Chapter 13

Gabe peered around the corner. He put his arm on Sadie’s head to try and lift himself into a better position.

Sadie instantly pulled him back down. Gabe fell down from the boxes that they had stacked up.

Gabe: “Ow!”

Sadie: “No touching.”

Gabe: “But I wasn’t even…”

Gabe frowned.

Sadie looked back onto the guard station. A number of guards sat inside, idly playing a game of cards.

Sadie: “Okay, here’s the plan. You go in first to distract them, and I’m going to sneak in the back and grab the uniforms.”

Gabe pulled himself up and crossed his legs. He looked up at Sadie.

Gabe: “I hate that plan. For one, I don’t even know why you’re helping me. For two, you’re probably just going to leave me as soon as I walk in, and for three uh I don’t really have a three.”

Sadie shrugged.

Sadie: “Sorry, you’re going to need at least three reasons is you want to reject it. Besides, you don’t have a demon contract. They might go easy on you.”

Gabe flinched.

Gabe: “Yeah, well. I still think this is a bad idea.”

Sadie looked down at him.

Sadie: “Are you saying that my idea is bad?”

She gave him puppy-dog eyes.

Gabe turned red and looked away, flustered.

Gabe: “No. I mean, I don’t know.”

Sadie laughed.

Gabe pouted.

Sadie: “Alright, get in there.”

Sadie hopped down from the box and ran around to the back of the guard station.

Gabe sighed. He pulled himself to his feet.

Gabe: “Why do I let myself be bossed around like this by everyone. I should learn to be my own man.”

Gabe walked toward the front of the station. He opened the door and stepped in.

The guard station was small, and he was instantly spotted by everyone inside. They froze upon seeing him.

Gabe: “You know, I’m not just going to do what other people tell me anymore. From now on, I’m going to be a new me.”

The guards looked at each other.

Guard 1: “What is he talking about?”

A guard got up from his table, setting down his hand of cards. One of the other guards instantly snatched it and swapped out one of the cards.

The guard walked over to Gabe.

Guard 2: “Are you lost, boy?”

Gabe looked up at him.

Gabe: “Umm. No. But, uh. If you wanted to tell me where I am, then I wouldn’t stop you.”

The guards slowly started to relax.

The guard laughed.

Guard 2: “No worries, kid. I’ll take you back to your parents. Try not to wander off anymore.”

Gabe: “Umm, okay.”

The guard went to open the door.

Suddenly a voice came from behind them.

Guard 3: “Hey, wait. I think I recognize that kid from somewhere.”

Gabe froze.

He looked over. It was the guard who let him into the city.

Gabe’s eyes widened.

Guard 2: “Really?”

Guard 3: “Yeah, bring him over here. Let me take a good look at him.”

The guard put a hand on Gabe’s back and led him towards the guard.

Gabe squirmed against the man’s grip.

Gabe: “Uh, I’m not too sure I should be doing this. My parents are probably worried about me.”

The guard from the gate waved his hand in front of his face.

Guard 3: “Nonsense. It’ll only take a second.”

Gabe dug his heels into the floor. The guard pushed him forward. Gabe bit his lip.

Guard 3: “Now, where was it that I know you from?”

Gabe looked around frantically. All of the guards were looking at him.

The guard was right in front of him now. Gabe’s breathing started to pick up.

He balled his fist. Then he swallowed.

Gabe: “Hey, Barth-”

A loud noise cut him off. Gabe flinched.

Everyone turned to look where the sound had come from. Stepping out from a room in the back was a girl with short blonde hair. She was wearing a guard’s uniform and had another one wrapped around her arm.

She had opened the door so forcefully that it had slammed into the wall behind her, and now slowly closed on its own.

Female guard: “Stop. Unhand that boy at once.”

Guard 2: “And just who might you be?”

The female guard flinched. She cleared her throat.

Female guard: “I’m new!”

Gabe grimaced.

The guards looked at each other.

