The Runaway King (The Ascendance Series, Book 2)

The clanging of an alarm bell broke through the early morning peace. I was already awake, as I had been all night. It was one week since I had left Drylliad, and too much had happened in that time. But nothing worried me like what the next few hours might bring. Obviously, Imogen’s absence had prompted the alarm.

Agor ran into our hut and yelled, “One of the serving girls is missing. We think she stole a horse.”

Erick stood beside his bed, looking around. “Fink is missing too — the boy who came with me.”

“It was your horse,” Agor said to me.

“It’s Fink’s horse now,” I said. “He won it last night in a bet. They can’t have gone far, perhaps just gathering berries in the woods.”

“Those places were checked already.” Agor’s eyes darkened. “Besides, they’d have still needed permission to leave. Devlin’s convinced they got scared and ran. But where?”

“Fink would go back to Dichell,” Erick said.

“But the serving girl wouldn’t want to go there,” I said. “Last time I talked to her she was very clear on that.”

“So far we can’t find anything missing other than the horse.” Agor called to everyone, “Get dressed. We’re going to make a thorough search of the camp.”

I began pulling my boots on. Erick already wore his and came to sit beside me.

“What do you think happened?” he asked. “Do you think Fink wanted to leave?”

“He didn’t belong here,” I said. “If he got away, you should be happy for him.”

“Yeah.” Disappointed, Erick clicked his tongue. “But I was getting used to having him underfoot.”

Once I was ready, we joined in the search around camp. It was an entirely useless act, not only because it was obvious they had left, but because so many of us had been ordered to look for them we nearly tripped over one another in the effort.

I’d gone first to the stables, ensuring nothing had been left behind to incriminate me. Then I traced each of our steps back as far as I could, but everything was clean. Eventually, Agor came to the only conclusion he could: Imogen and Fink had run away.

With that, the pirates began gathering to the tables for breakfast. Unfortunately, the serving girls had been questioned about Imogen all morning, so nothing was ready. Everyone was already irritable at having their morning taken up in a vain search for two people who really didn’t matter here anyway. Hunger wasn’t helping the situation.

I started down the hill toward the beach, putting myself as far as possible from everyone else. Time was running out and I needed a place to think.

“Someone’s coming!” a vigil yelled from up at the main part of camp. “The girl and the boy are back.”

My head whipped around, and I scrambled up near him and some other men to where I could get a better view. How dare she? It was hard enough to get her safely away the first time. There was no chance I could do it again, and even if I could, not before it was too late. But from where I stood, I still couldn’t see her.

“They are not alone,” the vigil continued. “They’re prisoners.”

“Whose prisoners?” Agor yanked the scope from the vigil’s hands and pressed it to his eye.

“Who is it?” Devlin demanded.

Agor returned the scope to the vigil and called back, “It looks like that Carthyan soldier, the one who helped Vargan get our men into Drylliad. What was his name?”

Devlin pulled out his sword and his tone went sour. “Gregor Breslan.”

I shrank against the nearby tree, my heart pounding wildly. Gregor had come to Tarblade Bay. And Imogen was his prisoner.

I was carefully hidden from Gregor as he rode into camp towing Imogen and Fink on Mystic’s back, yet from where I stood I still had a good view of everything. Imogen and Fink were tied together with the rope I’d given Fink, and both looked terrified.

My mind raced to decide what to do next. Neither Imogen nor Fink was a pirate, so they weren’t bound by the code. Not officially anyway. I figured they’d be taken to the jail unharmed, where they’d remain until I could sneak down there and get them out.

With that settled, I turned my attention to Gregor’s arrival at camp. From the grumbles I heard, nobody was happy to see him here. But nothing they felt could’ve matched my distress. I couldn’t ignore the possibility that he’d already discovered Tobias and knew I was here. If so, then he’d come to expose me.

Just as Erick and I had done when we came, Gregor entered camp with his sword held high, blade down.

Agor was the first to approach him. “Master Breslan, weren’t you warned not to come here uninvited? The plan was for us to wait until after a steward was in place, when Jaron was less visible.”

“I knew that I couldn’t come without reason,” Gregor responded. “But I have that. First, allow me to present you with two of your runaways, as a gift.”

Fink must have told him they came from here. Imogen never would have.

“Where did you find them?” Agor asked.

“Miles from here. On the road to Dichell.”

I quietly groaned. Maybe they figured it would be harder to track their escape if they kept to the roads, but staying off any trail would have been better.

Erick crept up beside me, apparently unaware that I had no interest in petty conversation. He tapped my shoulder and said, “What do you think, Sage? What will they do to Fink and the flower girl?”

I shrugged in answer while Agor stepped closer to Gregor’s prisoners. “Whose idea was it to leave?”

“It was mine,” Imogen said. “I convinced the boy to come with me in case I needed help along the way.”

