Theo met the two men at the door, looking up at Diomedes with blotchy red cheeks and a runny nose. A knot formed in Diomedes’s stomach, but when his sight found Camile packing things into a bag with no tear in sight, he relaxed.
“Why the long face, kiddo?” Armannii asked, squatting down in front of Theo.
The little boy’s lip trembled, and without warning, he started crying. “Mother says we have to leave, a-and I can’t say goodbye to my friends.” Theo hiccupped and threw his skinny arms around Armannii’s neck.
Armannii stood up, scooping an arm underneath Theo so he didn’t fall. “Well, Didi and I are here now. You get to say goodbye to us.”
While Armannii reassured Theo that his world was not ending, Diomedes crossed the shop to Camile.
“Your Highness,” she said, stopping what she was doing to bow her head. “We are forever in your debt. Forrest told me how you got him out of the prison. And then to spend that much money on the medicine—”
Diomedes held up his hand, stopping Camile. “I’m sorry it means you have to leave everything you know.”
Camile’s smile was genuine when she responded. “It’s not the first time we have had to leave at a moment’s notice. And until the war ends, I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
“How’s Maisy?” Diomedes asked, glancing toward the back curtain. “Is Forrest with her?”
She nodded. “He’s getting things packed up back there and keeping an eye on her to make sure the medicine really did work.”
“So was it instantaneous? Maisy getting better, I mean.”
“Yes. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Camile’s eyes went to Theo, who had switched from tears to gales of laughter as Armannii put him on his shoulders and ran through the rows of produce. “She’d been coughing nonstop, and I knew it was bad when there were flecks of blood coming out. But after a minute or two of taking the medicine, she was quiet. She hasn’t coughed since. Sh-she’s alive because of you. Both of you,” Camile said as Armannii walked up to them.
Diomedes was glad when his friend took Camile’s focus off him. Gratitude was something Diomedes had never been comfortable with.
Armannii lifted Theo off his shoulders and set him down on the counter next to the bag his mother resumed packing. “Where will you go? Or do you know yet?”
“We—”
“Your Highness,” Forrest said as he came out of the back room with two bags in one hand and a smiling one-year-old in the other. “I’m glad you made it out safely.”
Maisy leaned forward, nearly tumbling out of her father’s hand as she reached for Armannii. The elf grinned, assisting Forrest by taking Maisy and spinning her around twice. Diomedes watched them for a second before turning his attention back to Forrest.
“I did. And I assume everything went well when you two left?”
“Couldn’t have gone smoother. And as you can see”—Forrest nodded toward Maisy—“your efforts were not in vain.”
Diomedes nodded, a grin spreading on his lips. “Although, if you’re not careful, your next worry will be Armannii stealing your children when your backs are turned.”
Armannii, who was making faces at Maisy to get her to laugh, looked up at the adults and nodded. “Quite possible.”
“Uh-huh,” Camile said, rolling her eyes as an endearing smile crossed her lips.
“It’s true.” Armannii grinned, his eyes gleaming gold. “I’m not above kidnapping when the children are this adorable.”
“I’m glad to see that you’re lying,” Forrest said. “As much as I’m sure Theo would love to go with you—”
“Can I?” the little boy asked, clinging to Armannii’s leg.
Forrest’s laugh was a low rumble as he shook his head. “I doubt the things the two of you will get up to will be suitable for a child.”
“And what exactly do you think we’ll be getting up to?” Armannii asked in the middle of tickling Maisy.
“Don’t answer that.” Diomedes held up his hands. “You don’t need to give him any ideas. I’m sure he’ll think of plenty of exciting, possibly illegal, and definitely dangerous things without aid. Besides, I have a feeling all of us are going to be on the royal guards’ radar for a while. It might be a good idea to lie low until my father remembers that I’m better as a son than a prisoner.”
Camile, Forrest, and Armannii laughed.
“You’re right though,” Forrest said after a while. “We should get going soon. The royal guards will come looking for me here.”
Diomedes nodded. “We all should go.”
“And what are you going to do?” Forrest asked as he pulled a bag over his shoulder.
Diomedes pressed his lips together, frowning at Forrest’s question. “I want to make a difference. If I can’t stop the war from inside the castle, then I’m going to find a way to stop it from outside the castle.”
“And how exactly are you going to do that?” Camile asked, her hands on her hips. She raised one of her eyebrows higher than the other. “There are people out here in the real world who have been trying to put an end to this war for almost three generations. I’m not saying I doubt you, Your Highness, but your aims may be a bit high.”
“You think I should lower them?” Diomedes picked up an apple from a nearby crate, examining a small black mark on it.
“I think you should set smaller goals and figure out ways to reach them first. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
Diomedes considered her words. “There may be some wisdom to what you say, Camile. Maybe we should start with what my ancestors say the problem is.”
“What are you on about, Didi?” Armannii asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched Diomedes pull out the knife he had taken from the mugger and slice into the apple. “What are you—”
“We need to figure out what started the so-called rotting in the country.” He turned the apple toward them, revealing the rotten brown flesh under the smooth, nearly spotless skin. “Kylian said it was magic, and everyone believes him. But we know he was wrong about magic—it’s not corrupt by nature—so there must be something else. My father claims he wants the war to be over, and I say we test that. We find evidence that Kylian wasn’t as perfect as history makes him out to be, take it to my father and the council, and see if we can end Kylian’s war. We’ll see if my father is actually true to his word.”
“That’s a nice thought,” Armannii said as he handed Maisy to Camile. “But where do we start? I’m sure your ancestors had anything suspicious about the beginning of the war destroyed.”
“Probably,” Diomedes said as he tossed the rotten apple into the rubbish bin. He tucked his hands into his trouser pockets, leaning against the wall.
“This is just a thought, but what if we wait in a pub for all of this to blow over?” Armannii asked, a grin on his lips. When Diomedes raised an eyebrow at him, the elf continued. “What? Why go looking for information that’s not there? Sounds like a lot of work and no fun.”
“And who said ending the war would be fun?” Diomedes asked, taking his hands out of his pockets and pointing a finger at Armannii.
Armannii sighed, then shrugged. “No fun. Got it.” Armannii crossed his arms over his chest. Diomedes hadn’t even noticed that he was wearing his quiver and bow strapped across his back until now. As Diomedes considered it, he realized that the elf had probably been returning from collecting his favorite weapons from whatever hole he’d been staying in when he showed up after Diomedes was almost mugged in the alley. That was the magic of speed runes. Armannii could zip around wherever he desired as long as he was careful not to be seen.
“Take some food,” Camile said, gesturing towards the crates filled with fruits and vegetables. “They’ll all go bad anyway.”
While Armannii picked through the produce, Diomedes asked Forrest if he could borrow a cloak, and then thanked him when Forrest came back with a dark blue one for him.
Armannii’s head perked up, and Diomedes waited for the elf to explain what he had heard that they couldn’t.
“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I think it’s time to skedaddle.” Armannii nodded towards the door, and several seconds later, Diomedes understood what his friend had heard.
Marching footsteps resounded from the small window that led out to the main street. If the royal guards made it to the alley before they made it out, they’d be trapped. All of the efforts to save Forrest would be in vain, and worse, his entire family would be in jeopardy.
“You’re right,” Diomedes said, motioning for Forrest and Camile to go in front of them.
“Always am.” Armannii winked as he left through the door in front of Diomedes.