Chapter 4: Part 3

Emilia pounces over a wall to the royal garden hidden well by tall trees thick with leaves. She waits quietly holding her breath as the palace guards search the trees and bushes to find the cause the commotion. She squeezes her tail between her legs to keep it from swatting the leaves around her.

The guards star at her spot for a long time, so she closes her eyes waiting. She hears their feet crunching the grass walking away, and their scents become faint. She opens to find her part of the garden bare of guards, but secret courtships hide in the shadows while respected courtships wander freely.

Emilia jumps out of the bushes earning a few screams as she sprints to the palace. Someone calls for the guards as another screams out beast. Guards line up blocking her way to the stairs, but Emilia jumps on one knocking his sword out of his hand.

A guard jams his dagger into her back along with another then another. Emilia kicks each of the guards down then dashes up the stairs. She runs into the palace knocking down anyone who stands in her way. She identifies the prince’s scent and follows it down the halls.

When she turns a corner, three guards block her path to golden double doors. They all point spears at her while standing in a defensive stance. She’ll die if she attacks them, but if she runs away, other guards will find her and kill her.

She could run to freedom if she shakes the guards, but even Emilia knows that if is a pretty good word for her conditions. What if the beasts find her in her freedom? They will surely kill her. Perhaps she won’t be found,

Emilia backs away from the spear guarded guards, but when she turns around, she finds guards surrounding her with spears and swords. It’s too late to abandon the mission now. Even if she were to get away, Borden will most likely already have beasts looking for her assuming she has run away.

Emilia jumps off the walls, knocks spears down, sinks her teeth into flesh fighting every soldier while ignoring every penetration of pain. Once every man is on the floor unconscious leaving the double doors bare of protection, Emilia turns to exit the palace, but she hears the rushing feet of soldiers with their shields and weapons clinking against each other. There really is no turning back.

Emilia throws her body on the double doors using her weight to open the doors just as the soldiers turn the corner. She rushes through and jumps over the rail down to the ballroom floor immediately. The king sits on his thrown with wide eyes.

Royal guards immediately rush to her with their spears pointed at her. Emilia snaps her jaws at them as her claws scratch them. Though she tastes blood and her claws are stained red, she doesn’t stop. Instead, the guards throw her off of their bodies then rush out of the throne room.