Crimson Guard (Completed)

Chapter 3

Everyone froze, staring at us both, a mirror of each other.

"WHO IS—"

"WHAT TH—"

"Jaeda?" they all suddenly exclaimed at once, a clashing sound of astonishment and confusion erupting through the air.

Jaeda's mouth fell open in shock, her smoky emerald eyes widening until they nearly took up her whole face, her mouth gaping like a fish. If it were any other situation, she may have looked comical. Except this was a heist and she was not supposed to be here. Not yet!

Jaeda seemed to recover from her shock first and took a menacing step towards me, her hand reaching out to grab my arm.

Her movement allowed me to recover from my shock and I let instinct take over, bending backward to dodge out of her grasp whilst flinging myself out of the house in a speedy dart.

I sprinted as fast as I could out of the impressive estate, which now seemed highly threatening from the shouts ringing from behind me.

I tuned out the noise and focused on running towards the street ahead, yearning for the shadows where I could hide long enough to shift before anyone could see me. But this was an upper-class street with torches lighting every nook and cranny, dimming my chances of a swift escape.

My hopes darkened further as I heard General Volorn and Captain Wildecrest bellowing for their soldiers to capture me. Soon the sound of pounding feet erupted as I continued to try and get away.

I dashed down the street as I tried to remember the maps Tawney had shown me with escape routes in the event anything went wrong. Unfortunately, this is as bad as the situation got.

As I heaved air into my lungs, I recalled that I need to stay clear of main roads and spied a trio of small roads darting off the street.

I made a sharp turn into the closest alleyway, dust and rocks spaying as my shoes skidded with the abrupt movement. Scraping my hand against the solid wall of the building, I pushed myself forward into the shadowed alleyway, the dim light illuminating the contents lining the alley.

Washing lines filled the overhead space, ropes drooping from the weight of white cotton bedsheets and workers' clothing. The fabrics swayed gently in the faint breeze, parting to show two exits at the end of the small street. A perfect way for me to lose those who hunted me.

I hurled every scrap of energy I had into running, dodging and weaving my way through trousers, dresses, shirts, and ropes, hoping they would slow the soldiers down.

Whilst sprinting, I shifted my face to one of my usual façades, an unremarkable face with freckles dotted across the bridge of my upturned nose, a slight overbite with hazel eyes, and mousy brown hair. I could only hope they would not recognise me, that they would assume I was someone else.

But to do that, I needed to get rid of this damn dress.

I darted through another line of laundry, snatching a plain brown gown, hoping that I had lost the soldiers so I could quickly don on this new disguise and escape notice.

But I could hear them cursing behind me, making my heart thrum even faster as I tried not to let panic consume me.

I dared a glance over my shoulder, finding two hulking soldiers on my trail. But thankfully, they were being slowed down by the clothing lines, which seemed to bend and shift into their way as a strong breeze tunnelled down the alleyway.

Sweating, I reminded myself I only had to get out of their sight long enough to change into the drab brown gown in my hand. Then I could blend in with my surroundings and lose them or trick them if I had to.