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him, and he cut through the front line, pushing them back. A voice sang in his head, promising him honor. “One man outnumbered deserves a second chance.” He spoke the words, but they were not his own.
    “Eloquently spoken for a soldier.” Echo raised his brow, peering deeper into his soul.
    Nathaniel shook his head. “I cannot take credit for my actions. A force pulled me in your direction.”
    “Indeed.” Echo looked away in frustration when Nathaniel had expected surprise. “A force I cannot seem to control however much I try.”
    The old man gestured toward the empty bed. “The boy was here when the sun set. I woke up a few hours later to the medic’s shouts that he’d disappeared.”
    “Then he couldn’t have gone through the front gate.” Nathaniel massaged his chin in thought. “He must be in the city.” He checked over his shoulder. “The boy couldn’t have found many places to hide. Most inns, taverns, and shops are locked after sunset. Patrols march the cobblestone. My guards should have spotted him.”
    “What of the back gate?” Echo spoke as if he tempted fate.
    Nathaniel gave him a chastising stare, as if silencing a child asking to be told a frightful bedtime story. The minstrels hadn’t been in Ebonvale for decades, but they should know better. “Contrary to rumor, the back gate hasn’t been opened since King Artemis Rubystone’s army returned from their triumph at Sill. In the spring, it floods from the mountain pass. The poor lad would have to slosh through the muck of the moors, not to mention the stories of the voices calling from the mountains, and all of those awful bones of the lost travelers and castle runaways...” He closed his eyes, blocking the thoughts from his mind.
    Echo lay back, propping his head on the pillow. “Tradition, superstition, and a little bit of muck may not supersede one’s desire to be free.”
    “The gate will be the last place I check.” Nathaniel gave the man a steady glance. “Thank you for your help.”
    “I’ll do anything to ensure our kingdoms’ unity. These are trying times.”
    “Indeed. With half the countryside a charred ruin and raiders running amok. At least the wyverns haven’t returned. Many thanks to your kind.”
    Echo raised his finger. “It was the unity of both kingdoms that defeated them.”
    Nathaniel nodded and turned toward the door. Another reason to support Brax’s union with Valoria. “I will never forget.”
     
     

Chapter 5
     
    Flight
     
    Nathaniel rounded the corner of the apothecary’s shop with a lantern in his hand. The silver rays of the quarter moon barely penetrated the shadows. He knelt down and raised the lantern above the cobblestone. A single drop of blood speckled the amber rock. He touched it with his finger. The blood was cold, but not entirely dry.
    Seems the boy had some acting skills. He wasn’t as near to death as he’d led Nathaniel to believe.
    Nathaniel checked the area and found another drop on a storage crate in the alley out back. The bloodied path continued through the empty gin kegs behind the Wild Boar Tavernand stopped at the back door. Unlike most of the village, this tavern stayed open through the dark hours of the night.
    A perfect place to hide.
    Nathaniel came around the front, not wanting to raise suspicions. Two men stood by the door, chewing black root. They were farmers from the countryside, probably stopping by to drop off their goods and have a drink before the journey back tomorrow. They straightened as he approached, and he waved them back. “At ease.”
    “A strange place for a lieutenant on duty.” The younger of the two men called after him with a teasing tone.
    Nathaniel glanced over his shoulder. “We are all on duty every heartbeat of our lives.”
    The inside of the tavern glowed with golden light from three giant hanging lanterns and a roaring fire in the back. Several men sat at the bar, and most of the tables were taken. Loud conversations provided a