Before Kain's mind could fully comprehend what was happening, Melitta was at his side. Her eyes seemed to take the situation in within a second. She slipped past them into the hall, eyes skimming the empty passage.

"Get her inside before someone comes," Melitta urged him. "I'll grab Isidor."

Kain nodded and urged Mara to her feet. Her entire frame seemed to shake, but somehow, she managed to stand. He led her to the closest chair, before allowing her to collapse once again. Tears stained her cheeks as he pried the knife from her grip, afraid that she might hurt herself with all the shaking. He dropped it on the coffee table, before focusing on the woman herself.

An emptiness seemed to have filled her gaze. As if she were only half present for what was happening around her.

Was it shock?

"What happened?" Kain questioned. He kept his voice gentle. Scaring her would likely do the opposite of what they needed in that moment.

She stared at her hands. There wasn't a single indication that she had heard him, let alone intended to respond.

"Mara," he tried again. "What happened? Who's blood is this? Yours?"

Slowly, she shook her head.

"Kyril's?"

Hesitation, then another shake of her head.

Something uneasy unfurled in the back of his mind. The situation of Mara appearing with blood on her had been wrong to begin with--but, unconsciously, Kain had been prepared for it ever since their talk in the city. When she'd pushed him away, the duchess had held the air of a cornered animal.

And even the softest of creatures would strike out when left with no other options.

Only, he had thought it would be Kyril that would take the blow. After all, who else was an option?

"Your maid?"

This time, her denial was rapid. She rubbed her hands on her dress as if it could remove the blood covering her fingers. He racked his memory for another name as Mara's trembling seemed to slow, some realization reaching her mind.

"K-Kain."

The door opened behind them and Mara jumped. Her eyes shot to the sound, before she slumped in the chair. Kain didn't need to look to know it was Melitta and Isidor. Her relief made it obvious.

"Kain," she repeated, eyes going back to him. Guilt and fear weighed her face. "I...I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry. You--I couldn't think of anyone else in the palace. And I couldn't think of how to get out on my own. I just...I couldn't think."

His heart began to race, that uneasy feeling blossoming into fear.

"What did you do, Mara?"

Isidor was by her side before she could answer Kain's question. He laid a glowing hand on Mara's shoulder, then drew in a sharp breath. His eyes narrowed.

"I see, now, why you wouldn't let me touch you before."

Mara grimaced. "I'm sorry."

At Kain's questioning look, Isidor scowled. "She's full of poison."

His mind blanked. Poison?

From Isidor's statement, it couldn't have been something that just happened. Otherwise he wouldn't have referenced the last time Kain urged him to treat her. But, if that was the case, wouldn't he have noticed? There'd been no signs.

No, he realized, there had. The illness. The questions of if she was pregnant. The weight loss.

"It's not enough to kill her," Isidor continued, the glow around his hand seeming to strengthen. "It seems to have been stretched out over a long period, giving her body the chance to adjust. But, this last dose was stronger, wasn't it?"

She seemed to hesitate, before nodding. Isidor cursed. "If this continues, you'll have permanent damage. The fact that you walked here is a miracle within itself. A human developing an immunity to poison--especially without the constant supervision of a witch--is a wives' tale, Your Grace. Typically, the long term accumulation of toxins will kill you as thoroughly as a single, lethal dose would have done."

"I didn't need immunity," Mara protested softly. "Just...enough that I wouldn't die tonight."

"You likely would have, left alone," Isidor retorted. "Let me guess--whomever taught you this method wasn't human."

"That's--"

"You're a delicate noble lady, Your Grace," he continued, ignoring her protest. The title sounded like an insult in Isidor's mouth. "Not an assassin. You're lucky Melitta called me."

"...I understand," Mara relented, all energy seeming to escape her body. "I just...I didn't have another choice."

He scoffed. "Or you simply didn't see it. Which, would be another consequence of this stupidity. I doubt you've been thinking clearly since you started this plot."

"So, she isn't actually hurt?" Melitta interrupted. "It's just poison?"

Isidor nodded, raising his hand from Melitta's shoulder. Relief loosened the knot in Kain's chest. If Isidor didn't see an immediate need to treat her beyond whatever he had just done, then she truly was fine. For now, at least.

"I-It isn't mine," Mara told them. Her voice shook and she bit her lip, before continuing. "I...It's...His Majesty's."

Her words stole the air from the room. Kain struggled for a long moment, disbelief warring with fear that began to fill his body.

"Alekos?" Callias questioned.

Kain turned towards the door. The merfolk stood just inside, Rhode behind him. Natia was curling around their legs. She must have retrieved the others after Melitta grabbed Isidor.

