Meanwhile, in Hurith forest, in Beledren village Edýia sat perched in a tree hiding behind some thick branches, watching Haren pass below frantically looking for her, huffing and puffing like an angry bull.
She cursed herself for going into the forest, her brother knew her too well, and he knew she would try and hide in the woods to cover her tracks.
If accepting Rom's proposal made him that angry, she wasn't willing to find out what he would do to her after she had also stabbed him.
Edya sat in the tree for a while, and after she saw her brother had moved deeper into the woods, she jumped off the tree and ran towards the village, even afraid to look back just in case her brother had returned in his footsteps in the meantime and saw her run out of the forest.
She ran through the village, and it didn't take long before she made it out of the village on the Beledren plains. Now she could be seen from a distance, but she hoped her brother had continued searching for her in the forest. Unable to run anymore, she slowed down and sat on a rock she had found on the footpath; wheezing for air, she felt her knees had gone weak.
She thought the comfortable life in the Southern territories had made her weak, and being locked up in the house for so long hadn't done her any favours.
" Crap!" she cursed in frustration, wiping the sweat dripping on her forehead.
She looked around, trying to remember which way Dak and Rom went, hoping she would meet them in the forest where the Queen they had spoken about lived.
As Edya predicted, Haren moved deeper into the forest until a thought dawned on him that Edýia might have seen that coming, and she would have done the opposite of what he thought she would do and run out of the village on the main road.
" Oh, for fuck sake!" he cursed and turned on his heels and went back in his footsteps.
After resting, Edýia pushed herself off the rock and started to walk the same path Rom, and her brother had taken not too long ago, glancing over her shoulder once in a while to make sure Haren wasn't following her.
While Edýia made her way towards Fiahthyr forest, inside Vellai Castle, Ian and Azra were going head to head about the fact that Azra had touched Iris and once more he had done something to her, despite his warnings not to do so.
" It wasn't enough what you did the first time, was it?" Ian roared, making the others in their vicinity and Iris, who was inside the chamber, step out to see what had happened, but she already knew that Ian saw through her lies, and now he was blaming Azra for it.
" He didn't touch me. I did!" Iris panicked and decided to tell the truth, and it wasn't worth the trouble it had caused, and she should have known better.
Ian extinguished the flames " Why would you do something like that when I already told you that it is dangerous!" he scolded, waving his hand at Arzra to leave, but the boy sat glued to his spot.
"It was an accident!" her voice was pleading, her expression laced with guilt and worry.
" I hugged him. It wasn't him! I was in the spur of the moment!" she continued in the same tone while looking at him, hopeful that he would let it go.
" How could you be so reckless? You don't know what will happen if he continues draining your life and powers! Why are you so stubborn to find out?" he scolded some more while Iris fell deep in thought. Now she had realised that she was just as impulsive as he was, but differently, his was driven by anger, and hers was driven by her desire to make things right.
Iris clicked her tongue" I was just happy and proud after he had mended the window and didn't think that a hug could trigger him!" she explained in a pensive voice and let out a shaky breath.
Ian hummed " You need to have your rest. I will go and deal with Rom!" he said, noticing Rom standing at the end of the corridor observing the drama.
" No, there's no need for me to rest! I'll come too!" she retorted, a little annoyed that he had been keeping her on bed rest since that day and didn't allow her. to do much on the premises that she needed to rest.
" You're being reckless again, but as you wish!" he conceded and took her hand in his, pulling her along with him to where Rom was.
" Azra said that you wished to see me!" he cut straight to the point skipping the pleasantries and the honorifics, he wasn't in the mood for it, and he guessed they weren't either after what he had just witnessed.
" I need you to draw me the plans for the underground tunnels! The plans you gave us are only above ground, and I need all of them!" Ian requested without giving the reason why; he assumed since Rom was a soldier, he would understand what he was planning to use them for.
" I'll have the ready by sundown!" he stated while turning around to leave but halted his steps. "My sister and I won't be joining you. We will leave for the Eastern territories as soon she is well enough to travel!" he commented while looking over his shoulder and reprised his steps.
Ian chucked " I wish you the best of luck with that. I highly doubt that you would be able to take Maya from Dak's clutches!" he remarked while Rom continued to walk unbothered by the comment.
Iris sighed, " It would be best if he would join. We need as many arms as we can get, and with him leaving, we will be short!" she worried while looking at him as he disappeared around a corner.
" All we need from him are the plans. After that, Rom can do whatever he likes, but I feel he will be coming along whether he likes it or not! Dak hasn't left Maya's side since he brought her here, and I doubt he will let Rom take Maya from him!" Ian said while they walked back to the garden, where the others sat down and talked.