The two guards slowly turned their heads to look at Finn. They were starting to connect the pieces. Faster than expected.

“You’re not Marge,” worked out the first guard.

The second guard slowly lowered his hand to his sword.

The boy smiled sheepishly. Then, he turned and karate-chopped both of them on the back of the neck. The two guards slumped and fell over before they could cry, “Mommy.”

Outside the camp, Marge rolled her eyes. Looks like the little troublemakers weren’t going to come out on their own. Pointing towards the camp, she gestured for the Elite Guards to fall forward. Kicking up dirt and snow, the twenty-or-so men and women donned in bright silver armor descended upon the camp.

The sounds of heavy boots in snow and metal armor clashing reached Finn’s ears. He cursed. Turning on his heels, Finn ran towards the large tent. I hope you’re ready Your Highness, he thought.

As the boy went, he wiggled out of the heavy armor. Pieces of Marge’s armor were chucked behind him, making a small trail. Without the heaviness weighing him down, he sprinted across the short distance toward the giant tent. Reaching a hand out, he willed his legs to go faster.

—

Ria knelt on the ground. Her fists were clenched so tight, her nails could have drawn blood. Her hand had stopped bleeding but the wound throbbed. Ria stared emptily at the handkerchief in her lap. She was careful to keep her bloody hand away from the cloth. Safe and untouched.

Derek reached out to tap her shoulder. Slowly, she met his equally enraged gaze. It was hard to feel mad when the same grief was reflected in his eyes. Ria held back tears. This wasn’t the time. Yet.

Daisy, Derek’s son, and the others… Ria gritted her teeth. They would all be avenged.

“They’ll pay for this,” Derek murmured.

Ria nodded weakly.

Daisy, Ria’s eyes stung, but at least the girl was at peace now. And those that had led her to that fate… Ria seethed, fist clenching even tighter.

“Ria!” Finn burst through the tent. He stuttered to a walk. Seeing her distraught expression, he faltered, “Daisy?”

Ria bowed her head low. It was all Finn needed. The boy cursed, “Niamh!” Kicking up snow in the air, he rubbed his face roughly.

Sucking in a breath, he said, “Ria, we have to go. Marge is back and she brought reinforcement. She wants our heads on pikes.” He paused and added, “They’re also planning to kill all the Dust miners.”

Oh, Ria thought. That’s what they meant by Extermination. Somehow, the shock didn’t filter through.

Finn hesitated at the sight of the blank stare on Ria’s face. “Ria? Your Highness?” He paused, “Four?”

That’s right. Ria blinked slowly. She was Four. Or supposed to be. It was why the kids trusted her. And why Finn and Derek followed her. It… was what Daisy called her. Ria’s mind whirled. She wasn’t Four. But she had to pretend to be, for now.

The girl closed her eyes. If Daisy was going to be avenged, Ria and the others needed to stay alive. Ria may have been too slow to save her in life, but she would be damned if she was going to fail the little girl in death as well. The thought snapped Ria into action. She brushed her face roughly.

Ria turned to the cage of scared kids. “Do you know how to pick a lock?” she asked Finn.

The boy approached and studied the large lock. “I could, but I don’t have the right tools right now… Or time.”

“Niamh,” Ria cursed. She stood and looked around. Her mind was racing. No lock picks, short on time. Probably should have planned this part out better. Oh well, she thought. Hindsight was twenty-twenty.

Finn whispered lowly. “We have to get out of here, Ria.” They both knew if the three of them got caught, it wouldn’t be a pretty end for anyone.

What to do? Ria twisted her fingers. Her head began to spin again, but this time she had a feeling it was more than just the shock. Laila had warned her to be quick about whatever it was she wanted to. Guess she wasn’t joking when she said that Ria was short on time. Thanks for the warning, she guessed. Ria shook her head to clear out the fogginess.

“I will gut you three alive!” Marge screamed from outside.

The sound of guards flipping through tents and the shrieking voice of Marge (and her extremely basic insults) grew increasingly closer. “Come out, you little brats!”

Ria gnawed on her lips. Her brain sped through the different scenarios and possibilities. She pursed her lips. It seemed there was only one option left.

Finn opened his mouth again. “Your Highness…”

Ria shushed him. The girl knelt down in front of the curly-haired boy. His brows were furrowed and the other children huddled close. Taking a deep breath, Ria took the handkerchief and pressed it into the boy’s hand.

“What is your name?” she asked.

“Bran,” he whispered.

“Listen carefully, Bran,” ordered Ria. She gripped his small hand. “I want you to protect this for me, okay? And when I come back for it, we’re going to get all of you out.”

“No, don’t leave! Please, take us too!” Bran shook his head, lips trembling. “You’ll forget us in here and we’ll die! Please, I don’t want to die!”

The other children began to protest as well. Finn tried to get them to lower their voices, but it was to no avail.

