At the stroke of midnight, flames erupted along the ocean edge of the city. Chaos broke out in the city as Sinbad's crew members sprinted along the streets, breaking out into fake fights with each other and sewing discourse. Shouts in the alleyway beneath me drew my attention to the incoming guard. In order to remain unnoticed, I was forced to watch as they walked beneath me unhindered. Once they were out of earshot range, I sent a general message to the crew, warning them of the incoming soldiers. It was quickly followed by similar messages from all around the city.
My hands burned where they were pressed against the ground. When I glanced down, my hands were shaking. I clenched and unclenched my hands into fists, willing them to stay steady.
Fifteen tense minutes passed before I gave in and checked my inventory, calculating what I'd used already and what I hadn't. Feeling slightly bitter and disappointed in myself for breaking so easily, I closed my eyes and focused on my magic, reaching for the feeling I had when I saw dreams of the future.
Another fifteen minutes passed before I found it and tugged on the strings that bound this time to the time I wanted, pulling myself along. The feeling of the rough, gritty roof beneath my right hand faded into the cool bite of evening air, chilling me down to the bone. The display in front of my eyes had changed, the time jumping six minutes ahead, numerous messages rolling in regarding rook sightings. A piercing screech echoed through the town, sending a rush of fire through my veins as my body stood on its own, lifting the bow that was clutched in my left hand and picking up the black feathered arrow that I'd set off to the side. I lifted the bow, gazing down the shaft of the arrow and along my pointed finger. Clouds hung in the night sky, blocking much of my view.
[The rooks are approaching!]
[Defeat them all by dawn to receive a special award from Shahrazad!]
One of the clouds shifted, and I dropped the two fingers that had been holding the arrow in place. It shot forward with a loud twang, bending around the edge of the bow to flex into place, arching and vanishing into the pitch-black sky.
[Critical hit!]
The hit points for the rok collapsed in half, the rook releasing a pained cry as it dropped like a rock from the sky, the moon behind it revealing the shape of the black feathered arrow sticking out from its chest.
Hayden? Shahrazad's voice came from behind.
The world tilted on its axis. Night became day, and the dark rooftop I was on transformed into cold, bloodstained stone. Pain echoed along my body, which protested as I lifted my head to see Shahrazad, knocked to the ground before her king. He loomed over her, his face red with fury and a sword-bearing arm lifted above his head. My grip tightened on a gun–I shot the mayor–and I lifted it, pointing it at the Mad King. The gun jumped and shook in my hands, and I wondered briefly if there was an earthquake.
My hands were the only things that shook, the sight of the barrel leaping between Shahrazad and the Mad King.
I lowered the gun, knowing the risk of shooting Shahrazad was too high.
As the gun fell, so did the Mad King's sword. With a flash of silver, it bit into Shahrazad's neck, severing her head completely from her body. Her head struck the ground with a loud thump, and it rolled to the side, her eyes meeting mine with an accusing stare.
My breath coming faster, I dropped the chokehold I'd had on the threads, releasing them as though they'd burned me. They fell back where they'd laid, and all at once I became aware of sore muscles as my body made its complaints about my posture. Pins and needles shot through my legs as I shifted them, rubbing them with my left hand to increase blood flow as I focused on the first vision I'd had as I ignored the second.
The pins and –as I knew they would, and I pressed my palm back into the ground, preparing to stand as the warning messages I'd seen in my vision came pouring in.
When the rook approached, I mimed my movements from my vision and made the shot. As I'd seen, it struck true, knocking the rook from the sky. I ducked so as not to be spotted, pressing myself flat against the ground even as I kept my eyes on the sky. We'd decided it was best to be wary. The more careful we were, the less likely things were to go wrong.
And go wrong, they would. No plan ever survived an entire battle. Even mine ended up more akin to guidelines, a plan I hoped they would follow and break when needed.
I peeked over the edge of the building, taking quick stock of the situation. The crew had swarmed the rook like ants to their food, killing it nearly as soon as the battle had begun.
Cove, Eliza, and Sinbad each felled a rook in the same manner, the numbers dwindling in the span of a minute from 6 rooks down to two.