Interlude [h.s]

sixty-two

Alouette screams and pulls Harry to hide behind the bed. A moment goes by and she realises they're on the upper floors and that nobody will come in through the window, so she stands up and throws Harry's clothes to him. "Get dressed," she mutters, putting on her shirt and pulling out her gun.

She approaches the window, carefully, but can't see anyone outside. Still, they have to leave now. She isn't taking any chances.

They step out on the corridor; her heart is hammering into her chest. She glances around to make sure everything is still, and then they walk away. They don't even get to reach the stairs before they're suddenly attacked.

Alouette is slammed into the wall and a figure plunges towards Harry. She throws a kick between the legs of her attacker and he crouches on the floor. She knees him in the face and throws him aside. One of the men pulls out a gun and points it at Harry's back, but she strikes him with the grip of hers and then grabs Harry's arm.

A figure takes advantage of Harry dropping his guard and jumps him. He's so fast that Alouette barely sees him move. There's the glint of a blade, and then the man falls on the ground clutching his stomach. She sends Harry a glare, and he raises an eyebrow.

"Was I not supposed to kill him?" he asks.

If they were in another situation, she might consider shouting at him. But one more man walks up the stairs, so she threatens him with a gun to get him to move away and then grabs Harry's wrist, and they run down.

The woman behind the desk sends them a dark look when they dash past, and in a moment Alouette knows she's the one that called their attackers—whoever they are.

They run out on the street, and Alouette swears under her breath when she realises there are four more people waiting for them around a vehicle. A vehicle that she has no doubt she's seen before. This morning.

She gasps. They're the same group that attacked the city they were in.

They pull out their guns when they see them, but Alouette is faster and jumps into the side street where she hid the car, Harry right behind her. She unlocks the vehicle and they get inside. Only a moment is wasted to unlock the doors and then they're speeding down the street.

By the time the others get into their cars, they're already too far away.

She shoots Harry a look when they get out of the city, for the first time since they escaped from Jayden and his guards, he seems worried.

"Something concerning you?" she asks lightly, but she can't hide the way her breath is still much faster.

He frowns. "These attacks are concerning."

"I thought you didn't care."

"I didn't," he replies, "this is different, though."

Alouette gives him a confused look. "Different how? It mustn't be a surprise people want you dead."

Behind them, there's a burst of red flames where the city used to be. It looks like they weren't the only reason why they were there.

The look on Harry's face is dark. "The towns they were targeting earlier were irrelevant in the scheme of things. This city, though, has some economical power. If it goes down, there will be repercussions on the economy of the country and the stability of the Palace."

She clenches her teeth to keep herself from commenting on how he should want to protect his people regardless of how much money they bring to him. "You shouldn't worry about the Palace, you're never going back there anyway," she says instead.

He sends her an unreadable look. "Careful, an excess of confidence is always dangerous."

She chuckles. "I could tell you the same."