The prince’s face was split by a malevolent smile. “Take the elf alive if you can. He’s the one wearing the hood. You may kill the other two.”

“Get ready to run!” Udoriol cried as guards approached them warily.

“Run where?” John asked, but Udoriol did not answer. Instead, the elf raised his hand high over his head, and John averted his eyes.

There was a blinding flash, which caused John to see stars despite having closed his eyes momentarily. Knowing he had to act quickly, he grabbed Grimald by the arm and helped him run blindly in the direction of the hallway the guards had brought them through. It appeared that the elf’s gambit had paid off as they hadn’t been reduced to withered husks yet, but there was no telling when an archer or the prince would recover their vision. Up ahead, he heard shouts and cursed inwardly.

“Here,” he gasped, handing his sword to the grey shape next to him that he assumed was Udoriol.

“Thanks,” came a voice that wasn’t the elf’s as the sword was taken from him. John blinked and could make out the shape of someone much shorter than he was.

“This way, hurry!” came Lisa’s voice.

Before John could question her, a strong hand grabbed him by the arm and shoved him down a corridor. As his vision recovered, he saw that they were flanked by armoured men.

“There are still more loyalists back there!” one of them protested as they hurried through the narrow corridor. Someone lunged out of one of the rooms and was cut down without hesitation.

“It’s too late for them,” another of the guards said, “Did you see what the prince did? If we went into that room, we’d all be dead.”

“The king is dead,” another remarked softly, “we were too late. What is left for us now?”

Soon, they burst out of the castle and into the courtyard. John blinked as his vision began to recover, and his heart sank when he saw how few guards were on their side, scarcely a dozen.

“Sir Jeffrey!” called a young man from the gatehouse who was carrying a bloodied sword, “What happened?”

“We failed, Hector” a man wearing polished steel armour and a helmet that concealed his face replied tersely as he led them over, “We need to leave quickly. We are badly outnumbered.”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

The colour drained from the young man’s face. “How could this have happened?”

“We’ll discuss that later,” Jeffrey replied, “But for now, we must flee.”

“The city gates are still open,” John offered.

“It remains to be seen for how long,” Jeffrey observed, “we must make haste.”

A carriage and horses arrived from the stables, brought by men in bloodied armour. One of the guards gave them an agry look as John and Udoriol helped Grimald into the carriage but was waved away by his captain. The carriage was probably meant to spirit the king away, John thought to himself, but there was no use worrying about that now.

“I’ll be of better use outside,” Udoriol pointed out as he hopped onto the driver’s seat.

A bell began to peal from the keep. John looked out of the window and locked eyes with the prince momentarily as they pulled out of the castle. John focused his attention on what was to come. With the warning from the castle, the gates were likely to be closed.

“What’s the plan?” he asked through the slot behind the driver.

“We’re going through the south gate,” Udoriol replied tersely.

“Is that wise?” John asked, “They will probably be on alert.”

Udoriol didn’t reply and John moved to the windows. Outside, the streets were deserted. The bell was probably a signal that the city was under attack.

“We’re coming up to the gate,” Udoriol warned, “Keep the curtains drawn.”

That was quicker than John expected. The city was smaller than he’d thought. Once he had pulled the curtains shut, he looked around the carriage and wished that he had the wherewithal to ask for a weapon from one of the guards back in the courtyard. He looked around the inside of the carriage frantically.

“No, there are no weapons here,” Grimald remarked grimly, “I’ve already checked.”

“Make way in the name of the king!” they heard Jeffrey roar.

“Get down!” Udoriol cried from the driver’s seat.

As John pulled Grimald to the floor of the carriage, the doors splintered as arrowheads pierced them. Then, chaos seemed to erupt outside. John clambered up to the window and peered out and saw guards fighting one another in a chaotic melee.

“The prince has launched a coup!” Jeffrey cried. “Those still loyal to his majesty, open the gates and follow us!”

The fighting appeared to intensify, and the driver’s slot opened. “Under no circumstance are you to reveal yourselves,” Udoriol hissed. He slammed the slot shut before John could reply.

“That’s a risky gamble,” Grimald remarked as he lay as flat as he could on the floor of the carriage.

To John’s surprise, they were soon underway again. He raised his head to peer out of the carriage but was pulled back by Grimald.

“It’s all over for us once they figure out the king isn’t in here,” the dwarf warned.

A lightbulb went off in John’s head as he finally understood the plan. There were still loyalists amongst the city’s guards and Jeffrey was using the carriage to rally them. The carriage sped up and Udoriol opened the slot. “We appear to be safe for now but stay away from the windows all the same.”

John and Grimald spent the rest of the trip curled up on the floor. It felt like it was ages later when the carriage eventually came to a stop. John raised his head as the door to the carriage opened. Udoriol’s face appeared, and he smirked. “Am I interrupting anything, gentlemen?”

As John got to his feet, he saw the faces of worried men outside. Their worry turned into shock and anger when they saw that their king was not in the carriage.

“What is the meaning of this, Sir Jeffrey?” One of the guards demanded.