Rise (War Witch Book 1) (62 page)

Trailing Esteban as he headed down the corridor at a trot, Chara couldn't stop trembling. She hadn't even hesitated. No more than she'd thought. She'd just killed four men, and she hadn't even considered it. Certainly, they had been threatening, their expressions letting her know they meant to murder she and Esteban both, but still.

Is this what I'm becoming
, she asked herself.
Am I okay with that?

"Hold there," a soldier called.

Esteban jerked towards him, reaching for the poleaxe he wasn't carrying. Cursing softly, he brought out his claws as he called back, "What do you wish of us?"

"They're here," the soldier yelled.

"Dammit," the big Cat growled, grabbing Chara up and running as more guards came, joining the first and pursuing them.

There was no time to head for the training chamber, where his weapon was stored. At least, not until he managed to shake the soldiers who were after them. His mind reeling, he turned, not plotting a course, just running, trying to lose them in the maze like interior of the castle.

"Stop," Chara said suddenly. "Put me down."

"Beloved," he replied.

"Just do it," she ordered.

Skidding to a stop, he did as she asked, setting her back on the floor. Pulling her weapons, she leveled them on the hall, waiting for the guards to come into view.

She didn't want to kill anyone. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to meet up with the other Blessed. However, Esteban was unarmed, they weren't here, and like Hells was she going to play the damsel.

She shot the first soldier to round the bend, reducing him to ash as he screamed. Her next two hit the wall, letting the other pursuers know she was holding her ground. Cautiously, one peeked around, spotting her. She took his head without flinching.

"Listen up, boys," she called. "I want some answers! What the Hells are you playing at?"

"We have orders," a soldier called back. "From the King himself. You both have been found guilty of acts of sedition against the crown, and are to be put to death on sight."

Chara scowled. "That's absurd!"

"The King ordered it himself," the soldier replied.

Her mind spinning a mile a minute, she asked, "What of the Blessed?"

"If they aren't dead already, they soon will be," came the answer. "Make it easy on yourself. Give up, and we'll make it as painless as possible. You can't escape, or win."

"Like Hells," she muttered, waving Esteban to run.

Dropping a few well-placed shots to cover them, she fled at his heels, trying to sort it out. Untar would never order something like this. Just yesterday, he'd been planning to come to Ramora's birthday party. What had happened overnight to change things this much?

"Unless Untar isn't Untar," she gasped, coming to a stop. "That's got to be it."

"Beloved, we shouldn't tarry," Esteban urged.

Waving him to be quiet, she examined the idea carefully, picking it apart, looking for flaws, and finding none. It was the only logical conclusion. Untar would never betray his friends, therefore, Untar wasn't who he claimed to be.

"He's not Untar," Chara said slowly. "The King, he's been replaced somehow."

"Which we will have a very difficult time proving if we're dead," the big Cat argued. "Run now, think later."

"Wait," Chara snapped. "We need to reach his personal quarters. Whatever evidence we need, that's the most likely place to find it."

Esteban fretted about for a moment. "I don't even know where that is."

"I do," she said. "Sixteenth floor, west side."

"How can you know that?" Esteban asked.

Chara shrugged. "There's a tour of the castle. I was talking to the guide over lunch the other day. He said it was the highlight of the tour."

"He?" Esteban fumbled. "Who is he? What were you doing eating lunch with him? Where was I?"

"Seriously," Chara barked. "You want to argue about that right now?"

Esteban sulked a bit. "No, not right now. Later."

"Whatever," Chara groaned, waving him to follow her as she darted down the hall.

Finding a staircase, she pounded up it, weapons sweeping ahead of her, ready to fire on anyone who stood in her path. At the moment, she had to consider every soldier in the castle an enemy, and while she hated to hurt any of them, wasn't about to give in and let herself be killed.

Winding their way up, the two found resistance to be much lighter than they'd expected. Only the occasional soldier bared their path, and usually, fled the menace of Chara's mystic weapons. It was another puzzle that picked at her brain, eventually drawing her to a stop down the hall from their goal.

"What?" Esteban asked. "What is it?"

"Where are all the guards?" she asked.

"Chasing us, I think," he replied.

She waved a gun in the air. "No, stop, think. Normally, how many soldiers do you see on duty in this place."

"I'm not sure," he answered, growing exasperated. "I've never counted. Come on, we need to hurry."

"Esteban," she snapped, freezing him in his tracks. "This is important. Typically, there are dozens stationed all over every floor. We've only seen a handful. Where are all the guards?"

Agitated, he stilled himself, trying to be calm. "Somewhere else."

"If this was a game of Masters," Chara said slowly. "Having pieces somewhere they shouldn't be, somewhere you wouldn't normally put them for a sensible gambit, means that you're playing a different tactic."

"This isn't a game of Masters, beloved," he reminded her.

"Everything is a game of Masters," she told him pointedly. "The soldiers normally stationed around the castle are somewhere else. Where? Some place they can be more effective than here. Which means, they know they have this area secured and in their control, so they must be..."

Esteban frowned at the look of shock and horror that crossed her face. "What? Where?"

"We need to hurry and find out what's going on with Untar." She rushed ahead. "If I'm right, this is bad. Really bad."

"What is it?" he cried, running after her.

"The city," she told him. "They're in the city!"

Esteban shook his head, not understanding what she was saying. So what if they were? There were hundreds of soldiers stationed all over the city. What difference did the ones from the castle make? It wasn't as if they didn't already know he and Chara were coming there.

In a blink, he understood. They, and the rest of the Blessed, were already coming to the castle. Why would there be fewer guards than normal? It really didn't make sense. Unlike her, he couldn't grasp the why, though.

