The journey continued through the night.
Nobody talked much.
Too many things had happened.
Elisa had discovered she might be the last descendant of the royal bloodline.
Raphael had awakened a mysterious power connected to the prophecy.
And an army was still hunting them.
It was a lot to process.
Even Lily was unusually quiet.
For almost ten minutes.
A new personal record.
The group camped beside a river.
The water reflected the moonlight like silver glass.
Rose prepared dinner.
Lily somehow burned bread.
Nobody understood how.
“How do you burn bread?” Rose asked.
“It was a difficult battle.”
“You were holding it over a fire.”
“Exactly.”
Raphael laughed.
Elisa smiled.
For a moment, things felt normal again.
Then she noticed someone standing across the river.
A girl.
Young.
Perhaps her age.
She wore a white cloak.
A silver mask covered half her face.
The stranger stood completely still.
Watching.
Elisa slowly stood.
The others noticed immediately.
“What is it?” Raphael asked.
She pointed.
Everyone turned.
The mysterious girl remained where she was.
Not afraid.
Not hiding.
Just watching.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t sense her approach.”
That alone was worrying.
Very worrying.
Few people could sneak up on a king.
The masked girl finally spoke.
“Elisa Everhart.”
Her voice was calm.
Soft.
Almost sad.
Elisa froze.
“You know me?”
The girl nodded.
“I know all of you.”
Nobody liked that answer.
Lily immediately moved behind Rose.
Rose immediately moved behind Adrian.
Adrian looked annoyed.
The masked girl stepped forward.
Moonlight illuminated her silver mask.
Her eyes were bright blue.
Strangely familiar.
“As expected,” she said quietly.
The future?
Raphael frowned.
“What does that mean?”
The girl ignored him.
Instead, she looked directly at Elisa.
“You need to reach the capital quickly.”
“We’re already going there.”
“Not quickly enough.”
A chill ran through the air.
The masked girl pointed toward the distant horizon.
“One of the Seven Kings will die within three days.”
Silence.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Even the river seemed quiet.
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“What did you say?”
The girl looked at him.
“Three days.”
“One king dies.”
“And after that…”
Her voice became colder.
“The throne war truly begins.”
The messenger stepped forward.
“How could you possibly know that?”
The masked girl smiled sadly.
“Because I’ve already seen it.”
The answer confused everyone.
Except Adrian.
His eyes widened slightly.
“You can see the future.”
The girl remained silent.
That silence was answer enough.
Rose looked horrified.
“That’s possible?”
“Very rare,” the messenger whispered.
“Almost impossible.”
The masked girl turned toward Elisa again.
“Many futures exist.”
“In some, you reach the throne.”
“In others, you die before seeing the capital.”
Elisa swallowed.
Not exactly encouraging.
The masked girl reached into her cloak.
She removed a small silver coin.
Then tossed it to Elisa.
Elisa caught it.
The coin felt warm.
Ancient symbols covered its surface.
“What is this?”
“A key.”
“A key to what?”
The girl’s expression became mysterious.
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
Before anyone could ask another question, her eyes suddenly widened.
Fear appeared on her face.
Real fear.
She looked toward the trees behind the group.
“No…”
Adrian instantly drew his sword.
“What is it?”
The masked girl’s voice trembled.
“He’s here.”
The temperature seemed to drop.
The forest became silent. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Even the insects stopped making noise.
Then footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Slow.
Heavy.
Confident.
A tall figure emerged from the trees.
Black armor.
A massive sword.
Cold gray eyes.
General Varek.
Nobody had sensed his approach.
Which meant he had been watching them for some time.
The giant warrior stopped.
His gaze swept across the group.
Then landed on Elisa.
Finally.
The girl.
The future queen.
The cause of the coming war.
Varek smiled.
It was not a pleasant smile.
“Found you.”
Raphael immediately stepped in front of Elisa.
The silver pendant around his neck began glowing.
Adrian raised his sword.
The messenger drew his weapon.
Even Rose grabbed a frying pan.
Nobody questioned it.
Rose had already defeated one enemy with a medical bag.
Anything was possible.
Varek looked amused.
“Interesting.”
His eyes shifted to Raphael.
“The Shielded One.”
Then to Elisa.
“The Silver Heir.”
Then to Adrian.
“The Seventh King.”
He slowly rested his giant sword on his shoulder.
“I expected this meeting to happen eventually.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“You won’t take her.”
Varek laughed.
A deep, terrifying laugh.
“Take her?”
The general’s smile widened.
“You misunderstand.”
A dangerous aura exploded from his body.
Trees shook.
The river churned.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The power was overwhelming.
Even Adrian looked shocked.
The masked girl stepped backward in fear.
“No…”
Varek’s eyes gleamed.
“I’m not here to take her.”
He pointed his sword toward Elisa.
“I’m here to kill her.”
The night exploded with killing intent.
And for the first time since leaving Willowbrook, Elisa truly understood one thing.
The strongest enemies in the kingdom were no longer searching for her.
They had finally caught up.