Chapter Ten

I open my eyes, met with softly rustling leaves above me. It is still dark where I lay, but as I turn my head, I see slits of sunlight filter through a curtain made of leaves and vines. It takes me a moment to process where I am, and the events leading up to this.

I remember escaping the castle with Ludwig, being saved by Edgar, and then meeting the Moreen bloodline of Keiju. Then, trying to save Ludwig from Edgar's spear, I tried to make a barrier, only for my staff to emit a powerful wave, sending Ludwig into a tree.

I bolt up, and look around, but give out a cry as a jolt of pain courses throughout my body. Ludwig! Where was Ludwig? Was he conscious, or did I send him into some kind of coma? Was he even alive? Panic envelops my mind, but I can do nothing to soothe that panic as my body still aches from moving so suddenly.

A figure pops into view from the right side of my bed. The familiar, cheerful smile puts me at ease.

"Little Theo! You're finally awake! I thought you would sleep here forever, but I'm glad to know I was wrong!" Ludwig slowly helps me into a sitting position, and I let a fit of coughing overtake my trembling body.

Everything aches. I feel dizzy and nauseous. Was this truly better than dying? Was living with a sickness really the life I wanted to live? Would my parents be disappointed in me when I returned to them, fragile and doomed to fall apart at any given moment?

"You're...safe..." I hoarsely whisper, and Ludwig giggles before dismissively waving his hand.

"It takes a lot more than a tree to kill me! Stupid plant wouldn't move out of my way. Though that blast from your staff was quite the shock, to me and everyone else. Oh, speaking of-"

Ludwig dashes out of the small room I am in, and I assume he is going to fetch my staff, which I do not see anywhere around where I sit.

As soon as the spy leaves, Adan, now dressed in a golden-green robe with a small gold sword in a sheath at his right hip, enters. He looks around the small room, his eyes finally settling on me.

He bows for a moment, before returning upright. He holds out his right hand, and a small silver sphere catches my eye. I hold out my trembling hand, and Adan transfers the item from his hand to mine.

I have trouble closing my fingers over it to keep it from falling onto the floor beneath me, but it does anyway, and I give out a small cry.

"A-ah... I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean...to drop it, I'm-"

More coughing cuts off the rest of my apology, to which Adan just gives me a small smile, and picks up the item again, and puts it on the bed I lay upon, made of soft leaves and a few sheets. A pillow is where my head lay, and I wonder where the Keijus were able to obtain human-like items for beds living so deep in the forest.

"You do not need to apologize, Crown Prince Veles. Did you sleep well? Do you happen to enjoy your time here, so far?" Adan's yellow eyes sparkle as he asks me the questions, and I stare at him for a few moments until bringing myself to reply.

"O-oh, I uh... I did sleep well, yes. And... I do like it here, so far... I haven't seen the...erm...entire place yet though, so..." my voice trails off, leaving me lost for words that I scramble to find.

Why am I in such a panic? Was it my sickness? Adan's presence? Ludwig's absence? And where was Edgar? I hadn't yet seen or heard him since the events in the forest clearing. Not that I wanted to see him; he was a second away from killing Ludwig, I was just curious.

God, I sound just like Ludwig. At this point, I believe his catchphrase is either "I was just curious" or "Little Theo". Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it were both.

"Do not fret, Crown Prince Veles. We will ensure you are in the best care possible while you stay with us. Do you-"

A cry, though a more appropriate term could be an exclamation, comes from outside where Adan and I are.

"Zador!? You've got to be kidding me, Mykel! That's basically suicide for my precious little Theo!"

Yep. "Little Theo" was definitely a catchphrase of his.

Adan slowly turns to face the origin of the sound, and his eyebrows are raised when he looks back at me.

"Do you happen to know what Mister Casimir is crying out about?"

I had heard of Zador, properly known as the Grand Duchy of Zador. In a nutshell, they were a bunch of criminals and outcasts that perform illegal activities underground. Everyone knows what illegal activity goes on down in their underground cities, yet no one stops it.

Why?

It's rumored there are weapons in both the entrances and exits of tunnels that lead in and out of the many interconnecting cities, along with cameras, so anyone caught trying to arrest or exploit citizens or the cities are caught, interrogated, and killed, or just killed on sight. Usually, Zador was content with the latter choice.

So it made sense for Ludwig to sound distressed about going to Zador if that is what whoever is talking to him is alluding to. Another exclamation, though quieter, confirms my suspicions.

"Finn and Levo? They'll be there to protect us until we reach the Carovell Sea? Are you sure?"

Silence.

"Are you positively sure?"

Another stretch of silence.

"...fine. We'll change course immediately."

A long, exasperated, sigh.

"Sometimes I question Mykel's sanity. I can take on so many more bounty hunters than two, you know. 'Oh, Angelica's worried for your safety!' Ugh, what a headache."

I am surprised to hear Ludwig complaining in such an unmotivated tone. Usually, or at least whenever I heard him complain, he was still able to remain somewhat cheerful.

Adan moves aside as the vines are moved to the side as Ludwig enters the small space I am in, my staff in his right hand. He smiles, waves to me with his left hand, and hands me my staff, ensuring I have a firm grip on it before moving his hand away and back to his side.

