Bret opened a portal to the nearby town of Ellis, but what they found on the other side discouraged them. They saw evidence of an attack. Burn marks scarred the walls of the buildings, and boards covered broken windows. It seemed most of the stores were closed. It was still early morning, but it was late enough for shops to be open.

"Are we going to find anything here?" Bret asked.

"I don't know, but let's keep walking," Marcus replied.

The remaining pieces of broken glass crunched under their shoes as they walked. Bret noticed the lingering smell of burning wood. Worse yet, he noticed he hadn't seen a single person.

"Where is everybody?" Bret asked.

"They're probably too afraid to come out."

They weren't in a residential area, and most businesses remained closed. Bret didn't know why he expected to see many people, but this thought didn't make it any less eerie. Thankfully, they found a small store with an open sign. Bret hurried to the door and opened it. He heard a chime as they entered but didn't see anyone inside.

"Hello," Bret called, but no one answered. He continued down the aisle as Marcus joined him. "I don't think the owner is in here," Bret said.

Marcus didn't respond. He walked around and checked in the back room. Marcus even looked in the bathroom, but he didn't find him.

"Maybe we could just..." Bret said, trailing off and making a grabbing gesture toward the shelves.

"Are you thinking of stealing, Bret? I am still a member of the guard," Marcus laughed.

"No, I didn't mean..." Bret started, but the front door opened, and a man appeared.

"Sorry, I was down the road and saw you. I'm the owner. My name is Jeff. I was checking on my friend's shop," he said breathlessly. He had run down the street, and now he needed a moment. The man leaned over and put his hands on his knees. One hand held a package containing the morning's newspapers.

"We're glad you're open. Gotta buy some groceries," Bret said.

"I'm just happy to have customers. Wasn't expecting any today," Jeff smiled.

While Marcus collected supplies, Bret talked to Jeff a few aisles away. Marcus couldn't hear their conversation, but something amused Jeff. After a few moments, Jeff went to the back. He returned minutes later and handed Bret a small bag. Bret gave him some money in return. This confused Marcus. He looked at Bret questioningly.

"Um, Maya asked me to buy her—something," Bret said.

"Ah, I see," Marcus replied with a nod. Bret realized Marcus probably had a different idea about his meaning, and the thought almost made Bret laugh. He tucked the bag of Tilba leaf into his pocket and felt glad Marcus didn't pry any further.

"Well, I'll be damned. Look at this!" Jeff said, holding up a newspaper. What Bret saw almost made him scream. A fairly accurate drawing of Shaylie took up most of the front page. They had printed the word "WANTED" above it. The line below read, "Five hundred thousand dollar reward for her capture." Bret looked toward Marcus for his reaction, but Marcus was already approaching Jeff and asking to see the paper. Bret glanced over his shoulder. "Apparently, that girl helped the Varidians invade and plotted to kill the king!" Jeff said, pointing at the picture.

When he heard this, Bret bit his lip because he nearly blurted out a curse word. He shook his head instead. He joined Marcus in gathering supplies and held a whispered conversation with him. "I don't get it. Those supposed Varidian invaders said they were looking for the Red Sparrow, but now the paper claims she was working with them. What does all of this mean?" Bret asked.

"It means O'Reilly was probably right. The crown was behind the attack," Marcus replied.

"But why would they think Shaylie was trying to kill King Darian?"

"I don't know, but this is even worse than we thought."

***

Meanwhile, deep in the tower's sub-basements, a sleepy guard sat at his desk outside the tower's holding cells. He had his feet kicked up and his hands clasped over his chest. His head nodded and bobbed while he listened to the radio. The guard turned up the volume to drown out a rather noisy prisoner, but it didn't help stave off sleep. Despite the guard's efforts, the incarcerated man continued to belt out the Endrian national anthem in his warbling voice.

"Oh, shut up down there already!" the guard yelled.

