The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 398: Breaking Out

Chapter 398: Breaking Out

Falka was at chaos with her mind as she stood at the doorstep, watching the heavily guarded gates. The security was right, but she doubted that there would be any doubts among them if they saw a member of the council leaving.

Although, she could easily walk through the gates, it would be slightly suspicious of her to just leave by foot, so she needed a better idea.

Pretending to be a council member and the highest ranking order of the kingdom, she needed to leave not by foot, but perhaps by horse? She pondered.

As Falka’s eyes scoured through the open courtyard, it fell on a few carriages scattered throughout the place.

Leaving by carriage seemed like the best option but Falka didn’t have too much time to ponder so she walked toward the carriage, but she couldn’t be quick with her steps in order not to ruin her disguise.

As Falka reached the carriage, luckily there was a rider seated in position, as if waiting for her. She couldn’t thank the heavens enough since she was already contemplating on how to call on one without ruining her cover.

Swiftly, the courier jumped down from his seat to swiftly open the carriage door for her as he bowed "Your Holiness.

Without speaking a word, Falka dashed into the carriage and as the courier took his seat, she felt the carriage move toward the gate.

Her heart throbbed in her ears as they nearer the gate, inching closer to her freedom with every second. Her eyes were fixated through the window, it wasn’t fascinating as she had seen the courtyard everyday of her life for the past seventeen years, but she was excited to see the world outside of this dungeon.

The courier suddenly asked "Where to, your Holiness?"

Swallowing softly, she replied "The magic barrier, when we’ve arrived, you may leave. You can come for me at sunset." She said, mimicking the tone of her mother, while praying inwardly that the courier wouldn’t notice, but he nonchalantly replied "Yes, Your Holiness."

Falka sighed softly but as the carriage halted at the gate, she clutched her sweaty hands tightly together, locking and unlocking her fingers in fear.

She could hear the courier as he addressed the guards to open the gate, stating that he was transporting a council member.

From the window, Falka could see the guard steal a peek and she instinctively lowered her hooded face from view.

Falka’s breathing turned erratic as tension hung in the air like an enormous weight dropped down on her, but in the next second, she heard the tall iron gates creak open.

Her heart leapt in exhilaration as the gates opened and the carriage rolled out. Finally, freedom! She exclaimed inwardly.

As the carriage moved out of the arena, she finally succumbed to relaxation. The adrenaline and tension she felt all faded away as the carriage moved through the clear forest path, taking her closer to the bustling town.

As the carriage rode past the town, her eyes scoured through the people and places that caught her attention. The bustling street had nice stalls and shops set out in different places, with varieties of items that were being sold.

Falka was fascinated at the mere simplicity of life out there, a life that she hadn’t been a part of for years. She had missed out on so much to the extent she felt like a broken toy that could never be mended no matter the patches to fix her.

As Falka observed the people living their lives and socialising, she felt a twinge of alienation pulling at her heartstrings. Her golden orbs gleamed with a desirous longing to experience and mostly, feel like she belonged.

Falka wanted a place to feel like home and people who accepted her despite what she was, but still, even as she craved for the acceptance and love, she was well aware that she could never expose her true nature wherever she decided to settle down. It was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

Falka had learned too much to risk her freedom again. She was not a seventeen year old girl, she was adept and broken. Mature, yet her inner child yearned for a love and tenderness that she wasn’t privileged to get.

Although, Falka wished for acceptance and love, but having her freedom was more than enough for her.

They emerged out of town and soon, they were riding through hills and forests. After some moment of bumpy rides and turns, the carriage finally halted in front of what she presumed would be the magic barrier.

"We have arrived, Your Holiness." The courier announced and a grin tore through her lips as she emerged out of the carriage.

"I will be back at sunset, Your Holiness." The courier said and she nodded.

She stood still for a moment as she watched the carriage retreat until it was out of sight.

Falka sighed in relief as her eyes scoured through the natural sight around her. There were shrubs of bushes with lovely flowers and she would have loved to stay in the vicinity for a while, but her life and freedom was on the line, so she had to get moving quickly.

Falka’s gaze dropped on the magic barrier before her. She could feel the powerful energy pulsating from within it and it frightened her because she was unsure of whether she possessed the abilities to break through it.

And if she did, where on earth would she run to? She had not a single clue of what was out there. Fortunately, she had studied the map of the kingdom and in far north away from East Ravka, there was a small neighbouring kingdom called, Drivalski.

It was the nearest kingdom to East Ravka, but also dangerous since it would be easy to figure out her whereabouts.

Falka needed to go far away, somewhere they would never look to search, somewhere they would be afraid to step foot in and among the kingdoms she had learned about, the Voltaire Empire seemed to be a great idea.

She was well aware of their history, thanks to the countless books she read and she knew that East Ravka feared them, mostly because they were keeping their existence and possessions a secret, in fear of being overthrown by the infamous vampire King.

It would be a painfully long journey for Falka by foot, but her resolve to have her freedom was strong. For the journey, she took along some count and useful valuables she could trade for useful items like a horse, shelter and food. It was all she needed to make it through the journey.

Strengthening her mind, she proceeded toward the barrier. It was like a transparent veil, but looking clearly, she could see it shimmer underneath the sunlight like tiny crystals.

Sucking in a deep breath, she ran toward the veil with a grunt. Her body colliding against the veil made it ripple violently and a burst of fiery sparks emanated from within her as it spread throughout the barrier like wildfire.

Falka hadn’t even realized that she had emerged out through the other side as she stood frozen in utter stupefaction while staring at the display with her mouth hanging open to touch the floor.

The veil glowed and shimmered with fiery sparks that was rather awe stricking, she couldn’t help but gape at it, until her subconsciousness alerted her that as much as it was captivating, it would also be very visible to the rest of the kingdom and it would most definitely alert the security that the barrier was being breached.

She needed to move and fast or else they would catch up to her and her moments of freedom would be short-lived.

Racing to her feet, she tore the robe off, leaving only her simple black gown as she fled through the forest.

Without turning back, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, winding through the thick bushes. Thorns tearing through her delicate flesh, branches tearing through her clothes and stalks yanking her hair.

Her braids came loose for her wild hair to sprawl all over her shoulders and back as she ran with no sense of direction. All that rang constantly in her head like a mantra was the need to survive and gain her freedom.

Falka knew she at least deserved it after all the years of suffering and misery, she deserved to live a normal life not caged like a bird.

As she ran breathlessly, the resonating sound of the alarm bell rang through the air. Horror gripped at her heart as she froze for a minute.

Falka had heard the bell once or twice when she was locked. It indicated that a prisoner or culprit was on the run or had escaped and the bell only meant one thing. They had realized she was gone and most probably that her mother had been murdered by her.

Falka, determined, proceeded to run again but as she took one step, the ground beneath her quaked slightly, but as the seconds grew, the trembling floor only elevated and then, she heard the distant running of horses behind her.

Unfortunately, she looked back with horror filled eyes , only to see the soldiers drawing nearer with their horses.

Driven by fear and adrenaline streaming through her veins, she raced with all her effort despite knowing that she couldn’t outrun them. Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes as her inner child crumbled in hopelessness.

When she thought she had finally achieved her freedom, it slipped right through her fingers.

Within a few seconds, they caught up to her and she stumbled on a rock, causing her to fall face first against the mud floor, but she was too weak with despair to lift her self up as she trembled like a leaf while crying bitterly.

The soldiers on their horses circled her, giving her no escape route and then, she was picked up effortlessly by a soldier as he sneered at her "Where do you think you’re going princess?"