Night wind whipped around Aurelian as he clutched tight onto Sir Valerian's cloak.
A moment ago they had both disappeared from the princes balcony with an explosion of magic. Now they stood upon the roof of a large tower and surveyed the royal palace that sprawled below them.
The sprawling grounds of the palace seemed like a maze of stone courtyards, high walls and gardens.
Torches burned all along the pathways, and guards paced up and down at set intervals.
Aurelian's heart was pounding in his chest.
"Stay close," the knight whispered to him.
The boy nodded.
They could see the distant courtyard from their perch, the execution stand had been set up and a number of soldiers were already milling about.
Aurelian's stomach lurched in his stomach.
They were really going to kill me…
Valerian lifted a hand into the air.
A soft blue glyph appeared in the air and he chanted in a low voice.
A soft glow of shimmering light surrounded them like a fine haze.
"A concealment spell," the mage explained, "It will hide us for a few minutes."
He turned his eyes towards the exterior wall of the palace.
"We have to get out of the eastern gate."
"Why the eastern gate?" asked Aurelian.
"There are less guards there," answered the mage, "And after we pass the wall the real journey will begin."
They quickly made their way across the roof of the building.
The knight vaulted easily from one building to the next, Aurelian following closely as they went over thin ledges and bridges linking parts of the palace together. The boy didn't falter once, as though he had trained for it his entire life (which it seemed he had in sword fights and drills, his balance being far better than a normal thirteen-year-old boy's). But despite that his heart still raced in his chest, it just wasn't in the way it had been before. How could his father do this? A young boy, only thirteen; what kind of threat could he really be? They were halfway across the palace rooftops when suddenly-
A loud alarm bell rang out. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The knight stopped instantly.
"Damn."
"What's happened?" Aurelian asked.
"They must have found your room."
More bells began to sound across the entire palace, lights flared in torch holders as guards raced into the courtyards below, shouts of order could be heard echoing among the stone walls.
"Search the palace!"
"The prince has escaped!"
"Seal the gates!"
Aurelian felt his chest tighten.
"They're looking for us..."
Valerian's expression hardened.
"Then we have to be faster," he said.
He put a hand on Aurelian's shoulder.
"Hold on tight."
Before the boy could react the mage chanted another spell.
A massive gust of wind rushed underneath their feet, and for a brief second it felt as though the very air was lifting them. They then leapt across a gigantic gap that existed between two of the palace towers. Aurelian gasped as he stared down at the steep drop beneath his feet, but the wind kept him afloat. They landed safely upon the roof of the next tower, soldiers were already swarming the building they had left behind, shouting.
"There they are!"
"Stop them!"
Crossbow bolts whizzed through the air, but the mage raised his hand, deflecting the shots with a sparkling blue shield.
"Keep moving!" he said calmly.
They raced across the roof towards the exterior wall of the palace which loomed far above them and it seemed to be too tall to climb. But Valerian simply raised his staff. Ancient glyphs appeared on its surface and glowed fiercely.
"Move back," he said to Aurelian.
He slammed his staff down onto the stone roof with force, a ring of bright magic appeared at his feet, the wind began to howl around them once again and in a flash of light they shot towards the sky like a spear from a bow. Aurelian cried out as the enormous walls of the palace began to approach him so quickly, then he cleared the top. They landed in a heap in the dark forest outside the palace walls. Valerian immediately extinguished the bright blue glow surrounding them as the sounds of bells still rang out wildly in the night air. Guards ran onto the wall and began searching the darkness beyond but their shapes were swallowed by the trees. The boy's realization of his situation hit him finally. He wasn't a prince anymore, he was a fugitive. Valerian looked down at him. "This is just the beginning Aurelian. The journey to the Holy Kingdom will take weeks, and the king will continue to hunt you." He looked at Aurelian who stared back at the distant lights of his home. "Let's go," he said quietly, and together they disappeared further into the trees. Unseen, unheeded inside the throne room of the palace, the King had just been informed of his son's escape.