“Do you know of another exit?” I asked the dwarf, glancing at the walls.
The dwarf stroked his beard. “I’m sure there’s another one, but we not only would have to find it, but the guard there will probably be just as heavy.”
“The front it is.”
We strolled towards the guards with confidence. My plan was to walk right past them, praying they wouldn’t ask any questions and that I wouldn’t have to use my power on them. As we approached, the guards readied their weapons.
“What do you think you’re doing, Wizard?” a guard asked, gripping his sword’s hilt tightly.
“Leaving.”
“You’re not leaving. You’re under investigation for what’s happened here.”
The men atop the walls aimed their crossbows at me. The guards on the ground stayed out of their line of fire, but drew their swords. I summoned the wind around me, ready to use it to disperse the crossbow bolts.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said.
“No, but your elven friends did.” One guard looked up from bandaging a wounded man. It was Jerrel.
I raised my right eyebrow. “I can’t believe my friends would harm anyone. Sharald and King Furlong are allies.”
“Most of my men suffer arrow wounds, and only elves could loose their bows so quickly and accurately.”
“Accurately?” I asked.
“Yes. Prastian made sure he didn’t kill any of them.”
“That’s good.”
Jerrel glared at me. “Some suffered broken bones from falling off the wall, and one will never lift a weapon again.”
“I’m sorry about that, but we need to leave.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” the other guard said, eyeing me.
“Please,” I said, ignoring him and focusing on Jerrel. He was the only guard who hadn’t drawn his weapon. Maybe he could be reasoned with. “I don’t want to hurt you or your men.”
Jerrel’s hard eyes stared at me, then moved to my companion. He saw the wounds on the dwarf’s body. Jerrel’s eyes settled on me. His gaze never wavered, and neither did mine. I was leaving one way or another. I couldn’t be caught. If I was, not even the princess could help.
Finally, Jerrel said, “You may go.” The guards around us lowered their weapons. “You obviously weren’t responsible for the attack, and we have no orders to detain you.”
“Premier won’t be pleased about this,” the glaring guard next to him said.
“We serve King Furlong and Princess Krystal. No one else. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the man said, sheathing his sword.
“I suggest you hurry, Wizard Hellsfire,” Jerrel said.
I nodded. As we passed him, I said, “Thank you, and—you’re not the only one who serves Princess Krystal.”
“I know.”
The dwarf and I hurried out of the castle, disappearing into the marketplace, doing our best to blend in with the people there.
----
“Nice work, lad,” the dwarf said when we were well away from the castle. “I was afraid we were going to have to fight our way out. And thanks for rescuing me.”
“No problem, although we're not safe yet.” I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see Premier come bursting of the castle, or at least see riders chasing us down. “We've got to leave the city. I’m not sure if Jerrel’s given us enough time.”
“I agree.” He fiddled with his beard. “We're going to need horses.”
“I have my own. I can buy you one and new clothes, and then we can go our separate ways.”
“You're not coming with me, lad?”
I raised an eyebrow. “To where?”
“Erlam. I could use your help.”
I shook my head. I had to get to the elves, and stop Premier. “Can't. I've got important things to do.”
“This concerns all of Northern Shala.”
I paused and looked down at him. “What do you mean?”
“There's an army of Wasteland creatures coming to Alexandria. They must be stopped!”
I saw a contingent of guards running up the street. I pulled the dwarf around the corner of a building and readied my magic. However, they went past us.
“I agree with you,” I said. “I was just going to go to Sharald to get help from the elves.”
The dwarf's bushy eyebrows went up. “Very wise of you, lad, but Alexandria's going to need more help than that. I've seen the creatures. There’s far too many for either Alexandria or Sharald.”
“And you can vouch that Erlam will send its army here?”
He nodded. “Aye.”
I glanced back at the castle, worrying about Krystal. “I'll go with you, but first I need to warn the princess. Now that we’re past the castle walls, if I have any problems, you can and should escape.”