"Crowns topple easily. Thrones crumble like dust. Hearts cease to beat. Thorns draw blood."
In a country torn into two, there should have been no room for mistakes. Especially not at the very core of the royal family. That was what she was. Yes, a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Irina breathed slowly. In and out. The air she was exhaling appearing before her in short puffs.
She was normally someone who was calm and not at all someone who easily got spooked, but lately, she had become more paranoid. That was a side effect of being on the run. Not knowing who could be trusted.
Just the previous day, she had thought that there was a spy following her in the forest and she was shocked to see that it was only a baby squirrel who had been curious. It made her miss her little brother Igor, most of all.
Knowing him, he was probably worried about her and Vasilka. Dima would take care of him, that was for sure but it didn't make her feel any better about leaving.
They were all at a standstill. Aleksander had led them to the log cabin he had resided in before so that they may gather resources and supplies. They had left the Grand Palace with only a few measly supplies and two horses. If they were planning to travel across the whole of Ravka, they would need more than that.
With the gold she had brought from her own savings, she was able to go into town anonymously and purchase various things to bring on their travels. Foods, a tent, hunting knives.
Meanwhile, Aleksander was busy mapping out their route. Apparently, he had been aware of the hiding places of the Grisha all throughout the years. It was only the fact that he had nowhere to lead them that he never tried to seek them out.
They were to leave the next day at first light. Hopefully, that would be enough time to reach Poliznaya before noon. Aleksander had told her of a church there where Grisha would hide in a room that was located underneath the altar.
"Vasilka!" Irina called out, cupping her hands around her mouth as she called for the lion cub. "Vasilka, there's a bowl of deer meat waiting here for you!"
She sighed when no response came, brushing her hands upon her long skirt. Vasilka always disappeared into the forest yet she always returned when food was included in the matter. She supposed that Vasilka went into the forest to hunt or explore.
If it weren't so dangerous, she would have gone with the cub but Aleksander had warned her against it. After all, when he had found her the first time, she was being attacked in the middle of a forest. It would be unwise to be separated at a time when they were both being searched for.
It was odd though. They had left for three days now yet no soldiers were dispatched. From what she had heard from the nearby villages, things were going by as normally as possible. Perhaps that was the path that her father was taking, pretending that things were alright even when they weren't.
Did he really think so little of her? She almost scoffed as she thought of that question. What did she care about what her father thought? Not anymore. Not ever again.
