Determined to take control of their fates, Arjen and Arien escape Derolina Castle at the age of sixteen after their cruel mother dies. They adopt new names and find a home in the city of Aramore, while the Emperor of Yuriana searches for his missing...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Unable to run further, Arien finally collapsed. Arjen turned to lift her up, but she pushed him away, shaking her head. "I can't anymore. I'm sorry."
He knelt beside her. "Let me carry you on my back."
"No, you can't. You're not strong enough."
"You're not that heavy."
"You can't!"
He didn't press further. Instead, he sat beside her and pulled out a corked bottle of water from his pack. He put it to her lips and she took small sips.
She had no more energy left to spare. She had used up almost all her mana on the bridge, and although it was slowly returning to her, it would be a while before she was back to normal. She'd had to cancel the spell on her hair and eyes to retain some of her mana. Her physical energy was another problem. She had not been certain they would make it to the bridge before that man overtook them, so she and her brother had run with all their might.
Arjen took out a blanket and draped it over her shoulders. "Let's rest here for now."
"Can't we stay until sunrise?" They had been running for a good portion of the night, and she estimated daybreak was near.
"I don't like this place. It's spooky."
After destroying the bridge, they had run off the road and up into the woods. It had been difficult trekking through the dense underbrush and up the steep slopes with barely enough light to see. They had scratched and bumped their arms and legs as they scrambled ahead, providing fresh wounds for their royal healing powers. They did not know where they were going, only that they needed to hide for a while.
Dark forests didn't usually bother Arien. She and Arjen had spent nights in the forest around Derolina Castle, but this place was different. It felt different. The dead silence made her nervous. The trees around them were enormous, bigger than any she had ever seen. Their canopies blocked out the moon and stars. The twins sat in the only circle of light. Although Arien usually loved the rich smell of the forest, this one had a sickly sweet odor, like something old and decayed, or like a corpse. Arjen said nothing of it, so she wondered if her senses were playing tricks on her.
"Well, I won't be able to move for a while," she said. She could barely lift her limbs, they felt like lead. She took another drink of water and her thoughts went to the man who had chased them. "Who was that man?" she muttered.
"He didn't look like a knight," said Arjen, "but he was wearing a cloak. That woman we met on the road said she saw a man with a cloak."
"But wouldn't that mean...?"
"Mean what? That he was the emperor?" He scoffed. "I still don't believe he would be out looking for us. He'd only send the knights."
"His hair, though... It was a fair color like the woman had said."
