Princess Elodi's Arc

Chapter 10 of 55

The tunnel swallowed the light behind her. Elodi ran, one hand dragging along the wet stone. Her bag slapped her back. Opal shifted under her arm. Ahead, a gray shape grew in the dark. The rusted grate. Past it lay the open world. She dropped the bag and gripped the hammer. The iron bars were pitted and flaking. Four bolts held the grate to the stone. She swung. The clang rang down the tunnel. Rust burst into orange dust. She swung again, and the first bolt cracked loose. Her arms burned. She struck the second bolt, then the third. Sweat ran into her eyes. The fourth bolt fought her. She braced her boot on the wall and hammered until it gave. The grate sagged. She dropped the hammer, grabbed the bars, and pulled. Metal screamed against stone. The grate swung wide. Cool night air rushed in. Elodi climbed through and stood. Grass. Stars. No walls above her. She was outside the castle for the first time in years. Then the bells began. Deep and loud, one after another, ringing from the spires. They had found her empty room. They knew. Guards would spill from the gates now, torches high, searching the dark for a girl in an orange gown. Elodi turned in a circle. She did not know this land. She did not know which way led to safety. On foot, they would run her down before morning. Her chest tightened. She had traded one cage for open ground with no place to hide. A hand touched her shoulder. She spun, fists up. A tall shape stepped from the shadows. Dark curly hair. A blue tunic she had last seen across a crowded ballroom. Prince Damon. He had bought her escape by holding her mother's eyes while she slipped away. Now he stood here, past the walls, breathing hard. Behind him waited an animal she had only seen in books. A griffin, tall as a horse, with soft tan feathers and the head of an eagle. A blue harness wrapped its shoulders. A worn saddle sat on its back. It watched her with a sharp golden eye and shifted its clawed feet. "You came out the tunnel," Damon said. He almost smiled. "I hoped you would." The bells rolled louder. Torchlight flickered near the far gate. "They'll find you on foot," Damon said. He held out a hand toward the saddle. "Hop on, Princess. This is the one way they can't follow." Elodi looked at the gate, then at the griffin. She had planned to run alone. She had not planned on trusting anyone. But she remembered the ball, and how he had asked for nothing. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She took his hand and climbed into the saddle. The griffin surged beneath her. "Hold tight," Damon said. Wings snapped open. The ground dropped away, and the castle shrank below.