Ceridor (Danubian #4)

9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Ceridor

We slept a couple more hours before my bladder woke me. Disentangling myself from Johann, who was glued to my chest and not inclined to move, I crept across the chilly floor and into my clothes, then down the hall to the restrooms. I was still half asleep, but my body felt so good, rejuvenated. Not only that, but it was from being with Prince Johannes Ott, of all people. If we somehow woke to a peaceful world tomorrow, I would pull him aside and ask when he wanted to meet again before setting off toward home.

Back in the hall, I swung by what had been my guest room and grabbed my things. But the next time I stepped into the hall, I registered voices and the sounds of heavy footfalls through my sleepy fog. The rushing of men.

I dipped back into my room but kept the door cracked, listening as hard as I could. It was still dark out—what were so many men doing awake before daybreak?

Calming my breathing, I let my life force flow and focused on my hearing, years of discursive meditation training at Diana Monastery coming to bear. Amid all the conflicting noises rushing together, I heard the fastening of belts and the scrape of more than one man withdrawing his sword to check it, then sliding it back home in its hilt. Then a verbal confirmation, one man to another.

They were going to attack Ulbrecht and his men while they slept.

I had to get Johann.

Dashing into the hallway, I nearly careened right into an enormous man who wrenched Johann's door open and charged inside. King Ott yelled for his son to wake and then growled and bellowed at finding him naked. I heard poor Johann's startled shriek but then someone ran right into my back and stumbled.

I whipped around to find Princess Alodia trying to get by me. Against her will, I hustled her into my guest room and shut the door.

"Let me go," she whispered harshly, fear in her eyes. "Father will kill Johann if he finds out what you two were doing last night!"

"Effie"—I said her nickname, hoping to calm her—"we must go, right now. Johann asked me to promise him that I would get you out if there is fighting this morning, and there will be. Your father and his men are going to attack Ulbrecht's camp."

Effie seemed to stop breathing and I grasped her arms and squeezed before she fainted. The nearby argument was still going, Johann hollering back at his old man and clearly stalling and making as much noise as he could.

"Come with me," I urged. "Please trust me."

She shook her head and pulled against my grip.

"Please trust me," I implored again. "I promised Johann your safety. We'll get to my horse and to the border in a couple of hours. I alerted Magnus about the situation here a few days ago. He will have left word with the border guards to let us through. Once you're with Magnus, I'll return for Johann."

She had tears in her eyes, but she sprang into action, grabbing her coat and riding pants and boots, throwing them on hurriedly under and over her sleeping gown. Then she grabbed a small bracelet that glinted, saying it was her mother's. When she turned to me, her tears had dried and her expression was hardened to the bitter truth: this might be the last time she saw her home. Everything was changing, right at this moment.

From the sounds of it, King Ott charged down the hall, pushing a stumbling and protesting Johann ahead of him, and it took everything I had to not dash out there and save the beautiful young man who'd held me last night.

Effie and I crept along the hallways and she led me to the stables. Thankfully the growing chaos meant we were overlooked getting to my horse. Shouts of alarm were just rising from the tents in the front courtyard but I kept close enough to confirm that Ulbrecht's men indeed were aware of the attack and did not need me to warn them.

We tore out of there, bolting into the darkness and straight west to the border.

The blessed moon came out from behind the clouds, lighting the rest of our path until we got to the forest. I was thirsty and my bum protested at being in the saddle so soon after such a hearty romping, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I kept alert for anyone else on the road.

"Are you still a prince regent in addition to a bard?" Effie asked softly from where she sat in front of me.

"Yes and no. Our last playdate was on my eighteenth birthday, during which I explained to my father that I wasn't going to take over for him as regent, and that Magnus wanted to instead," I explained. "Had our mother not stepped in, my father would have disowned me on the spot. So I still have my title even though I don't plan to use it. But while Magnus is only a presumptive heir, he's perfect for the role, and the people tease that he should call for an election to try to force Father into retirement."

"Magnus was always, well...magnanimous," said Effie.

I chuckled despite myself, pleased she was in good enough humor to crack a joke.

We rode in silence once entering the forest. By the time we reached the border an hour later, I was exhausted from the adrenaline of being on high alert for bandits, listening to every snapped twig or hooting owl in the darkness that crowded in from all sides.

At the border, the guard held a lamp up to my face, and as I fished in my bag for my seal marking me as a regent prince, I heard my little brother call my name. "Ceridor!"

He charged up to us, eyes wide. "Effie?"

"Magnus!"

He reached up to her. Effie took his hand, got off the horse, then stepped into his arms. I smiled at what my little brother must be thinking, his eyes closed as he hugged Effie with all his might. Fifteen years ago, Magnus had had a ferocious crush on Princess Alodia.

"I'm going back for Johann," I explained, but Magnus only had eyes for the princess.

I swapped horses and rode back through the dark forest.