Prince Malo leads us down a staircase back to the dungeons, where a large trunk sits in one of the cells. He pulls out a rucksack and a cloak. Walking to me, he throws the cloak over my shoulders. "Your powers will take a while to come back," he says with urgency in his voice. "Whatever you do, keep the cloak on." He removes a pouch of coins from his pocket, puts them in the rucksack, and hands it to me. "Just in case we split up," he says. "There are horses right outside the east wall. Get on one and head south."
I nod my head. "Okay," he reaffirms. I shake my head again. He embraces me in a tight hug, and for a minute, I forget we are being chased and just enjoy his scent. It reminds me of freshly brewed cinnamon tea with masala. He lets me go and takes hold of my hand. He pushes open a gate, and we run through a series of passages. Suddenly, Prince Malo stops. In front of us stands the guard who had been guarding my cell. He points a sword at Prince Malo and lunges, but to my surprise, he bypasses Malo and me, knocking down the guards pursuing us.
"Run!" he yells. Prince Malo grabs my hand, and we sprint forward. We navigate through the dimly lit tunnels until we emerge into the forest. The cool night air is a stark contrast to the suffocating confines of the dungeon. We continue running, the trees closing in around us, offering some cover from our pursuers.
We reach a clearing in the forest and find three black horses grazing peacefully. Prince Malo quickly unties them, then helps me mount one before getting on another himself. He glances back at the castle wall, his expression tense as if he's waiting for someone. I follow his gaze, but there's no one in sight.
I tug on his shirt to get his attention, trying to communicate that the guards are approaching. My voice still hasn't returned, so I gesture urgently. Malo nods, understanding my silent message. He raises his gun, aiming it at the approaching guards.
"Seriously, brother," we hear a voice from the trees. As I turn, I spot Prince Maxim climbing out of the tree. Malo's gun immediately changes to a rifle and points it at Prince Maxim.
Prince Maxim raises his hands in the air, even though he has surrendered. Malo keeps his gaze steady. "You leave now, that means you will be cut out of the line of succession as treason," Maxim says. Malo looks as if he's considering every choice he has made till now. I look back, and I can hear soldiers fighting and closing in.
"You are really going to sacrifice everything for her?" Prince Maxim asks. Malo's grip on the gun tightens, his breathing getting heavier.
"Danialla go," says Malo, "I will be right behind you." I look at him and Maxim for a moment, contemplating what I should do.
"I said go!" yells Malo. I hesitate for a moment, then look down at the horse and start moving. As I race my horse farther away, I can't help but think of what would happen to him. I hear a gunshot in the distance.
Fear and worry gnaw at me, but I push the horse onward, focusing on the path ahead. The forest blurs past as I ride, the sounds of the castle and its chaos fading into the background. Every instinct tells me to turn back, but I force myself to continue, trusting that Malo knows what he's doing.
After what feels like an eternity, I finally slow down, realizing I have no idea where I am. The moon casts an eerie glow over the landscape, and the forest seems endless. My thoughts are consumed with worry for Malo, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead. I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.
I stop at a creek in the dead silence of the night to give the horse a little water. I remove the rucksack from my back and look through it. Malo had packed new clothes and shoes for me to wear. I check the bag on the horse and find a small knife and other essential items. Quickly, I change into the new clothes and dispose of the old ones. I sit next to the horse for a while as it drinks water, before I hear something moving in the bushes. I quickly get up and face the direction, hoping it's not a hyena or, even worse, a snake. I get on the horse and look at the bush carefully. In that instant, Malo pops up from the bush with his horse. I keep myself on guard as I look at him.
"Why didn't you get far?" he asks, but his voice isn't warm. That tone is Maxim's. I back away slowly with my horse. My throat still feels sore from the chokehold on my neck, and my magic hasn't fully returned. Confronting him now won't do me any good.
"Let's go," he says, his tone cold and demanding. It doesn't sound like Malo. They have the same structure, voice, and everything, but hearing Malo's voice never unnerves me. Maxim's voice, however, irritates me deeply. I stay still as I watch him move to the road.
"Maxim," I finally say, though my throat is still sore and my voice sounds as if I had a cough, "where is your brother?"
"Princess," he says, "I'm Malo."
"Where is he?" I demand, my voice shaky.
