Hunting Royalty

12. Invites and Intruders

Since this is scene is over two chapters I've decided to do another double update!!!  

Everything is blurry and the room tips slightly as walk, I fall onto a sofa. I become oddly distracted by the edelweiss flowers embroidered into the fabric. They're pretty. Clara plops down ungracefully next to me.

"You know you're not as bad as I first thought. In fact, you're kind of fun," she says slurring her words and being friendly, she's drunk, and so am I.

"I'm so glad we decided to be friends," I say putting my arm around her. She smiles back at me before getting up and stumbling across the room this time she lands in Nate's lap. I decide to get up too. I walk part way across the room before someone grasps my arm.

"Whoa, steady there," Matthew says.

"Looks like we run into each other again," I say giggling.

He opens his mouth to say something but we're interrupted by the building shaking. This time it's not caused by alcohol. I regain my balance and look around confused, what was that? 

All the windows shatter, blowing inwards as the second explosion goes off. I turn away to protect myself from the debris.

I try to shake off my confusion but the alcohol makes it hard. I notice Matthew clutching his throat, blood is pouring over his fingers. A stray piece of glass is lodged in his neck, probably hitting his jugular. Nadia is huddled in the corner sobbing and I bet Michaela is still passed out in the bedroom. Clara and Nate are still in the armchair by the fireplace, both seemed unharmed.

Someone is attacking the academy. It has to be the rebels. They're coming for Nate and I'm too drunk to fight or cast a spell. But I can still be helpful, I fumble for the dagger strapped to my thigh.

I see three men climb in through the window and make a bee line for Nate. He shoves Clara to the floor and grabs the fire poker. He manages to block the first attack, but he's outnumbered and comparatively unarmed. He uses his magic to increase his speed but his attackers do the same.

I finally manage to pull the dagger free, I want to throw it but they are all moving too fast and in my condition, I don't think I could hit a target anyway. I feel so helpless!

Nate fights off the two attackers in front of him but the third plunges a knife into his back. He stops fighting. The room is completely motionless. He coughs and blood trickles over his lip and down his chin. The attacker pulls out his sword and Nate crumples to the ground.

I wake up from the dream. What was that. Like my other recent nightmares, the dream was so vivid and real but my other nightmares I could understand. They were my worst fears. Losing Nate can't be my worst fear; I don't even really care about him.

I get up and wander through my morning routine, I still feel oddly apprehensive about the dream. I'm not usually superstitious but something about the whole thing unnerves me. Elise seems surprised to see me up, most mornings she has to drag me out of bed.

She sits down with me and we discuss how many servants I can afford to have on my pay role and Elise suggests who she thinks would be best. We spend most of the day putting together our network and making sure we have eyes on most of the key players.

"I also heard something interesting in the kitchens this morning," Elise says and I motion for her to go on. "Clara has requested a large amount of alcohol; it seems she's throwing a party."

"And she didn't invite me, looks like I'll have to crash." Seems both Clara and I don't intend to keep up our deal.

Elise helps me change for the party and I tell her to keep an eye on Clara's room to see when the guests start arriving since I don't know what time the party starts. It annoys me that she has forced me to go to such lengths.