodded, but made no attempt to say anything further.

"Soph," Logan gently probed his sister's compliance level. "Just a little further?"

Sophia exhaled loudly, nodding. "My feet hurt, Logan. These shoes are not meant for running."

"How about a brisk walk, hmm?" Gemima asked, directing the question both to his sister as well as their leader.

Dorian paused, he eventually bowed his agreement. "A brisk walk it is."

They continued their flight for ten more minutes before they reached the walls of the second tier. The buildings stopped suddenly and a weeded channel separated them from the stone structure.

Sophia sighed with relief and Logan could not help but also feel a sense of weightlessness. They knew where they were and more guards were surely close at hand.

"We would do well to travel east, there should be a gate nearby." Dorian ushered the three of them onwards, checking down each alley and road before crossing it. The empty channel was a relief to their aching feet and the silence their steps made was far less frightening than the clacks on the stone and dirt of the streets.

"Bastian will get father home, right Logan?" Sophia asked, keeping her head down either to watch her step or to preserve her shoes.

"He will do his utmost to see it so," Gemima answered when Logan did not. "All the men will."

"But his wound, Lord Dorian said it would surely kill him if not treated." Her gaze lifted just for a moment before returning to the ground. "Was this a ploy?"

Dorian cringed. "I am afraid not, Princess. We can pray that the Gods and fate are on his side."

Sophia fell silent along with the rest of them. It was a while before Logan escaped his thoughts of what ifs and his pondering of why. He looked up and found Sophia still trudging along with her gaze fixed on the muddy floor, Dorian up ahead scouting their safety and Gemima. She was focused on her steps like Sophia, but there was a defeated manner to the hunch of her back and her low hung neck. Logan jogged to reach her.