As quickly as Teal’s tight grasp had come, it disappeared, and a heavy weight dropped down on Princess Estina’s chest. Opening her eyes, she tried to push Teal’s limp body off of her, but he was too heavy. Menelt was there, and he lifted Teal away, throwing him onto the grass at her side. And of all things amongst the chaos, the white eagle she had seen on many occasions, swooped down low above them, screeching loudly as it passed.

Princess Estina rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself onto her hands and knees and scrambled away. Adrenalin soared through her body. Her chest heaved, sucking air into her desperate lungs. The muscles in her neck seared with pain, her ears ached and her head swirled with light headedness.

A large hand settled gently on her back, but Princess Estina startled away.

“You’re safe,” Menelt said, staying close. “Can you breathe?”

Wild with fear, she couldn’t answer. Never before had she felt like her life was being squeezed out of her, but what was worse, was that she hadn’t been able to do anything about it. There had been no way to fight back or escape. All of her training had meant nothing.

Slowly, Princess Estina rose to her feet, using Menelt for support. She stopped and rested her hands on her legs, bending forward as she coughed and continued to suck in more air.

“Can you breathe?” Menelt asked again, firmly this time, demanding an answer.

She lifted her upper body, keeping a weary gaze on Teal in case he leapt to his feet again and tried to strike once more.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “I stabbed him with some of the stuff in the bottle you gave me. It seems to have done the trick and knocked him out cold.”

“I can breathe,” she croaked. Her throat ached. Had he damaged her so badly that she couldn’t speak now?

Menelt stepped up and took her head gently in his hands while he examined her neck. A frown deepened the lines on his forehead. She tried to stop the tears from welling in her eyes. She had never cried in front of him. She didn’t want him to ever think she was weak, but the emotions surging through her needed an outlet. She stepped out of his reach and turned away and tried to gather her composure.

There were trees that ran along the back of the castle only a short distance away. Their greenery had an instant calming effect. She climbed up the embankment and stood on the dirt road that ran beside the trees. On the other side of those trees, the noises of a busy market carried in the breeze.

She breathed in deeply trying to steady her heart to a normal pace. The sound of horses cantering along the dirt road and the creaking of wood as the wheels of a caravan bounced over the terrain, distracted her further. She reached for her axe, but as it pulled to a stop, Ladet jumped out from the back of the caravan and ran towards them.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked. “We need to move!”

He stopped and frowned, looking at Teal and Jale lying on the ground. He glanced at Princess Estina in confusion.

“We don’t have any time. We need to get into the caravans,” he continued. As he finished speaking, three more caravans pulled up behind the first.

Princess Estina turned away, still breathing deeply.

“Your friend here just tried to murder Princess Estina,” Menelt said forcefully.

Princess Estina spun back around to see Menelt standing in front of Ladet. The colour drained from Ladet’s face, and he looked at her, aghast.

“What?” he whispered. “Teal would never.”

“Look at the bruises already forming!” Menelt yelled.

Princess Estina rushed forward. They couldn’t risk drawing attention to themselves by shouting at each other.

“We need to move them now. We all need to leave, Menelt,” she whispered. Her vocal cords were not capable of allowing her to speak at a normal volume, but Ladet’s arrival had broken the wild primal fear that had overwhelmed her. It was time to get back to work on their escape.

Menelt jabbed his finger into Ladet’s chest. “Princess Estina travels with you. Weldlan and I will travel with Teal. Eemulan and the other mountain men with Jale. If Teal tries anything again,” he said, lowering his voice and leaning even closer to Ladet, their faces inches apart, “I will kill him myself.”

Ladet looked at Teal and Jale, and then back at her. His shoulders dropped, but he nodded. It was obvious Ladet knew he couldn’t argue with them right now. Teal and Jale’s escape rested on the mountain men’s shoulders.

Menelt took her hand as Ladet ran back to the caravan. “Remember the code we agreed upon. You might have to use it on the road.”

Princess Estina nodded.

He glanced once more at her neck and hissed. “Be careful. We’ll see you when you reach Latrena.”

She met his gaze square on before she turned and ran towards the first caravan.

A woman, dressed in gypsy colourful flowing clothes, opened the door. Her appearance was dishevelled and dirty. There was a hint of confidence and strength however, in the way she moved as she leapt up into the back of the caravan first. She was older, probably in her mid-thirties, and she was built lean and supple. Princess Estina was confident Lord Clep had sent some of his most reliable and strongest fighters that had been close to Isola City.

