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BYTHANE, ALONG WITH all the Cyscáth Bytheiad, were waiting just up the trail from the main entrance to Annarii. I thought I would’ve been more frightened to leave the only home I’d ever known, but instead, I was more frightened to stay. I had no clue what lay out there in the world, other than what I had heard in the few stories I had been told from the villagers.
In order to get as far away as possible from the village be- fore dawn, Bythane insisted that I ride on his back, while Aurena rode on Bythane’s second, Moirae. Where Bythane was nearly midnight black, with the most brilliant green eyes, Moirae was a stunning silver with eyes the deepest of blue. They were both a sight alone, but standing together, they made an astonishing pair. They could indeed run much faster than we could fly.
We raced through the forest, staying off the path to hide our tracks. There wasn’t a single doubt in anyone’s mind that Gwadei would follow; as soon as he woke and found me missing, he’d be on our trail. No one spoke as we travelled. Neither Aurena nor I knew where we were headed. It didn’t matter. It appeared as though Bythane and his pack knew, and that was all that mattered. Some of the other members had raced ahead, while others had changed courses and went off in other directions to create false trails for Gwadei to follow.
Passing what looked to be a small village of some sort, staying well away from its borders, we crested a hill and continued down along a small stream, slowing to a walk. I dismounted Bythane to walk alongside him. Aurena followed suit with Moirae.
“Your Majesty, you should take a quick rest here. Drink and refresh yourself. We still have a little way to go before we can stop and sleep.” Bythane was already lapping up the water, Moirae stepped up next to him.
“Thank you. Aurena, we’re stopping for a few minutes. Bythane says it won’t be too much longer until we reach our destination,” I restated as I sat and dipped my hands into the cool stream and brought up a handful to drink.
“Good thing we are almost there. The night is coming to an end. Soon it will be daybreak,” she replied, looking up to the lightening sky, a crease on her brow.
“Yes. I just hope that we have travelled far enough and the others have created enough false trails to throw the king off of ours a while. I need sleep and food,” I said as I rubbed my ever- increasing stomach.
“I will get you somewhere safe, Majesty. Someplace hidden and with plenty of food to replenish your energy.” Bythane, finished drinking, came and stood next to me. “We should get moving. We don’t want to linger in one place.”
“Of course, you’re right. Let’s get moving then.” I stood and stretched, then climbed atop my protector once more. “Ready, Aurena?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Yes, milady.” She replied with a smile as Moirae stepped up next to Bythane.
And we were off again, headed to an unknown location in the hopes of refuge and sustenance. Gripping his fur tightly, I leaned forward over his neck so he could run faster over the plains, racing against the sun. At some point, I closed my eyes, the steady movement of the creature beneath me, rocking me to sleep. The night’s desperation was catching up to me and draining my energy.
I awoke with a start to the feeling of hands gripping my shoulders. “Milady.” It was only Aurena. “Sorry to wake you, but you’re requested.” She brought over my priestess robe and fetched my brush to help me get presentable quickly. I don’t want to keep the wisp queen waiting.
We had arrived in the wisp kingdom two days ago, just before sun up. The queen’s apprentice, Solrea, a very young wisp judging by her brilliant light, had welcomed us and taken us to the queen. She had granted us sanctuary, stating that we all may stay until the babe was born. It gave us nearly a month to rest up and come up with our next plan of action. I just hoped that Gwadei wouldn’t be able to break through their magic that was shielding us, now that I had his Stones.
I followed Aurena through the brush to the clearing where the queen had met us when we arrived. The wisp kingdom is a beautiful stretch of forest up on a hill over-looking the plains below. It was protected by a barrier of their magick, which was derived straight from the moon. There were large stones that looked as if they were the ruins of an ancient castle marking the boundary. The forest had sprung up and overtaken whatever structure may once have been here.
Just then, we were in a large stone circle. These massive stones rose into the sky as if reaching for the hand of the goddess. Smaller stones lay around the base for us to perch upon. The trees overhung to form a sort of roof, while vines and bushes grew along the outside to make this room look as though it’s just another overgrown part of the dark forest. I wonder if nature alone created this perfect meeting place, or if the wisp magick played a part.
“Good evening, Majesty.” I said as I came upon the queen. Aurena curtsied, whereas I only dipped my head in greeting, since we were of the same rank.
“Good evening, Emalia. You seem rested and well.” The queen’s light was a beautiful shade of blue that brightened when she spoke.
“Yes, thank you. We are much recovered from our travels.
Thank you again for your hospitality.”
“Of course, young queen. I did request your presence for a reason. My guards are using their magick to keep our borders from being penetrated. However, their magick is not infinite. We do not know if your husband follows you, or when he shall find out you are among us. I urge you to stay away from the edge of our lands until it is time for your departure. You will be easier to hide this way.”
“Of course, Majesty.” I couldn’t agree more, and I was so grateful that they were going to such lengths to protect us.
“Please, call me Moraya. We are friends now, after all. You may eat whatever you wish in our forest; there are no poisons here. I just ask that the Cyscáth Bytheiad hunt outside of our lands. We protect the life here.” Moraya spoke gently but you could hear the warning in her voice. She would not stop her guards from attacking if the wildlife that also called the wisp kingdom home were killed.
“That won’t be a problem, Moraya, I assure you. If you’ll excuse me, I need to lie back down,” I said as I wrapped an arm around my stomach. The baby was getting heavier each day.
“Indeed. Until later, then.” Moraya backed away, signaling that we were free to go.
I made my way back to the small clearing we had been shown to when we arrived. It wasn’t much, just enough room for us all to lay down, but it would do. Luckily, Aurena had packed a blanket which we laid down on at night, while Bythane and Moirae slept next to us to keep us warm. The rest of the pack kept close, but roamed the area, keeping watch in pairs so one could sleep while the other sat guard.
We were able to find plenty of fruit growing on bushes and vines nearby and even a small stream to drink from. I wondered if it was part of the same stream we had followed on our way here. It didn’t matter, really. It was just that without anything to do but wait, my mind tended to wander a lot.
We needed to think of our next plan. Where were we going to go from here? How long would we be able to evade him? What was I going to do with the Stones? So much to figure out. At least I had a little time to do so.