A shout rent the air and the carriage lurched to a stop, nearly throwing Clare from her seat. Screams rose above the drumming rain and the agonized shriek of a horse pierced through the chaos. A chill raced over Clare’s skin, lifting the hairs on her arms and neck. The crash of metal striking metal echoed through the street.
The carriage was under attack.
Her heart kicked in her chest and her breathing spiked. She let out a strangled cry when something heavy—a body?—crashed into the side of the carriage, rocking it. The same adrenaline she’d felt when the princess had been ambushed rushed through her, and Clare grasped the door handle with a trembling hand. She wouldn’t wait in here to be slaughtered.
Clare crouched behind the opening door, using it as a shield as shedropped to the ground. She was grateful for the braided crownthat kept her long hair out of her eyes; the sheeting rain did enough to blur her vision. A tall building rose directly in front of her, the thin opening of an alley only several paces away. The soldiers fought in front and behind the carriage, struggling against men with dark cloths tied around the lower halves of their faces. Even at a glance, Clare could see that the masked attackers horribly outnumbered the uniformed guards.
“Get back inside!”
Clare jolted at the shout, looking to the blue-eyed guard. He stood mere paces away, twisted toward her, expression hard as he gripped his sword. Rain soaked him, darkening his sandy hair and sluicing off his face and shoulders. “Get inside!” he repeated.
A masked man popped up behind him, raising his sword for a deathblow.
Clare’s heart seized. “Look out!”
The bodyguard whirled, ducking as he spun. He avoided the attacker’s blade and slashed up with his own, the two of them exchanging blows too quickly to track. Rain flew off the swinging blades, but Clare didn’t stay to watch. She bolted for the nearby alley, abandoning the carriage and the brutal fighting. She launched herself onto the narrow street, rain stinging her face as she ran. Beggars huddled against the alley walls, a feeble shelter from the storm. They stared as she darted past and one even called after her.
Escape. She needed to escape the danger and—
Escape.
She nearly stumbled. She could actually escape. She could run home and grab her brothers. By the time the king learned of her disappearance, it would be too late. And, thanks to the king, they had enough food and coin to make the journey possible. They could leave Devendra and her oath. Forever. She didn’t have to be the princess’s double.
It was a split-second decision, but Clare embraced it. She reached the end of the alley and turned left. Away from the castle, back toward home.
The street was crowded with people hurrying to escape the storm and Clare plunged through them, ignoring the bruising elbows and curses flung after her.
A scream shattered the normalcy of the street and Clare twisted a look over her shoulder. Her stomach dropped.
A masked man with a drawn sword shoved through the crowd, heading for her. Air punched out of Clare’s lungs and she pushed through the people now scrambling to escape the armed man. Her long dress beat against her legs and she hitched up the sodden skirt as she ran. The cobblestones were uneven and the rain made for slick footing—she stumbled, but caught herself. She threw herself down another alley, shoulder knocking painfully against a stack of wooden crates. Her hands slid over the wet wood, fingers curling to wrench them to the ground behind her.
She was nearly to the end of the alley when her stalker swore, wood snapping and scraping as he kicked the crates aside.
Clare crossed another street, running hard for the next alley which was narrower than the last. She couldn’t resist looking back, praying she’d lost him.
The masked man was getting closer and another man followed him. People on the street cried out when they spotted the two armed men and Clare’s fear surged, locking her throat. Her heart beat so wildly she didn’t know how it was still inside her chest.
She kept running, not looking back even when she heard a grunt and a body hit the ground. Had one of the attackers shoved someone in the crowd?
Clare flew into the alley, wishing the shadows could swallow her. She could almost feel the whisper of a blade against her back, straining to reach her. Footsteps pounded behind her, cutting through the shrinking space between them.
“Stop!”
Her body jerked but she ignored the furious shout and keptrunning. She was nearly to the end of the alley when fingers swiped her arm, a failed grasp. She cried out, adrenaline spiking.
The reaching hand snagged her skirt and Clare stumbled as she fell, rearing her head back to protect her face. Her palms scraped against the cobblestones and the breath was knocked from her lungs. Her attacker landed on top of her, his weight crushing her. For a split second, she wasn’t aware of anything but the pain. Then terror exploded in her gut.
The man exhaled hotly against her ear before he levered back, knees digging into her sides as he braced himself above her. His fingers bit into her shoulder and he twisted her onto her back.
Clare blinked as rain fell into her eyes, blinding her. She shoved her hands against his chest, as if that would stop him from killing her. His body was hard as rock beneath her stinging palms, a muscled wall she would never be able to move. His knees gripped her sides, pinning her in place beneath him. Her shuddering breaths made her chest rise and fall
