Chapter 26

I hadn’t realized how much adrenaline was going through my body until everything had calmed down, and it was just Rhys, Felice, and myself walking through the woods. My legs would’ve given out on me if it weren’t for Felice picking up the slack and keeping me going. My entire lower body was numb, but I was still walking like nothing happened.

“Riley, are you okay?” Rhys asked, “You’re looking a little pale.”

“The sooner we get to the arena and I finish the Run, the sooner I’ll give in and get some sleep.”

My mind was dead-set, I wanted out of this crazy train, and by the time I saw the familiar-looking wall of the arena, hope set in my heart and I pushed forward, moving even faster than Felice had been pushing me.

“I’m gonna hide and get ready to get through that portal when it’s made,” said Rhys, “Get ready Riley, the emperor’s not gonna be happy with everything that’s gone down.”

“I kinda figured,” I said, “Stay safe, Rhys.”

Rhys nodded to me and ducked off into the woods as I looped around to the entrance of the arena, through the gates that would take me into the woods where all the madness started.

The arena was completely empty, unlike the last time I saw it. The sun was close to setting, but I could still see it over the wall of the arena. I was so tired, thirsty, hungry. I could feel my legs wobbling underneath me.

“What do I do now?” I asked.

“I guess you just - look out!”

I turned just as Felice yelled, only for a familiar green cloud to be blown in my face. I dropped to my knees, and passed out almost immediately.

The darkness of my mind was a swirling vortex of pain, anguish, and sorrow. Even though I knew it was pointless, every time I opened my eyes I hoped everything that happened to me was just a horrible dream.

Those hopes were dashed when I opened my eyes and found myself immediately tackle-hugged by Tarja and Rhys, who then started talking over each other in pure excitement.

“You did it!”

“We saved them!”

“You ended the Run!”

“We pissed off the Emperor!”

“You two did it!”

“Hold on, hold on!” I said, pushing the two of them off me, “What the hell is going on?”

“You did it!” said Tarja as she and Rhys helped me out of bed, “The Run is over, and you saved all the Runners! You’re a hero, Riley!”

“I am?” I asked, “Wait, so I didn’t die and just think I won?”

“Nope!” said Rhys, “We did it all!”

“But… Katie…” I said, trying to fight back the tears that were starting when I realized she wasn’t with us. Rhys and Tarja’s happy expressions immediately dropped at that. Rhys hugged me again.

“I’m sorry she didn’t make it,” said Rhys, “I’m so sorry.”

“Even the strongest people have their limitations.” said Tarja.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around it. Katie had been our support, even though she pretended she was useless with only one arm, she pushed through and we had survived so much hardship. We had vowed to escape together, and she had promised she would get back to her brother.

But she was dead. She was never going to see her brother again.

I was openly crying. Rhys hugged me closer, crying too. Even when I glanced over at Tarja, her eyes were watering as well. We cried for Katie Menton, who deserved so much better than what happened to her.

“So… what happens now?” I asked, “Shouldn’t I be allowed to go home?”

“Tarja and Rhys suddenly furrowed their brows and looked at me, concerned and upset. A cold chill ran down my spine. Something was very wrong.

“What’s going on?” Felice asked.

“Well, that’s the thing,” said Tarja, “The Emperor is refusing to allow you to return home, even though you completed the hidden rule requirements. We got you back to your room, then he declared some kind of broken rule, and demanded your execution.”

“E-execution?!” I said, trying to control my breathing. Rhys rubbed my shoulders, while Tarja helped me go a bit more slowly so I didn’t freak out.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” said Tarja, “They don’t know where you are right now. We’re hiding out in an old wing of the castle!”

“We… are?” I said, looking around at the room for the first time. Sure enough, the room we were in wasn’t the one I had been in before - this one had a cheaper-looking, less comfortable bed, no table and chairs, cobwebs all over the place, rather run-down.

“I knew they wouldn’t think to check here, at first at least,” said Tarja, “Rhys often hides out here when the guards get wise to her.”

“But we can’t just hide out here forever!” I said, “What the hell are we gonna do now?! How am I gonna get home?!”

“Riley, please, calm down!” said Tarja, “I do have a plan, you just need to trust me. I can get you off the castle grounds, then you’re gonna have some travelling for you in the future. Now, let’s get you on your feet and dressed, I took the liberty of washing your jacket for you.”

Tarja and Rhys helped me out of bed, and Tarja handed me my clothes - or at least, similar-looking clothes to what I was wearing during the Run; peasant top, brown pants, the same boots - and my jacket. I rushed to put them on, and turned to the others.

“What now?” I said, “Is there some secret way out of here or something?”

“Yes, but we’re going to have to make a detour,” said Tarja, “One that I believe you’re going to want to make.”

“Where exactly is that?” Felice asked.

Tarja grimaced for a moment before she responded: “The Emperor’s chambers.”

“Uh, why?!” Felice said, “Why would we ever go anywhere near there?! Isn’t it likely that he’d be there and kill us all?”

“Unlikely, as a matter of fact,” said Tarja, “The Emperor’s had some other business outside the castle, so he left things to his right hand.”