Mara squeezed her eyes shut before nodding. Her head stayed tilted down as the answer fell from her lips. "Y-yes. The poison, it wasn't meant...it wasn't strong enough. He could move. So, I..."

Kain stepped closer, his heart in his ears. The answer seemed to drum through his entire being, but he still had to ask.

"Mara. Did you kill him?"

She didn't respond. Kain caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. Tears poured over her cheeks as slowly, she nodded again.

"I did."

The tension shattered as her words fell upon each of their shoulders. The knowledge of what that meant, of why she had apologized for fleeing to his rooms, cut like a knife.

If Kain didn't turn her over to the guard, they would become accomplices in regicide.

"Why?"

Melitta's question made Mara flinch. She started to rub her hands on her dress again, smearing the crimson even deeper into the fine material.

"He...came to our rooms. It was only supposed to be Kyril. But, he came to our rooms."

That familiar fire, the one Kain had begun to associate with his feelings towards Kyril, burned in his stomach once again. Was it hatred? Anger? He wasn't certain.

There were very few reasons for a nobleman to invite another nobleman to their private quarters so late in the evening. And even fewer still that could drive a woman to regicide.

He drew in a deep breath, tossing off the weight on his shoulders.

There was no reason to think too deeply about what came next. Not for him, at least.

Kain looked at the others. "If you don't want to be a part of this, now's the time to leave."

No one moved.

Then, Rhode stepped further into the room, a scroll in her hands. The expression on her face was impossible to decipher, but the item in her hands wasn't.

The castle blueprints.

"I thought we might need this. It seems I was right."

A dozen questions flashed through his mind in that second. Why was she so calm? Mara had just admitted to killing Rhode's brother-in-law. The man who had likely killed her and so many others. Was that why she wasn't leaving? Did she want to protect Mara?

How had she known they would need blueprints at this very moment?

But there was no time. So, he took the scroll from her and spread it across the coffee table.

"We need a path that will take us past as few people as possible," Kain surmised. "Since our weapons were confiscated, fighting would be difficult."

"I could get us weapons," Callias countered. "I'm not helpless without a sword. It would be bloody, but I could relieve nearby guards of their weapons."

Kain was reminded of the arm-fin Melitta had once used to slice into a demon. "I would like to avoid killing guards if we can."

If Alekos was the man they thought he was--and all the evidence pointed in that direction--then there was a chance that the enthusiasm to catch them wouldn't be as strong as it would be for a normal monarch. The chase would come from a place of responsibility and patriotism. If they recklessly killed those they encountered during their escape, however, it would light a different flame.

"I can manage it," Callias said, tone as blank as if they had been discussing the weather. "I'll aim for non-vital blows."

Kain hesitated, then nodded. It was very likely that if Kain was right in his thoughts, there had been orders for no one to approach Kyril's quarters. If Callias could manage it, taking the time to acquire weapons would be worth it. They would be cutting it close, but better that, than his guess be wrong and they get surrounded without a defense.

"Go."

"I'll join you," Melitta said.

Callias nodded, and together the siblings slipped out of the room. Kain turned his attention to Natia. "Watch the hall. If someone you don't know approaches, get our attention."

She flicked her tail before following the order. A plan began to unfurl in his mind. It was delicate, but better than nothing. The next step to it was Rhode.

"How does a siren's song work, exactly?"

She frowned. "I can manipulate certain emotions that a song might usually produce. Happiness. Attraction. Fear."

"Sleep?" Kain questioned. Lullabies were a song, after all.

Understanding dawned in Rhode's face. "Yes."

"We'll fight those we encounter that you can't enchant," Kain decided. "For the rest, try putting them to sleep." His eyes cut to Isidor. "Do you have a charm?"

The witch grimaced. "No. I was planning on crafting one while we were here. I didn't have the supplies back in Erast."

"Callias is less sensitive to us than most children," Rhode interrupted. "Because he is heavily gifted and of Umae. He could give Isidor his charm. My songs might slow his reactions, but they won't put him to sleep."

It would have to do. "We'll ask when he returns."

This time, his attention shifted to Mara. Her eyes were wide and--finally--dry. Shock was the easiest emotion to read from her silent, open lips.

"Do you think you can walk?"

She blinked several times, before rubbing the back of her hand against her eyes. It smeared blood along her cheek, but thankfully, nowhere else.

"I can."

Kain looked at Isidor. He shook his head. "I'll have to adjust her body's limits. It's a dangerous magic, but we have little other choice."

"What is it, exactly?"

"When a witch heals you, they're manipulating your body. Repairing what's broken, accelerating what might have been fixed with time, but also, occasionally, telling an unnatural function to become normal. Which means the opposite is also possible. I will tell her nerves to ignore the pain and flood her veins with adrenaline. Under normal circumstances, it should never be done. The heart can't handle it, and you could break your body by acting without feeling the consequences."