Unfortunately, this made the man sing louder. The guard finally rose and walked toward his cell. He found the man as wild as ever, with his arms flailing as he sang. Stubble lined his greasy face, and his hair remained unwashed despite the guard telling him to shower. He grew tired of smelling the prisoner every time he approached his cell. The refusal to bathe was his form of rebellion, along with the singing.

"That's enough!" the guard yelled, and the man finally stopped.

"Give me a request, and I'll sing something different," the prisoner said.

"I request you shut up."

"Haven't heard of that one. You'll have to hum a few bars," the man laughed.

The guard shook his head and turned to leave, but another prisoner caught his attention. This young man had been there for a few weeks but was quiet most of the time.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"When am I leaving here?" the young man asked.

"What's your name again?"

"Tucker Blythe."

"Oh, right. The mouthy kid. I don't know. King Darian hasn't said," the guard replied. He tried to walk away again, but Tucker spoke.

"Didn't he give you a release date?"

"Release date?" the guard asked with a laugh. "You see Mr. Sing-Song here? He's been down here for months, and all he did was step on the back of the king's shoe while walking behind him. Darian sticks people down here and forgets about them. He's a busy man." This time, the guard made it a few steps down the hallway before Tucker stopped him. Tucker spotted a folded newspaper in the guard's back pocket, and something caught his eye.

"Can I see that paper? I know that girl!" Tucker said, pointing at Shaylie's drawing.

"Who? This girl?" The guard asked, unfolding the paper. When Tucker saw the headline, he realized his mistake.

"Never mind. I was mistaken."

"No, you weren't. I saw that look in your eyes. What do you know about her?"

"Nothing. I swear!"

"Don't lie to me, boy! They want this girl for treason. Spill your guts!"

The guard returned to his desk and grabbed the phone because Tucker remained silent and stoic. "Send a page to the king. We have a prisoner down here who has information on the Red Sparrow!" the guard yelled into the receiver.

Tucker backed against the wall of his cell and cursed under his breath. He didn't know what trouble Shaylie had gotten into, but he knew she wasn't a traitor.

***

The guard placed shackles on Tucker's wrists and led him to the elevators. Neither of them spoke. Tucker felt sure the guard could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Tucker also felt a sinking feeling in his gut, but it had nothing to do with the rising elevator. They climbed to the top, and the doors opened to reveal red carpet and fine tapestries. Paintings lined the walls with fancy vases underneath. A time existed when Tucker would have loved to have visited this part of the tower, but this wasn't one of those times. The guard led him to a set of double doors and opened them to reveal the king's lounge. The long viewing window drew Tucker's gaze. Seeing the beautiful view almost took his mind off of his sense of dread, but spotting King Darian by the window squashed this feeling.

"Sit him in the chair," Darian said without turning around. The guard shoved Tucker into a nearby seat and cuffed him to the armrest. Once he finished, the guard left. It was then Tucker noticed another man in the room. Gregor Renault sat on the couch next to him. "Tell me what you know about the Red Sparrow," Darian said, staring out the window.

"Who?" Tucker asked and immediately understood it was the wrong response.

Darian turned with fury in his eyes and moved within inches of Tucker's face. "Don't act dumb, boy! The guard said you recognized her face in the paper!"

"I was mistak..." Tucker started, but Darian cut him off with a stiff backhand across the face. He had channeled magic into it because it hit harder than any normal strike. Tucker was sure something in his face broke. The pain surged through his entire head. It was hard to tell where the break occurred.

"You still haven't learned any manners, boy! Tell the truth!"

"I-I don't know anything," Tucker muttered. Darian punched him again. This attack nailed him in the ribs, breaking them. He writhed in the chair and pulled at the cuffs, hoping they would snap.

"I don't like liars," Darian said, staring at him. Those glowing red eyes looked demonic. "Tell me where to find her."

"Please, I don't know..."