"Chara," he started as they rounded the turn that led to Untar's chambers.

They both froze at the sight of Leena standing in the hallway, two long, curved, wicked-looking daggers in her hands.

"Aw, shit," Chara sighed.

Swinging her weapons up, she made to fire, only to have the daggers flash, knocking her shots wide, tearing holes in the walls. As she sought to reorient, Leena was already on the move, peppering Esteban with fast blows. Chara tried to swing around as the King's aide ducked from her line of sight and disappeared behind the Werejaguar, who found he couldn't move.

"Lower those," Leena ordered, watching Chara carefully from behind her glasses. "Or my next strike stops his heart."

"I'm not about to just stand here and be executed for crimes we didn't commit," Chara snapped.

Frowning, the other woman repeated herself. "Stand down, Chara. I will kill him if you don't."

Looking for a clean shot, Chara snarled back, "You'll kill us if we do! Forget it! Touch him again, and I swear, you'll die burning!"

"Do as I say, child," Leena snapped.

"Not a chance." Chara wasn't sure defying her was the right option, but she had no intention of simply laying down to die. Not for anyone. Not ever.

Leena stared at her for a long moment, then struck Esteban again.

Ramora and Leto ran into the entry hall of the castle, where they paused, finding no one. Usually, there were at least half a dozen soldiers on duty here. For it to be completely empty made the feeling of something being off grow. They hesitated a moment, casting about anxiously.

"Okay, so, important visitor, and you pull the entire contingent of guards from the front door of your house," Leto said slowly. "Somehow, I don't think so."

Ramora shook her head. As she did, the two heard a series of heavy
whupping
sounds coming from one of the corridors that branched off the main room. Glancing at each other, they raced for it. To Ramora's ear, it sounded like spellwork, though she didn't know of anyone else normally in the castle, besides herself, capable of channeling mystic energy. They came to a stop a moment later as they found four piles of ash in the floor.

"What the Hells?" Leto muttered.

Suddenly fearful for Chara, Ramora signed that they needed to get to the training chamber, where the rest of her gear was stored. Nodding, Leto followed as she ran down the hall, away from where Chara and Esteban were being pursued.

A scream reached them a moment later, freezing them both. It was distant, echoing through the corridors, making it impossible to be sure where it had come from. Trepidation growing, Ramora moved forward, wary now as Leto shadowed her back, watchful gaze darting to each passage and door they crossed.

Winding their way through the corridors, both felt the growing sense of fear and uncertainty. Something bad was happening, though neither could guess what. They needed to join up with the rest of the Blessed, find Chara and Esteban, then locate the King.

They agreed to this plan without a word exchanging between them, both accustomed to prioritizing and executing battle plans as the need arose. In greater numbers, they would be stronger. Their two friends would need their protection. Untar was the only one who could explain what was happening.

The feeling of anxiety that was slowly knotting Ramora's gut was something she ignored the best she could. Chara was capable, as was Esteban. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. No matter how much she told herself that, she still found herself fretting after her young friend. If she was harmed, in any way, Ramora didn't know what she would do. Chiding herself for being foolish, and selfish, she wished she hadn't lingered in bed after all.

"I'm sure they're fine," Leto said to her as they hurried along the hallway. "I admit, I'm concerned as well, though."

Ramora made a quick sign, indicating she was trying to focus, making him grin.

"As am I," he agreed. "It isn't easy, knowing our friends may be in trouble. If they are in trouble at all."

Nodding, she agreed that was the most troubling part. They had no idea what was actually going on, or if their companions needed their help at all. For all she knew, this was part of whatever hair-brained plan Chara had cooked up to celebrate her birthday.

It that was the case, her young friend was getting spanked, Werecat be damned.

Gripping her sword tighter, Ramora felt guilt wash through her. She was supposed to be taking care of Chara, not frolicking about with a good-looking man. She knew she shouldn't think that way, that Chara had been happy for her, but still, her sense of responsibility gave her the feeling she'd made an error in judgment.

Over-developed sense of responsibility
, her Rabbit trilled.

Be that as it may, she'd promised Diem she would take care of his daughter. There was no way of knowing how much danger she was in now, and Ramora berated herself for allowing it. She should've gotten up, gone with them, so she'd know where they were.

Her Rabbit warbled softly that she couldn't take care of the young woman around the clock. She was, after all, pretty much an adult, capable of making her own choices, in case Ramora had missed that.

Knowing the little spirit was right, she still felt that oppressive sense of guilt hanging over her. If anything happened, if Chara was hurt, or killed, it would be her fault. She had to find her, and protect her.

Turning a corner, Leto drew up short, making Ramora skid to a stop, looking at him in curiosity. Hesitant, he pointed to the wall, making her turn. Her eyes widened as she saw the smear of blood there.

"There, too," he said, pointing father down.

Glancing around, Ramora looked at the stain, judging quickly that whoever had left it had been heading away from the direction they faced. Backtracking, she looked down the hall they had just turned from, and saw another smear a few feet away. More was on the floor, a steady stream of it she easily followed back to where Leto stood, tracing it back down the hall with growing consternation.

Whoever it was may be a foe, she thought, deciding to backtrack and see where the fight had taken place. Letting Leto know, he hesitated, pointing out it could be an ally in need. That was enough for Ramora, as she thought of Chara being badly injured.

Waving Leto on, she followed the trail as it twisted and turned, heading ever back to the main hall. She moved slowly, least there be a trap around any corner, her sword at the ready. Whatever was going on, it had just been confirmed as bad. That was real blood, from a real injury.