The scenery blurred past them with dizzying speed. Flora clung tightly to Pides on the wolf, her mind racing with thoughts.
What should I do? She had bought herself only a brief reprieve, but the king’s forced ride had consumed most of that time. They would soon be leaving the capital.
It’s infuriating, she thought, frustration welling up within her, threatening tears. To be used as a pawn, their attempts to take everything that was rightfully hers.
She didn’t intend to maintain the spell indefinitely. She simply desired a little more time to savor the gifts she had been bestowed. As the most powerful Anika capable of controlling the larks in this world, she wanted to leave an indelible mark of her existence.
Before she realized it, the city walls loomed closer. Those walls marked the boundary of the capital. Once she stepped outside, everything would change. The thought of escaping beyond those walls, where the kings couldn’t pursue her, filled her with a sense of exhilaration. “I can go. I can leave,” she whispered, a smile creeping across her lips.
As soon as the wolf stepped outside the city walls, it halted. Understanding the signal, Pides dismounted first and helped Flora down. The wolf immediately dashed back into the capital.
Flora turned her back and began to walk away. She paused and looked at Pides. “Don’t follow me. I need to prepare to stop the spell undisturbed.”
“I won’t interfere,” Pides replied, having gathered the general circumstances from the earlier conversation between the king and Flora.
“But unexpected situations may arise. I will guard you,” Pides insisted.
“You’re not getting it. I mean, don’t follow me because you’ll be in the way,” Flora said, her tone hardening.
A chilling sense of unease washed over Pides, similar to the feeling he’d experienced when she opened the door earlier.
“You may have decided to kill me, but I’ll give you a chance to live,” Flora warned. “Get out of my sight right now.”
She turned her back again. Pides watched her retreating figure, slowly backing away. Something felt amiss. He realized he needed to escape before Flora’s mindset shifted and she decided to kill him. He had to inform the king. Something had definitely gone wrong.
After walking for a while, Flora stopped and turned back. Her pitch-black eyes gleamed. Should I kill him? she wondered.
All she could see were the larks. Not wanting to return to the capital, she turned away again. “Let’s go far away,” she muttered. “Even the king wouldn’t be able to chase us down immediately.”
Flora vividly recalled drawing the initial spell for the teleportation magic that had taken her from the wanderers’ hideout to the Hashi Kingdom. There was no need for a medium at the beginning; she simply had to draw the spell. Then, she would arrive in the Hashi Kingdom.
The arrival spell should still be intact. They probably wouldn’t have gotten rid of it right away since it takes a lot of effort to create, she thought.
The most challenging part of the teleportation spell was properly completing the arrival spell. She felt a mix of surprise and frustration when she learned that Jin was responsible for that part. After all the effort she had put into learning magic, why had it come so easily to her?
***
“Your Highness, we have imposed a curfew in the capital as ordered,” reported the general.
“Thank you for your hard work,” Eugene replied.
Imposing control over the capital was no easy task, but thanks to the general’s direct involvement, Eugene received progress reports more quickly than expected. With powerful larks frequently appearing during the active period, the citizens were accustomed to following the curfew.
After Lester left, Eugene’s previously calm expression turned anxious. She opened the notebook she had checked just before his arrival. Still, there were no new entries.
This is strange. Why do I feel so uneasy? she thought.
As time passed, her heart raced, and her breath felt constricted. She fidgeted, worried that something bad might have happened to Kasser. Her mouth was dry and parched.
“I can’t think like this. I need to stay calm. It’s not good for the baby. He’ll be fine,” she told herself.
She checked the time repeatedly. Had the defensive spell been broken? Had the monster hunt begun? The results of everything would likely only be known in the afternoon, yet for some reason, time felt like it was dragging today.
Bang!
Eugene jolted and turned toward the window. A signal flare? She quickly rose and went to the window. Yellow smoke was billowing into the sky.
A signal flare? It’s the dry season; why? Could it be that Flora’s spell is affecting things here as well?
Bang, bang. Two more signal flares burst. She felt as if she could hear cries of emergency. The larks must have breached the city walls, the green smoke staining the sky.
“Your Highness,” a soldier called.
Eugene looked up and replied, “Come in.”
She heard the door open and turned to see a soldier reporting. “I sent someone to the walls to investigate, Your Highness.”
Eugene was convinced that the signal flare was no minor incident. Her heart, which had been racing with anxiety, was now finding some stability. It was as if it had warned her beforehand.
“Immediately activate the emergency alert,” she ordered.
Bang. Another signal flare exploded. Eugene glanced up at the sky and then turned to the soldier, raising her voice. “Now!”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the soldier replied, dashing out.
