His eyes beam brightly into the night like his own torch burning, like a comet in the moonlit sky. Time feels as if it slows down as we focus on each other, our bodies lifting and falling in a rhythmic beat as if we are one with our horses. As if he and I have slowed down time together. But that’s impossible. This moment should be impossible. It shouldn’t be real. Yet here I am, riding with a Prince, trying to escape from whatever monster is trying to eat us both.
My eyes rip away as soon as the wings gust wind down on us, a snapping sound of teeth making me duck once more, and my body becomes closer with the horse's neck. My fingers tighten around the rope as the fibers rub against my open flesh. I wince, my teeth grinding together to force the pain away. My wounds burn like fire, but I push on. I lash the reins again, sprinting past Florian and his horse, making my way through the pitch-dark tunnel without hesitation. I’m unsure how far away the Prince is now, but I keep moving forward with no clue of what is ahead. I can’t afford to care.
I need away from whatever is flying over us. I cannot die, I cannot rest, until I find Tilly.
Truthfully, I need away fromhim. But he is all I have to keep me safe. He might be the answer I need to go back home.
The horse's exhausted breath echoes.Loudly.My own chest heaves with fear and exhaustion, matching the same rhythm of my horse.
Did we survive? Did I make it?
My head barely makes it through the tight roundness of the tunnel and I pull my body closer, feeling my cheek brush against the horse's mane. I clench my teeth together, grinding them tightly so I can distract from the overwhelming fear of being decapitated until finally, I see flames ahead through my squinted eyes. Two guards holding torches stand on each side at the end.
As I get closer to them, my racing heart now beats with hesitation.
The guards hold their torches up high, illuminating their faces and the surrounding area. Their eyebrows narrow deeper with my approach. Fear and concern is etched into their features. Is it due to my foreign clothes?
Or has Prince Florian taken me to mydeathat last.
My mind is racing with questions. Where did I just sprint into?
Whatdid I just sprint into?
With one quick motion as I approach, they draw their weapons, pointing spears to keep me and my horse in place. I yank back on the reins, pulling them too abruptly as my horse raises its hooves and promptly throws me off. My back and head slam into the gravel ground, and I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me. I clench my ribs as my body beats against the rocks beneath me. I feel helpless, fear gripping me tightly. I moan with pain as I roll over to my side, trying to catch air. Guards circle me, blocking any chance I have at escape.
“Who are you? And what business do you have here?”one of the guards demands, his voice stern and threatening. He points the spear closer to my face, the sharp metallic point glistening with the fire that flickers in the wind.
The guards are covered in an old onyx attire, with velvet-red scale-like armor wrapping around their chest. Their eyes areonly seen through the metallic helmets that cover the rest of their faces.
I roll over to my back and close my eyes, still wheezing as I catch my breath. My body is radiating with pain and all my ears hear is the melody from the caves. “You are chosen, my child.” The voice repeats through the tune.
I snap my head upwards, trying to pinpoint where the whispers are coming from, but my eyes are blurry by the pain that radiates through me. I peek through the guard’s legs, trying to see if there is any chance of someone there who is trying to reach me, butthere isn’t.
I take a deep breath and sigh, thinking of the times when Tilly and I would play hide and seek as a child, whispering hints to each other about where we could be hiding.
But this isn’t a game.
My mind races with flashbacks of memories, finding anything to focus on apart from the throbbing in my back and the whispers that won’t leave my ears. I truly thought the impact of my fall would wake me from this dream. Yet, here I am. Now surrounded by the eight men with spears pointing all over my bruised and bloody body.
However, the chatter of the two guards who still stand by the tunnel catch my attention. The blurriness of the Prince emerges from the tunnel at last as prances towards us, his eyes shifting between the guards and me. He holds up his hand, signaling for them to back off, and then hops off the horse. He rapidly makes his way over to me as he dusts off his shirt.
“She’s with me,” he says calmly but firmly, glaring at the guards above me. His eyes flash a burning fire against the dark night, as if what they are doing to me is a personal offense to him.
The guards lower their weapons hesitantly, their eyes never leaving him. Their hands tremble against their spears.
“I suggest you let us pass right away,” Florian growls.
The guards nod in agreement and step aside, allowing us to continue on our journey despite their questions about me.
“Are you alright?” he asks gently, his hand reaching out to help me up. “Take my hand.”
I nod slowly, still processing everything that just happened.
“We’re almost there,” he reassures me. His eyes sparkle with soft, golden flakes instead of a fiery light that it once was.
He bends down next to me, lifting me up with arms around my back. He reaches for his side and out comes a blade, wrapped in gold, with wing-like indents surrounding it. My eyes scan the five stones that are embedded into the side. The same colors as the stones I saw in the caves. His eyes drop to my tied hands, then nods for me to hold them up. I do as he says and he slices through the rope, finally breaking me free.
“You’re bleeding.” He holds my hands, my blood dripping down to the ground.