“Bran, listen to me,” snapped Ria, her voice was sharp.

Bran quieted. The other children did not.

But Ria blocked them all out to stare straight at Bran. “Bran. Daisy was one of my best friends. Now that she’s gone… you know how important this handkerchief is to me, don’t you? If I was planning on leaving forever, why would I give it to you?”

The little boy pursed his lips. Ria’s mental timer started to click down. Her hand gripped the metal bars. “I will be back. I swear it on my honor… as Four.”

Bran paused. The boy stared down at the handkerchief in his hand. Suddenly, he pocketed it and nodded firmly at Ria.

He turned to the others. “Shut up all of you! We’re Port-Dogs, not babies!”

Some of the children protested and others cheered. Ria felt something squeeze in her heart. She would get them out.

“Listen up, Port-Dogs.” Ria addressed all of them this time. “You’re all stronger and smarter than they give you credit for. Stay smart. Stay alive.”

Finally, the other children quieted, staring at Bran and Ria. Crossing his arm, their little leader sighed, “You heard what Her Highness said. Stay smart and alive.” He patted his pocket. “You better all follow her orders.”

“What if she’s lying?” asked the little girl beside Bran.

“I have her precious object. She will come back.” He glanced at Ria who nodded resolutely.

The little girl huffed, “She could change her mind.” Ria opened her mouth to protest, but the little girl continued, “But she won’t. Because she is our queen. If we can’t trust her, who do we trust?”

The other children looked at one another and murmured in agreement. Bran nodded proudly at the girl and the girl shot Ria a small smile. Ria mentally applauded her. Smart move.

“Great,” said Finn. “Now. How do we get out?”

“There’s a back door behind this tent,” said Bran. “It’s not used very often, and the lock is rusty. No one’s guarding it because they’re pulling everyone out for the Extermination.”

“That’s when you’ll come for us, right? The night of the Extermination?” asked the girl. “That’ll be the only time there won’t be any guards. And then we can all escape!”

The mines of the Citadel had been designed in grids. If they were clearing out all the guards in the central mine’s unit, that would leave the West Gates unguarded. Ria chewed on her lips. In theory, they could start from the mines, collect the children, and then head out the gates. Their exit would be perfectly cleared of obstacles. The only concern would be the guards of the Extermination who would be hot on their trails once they found the mines empty. But if they could make it… Ria felt hope rise in her heart. She thought of the map. Outside the West Gates was a river that reached all the way to the ocean. If they could find a ship, they would be sent straight back to the heart of Oceanport.

Ria nodded, a rough plan slowly coming to mind. “Very well. Finn and Derek, we have to go back.” She cracked her knuckles. “It’s time for a real jailbreak.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Of who?” Finn asked, smirking.

Ria smirked back. “Everyone.”

—

Blaze glanced at the newly fallen patch of snow. It seemed a snowstorm was incoming. He leaned against the wooden post of the cabin, crossing his arms. The cabin had been an old outpost but had long since been abandoned… by the Citadel, that was.

The young man glanced at the letter in his hand. The last shipment of copper had safely reached their base in Oceanport. Additionally, the investments in the ships were starting to finally pay off. Although it had originally put a huge dent in their savings, the returns were greater than they could have ever expected.

With the cover of carrying passengers, the guards were so focused on whether there were criminals that they never thought to check the floorboards hiding shipments of illegally smuggled goods. Blaze made it a rule that every captain had to have a share in the investment on the ship. It made them more protective of the vessels. And often, any time there was trouble, the ship and captain managed to wiggle their way out of trouble rather than just jump ship as they did before.

Funnily enough, despite the three queen’s relative amicableness with one another, most of the kingdoms rarely inter-traveled. The burst of business Blaze’s people brought to the ports gave them special privileges lost to more… proper companies.

With their own carriages slowly spreading across the four kingdoms, there was little worry of transporting the goods from the ports to their final destination. Ordinary jobs and deliveries were taken to keep up with the image and evade the suspicion of Capital guards. Their reliability (bred through high rewards and harsh punishments) made them a rising star in the delivery industry. The success of the entire endeavor had even led the Underground Lord to send a message of guarantee to all of the Boss Bases. Many of them had even taken to using Blaze’s crew as the middleman for their own deliveries. Blaze had access to travel, trade, and most importantly, information.

It was one of the reasons why Eres hadn’t killed him yet. It was also why he was known to have the ear of the fearsome Underground Lord himself.

The wind began to pick up. The door to the cabin which had been propped open, slammed shut.

Blaze scowled.

All had been going swimmingly well in Oceanport… until now. Stupid puppet ministers.

The fake court of Oceanport, which was not-so-secretly being controlled Rex, had finally decided to act their part of being a governing force. It was pretty good… for a farce. A so-called crime crack-down. It was only too bad the recent changes had been detrimental to Oceanport’s thriving but very illegal… sand dollar.

