CHAPTER 71

Ema could hear the sunlight just barely creeping over the horizon; she sat up quickly in her bed with an alarm in her chest. The events that she witnessed the previous day flashed in her mind and, with them, the zeal of being close to their goal was all she could think of. Amelia was walking in another town already, and she could not move as she wished; time was behind her now.

She went down towards the guard’s quarters

“Get up,” she whispered hard, vigorously shaking the shoulders of her guards. ‘‘As a matter of fact, get on your feet and let us move’’.

Grunts and grumbles rumbled from her rogues and they struggled to sit up from the uncomfortable position they slept in. They had wandered into an old barn and all night they spent sleeping on the musty straw and the boards of the barn that were starting to rot. As consciousness began to return, the sense of the severity of their situation along with them.

Turning to scan their faces, Ema mentally checked her team on board. A scrawny thief with active hands nicknamed Lucas, Mara is the sarcastic, bowman who never misses her shots. Astor – a man who had not only the muscles of the bear in his body but a poet’s soul in his chest. Last but not least, Dex had this incredible ability to set explosions and at times helped them out of stickier situations than Ema dared to remember.

“All you planning to look at the map?” Ema inquired in a whisper – but with authority.

Nods all around. They have barely slept that night charting the best strategy that they should employ. Indeed, one had to act quickly, but one had to remain as careful as possible. It can turn out to be disastrous not only for the three of them but also for them might lose Amelia in case they make a wrong decision.

“Elijah’s taking the mountain pass,” said Mara with slightly knitted brows. "It seems that it’s probably for the best for us to split up?’

Ema yawned, her hair was a mess and she had dark circles around her eyes. “We don’t get to decide that. On his own, he has a slightly better way of doing things and we have to be prepared for everything. If he gets to Amelia then fantastic, if not then we will be right behind him. ”

The things they have to do together are an unexpressed concern that exists between them. Lucas, no matter his prowess, was heading into the great unknown. The pass was barely Useable at the best of times, and if Bruce and his followers were waiting for them, then the danger level was ten times higher.

As for Astor, he only managed to hear his murmurs, “He’ll be fine” The rough texture of this man’s voice seemed to calm me down. “He had nine lives, man, that one. ”

Ema just smiled, although she was unhappy with all this. “Yes. Now let us start moving. Time lost is a terrain to be covered. ”

For that, they would need to gather their scanty load, look at the firearms, and adjust the bags. Gradually as they emerged out of the barn and into the early morning fog, Ema realized that they might even be followed. She looked round the fields but as far as she was concerned no creature stirred apart from the swaying of the grass due to the wind.

There you go, she told her team with her eyes still wide open. These are imposed costs that mean that ‘we’re not out of the woods yet. ’

He seemed to be in a hurry but made sure they followed the alleys of hedgerows and other dilapidated structures. The countryside had become a very risky area for farmland as well as wilderness, all in a clear indication that the realm had experienced troubled moments in the past. They strolled along, and the spirit of Amelia brought a pain to Ema’s chest, regarding which there were no words. Because she couldn't achieve anything without her, her doom determined Ema's success.

It is a question whose answer could take many forms; but how had it come to this? Amelia, the friend with sparkling eyes who aspires to change the world, was now a game piece in a game that was much larger than thought. And Ema, raising her hands into fists, also felt the intensity of that anger that grew inside her. She should have something like this coming, should have done much better for her friend.

“Ema,” Astor said suddenly. "We've got company. "

He continued for a moment before she brought her eyes back down as if suddenly noticing where they were and who was with her. Then, on the horizon, a thin column of dust could be seen rising above the road. Riders, moving fast.

“Get off the road now!” Ema whispered as much as she could shout.

They took refuge in a ditch close by and flung themselves down flat on the ground. Ema’s heart raced as the noise became louder and louder coming from the cars revving. She stopped breathing, crossed her fingers and hoped that they wouldn’t be seen.

The guards rode past them in their tinted cars, rose and fell behind them in a great wave. Ema could barely see the glistening of armor and the emblem of the crowned royalty. Bruce guards, no doubt in search of them. After the dust had cleared and all that could be heard was the degree of silence, she could finally breathe.

‘That was too close,’ Dex commented, wiping the dust from her rump as they struggled up out of the gully.


‘She is right,’ Mara said softly, not taking her eyes off the horizon ‘They are fishing in the sea’. “We will have to be cautious from now on,”

Ema nodded grimly. “You are right, Lucas,” replied. “We will remain in the wilderness as far as possible; it will cost us time, yes, but then again it will cost us much more if we get caught. ”

It was not much longer before more care was taken as they moved on. It was getting hotter as the sun was on its way up to the top of the clear azure sky. Sweat ran down Ema’s backbone as they groped hesitantly through thickets of shrubs and bushes, with the sound of breaking twigs making her tense up.

Towards the middle of the day, they arrived at a river that had a great flow of water. The sea – a mysterious and attractive object – was strenuously tossing waves and sprayed on the shore recently formed from the shower day. Ema looked around at the options available carefully.

‘We could try to ford it,’ Dex said, even though he was not entirely confident in the idea.

Ema shook her head. ‘That’s too risky, the current is too strong now and I can’t afford to lose any of these supplies. ’

“I know that there is a bridge one and a half miles from here downstream,” said Astor. They, on their part, looked at him questioningly, and that was when he raised his shoulders. “What? I went around the city and worked out the different routes we could use in case. ”

He pulled a face at her and took another sip of his coffee Ema clapped him on the shoulder. "Good thinking. Let's move. "

Together they moved along the river where the sound of the water would cover any noises they might make. As they began to stroll, there was no hiding Ema slipped to thinking about Elijah and Bruce. How they had alerted all the police in town to watch out for her, a desperate move to prevent her from getting to Amelia, but they were very wrong, Ema was very certain that she would get to Amelia.