Faefalling (working title)

19-The rescue and escape... except there are seven more chapters

As planned, we emerged just behind the palace greenhouse. All I wanted to do was collapse and take a long nap, but there was no time to dilly-dally. We had an opening and, for the time being, the area was deserted. If I cared for them, I might thank the gods for the luck.

Draoi passed a nod to Agaveah and Lazuli. "You know what to do. Get into the barracks. Check that everything's in place. Meet back with us as soon as possible."

Both nodded and plodded over to the glass greenhouse. Lazuli squatted down and braced her back against the wall, hands cupped, while Agaveah took a running start, boosting herself off the makeshift springboard, and dropped down on top of the structure.

The nymph then leaned back over, reaching down to Lazuli, and the latter let herself be pulled up. All that in a matter of seconds, as if they'd practiced it a thousand times.

Just as Draoi had said, a tree grew between the greenhouse and palace walls, arms reaching out to connect the two. The duo hopped their way across the thick branches.

Once on the wall, Lazuli gave me a big thumbs up before her and Agaveah leapt over to the roof of the barracks that I knew to be on the other side. That left the rest to Draoi and I. He started edging along the bricks to our left.

"Any more surprises you'd like to mention before we get into the thick of it?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I shrugged.

"Very reassuring. Any guards around?"

I closed my eyes for a moment. "There are a bunch of people off that way," I pointed to our right, "and a couple more milling around inside the castle." I pursed my lips. "I think there are some people nearby, but they don't seem to be moving."

Draoi nodded. "Yea, I think I've spotted them."

He draped a hand over my shoulder, pulling me in front so I could take a look. I froze. Behind a large, spewing fountain in the center of the courtyard, three crates lined with bars sat side by side.

"You don't think..."

"I do," he sighed, patting me on the back. "Come on, Short Tips."

Keeping a keen eye out and staying low to the ground, we made our way along the courtyard's edge, inching closer and closer to the cages.

Finally, the fountain was out of the way, and my sights rested upon the figures. They lay motionless, curled up into little balls.

All this time I'd been working to get there, to that exact place, that very moment. And, now that I was, I didn't know what to do, didn't know what I'd say. Before I could come up with anything, one of the figures raised their head. They spotted me and paused, shrinking away.

"C─Caedmon?" Oslac breathed, his hoarse voice hardly audible in the calm evening.

My heart melted as I rushed to the bars.

"Is it really you this time?" he asked.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry... so sorry..." I stuttered, horror welling in my chest at his expression.

"Caedmon?" another voice called from the cage to his left.

I hurried over. "It's me," I stated.

Neala looked up, unable to raise herself. If Oslac looked like he'd been to Annwn and back, I don't know where the Queen had gone. She was skin and bones; sunken eyes and jutting out ribs, hardly more than a stray dog. Her lion's mane had begun to fall, revealing a dry, weathered scalp. She stared up at me, chapped lips moving though no words came out.