The guards, most sent from the Capital, had been shutting down businesses accepting the sand dollar. Oceanport’s jails were fuller than ever as they weeded out the Underground Lord’s dealers and washers, (AKA all of Blaze’s underlings). The young man clenched his fists. Without the distribution and exchange rates for other currencies, the sand dollar project would collapse. If things continued…it didn’t matter if they had solved the issue of acquiring copper metal! The fragile monetary system and semblance of an economy would collapse because of the puppet minister’s stupidity.

Blaze gritted his teeth at the thought.

A lone snowflake fluttered before his face. He watched as it spun in the wind. Every time it seemed like it was about to join the others, another gust of wind blew it up into the air. Blaze tilted his head thoughtfully. The snowflake glinted in the light, reminding him of bright eyes.

What’s that weird girl doing now, he wondered.

—

Marge growled. The hounds the elite guards had brought were sniffing around. They continued to bark incessantly but the dogs were no better than their owners. They hadn’t found anything yet. The stupid camp was practically deserted. Except for the two unconscious guards, there were no signs of the tricky bastards.

One of the guards ran over.

“Anything yet?” the large woman growled.

“No,” replied the female guard calmly.

Stuck-up pricks, thought Marge. It was one of the reasons why Marge hated working with the Elite Guards. Just because they were nobility, the pricks were snobbier and smugger than any of her subordinates ever dared to be.

The guard placed her hands behind her back and coolly glanced away. Her gaze fell on the cage of children next to them.

Marge looked over as well. She sneered with disgust. What to do with the survivors? They could use the extra workers, but what if they still carried the wretched disease and infected others? Based on the Extermination plan, Marge had a feeling she knew what the higher-ups would say. Well, it wasn’t her issue. It would just have to be a problem for another day.

“Where did the imposters go?” Marge barked out.

The mini vermin stared blankly at her.

A brown-haired boy shrugged, “What imposters?”

With a glance from Marge, the guard kicked the boy through the bars. The brat cried and fell back.

“Tell me where the intruders are!” demanded Marge.

“You’re stupid! We don’t know who you’re talking about,” he sneered. “No one has been here!”

“Lies!” cried Marge. “Stupid Port-Dogs! From your queen to you little vermin, you’re all liars, the whole bunch of you!” She clenched her fists. “Mark my words, Four. I’ll have your head on a spike and present it to Eres myself.”

“I believe the queen would rather prefer Four be brought in alive for questioning,” interjected the guard.

Marge rolled her eyes. She glared at the kids. “Any of you that are willing to give up information will be rewarded. The rest shall suffer.”

“What are you gonna do?” taunted the boy. A trail of blood ran down his nose, but the brat was smirking victoriously. “Lock us up?”

The other children laughed.

Marge burst forward. “YOU-”

“I know where they went,” said a soft voice.

Marge, the guard, and the children all turned to look at the little girl sitting cross-legged next to the boy.

“And where is that?” asked the guard before Marge could.

“Dee!” protested the boy. He scrambled over to cover her mouth but the little girl pushed him off.

“They came looking for a little girl,” she continued.

A hostage! Marge’s eyes gleamed. “Where is the little girl now?”

“Dead,” spit the boy.

The little girl explained, “They said since their mission failed, they would blend in with the citizens and try to escape in the night.”

Marge knelt down to look the girl in the eyes. “Where? How are they planning to escape?”

“Something about the East side. East road?”

“The East Gate?” supplied Marge.

“Yes!” The little girl nodded, “That’s the one.”

“You’re a traitor, Dee!” howled the boy. “You betrayed our queen!”

The little girl waved him off. She scooted forward, grasping the bars. “Ma’am, I told you where they went. Where’s my reward?”

Marge was snapped out of her own musings. She laughed, “Oh, you little fool. Not killing you is reward enough.”

The little girl’s eyes widened. “No! You promised.”

Suddenly, one of the hounds outside began to bark ferociously. The guard controlling the hound began to call out his findings. Three sets of tracks!

Marge smiled wide. She turned to the guard. “Lead half the men to the East Gate, just in case they decided to split up or the snow covers their scents. I’ll lead the other half to follow the tracks. Either way, they’ll soon be in our hands.”

The guard nodded reluctantly and left out the front flap to gather her men. Marge sighed happily. Things were finally coming together. As the barking continued, she hurried outside to follow the sound.

Near the back gates was a door. The lock had been discarded on the floor. Although they were barely visible, if one looked hard enough, you could make out the three pairs of footprints in the snow. Marge smirked. They finally got them.

In the cage, Dee and Bran stared blankly outwards. They stared at the tent flap where the two adults had just stormed out. As soon as the sound of snow-crunching footsteps faded, the tension drained out of their little bodies.

