Chapter 57 - The Masked Lady

The Greek maiden kept her eyes fixed on the figure of the man perched overhead. The assassin kept himself half-hidden behind a gargoyle that adorned the eaves of the western buttress. Looking around, the maiden accessed the situation. There was only one reason the killer was there, when he could be in the crowd and approach with a dagger discreetly at his target. And this reason is that he would kill someone inaccessible by ground.

An elite assassin would only be hired if something big was at stake. Alexa could place her bets.

Either it would be the Bride, in her glorious flowery seat in the float. Or it would be the Prince, now with his back to the murderer, on the platform under the main arch, surrounded by nobles and soldiers. Both were perfectly isolated from the population.

But Cordelia was the unwanted bride, and had suffered a horrible attack before, which failed because of the unexpected meddling of Alexa and her friends. An attack that involved witchcraft and slave spirits.

The distance to hit the Bride was still extreme, even for a weapon like a crossbow, and the killer would have to wait for the right moment to act.

Calling one of the guards, the maiden pointed to the killer on the cathedral's roof. Alarmed, the soldier called one of the other two companions, and soon both of them ran through the crowd.

Would they be able to warn the rest of the royal guard and prevent the killer from taking action before being captured? Considering the sea of people and the time it would take to reach the cathedral, it was very unlikely. Alexa felt a flow of energy pouring through her veins; Cordelia would be murdered in front of the crowd!

That certainty and the feeling of injustice, after so many unjust deaths that she witnessed, motivated her to act. This couldn't be Cordelia's time! It couldn't be like that!

Even though she knew she was doing wrong, Alexa couldn't stand still. Bending down, she quickly grabbed some apples, which she placed anyway inside the neckline. There was a lot of space there. Apples would serve as stones, since she was empty-handed. This would get Cordelia's attention at the right time.

Jumping out of the floar too, she ran through the crowd, dodging the artists and trying to get as close as she could to the flower float. But the damsel's limitation was the same as that of soldiers who tried to pass through large numbers of people. She didn't even have legs big enough for that.

Only if she made it to Cordelia before the Bride was in a good position for the sniper! And Alexa saw that the best way to do that was ... over the top!

Climbing into one of the floats again, she used the decorated structure to reach the balcony of one of the German-style houses, where onlookers happily applauded. Naturally, they were startled at her sudden appearance. And so was she, when she felt that part of the skirt of her dress hooked into something and tore. With a jerk, she got rid of the piece of cloth, and kept running, jumping to the neighboring building's marquee, and reaching a narrow balcony, this time, full of flowers.

In the back of her mind, she felt guilty for stomping on the house mistress's begonias, and taking a breath as she kept moving, prepared for the next challenge. Cross the cross alley. By luck or whim of fate, a covered carriage and a street vendor with a stall could serve as a bridge to the building on the other side. It exhausted the maiden, like the other time she had to do similar things with heavy clothing, but she couldn't give up now.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed people were pointing and shouting at her, in surprise, confusion, and joy. From the building, the maiden jumped onto two balconies before looking for a way to go to the center of the square.

Jumping on top of float that looked like an adorned long wagon, she ran over it, then jumped to the ground.

She was in the square now.

The maiden looked around to position herself, feeling that she couldn't let her body cool and lose energy and momentum. Alexa saw that the flowers float was already in front of the entrance to the arches, and that she had very little time to get there.

The people nearby screamed with enthusiasm, following her stunts, and she once again took a breath to continue, running towards the nearest float. This was shaped like a ship, with a very tall false mast, which swung quite a bit with the flag.

She was sure she could try a risky maneuver with that flexible long rod. Well, Lex had done it once, learning from Narces, but then, she was ten years old and she wasn't wearing a fancy dress. She had only one chance for it to work, and it would only happen if she was quick, very quick; and never stop.

The odds were… she could die.

Throwing herself on the 'stern' of the boat, she disengaged herself from the guests and reached the mast in a single fluid movement. She heard the gaping crowd's cheerful "OHHHH! WOW!"

But her greater attention was at a distant point. Was it her impression, or was she seeing Prince Magnus moving in this direction?

She didn't have time to think now. Alexa started to feel the stick bend, then she kept going. Her feet really barely touched the mast, while the flexible material tilted in a parabola and the path ahead became an arc. She felt herself sway slightly to the side, and another huge "OHHHH!" from the crowd, when the big stick started to descend, towards the flower car. Before the stick either broke; overcame her opposite bending force, or moved in a random direction, Alexa jumped in the air, hoping to reach the flower float. The maiden fell on top of the fancy vehicle, more gracefully than she expected, behind a huge rose made of fabric and wire. Lady Cordelia was on a landing below, still on her flower-decorated throne, preparing to descend.

The crowd frantically applauded the 'performative stunt' of the mysterious masked lady, still without understanding. Alexa's gaze returned to the cathedral and the murderer. The sharp point of the crossbow bolt reflected in the evening sun.

She also saw the Prince arriving in the float, crossing the long arched lane between the platform where he was supposed to wait, under the main arch, and where the fancy cart had stopped.

Magnus' gaze was fixed on the top of the float, and Alexa would even imagine that it was fixed on her.

"Cordelia! Cordelia! Get down! Killer!" She shouted, but as she suspected, Cordelia wouldn't be able to hear her with all that roar and music. The Bride was waiting for a ladder to be placed so she could climb elegantly out of the car.

Taking from her neckline the only apple that did not fall in the way, Alexa threw it twice in the air, before throwing the fruit on her friend's back.

This happened at the same time that several things were happening. Alexa saw Cordelia turning to her, although she couldn't see her expression. She also saw the Prince jump into the float, apparently coming for his bride. Did he also see the murderer on the cathedral roof? Apparently, the Prince realized the danger and came to save Cordelia!

But she also saw that 'Cordelia' had a semi-hidden blade in one hand!

'The murder was for the Prince!' the maiden realized her mistake in horror.