“That’s not true,” Fink said. “We both wanted to leave. We were scared.”

“Of course you were,” Agor said. “But you should have gone to Devlin and asked to be dismissed. To run under the cover of darkness looks very suspicious.”

“You should be suspicious,” Gregor said. “I don’t know the boy, but this is no ordinary girl. She was instrumental in bringing King Jaron back to the throne of Carthya. Everyone knows they are the closest of friends.”

This caught Devlin’s attention. He stepped forward and ordered a couple of pirates to pull Fink and Imogen off the horse. Fink was dragged off first. They set him on his knees and told him if he moved an inch they’d cut off his legs. Fink’s eyes were wide, and he didn’t blink once. He wasn’t going anywhere.

Next, Imogen was brought to face Devlin. She stood tall, but even from here I could sense her fear.

“How does a girl go from a friendship with the king of Carthya to coming into service for Avenian pirates?” Devlin asked.

“Gregor is wrong. Jaron isn’t my friend.” Imogen spoke so confidently I wondered whether she believed it. “He sent me away, as far from his castle as I could go. Even Gregor can vouch for that fact. I needed a living, so I came here.”

“Still, that’s a most amazing coincidence. Surely you know of our history with your king.” Devlin laughed darkly. “Gregor, tell her.”

“Conner hired these same pirates to kill Jaron four years ago,” Gregor said. “I’m sure in all your many conversations he must have mentioned that.” Then Gregor turned his attention to Devlin. “And it’s why I came. The regents have agreed to give you Bevin Conner. That fool was arrogant enough to believe he killed the royal family without help, that he alone had ties to you. I’m glad to be rid of him.”

“Conner’s death was always your desire, not ours,” Devlin said. “We agreed to kill him so he wouldn’t accidentally expose your connection to us, but our interest is with Jaron. What about him?”

Gregor nodded. “I tried to send him to the southern border where you’d have easy access to him, but against my wishes he returned to Drylliad. However, he’s all but barricaded himself inside his quarters. He’s afraid and paranoid and weak, but it won’t be long before he recovers and tries to regain control. The pirates have wanted Jaron for years, and there is no better time to take him than now. Upon my return home, the regents will select me as the steward of Carthya. I’ll have total command of our armies and will grant you safe passage. This agreement will cement the friendship between us.”

Erick looked at me. “I think we’ll have that Carthyan treasure of yours soon, but not in the way we planned.”

“No,” I muttered. “This wasn’t my plan either.” I was glad that Gregor remained unaware of Tobias impersonating me in the castle, but based upon his invitation to the pirates just now, there was no cause for celebration.

Devlin and Agor stood together, privately discussing what Gregor had said. Fink remained motionless on his knees but he wisely kept calm. Imogen stood alone near the center of the group, obviously terrified but trying not to show it. In a show of arrogance, Gregor arched his neck as he waited for their verdict. It appeared that he had failed to recognize Mystic. He’d captured them in the darkness. Perhaps it hadn’t occurred to him to check the horse more carefully since then.

After a few minutes, Devlin pointed to Fink and Imogen. “We’ll deal with these two first. Under pirate law, there’s no official violation we can accuse them of, but their leaving cannot go unpunished either. Take them to the jail until we figure out what to do.”

“But there was a crime,” Gregor said. “By this girl.”

Even from my hiding place, I heard Devlin’s impatient sigh. “What is it?”

Gregor pulled a pocket watch from his coat. Harlowe’s pocket watch. “She was hiding this in her skirt. It’s a man’s watch, so she must have stolen it.”

Erick patted his pockets. Until now, in all the commotion he hadn’t thought about it being missing. He darted up from his position and ran into the courtyard. “That’s mine!”

“When did you last have it?” Agor asked.

“Last night. I put it under my cot before bed.”

“The girl couldn’t have gotten there to steal it, but Fink slept nearby.” Agor looked at the two of them. “One of you had better confess, and save your companion from your punishment.”

Fink and Imogen looked at each other, eyes wide with horror. But it was Imogen who spoke. “I took the watch. Fink didn’t even know I had it.”

“Move the boy aside,” Devlin said. “We have some business with the girl.” He walked closer to her, and she seemed to shrink in his shadow. “According to pirate code, we never touch the girls in our service. But if one of them conducts a crime against us, her punishment is no less severe. Bring me a whip!”

Gregor stepped forward. “Let me take her instead. We can use her as insurance against Jaron fighting back. He will hand over all of Carthya to protect her. I can guarantee that.”

A whip was passed to Devlin. He ran his hands along the cable and said, “Our punishment first. Then you may have her for whatever purpose you desire. First and foremost, my pirates must be taught that we do not steal from one another! Turn the girl around.”

“She didn’t steal that watch.” All eyes went to me as I stepped into the courtyard, slightly out of breath from hurrying so fast. “I did.”