The Prince of Arc - Part II

Chapter 19 - Abby Suttrox

19.

"They're not coming back, are they?" Cam asked himself, still in what Lucas claimed as his room in the burning hideaway. According to the clock above the door of the bedroom, it had been about 10 minutes since Marcus and Lucas had left. "Well, hopefully I know some of these rioters!" Cameron spoke to himself once again.

Another 10 minutes past and Cam begins to smell smoke and hear the sounds of footsteps throughout the house. He attempts to free himself from Lucas's knot, but it's too tight. The air thickens by the minute, and Cameron is running out of time.

5 more minutes pass and Cameron can't see anything but smoke surrounding him. He resorts to shouting,

"Someone! Anyone! Help! I can barely..." Screaming only makes it harder to breathe however, so Cam chooses his words wisely. "Help! Anyone- I need air..." He begins to stumble in his chair. Then he realizes something about the room. There are huge windows beside the wall next to the bed. Somehow shifting himself over to the window, he manages to get close enough to kick it.

With all his strength, Cameron kicks the window until he manages to crack it. He doesn't stop there, instead he keeps kicking it until it shatters completely. Fortunately glass flew generally out the window once the window shattered. Cameron nudges himself closer to the opening to swallow in a huge gulp of air before screaming for help. Without knowing it, he nudges even closer to the edge with every shout. Suddenly, he loses his balance and begins to tip...

"Cameron!"

Something from behind grabs Cam before it's too late. Pulling him back into the bedroom, whoever called his name begins to untie Lucas's knot.

"It's fine, I almost got it. Don't worry, it's Abby!" Abby shouted. It was Abby Suttrox, from Borders.

"Abby? Is it really you?!" Cameron asked, running out of breath. "You just saved my life, thank you so much!"

"Less talk, more escaping. This house is bound to collapse any second now. Get up, you're free. Follow me!" She said shortly and quickly.

Cameron does as he's told and follows Abby out of the hideaway. More and more people begin to appear as they approach their escape, which was not easy to find due to the many exits blocked by flames and burning furniture. They manage to escape, however; and once they do, Cameron is revealed to the devastating front lawn.

Bodies of both Loyals and Rebels surround the building, which is due to collapse at any second now, as if to create a shallow grave of ash for all those who died in the yard. This is the first time Cameron has seen so many dead bodies, and instantly the thought of rebellion disgusted him. Nothing is worth killing this many people. This had to end. He knew that if Blake were to see this, he too would be beyond upset. To Cameron, this was hell.

"Oh my god! What happened?!" Cameron shouted, covering his mouth, staring collectively at the corpses.

"This is war, Cameron. Can't you see? This is what happens when someone tries to overthrow the monarchy." Abby said, her clothes stained in blood, dirt, debris, and ashes. "This is what has become of Sandrux, thanks to Blake."

"Wait, you're blaming the Archer's? This is their fault?!" Cameron yelled, he was beyond furious. Not only was Abby defending the Drakes, she was also carelessly blaming Blake, as if she never was on his side. "So you're telling me that the Drakes, who assassinated King Archer, are the good guys? They're the ones maintaining the monarchy? That makes no sense Abby!"

"By maintaining I mean sustaining. The Drakes did what was best for the monarchy of Sandrux. King Archer had no idea what he was doing. He was oblivious, greedy, and ambitious. Sandrux deserves a better leader than that." Abby replied, completely turning the conversation to a full blown argument.

"So their way of governing, a single family monarchy with unlimited power, is better than the double family monarchy that existed before?!" Cameron was astounded by her. Before the assassination, Abby was on the Archer side. What had caused her to change her mind?

"Of course not! But any government is better than no government! You of all people should know that Blake practically dropped off the face of the planet after the conference. Did he forget he has half a kingdom to manage? That's the problem, Cameron! Blake abandoned Sandrux when Sandrux needed him the most. Arc is in uprising and the Drakes are getting more and more supporters day by day. It won't be long until the manhunt for Blake finds him. And once they do, I promise you they will NOT be happy. They'll be vengeful." Abby explained.

Cameron was in shock. Never before had he considered Blake Archer to be the cause of Sandrux's troubles. But now Abby had a point proving he was. After the conference, they did flee without a word to the citizens. Of course, it would've been wise to stay, but they hadn't spoken a word to anyone. Blake was now the King of Arc, but he was still acting like a prince. Sandrux clearly needs him, but now even Cameron, his best friend, has no idea where he is.

"So what do you say we do?" Cameron replied, his stare alternating between Abby and the horrific surroundings.

"Well either we can go help the public search for Blake or look for him ourselves. I've been wandering alone, and I would like to continue avoiding large crowds. Now that everyone knows who supported him prior to the assassination in Borders, I don't think we will be trusted if we join the massive manhunt."

This whole time she had been searching alone, Cameron thought in his mind. The whole time they'd been running. And for what? Cameron knew there was a reason but couldn't quite remember right away. After a short pause, it came to him. They had been on the search for his mother. Sure, Henry wanted to run away from the cameras, and that may have shadowed his other reasons for fleeing, but Blake's main objective was finding his mother. He had no idea of the queen's whereabouts.

"Where's Blake's mother?" Cameron began. "That's what they were looking for this whole time. We only managed to run into the Drakes, though. She's not here, she can't be in Arc City, hopefully she's not in Borders, and hopefully she was captured..."

"Oh, well isn't that sweet, a King and his mother searching for each other after being separated." Abby said, sarcasm inflicting her voice as if it were sweet poison. "She's most likely looking for him too, or she could be hiding. All I know is she hasn't been found either."

Cameron didn't know what to think of the situation. The Abby he had met in Borders had been one of the most loyal Arc Loyals he had ever met. But now she had completely changed her mind. She supported the Drakes now, and although he didn't completely understand why, he was, though he never thought he would, beginning to see that Blake wasn't all that good. Could Blake really be as irresponsible as she had made him seem? Were the Drakes really a better choice for Sandrux in times like this? Should he escape with Abby? Did he have a choice? Quick questions filled his head and before he could ask them out loud he heard a loud crash from behind him. Instantly he began to sprint.

The house was falling down.

Abby guided the way to her vehicle; a stolen taxi from Borders, and quickly they both got in. Abby sped out of the driveway and onto the road, driving in the same direction Henry had escaped earlier. The sound of falling trees and heavy wooden beams filled the air, which was tainted in a grey smoke. And beneath the grey smoke, bodies of dozens lay burning in the flames.

Cameron had his answer. He had to escape with Abby. And although it may have seemed to be a wise decision as the walls of the house fell, the burning forest and lost souls of the people who died left him wondering what was to come. The Abby he thought he knew clearly was just that- a thought. He truly had no idea of who she really was. However; now that he was trapped with her, he was bound to find out.