Risk

Chapter 6: Emilette

   Blackness. That was what I could make out in the dark night. The sky and the horizon blended into one, and there were barely any stars visible up above. It was a dark night, a black night, a night that would be almost impossible to navigate through on foot, a night that would be almost impossible to spot even the slightest of movements.

The royal family had chosen a very good night.

But not good enough.

The wind blew lightly, lifting the ends of my bright hair that peeked out of my black cap. I carefully tucked the escaping strands back inside, making sure that none of it was one display. I couldn't make the same mistake I'd made in the village market a couple days ago with having my hair on display. Thank god no one had been any the wiser.

I crouched behind a large tree, a little ways away from the castle gates. I knew the rest of the Risk were spread out close by, waiting for those carriages that held the royal family to come rolling so willingly, yet unknowingly, into our clutches. The Risk were impatient, excited at the prospect of an ambush.

I couldn't say the same for myself.

I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

I couldn't them from shaking for two reasons. The first was the thought that tonight might be the night that harm came to the Holt children.

The second was because of the gun I held in my hand.

It was sleek and black, blacker than the night if that was possible. The metal was cool to the touch, and it was heavier than I thought it would be. I never would've thought that I would be in this position tonight, with a gun in my hand that was meant to be used. The Master was impatient and wanted, needed, to make some progress tonight. And so he'd ordered that every rebel be equipped with a gun.

Including me.

I'd wanted to refuse. To throw the gun right back in his face. But I couldn't if I didn't want to be accused of anything.

So I'd accepted, just to keep the Master happy, but more importantly, to keep my father happy.

Yes, they are two different people. Well, they are the same person, but with different personalities. My father is slightly gentler than the Master. He actually regards me as a daughter. The Master, however, was not one to show gentleness. He's stoic, cold, a leader.

I need to keep both of them happy. Not just for them, but for me, and my safety.

And so here I was, outfitted in the Risk uniform, with a gun in my hand.

Just then, there was the slightest noise. A creak of the castle gates as they swung open to admit carriages. One, two, three and four. Except... then there were five, and six and seven and eight. I soon lost count of how many carriages were pouring out of the castle gates. All I knew was that I hadn't been told that there would be more than four carriages.

For some reason, I was relieved that I hadn't been told. Less things for me to lie about.

No, not lie. Leave out.

I took a deep breath to steady myself. Any moment, the signal would come.

And just then, it did. The quickest flash of light in the sky, so quick that I thought it hadn't even been there, until I heard the other rebels take off towards the carriages, raising their guns as they did so. I stood rooted to my spot, trying to talk myself into going out there.

The first gunshot was what did it.

I bolted out from behind the tree as the person on the receiving end of that bullet screamed. I sprinted towards the first carriage I saw and I raised the gun in my hand to shoot out the tires. My first shot missed, but the second one grazed the side of the tire, opening up a hole. The horse went crazy, running faster, going willy-nilly. I left the driver to deal with that and headed to a different carriage. I again shot out the tires, but this time I was fast enough to catch up with the carriage. I pulled open the door, and saw only two guards their swords drawn. The first one swung his sword, but I pulled the trigger of my gun without thinking. It hit him in the shoulder, thankfully, but the surprise of my being armed with a gun was enough for me to dive out of the way, letting the carriage keep going. Nothing would be gained by just mindlessly killing everyone.

Suddenly, I heard someone shout. I turned to where it had come from and saw one of the rebels with his arm raised in triumph. Another rebel was emerging from the carriage that they had ambushed, and through the darkness, I could just make out the vague figure of a person slumped against the rebel as if they were unconscious. My heart beat sped up, pounding in my chest as if it was going to come out. Without thinking, I ran towards the rebel, needing to see who they had found. Once I was close enough to see who it was, I stopped short. My breath escaped me.

Even in the darkness, it was easy to make out the unmistakable dark hair, and tall figure of the crown prince.

The rebel was dragging the unconscious form of Julian. 

Hey lovelys! Thanks so much for reading this update! Sorry for it being so short... but I promise more, longer chapters are coming. If you liked this chapter, please comment and vote!

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