“His right hand comes off?!” I said, incredulously.

“I can sense your thoughts and I know for a fact you think that’s a joke Katie would have made.” said Felice.

“… Yeah.” I didn’t see the point in hiding that at all.

“Anyway, I’m talking about Sallaena,” said Tarja, who was trying and failing to contain a smile, “She’s got patrols all over the castle, keeping an eye out, looking for you. I’ve been studying their patrols while you were out, Rhys has been helping me.”

“You woke up at just the right time,” said Rhys, “This is the best opportunity for us to escape!”

“Escape?” I said, “But where would we even go? It’s not like I can walk back to my universe.”

“But I know someone,” said Tarja, “A powerful mage who lives in a small village, on the other side of the country. She could send you back using that powerful magic!”

“But before we even think of getting to that, we need to get out of here!” said Rhys, “We need to get moving, here take this!”

Rhys rushed over to me and handed me a familiar-looking bag - Katie’s bag, the one she took from Kydro. I took a short moment to stare at it, and then I put the thing on and walked to the door with Tarja and Rhys.

“Righto.” said Tarja as the three of us rushed out of the room and made our way into the hallway, Tarja leading the way. Just as we were about to turn a corner, Tarja shoved us through a door into some kind of closet.

“What the -“ I managed to say before Rhys clamped her hand over my mouth.

“Someone’s coming!” Rhys whispered to me, so quietly that I almost didn’t hear her at all. I did, and tried to hold my breath as I finally heard the pounding footsteps.

“Maid!” the sound of Sallaena’s voice hitched my breathing and made my heart beat faster, “Where are the girl and the orc?!”

“I could not tell you where Riley is,” said Tarja, “As I told the Emperor, she slipped out of her room when I wasn’t looking. As for the orc, I have never seen her before.”

There was a pause. I could visualize Sallaena getting in Tarja’s face, trying to catch her in a lie, while Tarja remained as stone-faced as she always was. Then Sallaena started speaking again.

“The Emperor wants both of them in his chambers, in chains,” said Sallaena, “The girl for obvious reasons, though I don’t know why he wants the orc. You are personally assigned to the girl, so why aren’t you keeping an eye on her?”

“As I’ve said - repeatedly, I remind you - Riley slipped away from me when I left her alone to wet a cloth for her. I do not know where she is, and I am currently looking for her myself.”

There was a silence, a long silence, for too long. Stuck inside the small room, unable to see what was going on.

“Alright then,” said Sallaena, “Keep looking.”

“Yes, ma’am.” said Tarja. The thundering footsteps pounded away. I still didn’t move until Tarja opened the door again and waved us over.

“That was too close for comfort,” said Rhys, “We’re heading for the dungeon passage, right?”

“The what now?” I asked.

“It’s a passage through the old abandoned dungeon for transporting prisoners,” said Rhys, “Tarja and I use it sometimes to sneak off castle grounds.”

“That’s the plan,” said Tarja, “But there is one thing that we need to do first.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“We need to get to the Emperor’s chambers,” said Tarja, “Your otherworld things are there.”

“Wait, he kept my stuff?!” I said, “I thought he’d burn it all or something?!”

“Only when the maiden dies does he destroy their possessions,” said Tarja, “I always believed it was because he would give them their things back if they survived the Run.”

“Well, now we know that’s a full load of crap.” I said as the three of us turned a corner and down another hallway, up a couple of flights of stairs, and down several more surprisingly empty hallways.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, “I thought there’d be soldiers everywhere looking for me.”

“They’re looking on the lower levels,” said Tarja, “I suspect the Emperor believes I would hurry you out of the castle by any means necessary as soon as I could. Once we get your things, the soldiers will be too spaced out on the grounds to effectively capture us.”

“Mama’s always been good at sneaking around.” Rhys said.

The three of us hurried along until we came to the end of a hallway, where a large pair of oak double doors stood imposingly over us.

“This is it,” Tarja said, “The Emperor’s chambers. We have to hurry, there’s no doubt he’ll know when we go in here.”

“How?” I asked.

“Magic.” Rhys said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. To be fair, it probably was to her.

The three of us stepped into the emperor’s chambers. They were just as lavishly gaudy as I thought they were going to be, with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room, artwork on the walls, and dressers and cupboards that looked like they were made of gold and silver.

“Tacky,” I said, “Real tacky.”

“Over here.” said Tarja as she directed Rhys and I over to a large picture on the wall, which she discarded to the floor like it weighed nothing, revealing a hidden safe.

“Classic hiding place.” I griped as Tarja leaned in close, waved for me to be silent, and started fidgeting something into the lock. After several tense, silent minutes, the lock popped open, and I pushed forward in shock.

“My bag!” I said, “I never thought I’d see it again! And my clothes too!”

I grabbed my backpack from the safe, stuffed my clothes into it, and put them all into Katie’s knapsack after checking everything was still in there - my cell phone, wireless earbuds, folders, my history textbook, pencils and pens, everything I packed it with the day my life changed forever.

“We have to leave, hurry!” Tarja said. I nodded to her and made sure I had everything before we hurried out the door.