Now, Darian grabbed Tucker's right leg and brought his elbow down, snapping it at the knee. Tucker screamed in pain, making Renault wince and look away. "Do you still know nothing?" Darian asked. "At least tell me her name!"

Tucker wheezed and coughed. He tasted blood in his mouth. Darian took his silence as defiance when he couldn't form the words. More punches rained down, breaking other bones with a sickening crunch. "W-wait," Tucker said.

"Well, what is it?"

"Her name..." he started and took a painful breath. "Her name is Shaylie Lucas."

"Brennan Lucas' daughter?"

"Yes."

"Where can I find her?"

"She has an apartment in the Mage Quarter."

"They destroyed the Quarter," Darian said. He raised his fist, and Tucker panicked.

"Larson Engineering!"

"We checked that building. It was empty."

Tucker was running out of options. He hated himself for caving, but the pain was immense. His mind raced for another answer, and he remembered something. "I think the Larsons have a cabin in the Forest of Giants!"

This answer made Darian lower his fist. He turned to Renault and said, "Have some men search the forest."

"The forest is large," Renault replied.

"Then send a lot of men!" Darian yelled, but he seemed calm when he turned back around. Tucker didn't like this. He would have rather seen fury because the cold demeanor was far more frightening. "You've been a great help, son," Darian said, and then he snapped Tucker's neck in one quick movement. Tucker went limp as Darian fetched a cloth and wiped the blood off his hands. Then, he joined Renault in the hallway.

"We could have had Jayson probe his mind for that information, Darian," Gregor said.

"I needed to get some frustrations out of my system," Darian replied without looking at him.

***

Back at the cabin, Jake, Shaylie, Kiran Abbott, and Van were playing cards. They weren't playing for money, but Jake still groaned in frustration when Shaylie won a hand.

"Are you hustling me?" Jake asked.

"What do you mean?" Shaylie replied.

"I thought you said you didn't know much about poker."

"No, I said I got the basic gist, which I do," Shaylie smiled. "You're just upset because I beat you."

"No, I'm worried. Look," Jake said, pointing at Marcus. He entered the cabin with a solemn look, which Bret echoed. "What's wrong?" Jake asked.

"This is wrong," Marcus said, throwing the newspaper on the table. Shaylie screamed when she saw the front page. She jumped out of her seat and backed away as if the paper contained a virus.

"Is that a joke!?" Shaylie said, pointing at the paper.

"Unfortunately, no," Marcus replied.

Shaylie picked it up and read the article. Her frown grew worse with each passing word. "This is ridiculous! I would never try to assassinate the king! Why do they think I would?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a cover story for their real reason. All that matters is they're after you," Marcus said. He felt around his pockets for a cigar to calm himself, but he forgot to buy some while they were at the store.

"We have to leave," Shaylie said.

"That's a bad idea," Marcus replied.

"No, it isn't. Maya had a vision. They will find us here."

"Why are you just now telling us this?"

"She wasn't sure what it meant, and I thought she was just being paranoid."

"Where could we go?" Jake asked.

"There are few safe havens. They attacked the small towns, too. We need to go somewhere we can find allies," Marcus said.

"Allies? What do you mean?" Jake asked confusedly.

"If the crown is behind this, we must find people willing to stand up to them. We need backup and protection."

"Varidia?"

"Don't be absurd, O'Reilly. I mean Endrians willing to stand up to them."

"It sounds like you already have something in mind. Just say it," Jake said, sounding a little annoyed.

Marcus stared at Jake for a moment. Jake thought he would yell at him, but Marcus sighed instead. "I'm hesitant because I'm unsure it's a wise idea."

"You're thinking about going to the edge, right?" Van asked.

"The edge?" Jake asked.

"The edge of nowhere. It's what they call the towns on the outskirts of the quarantine zone. Only outcasts and outlaws dare to live there now," Van explained.

"It might be our best hope," Marcus said.

"Then let's do it," Jake replied.