Davina has been running all night, not letting the adrenaline in her body go to waste. Looking back, there was a good distance between herself and the castle. She reached the forest and found a suitable place to stop and rest for a while.
Finally, she could breathe.
She was free.
From where she was currently resting, she could see the Royal Grounds. The place she used to consider her home. The place she called her prison.
From a distance, it didn't look like there was a huge fire there earlier. It all seemed so peaceful and calm from a distance. Much like the first nights Davina spent there when she was younger.
Davina remembered that Rianne told her that there was someone who could help her find Felix's murderer if she went to the forest that would lead to the Darian Sea. Heading there on foot from the Royal Grounds was challenging in her state, but not impossible. As much as she hoped that the help Princess Rianne mentioned was true, she was still preparing herself for the alternative that no one was there.
There was no help.
There was no Quinn.
"Don't you have any faith in my sister?" Felix asked, sitting beside her on the stump.
"You know that I'm always paranoid."
Davina's eyes landed on her wrist as she remembered Rianne wrapped something around it earlier. She lifted her arm. It was a bracelet. The bracelet was only composed of a thin golden chain and had a small green diamond as its pendant. It wasn't anything flashy that could easily catch the attention of thieves, but it was priceless to Davina.
This bracelet used to be Felix's possession. It was a gift from his late mother. He treasured it because it was one of the last things she gave to him before she passed. She never expected Felix to give it to her just a few months before his death.
Just like it was one of the few connections Felix had to his mother, it was now the only connection she had with him.
As she stared at the bracelet, the temptation of finding Felix's true murderer started to fill her. It may be a trap. It could lead to a dead end. But she had to take a chance.
"Alright," she said, "we'll go to the Darian Sea."
Davina tried to stand, but her body wouldn't let her move from her spot. She tried to use the sword as a support, but she still couldn't move.
"Maybe it's best if you should rest."
"I don't want to."
"Davina you have no choice, you can't move."
"But what if I close my eyes and I don't wake up anymore?"
"Don't worry," Felix sat on the ground right beside her. "You'll wake up. I'll watch over you. So, try to rest."
Davina wanted to protest, but her body was getting heavier and heavier. Felix was right. If she wanted to go to the Darian Sea, she had to rest.
"I'll watch over you," Felix said just like she did when they were younger.
~~~~~
As much as Davina tried to close her eyes and sleep, she couldn't bring herself to relax. Felix saying that he'll watch over her was a comfort to her. But the reason why she couldn't relax was because she felt as if there was someone watching her. A pair of eyes that didn't feel safe or familiar to her.
With half-open eyelids, she made sure the sword was still beside her and was at arms reach. She slyly placed her hand on the hilt and waited for the attack. She couldn't tell if it was a person or an animal. Whatever it was, she could sense their stare from behind her.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Davina tried to keep her breaths steady and calm as she heard the footsteps come closer and closer. Whoever was trying to come her way wasn't trying to be subtle at all. It didn't look like they had any training, so it wasn't a guard from the palace. It might just be a passerby or a thief.
When a shadow started to cover her, Davina propped herself up and pointed the sword at where the owner of the shadow's neck was supposed to be. Only to find that there was nothing but the night air around her. There was only the fluttering of wings and a high-pitched chirp.
She let herself relax.
It was nothing after all.
However, turns out there was something out there.
From a distance, there was the clippity-clop of horses and they seem to be coming her way. It wasn't normal for horses to be around these parts. It sounded like there were around five of them, although she couldn't be sure for there might be others around where she couldn't hear them. It must've been the palace guards who were still trying to search for her.
She had to move now whilst she still had the advantage of the night.
Ignoring the aches and pains of her body, she forced herself to stand up. Her feet were filled with cuts and bruises. Some parts of her skin were burnt.
Unlike earlier where she ran without any care of direction or sound, now she treads softly and carefully in the forest. A wrong step could expose her. A wrong step could injure her even more so.
She didn't know the distance she had to move to get to the Darian Sea.
When she was certain she was far from the guards, she climbed a tree to see how far she had to go. When she reached the top, there was the view of the sea on her left. She was somehow so close yet so far because of the road she had to take.
"Any sign of her?" A low voice asked below her.
"No," a younger voice replied. "Should we head back? It doesn't look like she'll survive the night."
"The king says he wants us to find her dead or alive, understand?"
"Yes sir."
"You haven't truly worked with her," the person with the low voice continued, "anyone who does will know she'll survive."
Davina waited until they were gone before she started to formulate her plan. That compliment was a curse on her since they would now be searching for her all night. But then she remembered that the King ordered them to search for her until they found her, dead or alive.
If they knew how much of a threat she was, she wished they would've killed her when they had the chance. Would've saved all of them the trouble.
Once again, Davina heard wings fluttering near her. She turned her head and saw a brown bird with golden streaks land on her shoulder. The bird chirped and Davina tried to shoo it away. It stayed stubbornly on her shoulder.
When her bare feet met the ground, there was the whistle of a flying arrow getting closer to her. She moved her head slightly to the right and was able to dodge the arrow by just an inch.
Davina let out curses in her head as she started to run once again. The guards were calling the others and were warning them of her whereabouts. As she was running, the bird was still perched on her shoulder. It was silent for a moment, but then the bird started to sing once again.
"Please be quiet," Davina begged, but it didn't stop.
There were more guards and horses behind her. The arrows continued to fly as she tried dodging them. She didn't check to see if the bird was alright since it kept on singing.
She took a couple of turns, trying to dodge them and let the night cover her tracks. The forest was filled with mounds and mounds of trees. Her eyes searched through the dark of the night, a place that could hide her even for a few minutes. As much as she wanted to climb a tree, there wasn't enough time for her to climb one without being killed.
While she was running, a hand grabbed her out of nowhere and pulled her down in a cave under a tree. When she composed herself, she saw the person who pulled her inside. There was a boy, who seemed to be around her age, crouching right beside her. He placed a finger on his mouth telling her to be quiet.
The boy's body, except for his head, was covered by a cloak that blended him in with the dark. He didn't look like one of the Erisian guards who were wearing their uniform. The boy didn't even have the stance or posture of a palace guard. Whoever he was, he seemed to be on her side.
Does he know who I am? She wondered.
The bird on Davina's shoulder chirped once again then flew to the boy. It perched itself on his brown hair. She remembered that Rianne said there was someone who could help her around here.
Could they be the ones she was looking for?
"Is she the one with the message?" The boy asked the bird softly.
The bird fluttered their wings as a yes.
The boy let out a smile of relief. Then as if sensing the caution Davina had, he wanted to assure her. "Don't worry, we'll help you get out of here."
"Who are you?"
He placed his gloved hand on her shoulder. "My name's Quinn."