The Water Howlers - Book II ✔

Chapter 27 - Ori

Darkness engulfed them for longer than Ori cared for. His hand gripped tightly around Emmie's wrist, not wanting her to fall during the commotion. 

It seemed as if Thatch had gotten his bearings back and with a few choice curse words Thatch conjured little orbs of flame, which he flung out to the chandeliers and torches on the walls. With the room illuminated the frantic shoving and pushing of the guests ceased and everyone froze to see what had happened in the blackout. 

"The Princess!" Shouts bounced off of the walls as a group gathered around someone lying on the floor. 

"Princess Isadaya!"

"The Princess is hurt. Call for the palace healers!"

"Shut the doors! No one leaves the room!"

Further commotion ensued and Ori stepped backwards from the stage, pulling a shocked-looking Emmie with him. 

"How?" Ki muttered as she looked around the grand room. Her head tilted and Ori followed it to the upper balconies, which he hadn't paid much attention to earlier. A flicker of movement caught his eye. Someone was up there. Ki had seen it too and shouted for the attention of the palace guards.

"The balcony!" 

"Stay with the princess," Thatch told Ki and after exchanging a quick glance with Ori the two of them rushed off to the staircase leading up to the balcony. 

With an elevated heartbeat, Ori followed Thatch as they weaved through the crowded room. 

Half a dozen soldiers were already upstairs and more followed on Ori's heels. The hallway split in two with one leading out onto the balcony and the other away from it. They stopped for a moment to look around. There was no way that the attacker had stayed behind for this long. 

Ori stopped a oncoming palace soldier and pointed down the hallway leading away from the balconies. "Where does this lead to?" The soldier stared at him for a brief moment as if not fully understanding Ori's question. Then he blinked and looked down the hallway.

"It splits again further down, the left leading to the main hall and the other to guest chambers."

Ori and Thatch took off down the hallway, the sounds from the throne room below fading away. Pounding footsteps behind them let the know that soldiers were following. When the hallway forked Ori and Thatch split as well, Thatch going left towards the main hall and Ori continued right towards the guest quarters. 

Doors lined the whole right side of the corridor, all of them closed and many locked when Ori tried to pull at the handles. Three palace guards had followed him and together they searched for clues. 

"Where does this corridor lead to?" Ori asked. 

"It's a dead end. Guest quarters on this floor are only accessible through the main entrance hall."

"What guests typically stay here?" Their own chambers were in a different wing of the palace and Victorine hadn't brought them here during their little tour as she was busy talking about herself and touching Thatch's upper arms. 

"These quarters are reserved for the lesser noble and important visitors." The guard said it so frankly and unaffected, which surprised Ori.  

"Make sure you search all the rooms here." The guard didn't object to Ori's order and Ori ran back down the corridor, turned right and followed where Thatch had gone. 

He found Thatch by an open door leading out into the field where they had been yesterday. The tree line was nearby so it wouldn't have been hard for whoever it was to get into the trees, especially in the growing darkness. Ori stepped outside and looked around for any palace guards, but no one were around. Why hadn't anyone been covering this door? Gazing upwards, the wall stretched up at least fifteen feet. Torches were lit along the wall and the rising moon bathed everything in a flickering silvery light. Thatch came up next to Ori.