Princess Estina followed her, and she heard Ladet climb up inside as well. The woman fastened the door to the caravan closed.

“You will need to change your clothes,” the woman said over her shoulder. “You’ll get sick if you stay in those wet ones in this weather.”

Princess Estina placed her hand on the side of the caravan as it lurched into movement. The small space smelt of leather and horse feed. Along both sides of the caravan walls there were tapestries giving the small area a cosy feel.

The woman lifted the lid to a storage area that ran along the lefthand side of the caravan that could act as a bench as well when the lid was down. In her hands, she retrieved several items of clothing.

“I suspect you prefer trousers,” she said.

Princess Estina nodded and didn’t hesitate. Her teeth were chattering and goosebumps covered her skin. She tugged off her axe strap. Next, she used both hands and pulled her shirt up and over her body. It was a relief to get the foul-smelling material off her skin. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ladet spin around putting his back towards her to give her privacy.

“Thank you,” Princess Estina croaked as she quickly redressed in the new clothing. “What’s your name?”

The woman stepped up towards her and placed a gentle hand on her head and gently turned it back and forth. “You can call me Marlina for this trip, understood?”

“Understood.”

“You’re going to have quite some bruising. The Lombock did that to you?” Marlina let go of her neck, and Princess Estina pulled up her trousers and fastened a belt around her waist.

“Yes,” she said, not wanting to recall what had happened.

“And you still plan to let him go?” Marlina asked.

“Of course. He lived peacefully in the Talbecan Empire. He is not ours to keep,” she whispered.

Marlina seemed to judge her for a moment, before she nodded as if coming to some kind of decision in her head.

“Areen, the man driving the caravan, will guide us out of Isola City and our very faithful Shire horse, Meadow Dreamer, will be our muscles for our journey.”

Despite everything, Princess Estina smiled. It was a lovely name for such a giant horse.

When she was dressed, Marlina turned and yanked up a dirty frayed rug from the floor to reveal a secret hidden door. She bent down and turned a latch and pulled hard, levering up the wooden door. Underneath was a hidden empty box large enough for two adults to fit inside.

“You will have to go in there while we leave the city,” Marlina told them, pointing to herself and Ladet.

Princess Estina stepped in first, turned around and lowered herself into the box, trying not to fall over while the caravan rocked from side to side. She pushed herself as close as she could to the side of the box to allow Ladet room. He stepped in carefully and lay down beside her, their bodies snug but surprisingly comfortable in the space.

“You’ll be in there for a while,” Marlina stated. “We plan to not stop until nightfall.” She went to close the wooden door but paused. Her gaze fell straight on Princess Estina. “Earl Jenric told me he thought you could be the real thing. It looks like he could be right. If you manage to pull this escape off, Princess Estina, you will have a lot more people supporting you.”

Before Princess Estina could think of a response, Marlina dropped the wooden door into place and flicked the lock.

“She’s right, you know,” Ladet said into the silence, his breath warm on the back of her neck. She had never been this close to him before. Conscious that her hair was still caked with the residue of human faeces, she tried to edge her head away from his face.

“I’m sorry, I smell,” she whispered. It was frustrating not being able to talk louder. Her voice was still compromised. “We had to use the human waste chute to escape the castle.”

Ladet chuckled lightly. “It’s not that bad,” he said. “I’m sure I’ve smelt worse.” He was silent a moment. “Thank you for getting Teal and Jale out of the castle. I’m so sorry Teal attacked you.”

The sight of Teal’s vicious angry face flashed before her mind’s eye. It took her a few seconds to respond. “I doubt that he is himself. He has been through a lot with Prince Yernal.”

“You are very forgiving and compassionate,” Ladet said. “Jale and Teal will be forever grateful. I know it.”

“Let’s not celebrate too soon,” she answered. “We have a long way to go.” She tried to wrap her arms around herself. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking. Cold air was drifting through the cracks in the wood. “Ladet…”

“Yes.”

“I hope this doesn’t sound too forward, but I’m going to need your body heat. I’m freezing.”

A stomp came from above them. “Quiet,” Marlina ordered.

They stopped talking, but Ladet nudged closer and wrapped his arm around her body. She let him pull her closer so her back laid against his chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder at him. She could only see half his face, but she watched his gaze take in her features and something flickered over his expression. He blinked, and it was gone.

