Chapter 203

Chapter 203
Citlali

"If I try to free anyone else, he'll kill me," Kira said, her voice shaking. "He'll kill all of us. His father is watching him. He's already taking a huge risk letting me save you two."

"But—"

"You want to save them?" Kira cut me off, her voice rising. "Fine. I'll tell you how."

She grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to meet her eyes. "There's only one way. The wolves need to win bigger victories on the battlefield. Capture more human prisoners. Then negotiate exchanges—trade human noble captives for these women."

Her fingers dug into my shoulders. "That's the only way. The only way. Political leverage. That's the language these people understand."

"But I can't just—"

"You can't save them now," Kira said, her voice breaking. "Look at you. You can barely stand. You have no weapons, no strength, no plan. If you try to free them all, the guards will kill you. They'll kill Layla. They'll kill me. And these women will still be here, suffering, with no hope left at all."

She was crying now, tears cutting tracks through the grime on her face. "But if you live... if you get out of here and survive... if you help your people win this war... then maybe you can come back. Maybe then you can save them."

I looked past her at the faces in the cells. At the desperate hope in their eyes slowly dying as they realized I wasn't going to free them.

"You can't save them now," Kira repeated. "But if you die here, they'll never have any hope at all."

She was right. I knew she was right.

I couldn't save them. Not now. Not like this.

Trying would only get everyone killed.

But the knowledge didn't make it hurt any less.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry..."

I looked at the women in the cells, my vision blurred with tears. "I'll come back. I swear to God, I'll come back for you. I'll find a way."

Some of the women nodded, understanding in their eyes. Others turned away, unable to watch us leave. One older woman met my gaze and said softly, "Go, child. Live. Live for all of us."

I turned to Kira, tears streaming down my face. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," Kira said, her voice flat. "Prince Snow will protect me."

She met my eyes, and I saw something complicated there—pain, resignation, maybe even relief. "Citlali... I don't owe you anything anymore. You spared my life at the trial. I'm saving yours now. We're even."

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

"Come on," Kira said, turning away. "We're running out of time."

She led us through the corridors, past the unconscious guard bound and gagged in a chair, out into the night air. Every step was agony, my body screaming in protest, but I forced myself to keep moving.

"Follow that path," Kira said, pointing. "There's an alley at the end. You'll find a cart loaded with garbage, scheduled to leave the palace at dawn. The driver's been paid off. Hide under the refuse and don't make a sound. He'll get you out of the city."

I looked at her, this girl who'd once been my rival, who'd become my enemy, who was now saving my life.

"Don't thank me," she said before I could speak. "I don't need it."

She paused, then added quietly, "Prince Snow... he said he hopes you survive. He said maybe someday you can help end this war. He saw the fire in your eyes. He said that kind of fire... it's the kind that changes the world."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Kira turned to leave, but I called after her. "Kira."

She looked back.

"Take care of yourself," I said.

Something flickered across her face—something soft and sad. "You too."

She hesitated, then added, "If you really want to save those women... then live. Survive this. Get strong. Strong enough that no one can stop you."

Then she was gone, disappearing back into the palace.

Layla and I stumbled forward, following Kira's directions. Every step was torture, my body threatening to give out, but Layla supported me with surprising strength for such a small girl.

The journey through the palace grounds was surreal. We saw guards, but they seemed to look right through us. Their patrols were sparse, their attention elsewhere. It was almost too easy.

We found the cart exactly where Kira had said. The driver—an old man with a weathered face—glanced at us once, then deliberately looked away. He jerked his head toward the back of the cart.

Layla helped me climb up, and we burrowed under the garbage. The smell was overwhelming, but I didn't care. This was freedom. This was survival.

The cart lurched into motion. Each bump and jostle sent fresh waves of agony through my broken body, but I bit down on my screams, refusing to make a sound.

Beside me, Layla was trembling, her hand clutching mine. "This is too easy," she whispered. "Why is this so easy?"

I'd been thinking the same thing. The sparse guards, the inattentive patrols, the lax inspection at the gates—it couldn't all be coincidence.

"Prince Snow," I whispered back. "He must have... arranged things. Reduced the guard. Made sure they were tired. He couldn't openly let us go, but he could make it easier for us to escape."

Layla was silent, processing this. A prince who participated in our imprisonment was also secretly helping us escape. The world was more complicated than either of us had imagined.

The cart rolled through the city gates without incident. The guards barely glanced at it before waving us through.

We stayed hidden until we were well outside the city, until the old driver finally stopped and gestured for us to get out.

"That way," he said, pointing. "Follow the road until you reach a river. Follow the river to the forest. Watch out for human patrols. And wolf hunters."

"Thank you," I managed.

He shook his head. "I don't know anything. I'm just a garbage collector."

He pulled out a small bundle from his coat. "Bread and water. Some herbs for the bleeding. Now go. Get as far as you can before full daylight."

Then he was gone, his cart rattling back toward the city.

Layla and I stood on the empty road, looking back at the city walls silhouetted against the dawn sky.

"We made it," Layla whispered, tears streaming down her face. "We actually made it out."

I pulled her into a hug, ignoring the pain it caused. "Yes. We're free."

But my heart was heavy with the memory of those faces in the cells. Those women we'd left behind. Those desperate pleas.

I'll come back, I promised them silently. I swear I'll come back. I'll save you all. I'll make Ashford pay. I'll make all of them pay.

"Come on," I said to Layla, taking her hand.