"What happened to King Abe and Queen Penelope?" I can't help but to ask.
Kyle clicks his tongue, looking at us sideways as the horses ride onwards.
"Woah, haven't heard those names in a while. I was a young one when King Uriah took the throne after the death of King Abe and Queen Persephone in a tragic cross-kingdom skirmish."
So Uriah is related to me or Abe. It's chilling to realize that I probably have some family members in the current royal court, who presume us to be dead. But I don't remember any of them, except for Abe who is all the family I have now.
I'm riding on the same horse as Abe, holding onto him from the back. Kyle's wife Thalia graciously let us use her horse, she is currently with Kyle on his horse.
Kyle says, "we will reach our encampment in maybe fifteen minutes, there we can talk more on how to help. But we are passing through an area with a tribe of people who want to preserve the creatures we hunt. We come into conflict with them every once in a while."
It occurs to me that we are going the wrong way and I tug against Abe's shirt, splaying my fingers across his back but he doesn't react. Perhaps we are too close to Kyle and his hunters for us to have a proper discussion. We were supposed to go to the capital city where the main palace is so we could go there. But if Kyle and Thalia's group of hunters are leading us back to their camp, we will be further from our original plan.
As I am thinking what we can do, there is an annoying tweeting sound above us. A small purple bird lands on Kyle's shoulder with a note attached to its foot. Kyle's eyebrows furrow as he reads the message, and then panic ensues.
"Something's wrong, me and Thalia will ride to the front to check it out first." Kyle notifies us.
Everyone else in the group, a good seven to ten people follow after them, worried about their families and belongings. We continue riding and I realize now me and Abe can talk more intimately.
"Abe, we shouldn't go with the hunters, we need to go to the main palace." I say.
"I was planning to make a diversion," Abe replies.
"And when was I going to know-"
We pass over some rough terrain and Abe urges our horse to go faster. The speed causes my body to jerk up and closer to Abe.
Abe reaches for my hands and clasps them around his waist so I am more securely wrapped around his body.
"Let's not have you fall off in the middle of a horse ride," Abe says.
"That should be the least of your worries. Abe, who is Uriah?"
"Uriah…is my brother." Abe says.
"Were you close?" I ask.
"Yes. He was the officiate at our wedding." Abe says.
I shudder as something feels off. Why would his brother declare us as dead and assume the title of the king, or even accept us as dead when really we were trapped in the old palace?
"Do you think he knows something about the spell?" I ask.
"I can't be sure until we see him again. But I trust him," Abe says.
The terrain is getting tougher and sandier. Clouds of orange sand smoke rise from the friction of the horses hooves against the sand. Around us the forest clears, with the amount of green trees thinning out. It's not very good for protection or covering so I wonder why we are going this way.
In the distance, we hear calling whistles and high-pitched shouts. I see large hues of blazing fire, and I can detect Kyle yelling, "Retreat!"
He wants everyone to turn around and escape the incoming attack. But it's too late, within seconds the tribe riding those same tiger hog-like creatures we saw in the old palace storm towards us, holding their huge fire torches.
Someone must have brought a drum because it's like I can hear the pounding of ear-splitting drums along with the thudding of my heart as the adrenaline zips through my veins.
Abe and I are at the back of the line, furtherest from Kyle and Thalia. Kyle and Thalia are so close to the tribe, doing their best to get away on their horse. They will be the first to perish if they are caught, and it's evident that the horses are already fatigued and scared.
Kyle and his wife get thrown off their horse, and she is about to be trampled under the hooves of another frightened horse. The horses are all scared because of the men with the big fire torches.
Thalia screams for Kyle's help but there's a muscular man circling and attacking Kyle. Her eyes close in trembling and distress as if she's saying a prayer for someone to rescue her.
Without any further consideration, my hands reach for Thalia and a ring of blue ice fire surrounds her, warding off the heat of the orange fire and the tribe from getting to her.
Thalia gasps in shock, looking around to see who might have saved her.
Unfortunately, Kyle sees my hands, and he definitely saw what I did. He looks like he's about to murder me if he isn't murdered first. Abe keeps urging our horse onwards, telling me to help Thalia get on the horse before handing me the reins and hopping off.
After I give Thalia a hand, she still looks super shaken up so I tell her to go back to a safe refuge. She rides off, with some others flanking her and protecting her.
Me and Abe jump directly into the fight against the tribe, and soon enough they realize they are overpowered since we are using magic, even though we are only using the most basic magic abilities they are already intimidated. As the tribe pace away from us on those creatures, Kyle stands before us with a gun pointed at us again.
Back to square one.
"Who are you liars? You are sorcerers too! What do you want?" He accuses us.
Kyle is quite brave, knowing that we have the upper hand due to our magic ability. But we are trying to be peaceful, with our hands raised in surrender.
"I appreciate you saving my wife and I owe you. But I don't want to see your faces or your dirty magic again! Leave before I make you!" Kyle threatens us.
Abe speaks reassuringly, "alright. We will leave."
We back up and off from where Kyle stands and Abe takes my hand, his palm warm in mine. Abe flies us up and away to the right direction of the palace.
Just as we are flying through the air again, a memory hits my mind and the pain causes my body to spasm.