Behind their backs, the two shared a fist bump. Who knew grown-ups were so easy to fool?

“It’s all on you now, Your Highness,’ Bran thought. “Don’t forget us.”

He clenched the handkerchief in his pocket.

—

“Snow began to fall heavily from the sky. The footprints in the snow were soon covered. The wind howled.

Three figures sprinted up the small hill. The snow made everything slippery, but they couldn’t afford to fall. The sound of barking grew ever closer. Ria glanced at Derek and Finn. “I didn’t think they’d find us so fast.”

“We’re lucky the children stalled as long as they did,” Finn panted.

Ria nodded in agreement. She sent them a silent thank you.

Soon, they reached the entrance of the forested area. Up ahead would be the Flag Base.

Growls and the sound of snapping jaws made the three fugitives flinch. The elite guards and Marge were close. They could hear her nasally shouts in the distance.

Ria glanced at the trail up ahead. If they stayed together, it would only make it easier for their pursuers to find them. What to do, what to do. Ria gnawed on her lips as she sprinted. Her mind was racing as fast as her heart.

The good news was, she still hated running as much as before, if not more. The girl panted hard. Her lungs were burning!

“Come on, Your Highness,” Finn groaned. “With your royally slow pace, the dogs will be on us any minute now.”

Ria shook her head, gasping in a large breath. She slowed her pace. “Finn, we have to split up.”

“What?” Finn scrunched his nose. He came to a stop and turned towards her. “That’s a horrible idea.”

“It’s the only way.” Ria grasped her burning sides. “We’re too big of a target traveling together like this. One of us has to lead them off the trail.”

Finn shook his head. “How will we even know where to go?”

“You won’t,” Ria exhaled shakily. “But I will.”

“Okay, look,” Finn said, “I don’t believe in any of the nobles being better than commoners shit, but I don’t think a queen should be the one to-”

“Finn,” Ria shook her head. “Lives are at risk. This is the only way. Someone needs to make it to warn the miners. We have a greater chance of success if we split up.”

“I… could do it,” offered Derek. “I could be the bait, Your Highness?”

Ria shook her head. “The miners won’t believe me or Finn after last time. But they know you. They’ll trust your word.”

Derek sighed but nodded in agreement. Finn looked away, glowering.

Ria tried to give them an encouraging smile. “You and Derek can take the original route up the mountain. Just keep heading straight and you’ll be at the Flag Base. It’ll be easy after that.” She nudged the boy. “Finn, you still have the Manager’s badge right? Use it if you run into any issues.”

He shot her an irritated look but couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes.

Ria clapped him on the shoulder. “Why the long face, huh? It’s not like I’m going to die. I won’t let them catch me. Plus, I memorized the map, it’ll be fine.” Hopefully. Ria gulped. It couldn’t be helped. She nodded to herself. This was the only way. “I’ll meet you guys in two days at the camp. Warn all the others, we have to leave on the night of the Extermination.”

The boy scratched the back of his neck. They didn’t have time to argue. He let out a frustrated shout. First Daisy, and now they were splitting up. Finn glared at Ria. Then, he surged forward and pulled her into an awkward hug. “Fine. But if you die again, I’m not lugging your sorry corpse to Oceanport.” He huffed, “I’ll make Derek do it.”

Ria laughed.

There was a pause.

“Don’t let them catch you,” Finn whispered.

“I won’t,” Ria whispered back. Then, she pushed the boy off gently. “Go.”

With a nod, Finn sprinted off.

Derek hesitated. He turned to Ria. “You’re different than what I was expecting, Your Highness. Stay alive. Oceanport needs you.” And then he ran off as well, heading for the Flag Base.

Ria sighed. That was probably the longest sentence she had ever heard from the man.

A long howl pierced through the air. The girl flinched. Oh, right. Brushing off all other thoughts, she took a deep breath and forced her muscles to move. Ria headed in the opposite direction to the two guys. Down the mountain Ria would go, but away from the noise of the approaching enemy.

“I pray to Admin this works,” muttered Ria.

Huh, that was the first time she ever said that. Did that make her religious?

“There they are!” called Marge’s annoying voice. The woman was at the top of a hill with about ten guards and two snarling hounds. Drool dripped from the dogs’ mouths. Their handlers knelt down, preparing to release their chains. From their vantage point, the human guards couldn’t see Ria. But with the dogs? Finding her wouldn’t be a problem.

CLICK! The hounds barked and darted in her direction.

Cute dogs… if they weren’t trying to kill me, thought Ria.

With the freed dogs leading the way, the group started heading down in her direction.

Ria groaned. Here goes.

In an impressive display of athleticism, Ria broke every personal record as she sprinted for her dear life.

Kira better watch out when I get back, thought Ria. ‘Cause there’s a new track star in town.