"Hi, Adan, how are you today? You have quite a wonderful place here; I never knew about it, but I might swing by sometime if I ever find myself in the area!" Ludwig praises the young man, who nods and bows to the spy.

"Thank you, Mister Casimir. Theo and I were wondering, who was it you were talking to just a few moments ago, and why was such a violent kingdom like Zador mentioned?" Adan quietly awaits an answer from Ludwig, who looks at something past my shoulder with slightly widened eyes as if caught red-handed with something he should not be holding.

"Yeah, so... Little Theo, we're going to have to make a small adjustment to my original plan to get you to Luimesha," Ludwig meets my gaze, and I nod to allow him to continue.

"Okay. Where are we going now?"

"Originally, I was going to travel through the Cineian Forest, which covers a majority of the eastern area of Aegia. The forest provides cover from any aerial devices finding you, and the forest is hard enough for a few people to transverse if the kingdom cared to send out a few scouts to look for you.

"Unfortunately, the king and queen aren't as stupid as I thought they were, and they will be sending out parties of six: five scouts and a trained spearman. The scouts are to look for you and bring you back to the castle alive, while the spearman is to deal with me because apparently, your friendly neighborhood spy is a massive threat to your safety. Hah! I couldn't hurt you even if I tried."

Nice to know. Really puts me at ease, Ludwig. Thanks.

"And, not to mention, bounty hunters will eventually search this entire forest, aiming to take your head straight off your shoulders and get some money for it. I don't know how much the Crown Prince of Luimesha's head goes for on the market, much less an Amite skull, but it must be some serious quon if Mykel is right and they'll be 'tearing through the forest at the rate even you can't comprehend, Ludwig'. As if he knows what I can and can't understand.

"So, we are going to move north, and meet up with two of my old friends from years ago somewhere on the border Aegia shares with Zador. We won't be going underground, so the only things you need to look out for are not getting burned, drowned, blown away, caught in an earthquake, thrown into darkness, blinded by light, or smushed by gravity.

"After that, we'll reach the Carovell Sea, take a ship over to Khovalon or Beryn, and make it to Luimesha through one of those two kingdoms. Preferably Beryn so we can take a tour of their magic academy and avoid getting fired at by Khovalon's fighter jets, but I'll get you to Luimesha either way! Sound easy?"

"U-um... No?"

"Great! We'll leave as soon as nightfall arrives, which gives you lots of time to roam about the camp and even the forest. But let me accompany you if you're going to go out of the camp. Mykel didn't tell me if the scouts and spearman are as fast as the bounty hunters. Anyway, I'll leave you alone now! Oh, but Adan, I do have a question to ask you," Ludwig smiles at me, then looks over at the Moreen warrior.

"I have an answer for you, Mister Casimir."

"Please, just call me Ludwig. Mister Casimir sounds too formal, and I hate formalities. I hope we don't need to infiltrate some fancy party soon. The food would be great, but everything else is just- Bleh! Anyway, where's Mister Scary Black Spear Guy?"

"Do you mean Mister Konstantinos?" Adan quizzically stares at Ludwig, who nods.

"Yep!"

"He's currently with Code and Eagal. Would you like me to take you and Prince Veles to where he is currently being held?" Adan receives nods from both Ludwig and me, and the spy helps me down from the bed I'm in.

Using my staff yet again as a cane, I emerge out into a truly beautiful clearing.

The outer edge of the clearing is protected by thorned brambles and think vines, while the concealed entrance is guarded by two warriors which I recognize as Tali and Iris from when Adan introduced them earlier.

Moreen Keiju walk around, some chatting in groups and disappearing behind other curtains of vines, while some sit on the ground and play games like tic-tac-toe or an odd version of cornhole with a hole in the ground and pinecones.

There is a rather large upright log with a door carved into the wood and decorated with both gold paint and the same white color that makes up the freckles on the Moreen's faces, while a large silver axe is lodged into the top of the log. I find myself staring at it, and Adan brings me back to reality with this voice.

"That is where our leader, Mylah, resides. She is a very generous woman, and I will formally introduce you to her once you visit Mister Konstantinos."

I follow Adan, and notice Ludwig is zig-zagging about the clearing, waving and quickly exchanging greets with all the Moreen, and I guessed he entertained himself, when not with me, by meeting, talking, and playing games with the other Keiju around the clearing.

And, Adan makes it sound like Edgar is imprisoned. Surely he must just be in a lone clearing with no one watching over him other than Code and Eagal, right?

Adan slips through a small break in the brambles and vines and walks along a small path, barely visible through the heavy vegetation. I hear footsteps behind mine, and guess they are Ludwig's, not bothering to look over my shoulder and make my assumption certain.

We soon emerge into, like I guessed, a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing is an upright rectangle-shaped structure, made of white brambles, black thorns, and thick purple vines. On the left and right side of the cage are Code and Eagal respectively, and sitting to one side of the prison is Edgar, who seems to be sleeping.

I am barely able to take another step into the clearing from the edge before something grabs every limb of my body and I become weightless. I try to scream, to make any sort of sound, but my throat fails to answer my demand and I cough instead.