“Reigns is going to hunt us to the ends of Den’dra for this. There is nowhere we can hide that will be safe from him. Come on Ark…” A blinding flash of light illuminated the area for a split second before the concussion from the thunder clap struck them. The sickly light rapidly failed as clouds formed spontaneously in the sky. Within a minute, lightning was striking all around them. Shienhin seemed to be at the middle of the storm, but it soon expanded to the plain, where the fugitives were riding, with torrents of rain.
“We have to get to the Garoche. We can find shelter there. Everyone stick together and we should be all right. Cero… Cero!” Inadar shouted out orders and began inventorying the group. When she came to Cero, she saw that he was limply slumped over his saddle.
“Alagasire is taking care of him so don’t worry.” Aleest called out over the wind and thunder.
***
“I will slaughter them when I catch them. Cursed rebels!” Reigns swore a string of oaths that made Crein cringe. Reigns’ furry had reached heights previously unknown. The brazen kidnapping and escape of the princess had taken place right in front of him. The lightning speed and precision of the crime had left his men unable to respond. Confusion reigned as the people came close to outright rioting in the streets. This made any pursuit difficult, but also made worse by the fact that every horse in the city had gone insane. None of them were rideable and people were getting trampled as the horses raced around in terror. Even if they had been able to gather a number of rideable horses, there was the matter of the storm that had sprung out of thin air and was pummeling Shienhin with the fury rarely seen even in winter tempests. There was no chance that any track would remain after the torrential rains let up.
The simple audacity of the attack had been the most astounding. To pull off the escape when surrounded by castle guards was impossible, yet the simple fact remained that he had seen it done. There had been several others involved, although it had happened so fast that he had only been able to see one person with any degree of clarity and even then for only a moment. He tried to recall that image. There was the most notable aspect. Glowing light blue eyes. Then there had been the shock of straw colored hair illuminated with the light of a nearby lantern with the seeming of gathering all the remnants of light from the sky. Couldn’t have been more than his mid-teens. The person he was describing rang a bell. Those characteristics had been the subject of several letters through the spring.
“By the deep! That was the Dragon Lord. The Asgare had to have been here. Right here in Shienhin!” Reigns slammed his fists down on the table. His careful plans had been undone by the wretched assassin and a Gifted boy who couldn’t even grow a beard.
“My lord, if it pleases you, I could search for them by other means.” Crein nearly toppled to the floor with the depth of his bow.
“Do what you must. I want them all dead.” Reigns returned to cursing the Asgare, the storm, and the lad who had looked at him without the least fear in his visage.
“My lord High Chancellor, there is a fire!” One of the guards staggered into the room and only narrowly missed getting impaled with the dagger that Reigns hurled in his direction before thinking to ask the meaning of his announcement.
“A fire! Impossible in this storm.”
“Not here my lord, the port. You can see the light yourself from here.” Reigns shoved the guard aside as he rushed towards a window that offered a view of the north. The glow was clearly discernable through the rain that was falling. By the quality of the light, it appeared that the rain was only falling on Shienhin and that the fire were raging with spectacular vigor. Reigns found that words had forsaken him in his astonishment. Not only had the Asgare stolen his princess, he had also managed to apparently set the entire harbor on fire. When he again turned, his icy calm expression gave a lie to the consuming rage thinly veiled in his black eyes. He barely noticed the guard shrinking away before releasing his other knife. Seeing the knife sink to the hilt in unprotected skin afforded only