Page 2 of Dragon Unbound (Dragon Kings 3)
Tamlyn’s breathing was loud even over the tinkling of water that rushed past her feet in the drain. She ignored her wet feet and crouched, walking until she reached the other side of the drain without a grate. She paused at the entrance and peeked around the corner, first one way and then the other. When she didn’t see anyone, she eased out and straightened, careful to remain in the shadows.
This was the part she hated the most. It was almost too easy to get into the city. Getting out was another matter. She shoved aside those thoughts and turned right, walking close to the wall. She made it up the first level and then the second without incident. The third was trickier because there was more housing than shops, which meant more people. She managed to dodge soldiers and residents alike to get to the fourth level.
Once there, she stared at her destination—the temple, its beauty marred by the horrors committed within. Memories tried to surface, but Tamlyn shoved them aside. The past was the past, and it needed to remain there.
It took forever for her to reach the temple since there were more soldiers on this level. Thankfully, their attention was on other things. When she made it, she still had to get across the wide square in front of it. All she could do was hope that her timing was right when she pushed away from the wall and walked across the open expanse.
She ducked out of sight when she rounded the left side of the temple. Tamlyn braced her hands on her knees and drew in deep breaths. That was the worst part of her mission. Every time, she feared she would be stopped and questioned.
Once she had composed herself, she stood. Tamlyn ignored the doors. Instead, she looked up at the windows. The one she needed was the highest of them all. The climb was perilous, the stones worn nearly smooth. But someone had once climbed the temple because there were footholds or handholds that couldn’t be seen unless you were scaling the wall. She always wondered if the person had made it out. She liked to believe they had.
Tamlyn had made this climb before, so she knew exactly where to go to get to the window quickly. She took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer that the soldiers on the battlements didn’t look her way. If they did, she would be spotted easily. She reached up and got a good hold of the edge of a stone before putting the toe of her boot on another and hoisting herself up.
It had been a life-or-death situation that’d brought her to this side of the temple years ago. She’d never imagined she would return time and again, but here she was once more. Would she make it out this time? She didn’t want to think about what might happen to her if she got caught.
Her muscles screamed in protest as she made her way up. Every time she did this, she swore it would be the last. It was a lie she told herself to get through each event because she would continue this journey until they finally killed her.
Finally, her hand gripped the windowsill. She slowly pulled herself up to look through the glass window. She saw the boy sitting on the floor, his frightened gaze locked on the door. Tamlyn was shocked at his age. Normally, the children she came for were much younger. The boy had to be seven or eight. There was no way she could carry him like she had the others.
Her mind raced to find a way to get him out. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t come up with anything. She either had to leave him to his Fate or take him as she did the others and leave things up to chance.
She looked at his face. Tears fell down his cheeks. He knew what was to happen. His terror was palpable. There was no way she could leave without him. Her course had been set the instant she heard the scream in her head earlier.
Tamlyn made sure her footing was solid before lifting one hand from the sill and tapping her finger on the glass. His head snapped to her, but he didn’t move. She was fast losing her strength. She couldn’t stay in this position much longer. Tamlyn motioned him to her. Still, he hesitated. She tried once more. Her arms were shaking, her fingers beginning to go numb. She was about to lose her grip. If he didn’t come now, they would both die tonight.
To her relief, he jumped up, rushed to the window, and opened it. She pushed up and sat on the windowsill to give her arms and legs a rest. Then she looked at him.
“Who are you?” he asked, his blue eyes wide with fear.
“Tamlyn. I’m here to help you.”
He glanced at the door. “No one can help me.”
“I climbed this wall for you. We can go down together, or you can stay here and see how things turn out.”
He shook his head before she finished. “I don’t want to stay. But…”
“I know,” she said softly. “It’s scary. There’s a chance we won’t make it. But it’s a choice you alone can make.”
He lifted his chin, his slim shoulders squaring. “I’ll do it.”
“Good lad,” she said with a wink. “I’m going to get into place. I need you to climb out and onto my back. Be sure to close the window.”
He glanced down and then nodded jerkily.
“You can do this,” Tamlyn told him.
That seemed to bolster him. She flexed her fingers and hoped she would be able to maintain her grip with his added weight. Tamlyn held onto the sill and dropped down, using her arms to hold her until she got both her footholds.
“All right. Come on,” she urged.
The boy climbed out and scooted to the edge of the sill on one side of her. He closed the window behind him.
“Good,” she said with a nod. “Now, get onto my back. Use my body however you need to, but make sure you have a good hold on me. Just be careful not to choke me.”
The instant he told her that he was in place, she began climbing down. She hadn’t gotten very far when she realized that she would never be able to hold them both. Her fingers were slipping, and her arms were shaking so badly she could barely move them.
And then she lost her grip.
Air rushed past them as they plummeted to the passageway below. Just before they hit, they jerked to a stop. Somehow, they hung suspended in midair for a heartbeat before falling the last few feet. The impact jarred her, but nothing like what could’ve happened.
She sat and turned to the boy. “Was that you?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Thank you.” She jumped to her feet. “Come on. We’ve got to get out of the city.”
Those at Stonemore didn’t know who was rescuing the children, but each time she came to the city, there was something else that hadn’t been there before. This time it was the soldiers in the forest. What would be next? They would catch her eventually. Until then, she would save as many as she could.
She took the boy’s hand and turned to retrace her steps. The only way out was to go down, and that meant walking across the empty square again. She kept a tight hold of the boy while also making sure their steps were easy and casual. One of the nearby soldiers turned to look at them. He started toward them, but another soldier told him to forget them. No doubt those two would be in trouble shortly, but she couldn’t let her thoughts linger on that. By her reckoning, everyone who didn’t stop the sacrifices was complicit.
Once they were off the fourth level, it took no time before they neared the drain. Tamlyn kept watch as she nudged the boy inside. When she knew that no one was coming, she ducked in after him. Then she lifted the grate on the other end and slipped out.
The boy looked at the forest. His face was pale, but he didn’t shrink away. He knew what was at stake, just as she had that long ago night when she escaped. It was either die in the temple or take a chance in the forest. Tamlyn hadn’t had to think twice about it.
