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Aric heard her voice before he saw her.
“Tie his arm! You must stop the bleeding!”
Thank God, he thought, relief washing over him. If she was able to help, then that meant she was safe; at least, for the moment.
Slinking over to one of the pillars, he was setting his sights on the archer crouched down a couple pillars down. Carefully rounding it, he came to another balcony, his back to the pillar as he surveyed the landscape. He could hear them conversing below, followed by a staccato of clashing steel. Hearing Jocelyn again, he became curious, needing to see her, to make sure she was okay.
Staying low to the ground, he kept to the shadows as he looked beyond the balcony’s edge. He could make out two figures fighting in the center of the room, a small group of people huddled underneath the far balcony using it as cover. A few bodies laid dead on the ground, including a woman lying next to a man, the crown just a foot away.
Aric’s eyebrow raised a little, not expecting to find the queen dead. His eyes scoured the room, finding Callan on his knees, holding his arm while blood marred the side of his temple and face. Then he recognized Eiden from all those years of seeing glances of him, wielding a sword as he made a wide circle, his focus intent on someone Aric couldn’t see, the angle obstructing his view.
Aric smirked at his hunch, wishing he had made a bet with Callan on which brother would betray him.
Then, as Aric pressed forward to see who was holding their ground against Eiden, his curiosity getting the better of him, his gaze fell on the woman... holding the ax....
Shit! His mind screamed, seeing the profile of Jocelyn’s face as she pivoted, keeping herself aligned with Eiden. A cold sense of fear drained him as he moved forward, his body reacting before he could stop himself. He saw the way Eiden was eyeing her, noticed the way he handled the sword.
No, not her! He was about to come to his feet until something moved across the way on the other balcony. Catching himself, Aric slunk back into the safety of the shadows. Regaining his composure, he caught sight of another hooded figure before it disappeared into the darkness.
Snapping awake, Aric took one last look below before moving back to his original position against the pillar, his back to the marble. With the knife in hand, he was eyeing past the next pillar, trying to catch sight of the archer he was stalking and telling himself to focus. He couldn’t help her if he was killed.
“I hear Aric Kayden was a hard man to impress, and yet, you managed it.”
Aric’s anxiousness vibrated under his skin, recognizing that voice. He had heard it so many times in his nightmare, the Mask who tortured and tormented him. But then he remembered the body in Traitor’s Alley, and looking in their direction, he became hesitant. He knew that tone; knew nothing good ever came from it.
“The way he was with those harlots—” a whistle drew out then “—I’m a little surprised he even considered you.”
There was no reason for his jaw to clench the way it did, given that it wasn’t a far-off statement. He had had his fun; lots of it. Even if things with Andrina were destined to end abruptly anyway, the old him would have found another harlot to take her place; that’s just how it was. But with Jocelyn, there was no one else. And having to hear her listen to those things made his nerves crawl, like being outed in front of a crowd. He wasn’t ashamed of his past, and yet, his gut turned just the same. Her opinion of him meant more than he realized.
It was when he heard Callan come to the defense, reminding Jocelyn—and Aric—that his brother wasn’t someone to trust that Aric fell back into focusing on the task at hand. He was making his way to the other pillar, knife poised, when he heard Henrik and Callan yelling, driving his attention back to them.
In the light, he saw the bundle of blonde hair in Eiden’s grip. He watched the plan unfold, and even in the distance between them, he watched as it affected her. Jocelyn’s stance hadn’t changed, yet something had—the way she hesitated, the way she was breathing hard. He almost leapt up onto the balcony to prove the man wrong until movements across the way grabbed his attention, reminding him of what he needed to do.
Kill them all, his mind ordered.
The archer didn’t have a chance to fully lift his bow when Aric rounded the pillar, taking the man on in just a couple of strides. Pushing the hooded figure up against the pillar, he had the blade hilt deep into the man’s throat, right below the mask he wore. The gargling was hushed behind the mask, no one around hearing as the body convulsed before slowly dying off. Aric lowered the body to the ground, and yanking the blade out, placed it dripping back in his boot, knowing he’d have to clean it later.
