A Princess Named Harry: Book 2

Chapter 60

It had been a very gloomy day. The rain had been coming down nonstop for days. When it finally came to an end, the ruined place had a sort of air around it that made it appear extra despairing.

Varian woke up in the alleyway. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the grey sky above him.

After taking a couple of seconds to wake up, he immediately jumped to his feet. He untied the horse that was close by and made sure to hide his belongings before he left. He didn't know if anyone still lived in the area, but he certainly wasn't going to risk having his stuff stolen.

Once he finished getting ready for the day, he tucked his things away in crevices and corners. After that, he mounted his horse and started his search all over again.

It had now been a whole month since he arrived in the forbidden territory. He was met with troublesome things one after another. The beasts were easy to get rid of even if it was tedious, but the mission was substantially harder. He remained clueless with no idea what he was looking for. He could've gone back and asked the others if they received an explanation letter yet from the king, but the thought of seeing them again before the deadline made him somehow feel worse than before.

He finally arrived at the ruined palace. He had been wanting to explore it for quite some time, but he swore he had seen some of the knights entering it, so he made sure to stay far away from it, at least until they were gone.

The knights had been exploring the ruined palace for days. Varian wondered if there was anything worth going in there for. The knights probably already cleared the place out of its worth. Despite thinking that, he walked towards it. No matter how ruined the palace was, he wasn't about to take his only horse inside and risk the chance of injuring it. He would rather have himself get injured before his way of transportation.

He tied his horse up and entered the ruins. The moment he entered, the strong dust from the ruins filled his lungs. It made him feel and sound congested. The place was very dark despite the time of day. He was glad he had brought a light to help him see.

Varian began to carefully move around. He took slow steps. He held a hand out to feel along the destroyed walls, and with the other tightly grasping the light, he held it up to illuminate the way.

Each hall and room was more destroyed than the next. It was very hard to tell what anything had once been.

There was nothing particularly grand about any of the rooms. Anything that was of value in them was already long gone yet, Varian persisted on with his search. He eventually was able to find a few rings and golden canisters. None of it was ideal, but it was all he could find. At least it was better than the other things that he had been finding.

Once he had finished searching the place, he packed up the items he had found in his bag and mounted his horse. He headed back down in the direction of his humble camp with food on his mind. He would eat as he thoroughly checked out his findings.

He had just entered the village and was still far from his place when he suddenly got a strange vibe. It felt like he was being watched and not just by one or two people.

He had planned to ignore his obvious pursuers. If they wanted to fight him, then they could strike first.

As he pressed onward, his pursuers slowly began to make themselves known. A swift-like figure dashed out in front of him. They passed him, and a few minutes later, two more figures came out and dashed passed him. With his abilities, Varian could've easily apprehended them if he wanted to, but he did not want to get involved unless it was absolutely necessary.

He continued silently to his camp, and as he had guessed, the figures made no other attempts to get closer to him. He no longer felt their presence once he made it back, but every time after that, he could feel them watching him intensely.

Every trip he made, every time he went out to search for more treasure, the people were always watching him. Although he thought it didn't bother him, it quickly began to as time went on.

It was another gloomy day, probably more so than the last. Varian had just found the best treasure he could've asked for. A giant bejeweled golden treasure chest laid at his feet. When he opened it, he found the mother lode of gems and gold. This was definitely worth something big.

During his time, Varian had explored nearly everywhere in the ruined palace, everywhere except one particular room. It wasn't like the rest; although it was run down, the door was particularly sturdy, and there was nothing Varian could do to break it down. If it was ever to be opened, he would need a key.

The task to find the key had seemed impossible, but now, in the chest, lying with all the gems and gold was a key. Its color blended in with the gold in the box, but Varian was able to find it. He held it tightly in the palm of his hand. He would've gone back to the room immediately, but if there was something of value in it, it would have to wait. Varian needed to lighten his load first.

As he returned, the figure's eyes were once again on him. Varian considered calling out to them but stopped himself from doing so. As he continued, expecting the usual, the figures came out again. Varian had always kept his findings hidden away in his bags, but this time, his treasure was out in the open. The chest had been too big to stuff in his bag. He had to tie it around the rest of his stuff.

The figures, who usually maintained their distance even if they did occasionally jump out in front of him and his horse, were now getting closer and closer. They seemed to gain more confidence as they did so. As expected, they were after Varian's treasure.

He hit the reins to make his horse speed up a little. The moment the horse did so, thick fog began to surround him. It was becoming thicker. So thick that his horse stopped on its own. Varian looked around; they were indeed surrounded by nothing but a white-greyish fog. However, fog or no fog, Varian believed in his muscle memory. He didn't take the same route every day for nothing.

Just as he forced his horse to move again, a ball of fire flew out from the fog. Varian moved his head back, narrowly avoiding it. It was at that moment that all the secretive figures made themselves known. One by one, they began to attack Varian. Each came with their own difficulties. Varian pulled his sword out; he was actually glad he would get to use it on something other than beasts.

As the fog continued to thicken, each one of the figures jumped into the fog, and each tried their luck with their knives. Varian was able to deflect most of them, but they were after the golden chest behind him. They tried to use their knives to cut the ropes free and take the chest. If they managed to get their way, Varian might never see the chest again.

Varian continued to fend them off. Although the fireballs continued, they were no match for his dodging speed. The fog was troublesome, but that was mostly it. The real hindrance were the cracks that kept stretching out underneath him and the figure wielding two knives.

Every time a new crack appeared, or one grew, Varian would have to steer his horse to avoid falling under, and as he was busy focusing on that, the dual knife-wielding figure would immediately come out from the fog and attack him. The figure would either aim for the ropes on the chest or aim directly for Varian himself. This time, when the figure came out, the target was Varian.

Agile, the figure seemed to be flying instead of running. It leapt forward and brought both knives down on Varian. Varian moved his sword horizontally to protect himself. When the blades connected, both of them seemed to struggle to hold their own against one another.

The stalemate of a fight continued for quite some time. Varian had grown annoyed with neither side gaining anything. When there was a short break in attacks, he pulled his sword back and shouted, "Enough of this already!"

The moment he had done so, the fog had all at once dissipated, and the figures vanished. Varian would've thought it had just been a weird daydream had the cracks underneath him had not remained. The cracks were still there.