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Book 1 - Chapter 2 - Part 5
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Alexandros focused on the man wearing the fancy armor. He isn’t sure what to think of him, but the man’s intense eyes make his confidence waver, if for only a moment. He knows getting through this with all the guards surrounding them won’t be easy. He is about to say something when Evera speaks up instead.
“With all due respect, I don’t believe your coming here and threatening us is a good decision. You don’t know why we are here, and even if we surrender to you, you will still capture us.
“Evera, what are you doing? They’re all armed, and there is no way—”
He doesn’t even have the chance to finish his sentence when Evera launches herself toward the man and thrusts her sword upward toward his jugular—the guard maneuvers out of the way just in time. “I don’t know what you think you’re trying to do, but I hope you realize that defeating me isn’t possible. I am one of the strongest knights in the kingdom, and you are nothing more than disgusting sewer rats.”
Alexandros realizes their danger and shifts his gaze around the room to find anything that might be helpful. Learning the room only has one door, he dashes forward and swings his sword toward the guard’s chest. He uses his Eye of Truth to see his stats as he gets close enough.
-10 mana
King’s Knight
Health:
580
Mana:
200
Stamina:
300
Strength:
350
Difficulty:
Hard
Upon seeing the knight’s stats, his eyes widen. The moment his blade is about to make contact, the knight easily blocks the attack. “This is not a good idea, boy. Now would be a good time for you and your friend to drop your weapons. If you don’t, I may be forced to kill you.”
Alexandros jumps back before trying the attack again, only this time, instead of going for the chest, he decides to aim for his hip to throw him off balance. The knight easily pivots out of the way before his foot makes contact with Alexandros’ chest to send him flying into the wall behind him.
-50 HP
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He gasps for air and moves to sit up when Evera flies past him toward the knight. She spins behind him, attempting to thrust her blade into his back.
The knight easily parries and shoves her backward; she stumbles but maintains her balance. “Are you going to help me over here or what?” she spits, shooting Alexandros a glare.
He pulls himself back to his feet just in time for another guard to rush up from behind and knock him to the ground. The guards don’t give him enough time to stand, and before he knows it, he is surrounded.
When he pulls himself up, another guard grabs him, yanking his hands behind his back. He looks at Evera to see her screaming at the guards as she tries to fight them off.
“What do you want with us?” Alexandros questions as he struggles to break free from the guards.
“We don’t want anything with you,” the knight responds. “It is the king who has an interest in you.”
“The king?”
When he doesn’t get an answer, Alexandros glances over at Evera, who is shouting at the guard dragging her through the castle.
“Let me go. There is no reason for any of this. You didn’t even try to speak with us, and you tried to kill me.”
No one seems to be paying attention to her, and they make their way down to the castle's basement. They are led to a cell on the far side of the room and tossed inside. Alexandros nearly falls but catches himself against the wall with his now freed hands.
When he turns around, all but one of the guards is already walking away. He turns to see Evera pull herself to her feet before shouting at the guard. “Let us out of here!”
Alexandros places his hand on her shoulder. “Evera, I think we should stop and talk about this for a minute. Shouting at the guard isn’t getting us out of here.”
Her angry eyes lock onto him before softening. “Fine,” she replies, sitting down against the wall. She taps the space next to her, signaling for him to sit.
There is a moment of silence as he sits down beside her. He isn’t sure what to say, and thankfully, he doesn’t have to figure it out as Evera is the first to speak.
“We came here to see the king, but I don’t believe seeing us as prisoners will help us. What do you think we should do? You are the one who got us into this mess.
“What are you talking about?” he asks, his eyes wide. “This isn’t my fault, and you’re the one who tried to stab the man.”
She shrugs. “It’s more than you were willing to do. All you did was stand there.”
“I don’t want to argue about this right now, and there isn’t time for that. We need to find a way to get out of here.”
Evera laughs, her eyes shifting to the guard. “Hey, guard. You will be cool if we waltz out of here, yeah?”
He shoots her a nasty glare. “Shut your mouth, prisoner,” he commands before turning his back to the cell.
Alexandros shakes his head. “You know what? Never mind. If you don’t want to have a serious talk, we can sit here in silence.”
He leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes. His mind shifts focus to the mark he’d received. While he still wants to learn more about it, he has no idea where to begin.
Evera whispers something under her breath, though her voice is too quiet for him to hear. He never expected talking to Evera would be so difficult, and he is starting to wonder if allowing her to tag along was a good idea. Just because they both suffered the same fate when Heki was destroyed didn’t mean he could trust her. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes he knows nothing about her.
He glances at her and prepares to use his Eye of Truth when a loud crash echoes around him, and guards flood the room. Alexandros doesn’t even have the time to process what is happening, and before he knows it, he is dragged out of the cell with Evera right behind him.
“Keep your mouths shut,” orders the guard. “If you disrespect the king, you will be killed. He will determine your fate.”