“Be cool, Auden,” he murmurs to himself, resisting the urge to sprint for the guard house by the lake and shout for the guards to get the hell out of it.
But no. There is no rush – no need to hurry any of this. So he forces himself to take measured steps across the snow and then up the short set of stone stairs to the door. When he opens it, the guards inside turn to him and freeze in surprise.
“Out,” Auden says, nodding towards the still-open door.
The guards just stare at him.
“You have the night off,” Auden continues, making himself wear the mantle of command that he always assumes when commanding his troops. “I’ll take over from here. Go,” he says, jerking his chin towards the door. “Shift, run back to the castle. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the festivities.”
While the A
