The wagon driver paused to hear the message, after which he drove the carriage faster than normal. It was a relief that he had already passed the border gate before the announcement was made. The wagon driver recalled the instructions "…search all carriages...", when he had hard drugs in his wagon! No way!
"Halt! In the name of the Queen!" A voice came calling from behind. The wagon driver wanted to ignore the voice at first but when he saw the man speaking was on horseback, he paused- there was no way he could outrun a man on horseback. He had to stop in order not to look suspicious.
Zhanna had a mini heart attack when the carriage had earlier stopped and now when it stopped again, she had a bad feeling.
"Vika, could you please check if you can see what is going on outside?" Zhanna asked Vika who sat close to the opening of the canopy flap at the edge.
"My princess, if I may speak…" Vika started
"Oh Vika, stop it!" Zhanna snapped.
Then instantly regretting her tone- but this wasn't time for apologies, some rules just had to be laid down "We're not in the castle anymore. You don't have to take my permission before you speak and you can call me by my name. For goodness sake Vika, we don't want to arouse suspicion,"
"I understand my princess…I mean, Zhanna. I understand Zhanna," Vika said, she didn't take Zhanna's tone to heart. She knew Zhanna well enough to understand the fear behind her voice. This wasn't the castle anymore, and Zhanna was trying to protect her…in her own way.
A faint smile tugged at Vika's lips. Even now, she was still trying to give her the freedom she never had under Queen Kira's watchful eyes.
"So… there is a man on horseback outside this wagon. I think he is one of the soldiers," Vika reported to Zhanna.
"Only one, you say?" Zhanna asked Vika. This was their chance to escape. It was quite obvious that the wagon driver would have his goods searched and apprehended, since they were hard drugs. If they stayed here any longer, they would be caught!
"Vika, we need to run… now!" Zhanna started.
"We should change first, Zhanna. It wouldn't be easy to run in these clothes," Vika said, taking their goods in her hand.
Zhanna took Vika's advice and they dressed in men's clothing, and after making sure the coast was clear, jumped. Their movement in the wagon caused the soldier to suspect… whatever he was suspecting.
He was originally interrogating the driver, but when he heard the movement under the flap, he demanded to see the driver's goods. The driver kept giving excuses, and he kept demanding. Their little back and forth game was cut off by Vika's landing, they heard her footsteps.
Zhanna jumped down from the wagon too. This time, the guard and the driver were already coming to check for the cause of the sound, and they saw two weirdly dressed men.
"Who are you people?" the driver asked.
The guard looked at the men, then he noticed something off about one. He had the same eyes as their princess- an unreal blue. It was only the princess that had those type of eyes in the entire kingdom. He immediately rushed to get his horse.
Zhanna, after the man had asked the question, was dragged by Vika into the bush nearby.
"I think the other man recognized us!" she said, dragging Zhanna as she ran.
They kept running, and Zhanna kept looking back on different occasions to check if anyone was chasing after them, and on the last one, she saw the guard, on horseback, chasing after them. He was closing in. Zhanna was so distracted that she didn't know when Vika cornered another way. The man was chasing her. What should she do? She couldn't imagine what would happen if she was caught.
"Oh heavens," she made a short prayer. While still praying, she bumped into a solid figure and was about to fall when he held her by her hand and pulled her up by her waist.
The moment she looked up and saw his face, time seemed to stop. He was… breathtaking. Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark tousled hair that curled slightly over his forehead. His sharp jawline and his olive-toned skin were kissed by the sun. His eyes, deep-set and storm-grey, held a quiet fire, like someone who'd seen too much and survived it all. A faint scar curved along the edge of his brow, making him look dangerous in the most alluring way. He looked like a man carved from war and mystery. He smelled of smoky cedar and spice, with a hint of leather and musk- a scent that was dark, warm, and dangerously unforgettable.
"Are you alright?" he asked with a deep, baritone, sexy-as-hell voice.
Zhanna felt her face heating up and her heartbeat speeding up.
The guard on horseback charged at the duo. Shura didn't flinch. In one swift motion, he twisted his body, pivoted with unnatural strength, and slammed his heel into the horse's side.
The beast let out a harsh whinny, its balance lost. It tumbled sideways, throwing the rider to the ground with a heavy thud.
The man then took the spear from the groaning guard who lay on the sand.
"Should I kill him?" he asked the man in his arms.
Zhanna was too lovestruck to hear. The man looked like walking sex, dripping so hot and his voice was that one that could make any girl's toes curl. Her eyes went up to his Adam's apple. To her, it looked like it was begging to be kissed, sucked. Then her eyes went up to his lips. Sexy, looking soft and chewable, faint pink. She looked up further and saw the man's eyes on her, like he was waiting for her to say something. She had heard his voice seconds ago, had he asked her something?
The man, after hearing no response, looked down at the person in his arms. How can a man's face be so… cute and beautiful? Then he noticed that the person in his arms was staring at his lips…weird. Then the person looked up, and he saw those unreal blue, very beautiful, absolutely adorable eyes.
The guard took chance of their distraction and wanted to attack them when the man noticed and struck the guard, with the spear aimed perfectly at the heart.
The man dropped Zhanna immediately he realized what he was doing, running his hands up and down a man's waist! How perverted was his mind to lust after his own kind!
Zhanna snapped out of her love-struck state when she felt the pain on her butt. Rude! He had just dropped her on the floor like that!
"I'm sorry about that. I'm Shura, by the way…"
"Zhanna…"
"Huh!" Shura doubted he had heard well. Did this young man just say his name was Zhanna?
"Zhan! My name is Zhan!" Zhanna nearly stuttered. She had forgotten she was in a disguise.
---
Three days ago, at Volkorod
After Shura walked out on his father, the king, he went to a quiet spot near the lake to clear his head. It had been his mother's favourite place while she was still alive.
He missed her, deeply.
He remembered the promise he had made to her, the promise that drove him to train as a warrior.
He came from a lineage once blessed by the heavens, a bloodline with the rare power to kill any supernatural creature with their bare hands.
The witches had terrorized his ancestors for generations… until they were burned.
Everyone thought that was the end, until a black magician declared that one witch still lived.
Shura believed it was his duty to find and kill the last witch, especially since he was the last of his kind to carry the power.
None of his ancestors had known peace in death. It always rained heavily on their burial anniversaries, but it was worst on his mother's- the graveyard would flood every year.
It felt as though they were all waiting… waiting for Shura to finish what they started.
To him, King Igor was nothing but a distraction- a painful reminder of the past.
He needed to focus. He needed to finish the mission.
"I knew I would find you here, cousin," a voice called as someone approached.
Shura, lost in thought, turned.
"Kazmir… I'm confused… I-I…"
"I heard about your argument with the King," Kazmir said. "I don't want to pry, but whatever he told you… just remember, King Igor was always there, maybe not beside you, but behind you."
Kazmir stepped closer, voice calm.
"He gave you food, shelter, and a path to that training academy. Without him, you wouldn't be the warrior you are now. He gave my father and me positions in the palace and made sure you were treated like royalty."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Before you focus on the bad, weigh the good. I trust you'll make the right choice."
Kazmir gave a nod. "Anyway, the men are ready. We'll leave soon for the training base in the woods."
He turned and walked away, leaving Shura with only the sound of the lake, and his thoughts.