Row upon row of soldiers on horseback galloped up the road toward the castle. They were riding in a tight formation and moving quickly. It seemed as though even the horses’ hooves moved in an intimidating repetition, as though their movements were one. In the front, a single rider rode ahead of the others. Since her eyes had been attuned to the murky darkness, she was nearly blinded by the pristine white of his jacket and helmet which flashed under the bright afternoon sun.
She couldn’t look away.
The captain rode under the banner of Chendas. These soldiers were from King Gareth. And from the look of it, they were not coming in peace.
Meena gripped the bark in front of her, as her head swam and her stomach turned.
Noticing that something had changed, Celesta tapped her shoulder.
Meena threw a smile on her face as she quickly turned around, hoping that Sol would not frighten the girl. Celesta had spent weeks as a prisoner in Gareth’s castle. Meena couldn’t let the soldiers find the escaped girl. And she couldn’t let the happy, adventurous girl in front of her set eyes on the soldiers that had once held her captive. Celesta would instantly recognize the Chendas uniform and colors. She had to make sure that Celesta did not look back out of the crack again.
“We should head back to the castle now,” she said, her eyes wide and smile big. She pointed from the treasures on the ground and then back up the hill toward the palace.
Sol had stopped moving, his posture was tense, ready to spring into action. His eyes still scanned the area, then came back to Meena.
And she had to get back to the castle as soon as possible to warn her father.
But surely someone had seen the actual army riding through their kingdom and reported it to the king?
“No one else knows that Chendas is our enemy yet,” Meena spoke through the same smile on her face.
“Get her back to the palace,” Sol said, his lips twisting up into the most awkward smile Meena had ever seen. At least he understood she was trying to protect Celesta. Although, with a smile like that, the younger girl would instantly know something was wrong.
Fortunately, she was happily putting the toys back into her treasure box.
“The path back is hidden from sight,” Meena whispered in response to Sol. “Come with us, it will be safer for everyone.”
Sol nodded. He tilted his head toward the door. “Go first, I’ll guard the rear.”
Celesta looked up at them with concern on her face. She’d noticed something was wrong.
Meena threw her arm around Celesta’s shoulder. Placing her hand above her eyes, she pretended to squint into the distance—back toward the castle, not the road—as though she was about to lead them on another adventure. Making her painful smile even bigger, she gave a confident nod.
Celesta nodded back, pointing to the castle and pretending to scan the trees around them.
The hoof beats of the horses thundered past on the road below them. Meena couldn’t tell if the pulse in her body was her own frantic heartbeat or the reverberation of the hoof beats below. She hoped it was the former, so that Celesta would not notice what was happening.
Raising her finger to her lips, Meena mimicked a tiptoe as she slowly crawled toward the door of the tree cave.
Celesta’s eyebrows rose high, and she nodded in agreement, mimicking Meena’s actions.
Without a brief glance over her shoulder to Sol, Meena took Celesta’s hand in her own, and set a pace as quickly as she dared while still pretending to play.
The steely determination on Sol’s face remained fixed in her memory. Knowing he was behind her gave her strength.
Nonetheless, she was breathless before they even began ascending the hill back up to the palace, but she waved it away, pretending to be tired.
Celesta merely took the opportunity to pretend to be the stronger of the two, and she set out ahead, forging her way fearlessly up the path.
For one brief moment, Meena exhaled, allowing the panic she felt inside to show on her face. Fortunately, the steep angle of the hill below them and the surrounding trees hid the running trio from the passing soldiers below.
Chapter 10
“Come in, quickly.” The guard at the back gate waved them into the palace courtyard. Sol immediately turned and helped him close the heavy gate and bar it safely.
Two other guards raced across the courtyard, heading toward the back stables. The air was thick, fraught with tension.
The princess was breathing heavily, but she had a smile on her face and a protective arm around Celesta’s shoulders.
