The Shadow of Stone Walls

Mariza pressed her face against the cold iron bars of the window, her green eyes scanning the massive stone fortress below. The royal prison stretched across the valley like a sleeping giant, its towers piercing the gray morning sky. Guards marched along the walls in perfect lines, their armor clinking with each step.

"Three days," she whispered, her breath fogging the glass. "Three days since they dragged Max away."

Her fingers traced the small scar on her cheek, a nervous habit she'd developed. The memory of flames erupting in the tavern still burned in her mind. Max's panicked face as orange fire danced around his hands. The guards shouting. The crash of falling beams.

Now her best friend sat somewhere inside those thick walls, waiting for his father's judgment. King Aldric had never been known for mercy, especially toward his own son.

Mariza pulled her worn navy jacket tighter and stepped back from the window. The stitched patch on her sleeve caught the light. She'd gotten that jacket the same day she'd met Max, both of them running from different kinds of trouble.

"I'm coming for you," she said to the fortress.

Steam and Secrets

Mariza crouched behind a pile of old barrels, watching the laundromat across the muddy street. Steam rose from its windows, and the steady thump of washing machines echoed through the morning air. She'd followed the prison supply cart here after spotting it leaving the fortress.

A woman with short silver hair emerged from the building, carrying a basket of clean uniforms. Guard uniforms.

"Perfect," Mariza whispered.

She waited until the woman disappeared around the corner, then sprinted across the street. The laundromat door chimed as she pushed inside. Rows of washing machines churned and bubbled. In the back corner sat three baskets full of freshly folded guard uniforms.

Mariza grabbed the smallest one she could find and held it up. Too big, but it would have to work. She stuffed it under her jacket just as footsteps approached the door.

The silver-haired woman walked back in, her sharp blue eyes immediately spotting Mariza.

"You're not supposed to be in here," the woman said, crossing her arms.

Mariza's heart pounded. "I was just—"

"Looking for a way into the prison." The woman's stern expression softened into a knowing smile. "You're here about the fire boy, aren't you?"