The Scarlet Hopewell Series Box Set: Books 1–3 by Brandon Charles West

Author:Brandon Charles West [West, Brandon Charles]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-04T06:00:00+00:00

27

The Queen of the Dorans

CHOSEN and Tobias met surprisingly little resistance leaving the dungeons, and then the castle. To Tobias’s shock, the few guards they saw reacted to Chosen with reverence rather than alarm. Within minutes they’d emerged into the city of Caelesta. After the dim light of the dungeons, the two men squinted against the high afternoon sun.

“Well, you’ve made it out,” Tobias said, still a little flustered by their uneventful escape and the ease with which he himself moved under Chosen’s spell. “You should release me before anyone gets suspicious. It has been a few years since I left the castle.”

Chosen, who had been carefully surveying the streets, peered down at Tobias with pity. “We just walked out the front door of your king’s castle without so much as a second look. Even if you aren’t racking your brain to determine why that is, surely you don’t think any of the citizens of this wretched place are going to care.”

Chosen was right on both counts. Why had no one stopped them, or even bothered to question them? The notion that a guard or even a concerned citizen might come to his aid was plainly at best a fool’s hope. Suddenly Tobias recalled a sentence he’d overheard as a child, through the door of the king’s council chamber. The hardest treachery to spot is that which is closest.

He had no pride left to lose, he decided. “Why hasn’t anyone from the King’s Guard stopped us? You obviously know. Tell me.”

Chosen did not reply. Instead he tugged Tobias toward the south gates, stopping briefly every few blocks to glance back over his shoulder. At first Tobias thought the Mortada was merely being cautious, but after a while he began to believe that Chosen was looking for something in particular. His heart leaped. Perhaps Matthias was behind them, waiting for the right moment.

Away from the ornate grandeur of Caelesta’s upper city, the streets grew dense with Dorans, both refugees and citizens. Surely in such a throng Tobias could break free. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Chosen might be driven to take some other hostage, or turn to violence. Tobias also realized that his newfound mobility was giving him false confidence. Away from Chosen, he’d be his old crippled self, easy prey for the lithe Mortada.

It had been so long since Tobias was in the lower city. He’d forgotten how squalid, how hopeless, it was. Guilt rose in him for the luxury in which he’d lived his life.

“Not exactly the great kingdom when seen from down here, is it?” Chosen said, as if he’d read Tobias’s thoughts.

Tobias said nothing. He didn’t want to agree with Chosen. Leona was a great kingdom. Every kingdom had its problems, didn’t it? Yet the desolation of the Dorans around him, the desperate look in their eyes . . . this certainly wasn’t the kingdom at its best.

Suddenly Chosen shoved Tobias into an abandoned shack, warning him with a look to remain silent. His back against the wall next to the doorway, Chosen waited.

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