Pendola wiped his eyes repeatedly, trying to get his vision back. It took only a few seconds once the cloud had dissipated and he got into the alleyway. He peered into the square and watched as spiders attacked everything in sight. He couldn’t concern himself with their affairs at the moment. He watched as Kail and his crew began to run away. Cowards. He had to find Adonius. He had to make sure his king was safe.
Pendola barrelled down the alley leading back toward the castle. There was a specific protocol in case of a security breach. The King was to be put into the spire and the doors were to be locked. The spire had a hidden underground passage that would be used for the King to escape back to the castle, or from the castle to the spire, depending on where the breach had taken place. All available Hawks and the Royal Guard would be instructed to keep the door protected at all times. The only man with the authority to enter the spire was himself to see to it personally that the King made it back safely.
How long had it been since he had sent the king along with the others? Too long. Sure, he had saved some of his men from the Nocturnal beast, but he never should have let his personal feelings get in the way of his main duty. Maybe it was his pride that compelled him to slay the monster, and the lives of his men were meaningless to him. He dwelt on that thought as he ran. Then a more pressing thought entered his mind. If something had happened to the King, it would mean his head.
His pace quickened. His legs bulged with each perfect step maximizing his speed. The spire was just around the corner. He was only a few steps away from the corner when he realized that the sun was beating down on his head. There should be an overpass here, he thought. I should have shade. He finally noticed the chunks of rock scattered around. As he turned the corner he saw what he now expected to see. A solid wall of stone blocked his path. It stretched from the wall of the adjacent building to the canal that ran through the town.
He was amazed. When could this have happened? He assumed he would have heard an explosion, but over the chaos of the square not much could be heard.
This was a bad sign. A very bad sign. This must have been done by Kail’s men, he thought. They must be on the other side of the barricade. Going around via the canal would put him on the opposite side of the spire most likely in the presence of Kail’s men. Pendola knew that he was good, but no one was good enough to take on a team of armed men. Especially not the trained ones who sailed with Kail. Climbing up the stone wall would be asking to get shot, as he would have the highest ground and no cover for protection. Going around would be a colossal waste of time. Even with his speed he would need to travel back through the square and around the city block. It would take at least ten minutes, and that’s if he didn’t get shot in the process. That was ten minutes he didn’t have.
That left only one option. He ran back into the alley and surveyed the building. There were two windows on the second level that were out of reach. More accurately, they were out of reach for a normal human being. He kicked off the wall of the building, then off the pillar that paralleled it. He stretched up and caught the sill. He eased into the room. It was clearly someone’s home, who was infatuated with the colour green. Pendola barely noticed. All he could see was red.
No one was home. They were likely at the execution and ran once they heard Kail’s bomb threat. He moved quickly through the room passing out the door and into the hallway. More rooms enveloped him on both sides. He kept straight and rushed down the stairs only stopping at the door. He slowly pushed it open a crack, and peered out.
Sure enough, it was almost exactly as he had pictured it. His men were guarding the spire’s door and pirates held their position to the south. Only, these weren’t the pirates he had expected. These were Algathians. He could tell by their enormous frames. Were they in on Kail’s plan or was this just tremendous bad luck? No, there was no way that this could all be a coincidence. Though many of its settlements had been raided in the past Pleneasia itself had never been attacked before and now two crews attack in the same day. Definitely not by chance.