Princess Estina turned her head back. It had hurt her neck to twist it in such a manner. She tried to relax but her mind raced. They had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t said goodbye to Menelt or Weldlan. Their caravans would now separate to reduce the risk of causing attention, and they would not see each other until they reached Lord Clep’s territory, if they all made it that was. If everything had gone to plan, Prince Alain and the remaining men would have also left the compound and were at least two hours ahead of them.

Her heart pounded. Prince Yernal’s soldiers could pull them over at any moment. Prince Yernal would never let his prize go easily. It was terrifying. All their trust was on the people who were driving their caravans and that they could get them to their destination as quickly as possible. Her hand lowered to the glass bottle that was still in the leg pocket of her trousers. Surprisingly, it had not broken during all the chaos. Her only thought was that the glass must be much thicker than it looked and its contents much smaller.

The hidey hole in the caravan quickly became cramped and uncomfortable, but Ladet’s body heat started to seep into her bones. She was thirsty and her throat still ached. There was no room to move, and the air was quickly staled by the stench still on her skin and hair. Ladet never complained. She had survived the tunnel of nightmares. She could survive this. Princess Estina closed her eyes. Ladet’s arm was secure and snug around her body, his hold confident and strong. Upon all the other things racing through her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder of how many women had lain in his arms.

>>

Princess Aleria of the Lombock fell back onto the cushions that Quinti had placed around her. Her mind reeled from how she had exerted herself in the Everold, but she knew she wasn’t the only one. This had taken a team effort to use the eagle. The spell prevented them from doing anything else, and anyway, they weren’t even supposed to use the Everold like this.

Exhausted, she swept a hand over her sweaty forehead, but in the present circumstances she could not rest. Opening her eyes, she found Quinti squatting over her, her forehead creased with concern. Quinti’s body seemed to have taken the toll better than her, although her skin looked pastier than usual and her eyes were ringed with dark circles. The other two members of the chapel, leaned back silently to rest as well. All three had helped to hold her and give her support in controlling the eagle for short periods of time.

“Have they been successful?” Quinti asked, helping her back into a sitting position.

“I don’t know yet. They’ve begun Teal’s rescue,” Princess Aleria stated. She accepted a cup of water passed from the human servant in the corner. “But he’s confused and wild. He doesn’t know how to handle his true self and with what he’s been through during his capture…” She couldn’t continue. If only she could get her hands physically onto Prince Yernal, she would finish him off in one swoop. It would give her great pleasure to eat him alive. How strong and heroic would he come off then?

“What happened?” Quinti returned to her position in front of Princess Aleria.

“He attacked the Princess. Nearly killed her.” Her hands clenched into fists, her long nails digging into the skin on her palms. “If he does that again, the mountain men may very well try to murder him. Chaos could fall upon them and it could all fall apart.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Quinti said. “You can’t do anything of great purpose while in the eagle. You are mostly a passenger.”

Quinti rose to her feet and slowly started to pace the room. Her brow was furrowed. “How did they stop Teal?”

“The mountain man knocked him out somehow. He’s asleep right now.”

Princess Aleria watched Quinti. She stopped at the edge of the platform, deep in thought. After several moments, she turned to face Princess Aleria.

“We will need to ask your father if he approves of my idea and you will have to know that it could be dangerous especially for Teal.”

Princess Aleria tilted her head. “Go on.”

“We found him in the Everold. We are able to travel together in the Everold, aren’t we?”

“Yes.”

“So, I want you to go back to him. Now that he’s asleep or unconscious, I want you to find him and try to gain his attention. If we can keep him in the Everold for long enough, they will be able to succeed in their rescue without him turning on them.”

“That’s a long time,” Princess Aleria said. “I don’t know if we can do that for such an amount of time.”

Quinti squatted in front of her again. “But you won’t have to do it for too long,” she said with a wry smile on her face. “Whatever is happening to Teal, whatever is causing him to be his true Lombock self, it is only happening for short periods of time. I never thought I would hear myself say the words, but for once, the presence, the tiger within him will be of help to get him out alive. My only fear is that he doesn’t know about the Everold. What happens if he can’t find his way back to himself?”

They stared at each other for a long while.

“We have to go to your father now,” Quinti said. “We need to let him know what we’ve learnt and he can decide.”