As dawn's first light broke over the horizon, a worn but determined company thundered toward the borders of Mbuzuoria and Neomenia.
Prince Kaelix's mind churned with fear and frustration as they raced through the night without rest. Every second felt agonizingly slow, and though the horses' hooves pounded urgently against the earth, it wasn't fast enough for him. He could barely think of anything but Eirik, trapped, suffering, and vulnerable.
Kaelix's jaw was set, his gaze fixed straight ahead. In his mind, flashes of Eirik haunted him, Eirik smiling, laughing, or looking up with the soft, vulnerable gaze that he alone shared with Kaelix. The thought that Eirik might be hurt, or worse, terrified and alone, gnawed at him with every passing mile.
Eirik's brothers, Theron, Lucian, and Julian, rode beside Kaelix with equally grim expressions.
