Elodie's POV
Nobody, nothing. Not a body in sight. The moat was completely empty.
It was half filled, water beginning to slowly drain out of it again. The explosions had obviously caused problems with the system, and it was stuck in a cycle of filling and draining itself again.
I was sickened to my stomach to the thought that Arya and Kieran could be sunk at the bottom of the filthy water, and to think that the way they went out was down to a malfunction of our own.
And so, I didn't think.
I turned around and with no other thoughts I was running full speed at the kingdom courtyard, which at this point was on complete lockdown. When the rest of my body finally caught up with my brain, I realised that I was standing in the centre of a courtyard, most likely covered with guards aiming at my skull.
But they wouldn't be. I had figured out every aspect of the way the kingdom ruled, and one of those aspects was fear. I knew I could put a fortune on their lack of confidence when it came to my friends, and I'd be a millionaire.
The guards would be planted on the side alleyways, completely out of sight. They would not even see someone standing in the centre of their supposed impenetrable fortress. But I had to get into the kingdom somehow. I'd lost all care for tactics and staying safe and now the only thing on my mind was to do the one thing we'd been lusting over for years.
I wanted to kill the people that'd ruled over everything for as long as I could remember.
I still had to be tactical, the only entrances to the castle involved me going through an alleyway.
I pressed myself tightly against the wall of the courtyard, pulling out my gun and holding it in front of me as if it was shield. I chose the alleyway on the far left, it being the only one with no other line of sight but itself.
Swinging out, I held the gun arm length away and prepared myself for an encounter.
Nothing.
I took a deep breath and started advancing forwards. It was at that point that a guard decided to appear, walking backwards with his gun pointed in front. He was not expecting anyone to have the confidence to attempt to infiltrate the alleyway from that angle. Unsurprising, considering that's how the kingdom ruled every other aspect of their system.
Within a second, I lunged forwards, pushing my pistol into the side of his head. Which was still faced in the opposite direction at this point.
"Drop it." I said calmly.
He did just that, very quickly realising that his job wasn't worth risking his life for.
"Turn around and put your hands on your head."
He complied, breathing heavily.
"In a second, I am going to pick up your gun and turn around, you're going to take off your uniform and then run out of the kingdom. If I see one false move or you using your radio I will end you with one bullet."
Within five minutes the guard was long gone, and in his place I'd emerged. Stuffing my hair into the cap of the uniform to appear differently. Unrecognisable.
I started advancing towards the archway, getting my bearings and quickly realising I was in the centre of the grand stairs. The first layer of officers would be round the corner from me.
I was on the same floor that I'd been when I'd been captured the first time.
Hunter's floor.
I turned my head to the side and carelessly took a step. A step a little too loud.
But hearing footsteps behind me, all the blood ran to my head and my stomach filled with a bundle of uncontrollable nerves.
"Harry, why have you left your post?"
***
Cara's POV
"The moat is empty, if they've fallen in, they fell to their deaths. What are we supposed to do?" Luke said, blubbering into his shirt.
"If they are alive, they're down there. We have to check." I said, attempting to remain calm.
"I can't." Luke cried hysterically, collapsing into the ground. Guilt wracked his body.
"Luke, shut your goddamn mouth for two seconds and let me think. This isn't about you and if you're going to react like this in every stressed situation then maybe you shouldn't have come in the first place." I shouted at him.
At my words, he allowed his head to droop to calm down and cooperate with me.
Just as I was about to peer over the edge of the moat, there was a scream from the bottom. I scrambled to look and watched in utter astonishment as Cara dragged the tired body of Kieran to the waterfall.
"Kieran, Cara, jesus christ, are you guys okay?" I screamed.
"Both stable, Kieran is hurt though. Can you get us up?"
"Luke has a spare belay device. Give us two seconds."
I turned to Luke who was breathing in relief. He began to fish around in his duffle, finding the spare device.
As quickly as I could have imagined for his state, he'd grabbed the rope that still hung over the moat and tied a clove hitch, attaching the rope to the device. I threw the rope over and watched Arya attach it to her own harness, clinging onto Kieran and waiting to be pulled up.
I held tightly onto the top rope, Luke onto the bottom. And together we tugged on the rope until our friends began to raise up. Only stopping to breath and calm down when they were well away from the moat edge and stood next to us.
I pulled Arya into my chest as Luke sat down next to Kieran to look at his wounds.
"You did amazing." I whispered into her hair.
She sobbed into me and pulled me closer. "I thought he was gunna die. I thought I was gunna die. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if he hadn't lived."
"It's okay, you're okay." I whispered. "How is he okay right now?"
"A spell." She sighed. I learnt it just in case."
"You never fail to amaze me." I sighed.
"Wait." Kieran croaked out of nowhere. "Where the hell is Elodie?"