The Fall of Dewan

Chapter 17Blood Oath Broken

They rode for what felt like hours before Achibald finally yelled ahead to Ohamed. "Aright, my behind has had enough. Let's take a break. There's plenty of distance between us and them now!"

Ohamed said nothing but did slow. Alice and Genevieve both taking a deep breath of relief- they too were in the same pain as Archibald. Once they found a safe spot to stop they all got off their horses and took a nice stretch. They each found a spot on a rock or log in an area in a shade. They sat in silence for nearly fifty minutes, all recovering from their hours of horseback riding.

Eventually Archibald spoke, "Okay so what's your plan Ohamed? We are going to ride these horses to an early death at this rate. Please tell me you at least have an idea of where you are leading us."

Ohamed took a few moments to collect his thoughts before speaking. He looked at Alice before turning to the rest of the group. "Alice and I spoke about this the other day and we are in agreement, hiding in the forest will no longer do. Genevieve, the Almorians recognized you. They now have confirmation that you are alive and in the area. Their search will have new life, especially once Artemis gets wind of it. Hiding in Dewan is just too dangerous."

Genevieve looked at him intently, "Well what does that mean then? What am I to do?"

It was Alice who spoke next, "He said hiding in Dewan was too dangerous. There are other places to hide, ones where Artemis won't be able to send his men to check."

"You want us to go to another kingdom?! To abandon our homes for good, leave our people?!", Geneieve yelled outraged. In her mind, even if she was in hiding, being in Dewan meant she was still with her people, she was a part of them and them apart of her.

Ohamed spoke up again, "All that will come of us staying here is us dying and getting others killed along the way. We'd never be able to go into a village again. Not only are they looking for you, but that whole pub saw our faces. The entire Almorian army at this point knows your traveling with us. Before when we were hiding in the forest we were still able to send Bartholomew or Archibald in to a town for an occasional supply run- we can't do that anymore. Anyone that helps us would be seen as an enemy of the throne- we'd be basically sentencing them to death."

Alice said quietly, "By leaving your people you will be saving them. I know it's hard princess but it's for the best."

Genevieve didn't know what to say. She did not want to leave her home, it was all she had left. She felt tears start to brim her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. "And where would you have us go? Are the other kingdoms really any safer than this one?" The only two kingdoms not under Artemis's control at this point were Caba and Terterra. Caba was the other human kingdom and it was broadly assumed that they were allied with Almoria, that being the only reason they had not yet been invaded. Terterra was the land of the halfbreeds and exiled, it was her family and her kingdom that had exiled many of its occupants. Would they really be that welcoming to the princess of fallen kingdom that had exiled them? There was also the issue that to even get to Terterra they would need to go through Almoria.

Alice had a sad smile on her face as she said, "Princess, as little as you like this plan now, you are about to like it even less." She paused for a moment before looking to Archibald and Agnes and continuing, "I apologize to you both. We truly meant to talk to you about this before having this conversation all together but we ran out of time." She turned back to Geneivieve, "You will be going to Terterra accompanied by Ohamed, Archibald, Agnes- as long they agree to it- and I will be staying in Dewan. As Ohamed said, they've seen all of our faces and believe you to be traveling with all of us- the three of us will remain here traveling around to try to maintain the facade that you are still here."