Staying bent down on one knee, he unhooked the quiver and slipped it from the body. Buckling it in place against his back, the leather strap was snug against his chest as it ran diagonally from shoulder to hip. Picking the bow and a loose arrow off the floor, he heard a clank before a couple of screams erupted. Peeking over the balcony’s edge, he found Jocelyn was still on her feet, picking her ax up while Eiden stalked her.
“Hell, you’re a determined little thing,” the younger prince was applauding. Aric’s nerves ached in wanting to cut the man’s throat.
Just keep it up a little longer, sweetheart, Aric thought, taking one more look at Jocelyn, remembering his promise to her.
Hearing something shuffle down the way, he put an arrow in place and rotated around, keeping behind the pillar. Arrow drawn, he inched out, met with an arrow striking the pillar right in front of him. A dark form shifted in the shadows, causing him to release his arrow. It scraped against his hand holding the bow, followed by a brief pause before a hissing grunt echoed in return, hitting its target.
Drawing another arrow from the quiver and notching it to the bow string, he rounded the pillar and made it to the next balcony. Staying down, he peered again, finding two dark movements instead of one. Someone had come to their comrade’s aide.
Pulling a second arrow, he turned his bow slightly sideways, positioning one arrow against the other. Inching out again, he caught the two dark figures already coming closer. He was fluid in how he pulled the string back and then let go, releasing the arrows. One hit its mark, causing the body to drop. The other hit someone in the side, who slunk back out of sight.
Aric was rounding the pillar when something sliced his own side. He ducked behind the pillar, realizing an arrow had grazed him. Given all he had endured so far, the wound itself was more of an annoyance, just deep enough to bleed.
He could hear Eiden’s voice again but tuned it out, trying to listen for something else. Then he heard it: the quick succession of footsteps.
Pulling another arrow, he quietly sat the bow down and faced the pillar. As the hooded figure rounded the corner, his own bow and arrow in position, Aric was able to elbow the man in the arm, the bow flinging sideways, sending the arrow off into the distance without a target. The mask faced him, and Aric used his surprise to his advantage, gripping the man by the throat as he plunged his arrowhead in the man’s eye. He tried to scream, but with Aric’s hand around his throat and the mask already muffling his voice, the sound went unnoticed to those below.
Knowing he was still alive, Aric pulled the arrow out and stabbed it into the eye again, trying to hit the kill spot. Suddenly, the man jolted, and Aric caught sight of a figure down the way taking aim with his bow, striking his comrade in the back. Aric pushed the body forward, using him as a shield as the archer at the end released another arrow, hitting the body in the leg and causing him to slip a little from Aric’s grasp.
And then the gunshot was fired.
Everyone scattered, the figure at the end bolting towards the closest balcony as Aric dropped the body he was carrying and kept his cover behind a pillar. Using the reprieve, Aric hurried back to where he dropped the bow, picking it up as he stayed down on one knee. Looking at the scene below, he found the shot had come from Callan. Then he saw Jocelyn being pinned down by Eiden, and something in him snapped.
His hand pulled the arrow out from the quiver, already having it positioned in place before he realized what he was doing. Taking aim in between the railing, he was about to release the arrow when he noticed someone coming up behind Eiden, keeping quiet under the cover of those who never gave away he was there.
Henrik! Aric wanted to call out to him, to tell him he had a better angle, he’d kill this man for them like he was supposed to. But this was Henrik, loyal to the end, even when he didn’t stand a chance against his opponent.
“Kill me.” Callan dropped the small gun, lifting his arms up. Knowing the prince, he already caught on that it was an act. “Let her go, as you said you would, and come claim the crown.”
Taking the scene in, Aric knew Callan was only keeping Eiden distracted. The younger prince obviously didn’t believe it, but the curiosity was getting the better of him.
Callan, however, kept the antics up. “Let’s end this once and for all.”
It was when Eiden grabbed Jocelyn by the hair and struck her head against the hard ground that he wanted so badly to beat Henrik to the punch. But then the lad had his arm around the prince, dragging him off Jocelyn. He had a good hold too, until Eiden threw his head back, striking Henrik right in the face. The lad was dazed, and effortlessly, Eiden turned the tables on him, one hand holding the lad by the collar while his fist rammed repeatedly into him. Henrik tried his best to cover his head, being pushed farther back with each strike.