"What are you talking about?" he questions, "I'm Malo." I back up with my horse for a moment.
"No, you're not," I say.
Maxim's eyes narrow, and a cruel smile spreads across his face. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for," he says, dropping the pretence. "Malo is... occupied. He won't be joining us."
Fear grips me, but I can't let him see it. "What have you done to him?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Don't worry about Malo," Maxim says dismissively. "You should be more concerned about yourself."
I grip the reins tightly, ready to bolt at the first opportunity. "You won't get away with this," I say, trying to summon whatever strength I have left.
Maxim chuckles darkly. "Who's going to stop me? You? In your current state?" He shakes his head. "Now, come with me quietly, and maybe I'll consider letting you live."
I glance around, looking for any possible escape routes. The creek, the trees, the dark forest – all seem to close in around me. I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. I need to stall, to buy time.
"What do you want from me, Maxim?" I ask, trying to keep him talking.
He smirks. "What I've always wanted: power, control. And with you by my side, I'll have it all."
I shiver at the thought. "And what makes you think that, am not in line for the throne."
Maxim's expression hardens. "I see they keep all the princesses of the far south kingdom in the dark, my eyes were on Flora but you will do just fine too." he says. He raises his hand. I totally forgot he uses voodoo. I face him, not knowing what to do, but he simply chuckles.
"Should have known my brother would have put anti-magic in that cloak," he says. He stretches his arm out, aiming for something. I reach out for the knife in my pocket and hit his horse, but at the same time, my horse loses balance, and I fall to the ground.
We both land on the ground. I look at my horse and then back at him. It will take too long to grab the horse and run. I look at the forest and start running uphill as fast as I can. I feel his footsteps right behind me. The hill is steep but manageable. He is trailing right behind me.
My leg wound has not yet healed, which also hinders me from running well. I can feel him pursuing behind me. As I reach the end of the hill and the terrain becomes more even, he gets hold of my foot and flips me over, sending me to the ground. I look up and fight to get on my feet. In that moment, I hear a gunshot, and then I see Malo appear, tackling Maxim down. I turn and keep running. Without magic, I am useless. I decide to make a large U-turn back to the creek and get my horse, but what if guards are there? I won't get far without riding. I keep running and running.
I reach a point and am out of breath. I decide to crawl into a small scrub to catch my breath before running again. It's dark and foggy right now in the mountains. All I have is a bag and the cloak on my back to keep me warm. I open the bag and take a sip of the water. As I sit there, I hear footsteps. I quickly put my things back in the bag and prepare to run. I look outside and see a familiar figure walking towards the bush. It's Maxim. I try to breathe quietly and back out of the bush slowly. I forgot to hide my footsteps. As I back out of the bush, I bump into a figure. I quickly turn around and meet his gaze. ''run,'' i scream in my mind and that's what the body does. Run.
"Danialla, wait!" I hear the voice. I pick up the pace and run faster. I keep going deeper and deeper into the woods. I hear the voice fade into the dark, but I am also getting deeper into the fog. As I run, a body tackles me to the ground.
His whole body is on me. "Let go!" I scream. "Let go!" as I try to push him away.
"Danialla," he says. "Danialla, listen, it's me, Malo."
"I don't believe you," I cry out as I dig my nails into his arm. So he can let go. "Let go."
"Danialla," he calls out. "Calm down." I try to relax and breathe calmly. His grip is still tight on me.
"Take a good look at me, Danialla." I look up at him, trying to see through the fog and darkness. His eyes, filled with worry and determination, meet mine. I pause, my breath hitching as I try to discern if it's really him.
"Malo?" I whisper, my voice trembling.
"It's me," he confirms softly, loosening his grip just enough to let me breathe but still holding me securely.
Tears well up in my eyes, mixing with the dirt and sweat on my face. "Its really you, I thought they captured you," I choke out.
He gently brushes a strand of hair from my face. "They can never," he promises, his voice full of conviction. "But we need to keep moving. Maxim isn't far behind."
I nod, feeling a surge of renewed strength. "Let's go," I say, and Malo helps me to my feet. We move quickly, his hand firmly grasping mine as we navigate through the dense forest. The fog thickens, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead, but Malo's presence beside me keeps me grounded.
We run until my lungs burn and my legs feel like lead. Finally, we find a small cave hidden behind a thicket of trees.