Guard 3: “I don’t remember any new guards being permitted recently. Who are you really?”

The guard peeled his eyes.

The female guard took a step back.

Female guard: “I uh.”

She looked at Gabe.

Female guard: “I am that boy’s sister.”

Guard 1: “What’s going on here?”

A flume of smoke started to slowly rise from a few of the guards. Their eyes narrowed.

Gabe looked around. The female guard took a few more steps back.

Gabe racked his brain for something to say.

Suddenly he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

Gabe: “I know Agares!”

The guards paused. They looked back at Gabe.

Guard 2: “You mean Sir Agares? Why are you talking about him so informally?”

Gabe’s eyes widened. He cleared his throat.

Gabe: “Because me and him are tight like that, you know.”

No one said anything for a second.

The words hung in the air.

The female guard put a palm to her forehead.

Guard 3 took another hard look at Gabe. He stood up.

Guard 3: “That’s where I know you from. You came in earlier. With Sir Agares.”

The guards started to murmur amongst themselves.

Guard 2: “You mean he’s telling the truth?”

Guard 3: “He was tied up back then, though. Like a slave.”

The guards turned to Gabe again.

Gabe swallowed.

He waved his hands in front of him.

Gabe: “That was just a misunderstanding. See? My hands are free now. If I was a slave, then why would Agares let me free?”

The guards seemed to run this through their minds.

Guard 3: “If that’s really the case, then what are you doing here?”

Gabe hesitated. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

The guards’ stares intensified.

The hairs on the back of Gabe’s neck stood up.

Female guard: “That’s my fault. Sorry. I just got appointed as a guard, and my brother was coming to see how I was doing. Overprotective as always.”

The guards looked between the two. No one said anything for a moment.

Then one of them spoke up.

Guard 2: “Well, why didn’t you just say so from the beginning?”

The tension in the room subsided.

Gabe exhaled.

The guards went back to their card games.

Guard 2: “I’m Mason by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”

Mason shook Gabe’s hand. He just stood there.

Gabe cleared his throat. The female guard made her way over to him.

Gabe: “I’m actually supposed to be leaving the city right now on orders from Agares. Would you mind escorting the two of us out?”

Mason shrugged.

Mason: “Sure. Anything to get on Sir Agares’s good side. I do not like that guy when he’s angry.”

The female guard gave a strained smile.

Mason: “Don’t tell him I said that, though.”

Female guard: “We need to get going right away, if that’s possible.”

Mason: “Sure. I’ll take you over right now.”

Gabe looked between Mason and the female guard, who he was pretty sure was Sadie.

Sadie leaned over and whispered to him.

Sadie: “That went better than I thought it was going to.”

Gabe: “Yeah.”

The two followed Mason as he led them out of the city.

Before long, they were outside.

Mason waved as they left.

Mason: “Good luck with what it is you’re doing!”

The two waved and smiled back at him. They started walking down the long dirt road as the corn behind them slowly resembled itself to hide the city.

Gabe took a breath. He tried to process everything that just happened.

Gabe: “So, uh, what now?”

Sadie didn’t respond instantly.

Gabe looked at her.

Sadie: “I’m going to run ahead a bit. You can follow and catch up later.”

Sadie took off running, leaving Gabe standing bewildered.

Gabe: “Oh. Uh, okay. Then.”

Gabe watched as she took a turn and vanished.

He didn’t move for a second.

His thoughts gravitated back to Lord Byorn.

Gabe shook his head.

Gabe: “Sadie’s not like that. Besides, she doesn’t even know about Barth.”

Gabe started walking in the direction Sadie ran off in.

Gabe: “I’m not following her because she’s telling me to or anything. I just want to. There’s no other reason.”

Gabe groaned and put his hands on his head.

Gabe: “Ugh, I hate thinking.”

Gabe turned a corner. He was met face to face with what appeared to be a large carriage.

He stopped.

Gabe: “Woah.”

Suddenly a head stuck out of the side.

Sadie: “I found us a ride. Hop on.”