The Rogue Lady

Chapter Fifty Six

Sorry, yesterday I forgot it was Tuesday. Where I live, it's very easy to lose track of time. But let me just say about this chapter... uhm, YAY!!

**

I took a deep breath as if I hadn't breathed in a long time. A few hours was longer than I had ever gone without before so I guess that made sense. When I opened my eyes, I only saw darkness, real darkness without shadows or even the tiniest glimpse of light. Before I could start panicking though, I let my magic warm up my blood and created a small light source with it. There wasn't much to see. I was in a box and Rowan was next to me; well not really a box, in a tomb. Everything had gone according to plan then.

Looking at my brother, I noticed he still wasn't breathing. Why wasn't he breathing yet? Rolling onto my side as much as I could in the tight space, I checked for a pulse in his neck but he didn't have one yet. Suddenly I began thinking that maybe something had gone wrong with the spell. What if Rowan really was dead? What if dying had broken our bond? Why else would he not be awake at the same time as me.

"Rowan," I said as I shook him a little but when he didn't react, I shook him harder. "Rowan! Rowan, wake up!" Then his eyes flew open and he gasped as if he had made it to the surface of the water. Relief flowed through me, and I would have hugged him if there had been enough room. He coughed a few times, then I felt him relax and thus I relaxed myself. "Oh dragon! You scared me there for a moment."

"I can feel that," he replied with a reassuring smile. Did that mean the bond was still there? I hoped so; it was a curse but it made us close. "So, now what do we do? Please tell me you thought this through all the way."

"Of course I did; though I didn't expect the tomb to be actually closed." Rowan raised his arms and tried pushed the top away. He was stronger than me so when he couldn't even make it budge, I knew I wouldn't be of much help. "Let's try some magic."

He nodded, taking my hand in his, laying them down between us. We both raised our free hand to the top until I could feel the cold marble under my palm. My magic warmed my blood and I felt it flow to Rowan through our linked hands and I felt his coming to me. Then we gave a mighty push and the cover flew of the tomb, and went crashing against the opposite wall.

"Maybe a little less magic next time," Rowan grinned sheepishly at me.

"That sounds like a good idea, especially if you don't want the entire castle hearing you."

My head turned to where the voice had come from, and I was relieved to find Harry leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. I could see the relief flashing over his face when he approached us but it was gone again in the blink of an eye. "I was beginning to worry whether you were going to wake up or not, and if so, if you would be in time. You are cutting it pretty close."

"What?!"

"I tried to delay it, but the Queen insisted on executing your friends at noon. The leader should be marching up to the gallows now before they read him his crimes."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I swung my legs out of the tomb but almost felt to the floor, face first. My legs wobbled under me, which I hadn't expected. This wasn't good; if I couldn't stand, I couldn't fight. And if I couldn't fight my friends were going to die.

"Let your blood circulate for a minute and life will flow back into your legs," Harry advised as he lifted a bag into the tomb.

Inside, there were two cloaks for Rowan and I, along with weapons. My hands instantly went to my blades and I put them in my belt, loving the feeling of their familiar weight. Rowan's bow was in there as well along with two quivers stocked with arrows. Then there were daggers and knifes, which I started putting all over me, some in my belt, some under my sleeves, on my legs, in my boots; they were all fairly easy to hide. Rowan took some a well, in case he ran out of arrows.