But these weren't normal circumstances.

Kain nodded his understanding and Isidor held his hand out to Mara. She bit her lip, but didn't hesitate to accept the offer. Kain's heart ached.

The situation they were in was the direct consequence of her thoughtless actions.

But, in the end, they were the actions taken by someone who felt cornered and helpless. Someone who had just heard that the magic could kill her, but also seemed to understand that lagging behind-- having to be carried, or supported--could get someone else killed on her behalf.

Kain dropped his gaze to the blueprints. All their efforts would be wasted if they couldn't escape the palace. He waved Rhode closer, examining the complicated layers of rooms and hallways.

"This, here," he said, pointing out a passage. "That looks like it's in the stairwell, right?"

Rhode studied it, then nodded. "There's a painting there."

"That's probably it," Kain decided. He followed the secret hall with his finger. "It leads to the gardens by the queen's annex. We would just need to pass the training yard to reach the walls." He pointed to another door. It held the same outline as the secret passage. "Then leave here."

"That's dangerous."

Kain had to agree. The training yard they would have to cut through was meant for use in poor weather. The knights had shown it to him when it rained during one of the sessions he'd been invited to. The problem came in that it was surrounded by stone walls and an open balcony floor. It allowed for observers to watch the guards train without disturbing them.

It also meant that if they attempted to use it as a shortcut, but were discovered by the guard, they could get surrounded with no way to fight back.

The only other way out, however, would be to cut through the annex--which was likely sealed. The ball would have the unused building locked to avoid trespassing.

"Is there no other way?"

Together, they poured over the blueprints as Isidor focused on the magic he was performing. A few other passages caught their attention, but they all ended in locations that held a potential to be populated due to the vast number of guests in the palace. The initial route they'd picked held the least chance of their being spotted.

"It will have to do," Kain decided. Rhode muttered a reluctant agreement. "Are you--"

He looked to Isidor, cutting off as the answer to his words became obvious. Mara had pulled herself to her feet and was flexing her shoulders, before stretching her fingers as well. Wonder crossed her blood and tear-stained face.

"I feel better than I have in months."

Isidor sighed. "That's nothing to be proud of, Your Grace."

Her face turned red. "I know. I was just noticing. Thank you--" she cut off, seeming to hesitate, eyes skimming Isidor. "Sir?"

Disgust twisted the witch's lips into a frown. "No. Absolutely not. I am not nobility. If you call me sir, I'm leaving right now."

"O-oh. Okay. Thank you, Isidor."

With both Mara and their path handled, Kain crossed the room. He dug through the wardrobe where Alekos' gifts had been stuffed, before pulling out a shirt and a pair of trousers. He tossed them to Mara.

"Your dress will draw attention. Put this on and tie your hair back." Hopefully, it would be enough to keep any unavoidable eyes from recognizing her instantly.

She nodded. Rhode stepped forward to help her pull pins from her hair, before suggesting they moved to the bathroom. As the women disappeared together, Kain curled his hand into a fist.

All that was left to wait. The hardest thing to do in a situation like this.

His eyes lingered on the door they'd crossed through. A different moment lingered in his thoughts and--for a moment--he could almost feel the touch of her lips against his once again.

How had they gotten here from there?

It will be fine, he reassured himself. They would escape the castle with Mara, then--somehow--they would flee Sol.

It was unfortunate that they would end up wanted, the very thing Kain had been trying to avoid, but perhaps Alekos' death would create enough chaos that they would get a slim head start. If they could reach Cieon, his name would hold more weight. Melitta would be safe there. Then they could face whatever that kiss had meant. Afterall, they couldn't arrest a prince in his own land.

A prince.

Fleeing like this meant Kain would be leaving behind his sword. What if his claims to nobility were ignored because he didn't have the blade to back him up? It wasn't as if Kain was anything special on his own.

Would anyone believe him?

The temples.

They could take refuge in a temple. Once they crossed the mountain pass, they would have to find a city large enough to hold a major temple. One with paladins. While he didn't have the sword, he did have the marks of his birth. While the goddess' curse had manifested as through the color of death--his snowy hair--Umae's blessing had come to life through a mark on his shoulder.

It wasn't enough to verify his name, but it was enough to claim protection from the church.

They could survive this. 

A/N: A lot happened this chapter!! Sorry it is so late. The holidays coupled with my job change just really threw me off. I might change my update day to Sat. Since my new job means I won't be working weekends. 

Pluuuus this next Saturday is my birthday. So, another reason to update then!! 

See you on my birthday (maybe).