TEMPORARY REFUGE
On the harsh winter night, the deserted streets of the town of Ephemere had an eerie feel to them. It was dark, apart from tiny square glows from the frosted windows of houses and shops along the streets.
No one in their right mind would be caught outdoors. People huddled inside the warmth of their homes, turning in early to sleep away the cold night and await the scant rise in temperature daylight would bring.
No alarms have been sounded yet. But the bodies of the unconscious guards we'd left in the palace could be discovered any minute now, and it wouldn't take long for my disappearance to be discovered.
My anxiety swelled when the main gates loomed in the distance, and my grip tightened on Elliot's cloak. "Pull down your hood and keep your head down. Pretend to be asleep," Elliot told me. "We'll be fine, Your Highness."