“Couple of troublemakers,” a guard growled. “Now we get to make an example out of the two of you.”
“You’re arresting us?” Brion asked hopefully.
“And give you a chance to escape? No. Only your heads will be making the journey back to the palace with us. The rest of you can stay right here and rot.” He smiled, showing off a broken tooth. His compatriots chuckled.
“Wait,” Brion began, “we can figure something-”
“Kill them,” the lead guard instructed, stepping back.
Jonas grappled for the jeweled dagger he kept at his waist-the very same dagger Lord Aron had used to take Jonas’s brother’s life-but it would be little use against three sharp swords. Still, if he would die today, he would take at least one of these brutes with him. He gripped the dagger tightly. Brion clutched another blade in his hand as the two guards approached, their hulking forms blocking the sunlight.
Then both guards staggered forward, their expressions registering pain and confusion. They fell forward, hitting the ground hard. Sticking out of each of their backs was a deeply embedded arrow. The third guard spun around, his sword raised. There was a sickening sound and he, too, fell to the ground, an arrow protruding from his throat.
A girl stood at the entrance to the alleyway. As she lowered her bow, Jonas realized it was the same girl he had seen in the crowd earlier, but now he noticed that she wore the tunic and trousers of a boy. Her dark hair hung in a thick braid down her back.
“You said you’re rebels. Is this true?”
Jonas just stared at her, dumbfounded. “Who are you?”
“Answer my question first and I might tell you.”
He exchanged a look with Brion, whose eyes were wide as saucers. “Yes. We’re rebels.”
“And you mentioned Paelsia. You’re Paelsian?” She swept her gaze over them. “Well, that should be obvious by how you’re dressed. Not nearly enough tailored silk between you to pass for Auranians. Tell me, though. . do you nearly get yourselves killed every day?”
“Not every day,” Brion said.
The girl checked over her shoulder. “We should move. There are plenty of guards in this city, and they will soon wonder what happened to their friends, especially when they hear of the fate of the King of Blood’s mural.” She looked at Jonas. “Nice work there. Messy, but effective.”
“I’m glad you approve. Now, who are you?”
She shoved her bow into the holder strapped to her back and pulled her cloak to cover it and her boy’s attire. “My name is Lysandra Barbas and I, too, am Paelsian. I’ve traveled across Paelsia and Auranos looking for rebels. Looks like I’ve finally found a couple.”
“Do you need our help?” Jonas asked.
She looked at him as if he might be stupid. “Clearly, you need my help. I’m joining your group. Now come on, we can’t stay here.”
Lysandra turned and began walking swiftly away from the alley, leaving the bodies of the three guards behind without another glance.
Before Jonas realized what he was doing, he was following her, Brion jogging alongside him to keep up to their fast pace.
“Lysandra,” Jonas said. “Are you sure you know what you’re saying? The life of a rebel is dangerous and uncertain. You’re very good with a bow and arrow”-amazing, actually-“but where we make camp in the Wildlands, it’s not safe or secure. They’re a dangerous place, even for us.”
She turned on him, her eyes flashing. “Is this about me being a girl? Don’t you have any female rebels?”
“A few,” Jonas admitted.
“I’ll fit in just fine, then.”
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re thankful for your interference back there-”
“Interference?” She cut him off before he’d managed to get an entire sentence out. “I saved your lives.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. Those guards would have executed both him and Brion on the spot if she hadn’t interfered. He had come to Hawk’s Brow seeking new recruits and Lysandra appeared to be full of potential. Still, there was something about her that made him hesitate.
That fire in both her eyes and her words-it wasn’t something shared by every Paelsian. Jonas’s own sister Felicia was a fighter, a warrior when necessary, but Lysandra’s passion and willingness to fight was as rare as diamonds.
Still, his gut told him-rather loudly, in fact-that Lysandra Barbas would be trouble.
“How old are you?” he asked.
“Seventeen.”
Same as both Jonas and Brion. “And where is your family? Do they know you’re off seeking a life of danger?”
“My family is dead.”
The words were delivered flatly and without emotion, but they still made Jonas wince.
“King Gaius’s men came to my village to recruit everyone to work on a road he’s started to build,” she explained. “When we said no, they came back and burned my village to the ground. They butchered almost everyone who tried to run away. Those who lived were enslaved and carted off to one of the road camps. For all I know, I was the only one who managed to escape.”
King Gaius’s road-the one he’d announced during his speech a week ago. “When was this?”
“Two weeks ago. I’ve barely slept since. I’ve tried to keep moving, keep searching. Most in Paelsia are so accepting of fate-of destiny. It sickens me. Those here in Auranos are delusional, thinking King Gaius isn’t as bad as his reputation. They’re wrong-all of them. Now that I’ve found you, I can join your numbers and help to free our countrymen.”
Jonas swallowed hard, his chest tight. His feet pounded against the ground as they continued to put distance between them and the dead guards. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m here and I’m ready to fight against the King of Blood. I want to see him suffer. I want to see him lose his precious crown and have his world burn to the ground as he dies screaming. That’s what I want.”
“That’s what we all want. My rebels are ready to make a difference and we’re-”
“Your rebels,” Lysandra said sharply. “Are you saying you’re the leader?”
“Of our group, yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“Jonas Agallon.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ve heard of you. Everyone in Paelsia knows your name.”
Yes, the murder of his brother Tomas-the inciting incident that brought about King Gaius’s bid for war against the Auranians with naive Paelsians fighting at his side-had made both their names well known throughout the land. His fingers brushed against the jeweled dagger he held on to only so he could one day use it to end Lord Aron’s life.
Lysandra flicked a glance at Brion. “And who are you?”
He smiled eagerly. “Brion Radenos.”
She frowned. “I’ve never heard of you.”
Brion’s expression fell. “Well, not yet. I will be famous one day too.”
“I have no doubt.” Her attention returned to Jonas. “What have your rebels been focused on?”
He eyed the alleyway they swiftly moved past, but there were no guards lying in wait for them. “We’re recruiting all over Paelsia and Auranos-there are nearly fifty of us now. We’re causing trouble where we can, so the king knows we’re here and that we’re a growing threat. And while we are in Auranos we’re spreading the word to the citizens that the king is a liar and they shouldn’t so easily buy in to his promises.”
“Your group hasn’t made a move on the king himself?”
“Not yet.” The memory of the three rebels’ heads mounted on spikes haunted him, a tight, hard knot in his gut. He wanted to do whatever it took to defeat the king, but to lose anyone-to have them suffer and die at his command. .
It would be like seeing Tomas’s murder again and again, and being personally responsible for it this time.
“Destroying murals and recruiting potential rebels isn’t going to defeat King Gaius.” Her steps finally slowed and she chewed her bottom lip, as if deep in thought. “He’s enslaving our people to build his road. Our Paelsian brothers and sisters throughout our land are being forced to work for him against their will-or they’re being murdered for trying to resist.”