The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 375: Fugitives

Chapter 375: Fugitives

She sighed drearily, uncertainty and doubt for the future clouding her stormy grey eyes as she looked into his blue ones. She wanted nothing more than to be right, that they would gain their freedom and live peacefully in Voltaire’s Empire, but her instincts told her it was too easy, way too easy, and it made the doubts cram her mind.

"what’s wrong?" Aldric asked, noticing her downcast mood.

"I’m just worried, for you. Maybe you shouldn’t have done it, I was ready to accept death and it wouldn’t have been your fault if you did nothing." She remarked.

Aldric caught her hands in his, squeezing them gently as he said with an unwavering tone "It was my decision."

"A decision that jeopardizes your life, Aldric. You’re the greatest warrior in the kingdom and you killed your fellow comrades and committed treason against them, they will stop at nothing until you’re dead, you’re one skilled elite warrior, but against the other elites, we’ll be overpowered and outnumbered." Zoya reasoned out, her lips quivering in fear as she realized their predicament clearly.

"They won’t be able to catch up to us if we leave immediately unless we stand here and keep talking." He pointed out in a light tone, trying to clear off the tension in the air.

"You don’t understand, I just...I can’t bear to watch you die because of me, I can’t leave with that burden for the rest of my life. You can still go back and make things right, tell them I tried to escape and you caught me, after all, the soldiers who witnessed your treacherous act are all dead and the dead can’t speak." Zoya suggested.

"I won’t do that, Zoya, you can’t change my mind, so don’t try." He asserted, his baritone voice echoing with defiance and resolve.

"I c-can’t watch you die." She stuttered as she choked on the tears that she was holding back.

"Yet you’re asking me to do the same, how ironic." He muttered under his breath, his resolve unwavering.

"It’s different, I won’t die because of you, but you might die because of me and it’s something I can’t bear to live with." Her voice cracked in a silent whisper.

"Neither of us will die, now let’s go." He stated firmly, every word emphasized with precise certainty.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she threw her arms around his torso as she hugged him tightly, resting her head on his chest and as she inhaled his scent, her tensed body suddenly relaxed.

He wrapped his arms around her small frame, stroking her hair dotingly as he whispered to her "I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be right beside you, always."

His assuring words brought tears to the brim of her eyes as she whispered back "I know."

Pulling from the embrace with a newfound vigor, she said "Let’s go, my horse is just outside of the barrier, in the forest."

But as she proceeded to the direction of the barrier, he pulled her back with cautious eyes "It’s a trap, they’re probably waiting for us at the barrier by now."

Her brows furrowed darkly as she spewed her thoughts out "Then what do we do? We’re going to get caught if we stay in the kingdom any longer. We’re fugitives."

"We won’t, if we blend with the townsfolk. They’ll never be able to guess it." He said in a highly confident manner.

"What makes you so sure? Your fellow elite comrades have fought and conspired with you for so long, I doubt it would be hard for them to know your next moves." Zoya pointed out, vigilance swirling in her gaze.

"You’re right, but they would never guess I would make such a risky move by staying in the kingdom, knowing me, they would think I’m looking for a way out of the kingdom rather than staying for a while." Aldric mentioned.

"Staying for a while? We would be walking fugitives in broad daylight, I’m very much certain that our posters are up and about every corner of the kingdom, I wouldn’t risk it." Zoya argued as she shook her head in negation.

"They wouldn’t risk it either, they wouldn’t want the kingdom to go into an uproar after learning of my treason, it would be chaos. One thing the council for sure like, is stability and composure, they would be very discreet about us which means that we’re safe in the town, but we would still be careful." Aldric noted.

Brushing her hair back with her fingers, she sighed in exasperation, but his certainty and confidence made her relax a bit, after all, he was an elite warrior, she presumed he was good at scheming plans and hopefully, this one won’t fail.

"So basically your plan is that we hide in town for some time before escaping?" She started out.

"Who said anything about hiding?" He scoffed with a smug smirk playing on his lips.

Her brows creased as she shot him a skeptical look "Then what?"

"Retrieving what you need will save us time for our escape and apparently when they don’t see a whiff of our presence anywhere near the barrier, they’ll have to spread out into the kingdom to search for us, which will give us an opening for our escape." Aldric implied and she nodded, impressed by his plan.

"You want to help me retrieve what I need? Wouldn’t that be risky?" She queried.

"Trust me." He simply said with a small smile.

"Thank you, Aldric." She said softly, the sincerity of her words gleaming in her eyes as it met his.

He cupped her face in his hand silently, before leaning down to her level. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips against hers, the softness of their lips colliding together as he kissed her delicately.

He gave her a quick, fervent kiss before pulling away and she smiled.

"Let’s go. When we reach the town, we’ll wear a disguise, and change into normal clothes." Aldric said as he pulled her along, while she blushed discreetly, still reeling from the kiss.

As they walked through the forest path, on their way to the town, Aldric broke the subtle silence "We’ll retrieve what you need during nighttime and afterward, we escape."

"Where do we retrieve it from? And I don’t even know what I need, neither do you, that’s why I came here for answers, from the council." Zoya remarked.

"You said you needed something powerful to expel an entity out, there is something that could help in the dragon spire, that’s where they keep mystical and enchanted items." Aldric mentioned.

"What do you think could help?" She asked hastily, her eyes filled with eagerness.

"The vessel." He noted and she sighed in relief.

"Are you sure?"

"I’ve lived here my entire life and I’m an elite warrior, I know everything there is to know, even the most impossible things becomes impossible with the enchanted relics we have and that’s why it’s kept from the knowledge of the world." Aldric remarked.

"That’s great then!" She exclaimed hopefully, but in the next second, the thunderous blowing of a horn resonated across the kingdom.

"Let’s go, they’re looking for us. They’ve alerted all the militaries, including the elites." Aldric announced and she nodded as they hurried toward the town.

Finally, they arrived at the town and she couldn’t help but gawk and take notice of everything in sight. She had never seen humans and other supernatural creatures cohabit in one kingdom, it was as rare as a blood moon.

As they blended into the crowd, the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, drawing villagers out of their homes and into the lively marketplace at the town square. Here, merchants from all walks of life set up their stalls, displaying an array of goods from shimmering jewels to exotic spices.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, a group of elves clad in flowing robes weave through the crowd, their pointed ears catching the whispers of passing townsfolk. With graceful movements, they inspect the wares, their keen eyes discerning the quality of each item with precision.

Nearby, a band of dwarves can be heard haggling loudly over the price of a finely crafted set of armor. Their sturdy frames and bearded faces exude a sense of rugged determination as they barter with the human blacksmith, their voices booming over the din of the market.

In the distance, the towering spires of the wizard’s tower reach towards the sky, its magical aura pulsating with energy. Wizards and sorceresses clad in flowing robes meander through the streets, their arcane knowledge sought after by those in need of mystical aid.

As the day progressed, the town square became a hub of entertainment, with minstrels and bards serenading the crowd with lively tunes. Children laugh and play, their faces painted with the colors of wonder and delight as they chased after each other through the cobblestone streets.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the alleyways, creatures of the night lurk, their presence felt but seldom seen by the inhabitants of Haven’s Reach. Vampires, werewolves, and other denizens of the darkness move with silent grace, their eyes gleaming with predatory intent as they stalk their prey.

Despite the ever-present danger, the people of Haven’s Reach went about their daily lives with a sense of resilience and camaraderie.