Never Back Down (Split Between Worlds Book 1)

Chapter One

                                                                                   Present Day

                                                                                     Ceranthium

                                                                                           Elias

After miles of trudging through the woods, Elias had drawn his last straw of patience. How does the army's general become a mere retriever of some spoiled princess? The precious daughter of the King of Aritrithria who shoved her nose up in the air at anyone below her station (which in her mind was everyone). He couldn't help but reflect on the one time he had met her when she had come to meet her future husband. Elias had met her in the throne room and introduced himself as the army general. She had taken one look at him and snarled, her lips curling up on end. Her words to him would forever make his blood boil. "They let a child peasant run their army? I can't imagine why my father hasn't attacked yet. You could be so easily overrun. Especially with you in charge." The sneer to her lips combined with the way she eyed him up and down made it seem like he had just crawled out of a pig's watering hole. She had made him feel lower than dirt and now he was being made a fool on the assignment to chase her down, in the very mud and dirt that-with her eyes-she accused him of dwelling in.

Shaking away the bad memory with disgust, he took the moment to observe his surroundings and review his options. She had left the evening prior to the day she was to wed before they had realized the fiend was missing. Elias couldn't imagine her having much intelligence if she chose to run from a royal wedding. She could be hung if the king so desired, not to mention the fact that the forest was full of wild beasts and predators, who specifically came out at night. They also lived on an island. There was nowhere for her to go or to hide. Well, there was one place he could think of, but the thought of her making it that far seemed nearly impossible. The house at the end of the woods. There were few people who knew of its existence and even fewer who ever ventured that far into the forest. The only other thing for miles was an abandoned cottage toward the eastern wall of the kingdom and no one in their right minds went there. Rumors of monstrous beasts guarding that neck of the woods forced the king to sanction that area as sacred and illegal to enter, with the penalty of death if the command was disobeyed.

A shiver traced down his spine.

The king would follow through on such consequences without needing much motivation. If caught, Elias would simply offer the explanation that he needed to hunt down the future queen. That should squash any repercussions.A bitter taste filled his mouth with the thought of the princess becoming his Queen. No. She would never command him. He would rather slit his own throat than take an order from this whelp. If it weren't for the desperate need of this marriage alliance, Elias wouldn't have even taken this task on himself. The thought only encouraged his prickly mood. He was the best at what he did, it was no wonder Damien had assigned this mission to him. But curse it! He wished someone else had taken it over for him.

As he approached the only hint of civilization for miles, he was greeted by the large stone wall which created an unearthly blockade around the house. One couldn't be certain if it was for the effort of keeping others out or to keep the occupants in. He hadn't quite figured out which one it was, however; he didn't care to find out. Whether he had lived in the palace his entire life or not, it didn't diminish the fact that the woods were his true home. Oxygen filled his lungs as he breathed in the unblemished air. The only scent tainting it was the smell of the heavy rain that he had been trudging in all day. His attention beamed back to the massive wall, putting a damper on his mission. Having been around these woods his entire life, he knew the exact time the guards switched their positions around the wall and the perfect place to enter where the vines had overgrown, creating the perfect ladder at his disposal. Glancing in both directions before ascending his climb, he checked to make sure that he was out of sight of prying eyes. He heaved himself up the first rung of vines. Making his way swiftly up the wall, he reached the top in record time. He eyed the familiar tree pressed up against the wall on the inner side. If he wasn't in such a hurry, he might have taken the time to appreciate the ancient designs woven in the mortar and the different hues of green that wrapped around the forest like delicate paint brush strokes. If not for his very unwelcome chase through the woods, maybe he wouldn't be in such a foul mood but alas, he was. Wishful thinking wouldn't get him anywhere, seeing as though he had an ungrateful princess to find.