The room became alive then, everyone yelling for Eiden to let the lad go. Callan was one thing, Jocelyn even a worthy opponent, but not Henrik. He didn’t even have a weapon.
It was like being back in the forest and watching those three would-be bounty hunters attack him for fun. It had been hard to watch, but not like this, knowing Eiden’s capabilities. Aric’s own scars itched with anticipation, remembering his cruelty.
He had just taken aim again, about to release the arrow straight into Eiden’s back, when someone kicked the side of his face. The arrow shot through the railing and off to the ground below, causing shrieks to erupt as people thought the arrow was a warning for them. The boot swung at him again, and Aric blocked the attack by grabbing it and then lifting his leg and ramming his own boot into the attacker’s knee. A crack sounded off as the body fell sideways, crashing into the pillar.
Aric rolled himself over, coming to his feet in one quick movement. The attacker pivoted away when Aric’s arm caught him around the throat. His assailant pushed against his body, trying to throw his head back, but Aric had already watched his leader pull the same tactic. Turning his head out of the way, his back hit the pillar as he tightened his arm, the hooded man trying to grab at him but unable to unhook his hold.
Aric was just settling into the headlock, the man unable to stop him, when he heard the yells below turn into horrified gasps as a single scream pierced the air.
He turned in time to see Jocelyn swing her ax, striking the pointed part right into Eiden’s side. The point punctured him, and Eiden screamed as he fell sideways, landing on his knees. Henrik fell back onto the ground, covered in his own blood.
Jocelyn hobbled towards him, using the ax as a cane before taking it back up into her hands and swung, striking Eiden again in the side. Another scream pierced the room, gasps from their audience trailing afterwards, as he rolled over onto the floor. He began crawling, the group around him parting desperately to get away from him. Jocelyn was trying to trail after him, dragging her leg with her ax in her hands, when suddenly Eiden caught hold of something. Coming unsteadily to his feet, he held it in his hands, causing Jocelyn to come to a quick halt.
Even in the distance, Aric could see it was a knife. He would have almost lost his grip on the body if it wasn’t for the dark form emerging from around the side. Aric rotated just in time for an arrow to sink into the man he was holding, the force hitting Aric against the pillar.
Picking the man up from under his arms, Aric moved forward, feeling another arrow hit the body before ramming it against the other assailant, knocking him to the ground. Something came around his neck, and suddenly Aric found himself in a headlock, surprised by the assailant he hadn’t seen there.
You promised her, his mind flashed, and while losing air was making him panic, he lifted his leg, pulling the knife out of his boot. Pushing back against his attacker, he swung his arm out and then behind him, sinking the knife into the man’s side. A muffled shriek erupted, the arms slipping from Aric’s neck, who slammed his body back against the man, knocking him onto the ground.
The dark form in front of him had pushed his comrade off and bolted, and if Aric had been quick enough, he would have been able to meet him on the stairs and kill him. But then he heard someone scream, someone who sounded an awful lot like Henrik. There were others too, but that one scream rocked against him, putting him on alert.
Running back to the pillar, he looked out past the railing. Eiden was moving to the center of the room, Jocelyn a few paces away. While she was bent over a little, she was still standing. At first, he was relieved, until he found she was trembling, the hilt of the knife sticking out from her shoulder.
Kill them all.
The thought came to him in more than just a feeling; it was a purpose. He grabbed the bow he dropped and moved, passing each balcony under the cover of darkness, searching for the right angle. The noises below fell silent on him; his mind was buzzing too much in its own rage. If any other masked figures were around, they had already fled, leaving him alone up there on the second floor. He knew they wouldn’t get far, though. He’d hunt them all down. He had to, for her.
But first, he’d take down the most important one: the one who had hired him. Finding an angle he could work with, Aric took his position, and looked past the point of the arrow at his mark.
Because this was his job, the whole reason he was there. And he was going to happily do it for free.
