The Princess of Wrath

Chapter 10 - Part III: A Glimmer of Hope

The minutes slowly passed and the carriage promised by Amos did not arrive. Royce struggled to check his pocket watch every few seconds as he walked along the darkened riverbank; he was looking toward the Silent Keep in hopes of seeing the transportation appear from the dark end of the wall, circling the stables.

Finally, the knight stopped near the silently sad Asura to continue the talk they had on the Haunted Bridge.

"We'll only give Amos two more minutes. He will come, I know... Because if not, we'll have no choice but to force our way between soldiers and trolls," he let her know. Asura thought for a moment that he was joking, but from the serious way he looked at her, he was not. No one else present was as disheartened as she. "We must try to fool the trolls just like we did yesterday. With a bit of luck, we'll pass unnoticed through the checkpoint at the entrance of the University District. It'll all depend on Amos and his level of authority."

"What if we aren't permitted to pass?" she asked. The one in charge of responding was Aurum Black, turning Antares in his right hand with skill.

"We shall kill everyone in our path."

That confident statement was not well received by Asura at all, but at least she was somewhat comforted by knowing that at least everyone there was in sync and determined to give their all to get out of there alive. Even Stanislaus and Frida, despite only being armed with simple single-shot pistols and having more than one reason to be afraid, seemed to have a faith in the team that grew as they progressed.

For a second, that indomitable and determined spirit that she had had before her fall from grace seemed to want to rise from the ashes, inspired by the determination of her loved ones and causing her to look at her arms and beyond them.

"If only I could control the curse...," she muttered under her breath, but Royce did not hear her as his attention focused on the large black wood and iron-edged carriage that was approaching the bridge. She had already seen that model several times, which on the roof had a platform with a removable high-caliber rifle.

Four fierce black horses, bred for war, pulled the carriage. And the driver, of course, was that scrawny man with the white beard who had been in charge of chauffeuring her from one place to the other for as long as she could remember.

"Chal!" Asura exclaimed, happy but at the same time sorry to see him in such a dangerous situation. Well covered by the darkness of night, the carriage stopped at the access to the bridge and the driver took off his hat, as usual, to greet the Princess as soon as he saw her approach alongside her companions.

"Ready to get out of this pen full of treacherous rats, my lady?" he asked, giving her a big smile with his few remaining teeth as the carriage door opened and Amos stepped out. With a silent signal by him, Aurum Black and Royce approached in order to get on the roof and go to the rear, respectively. "Knights Baldur and Caius Loren have done a great job, it is impossible to fail."

"I find your confidence inspiring, my friend," she let him know, though feeling traces of lies in her own words. Her eyes drifted briefly to see the gunslinger prone in front of the rifle and cover himself with a cloak of black cloth to become one with the darkness of night. The horse closest to her brought its muzzle closer, distracting and forcing Asura to give it a couple of gentle smacks before looking back at the driver.

"Please be careful..."

"What happened that time with the bandits of the Hamilton siblings won't repeat; this time I am ready for anything."

Forced to smile at him so as not to show how envious she was of his courage, Asura headed for the door and accepted Amos's invitation to come first, but not before taking one last look at the Silent Keep and allowing scenes from her memories manifest in her mind to show her traces of the past filled with happiness and pain. Sighing wistfully, she looked away and entered the carriage.