Abandoned (Born From Shadows #2)
Chapter Forty

Riley sighed, “Everything is going to change, isn’t it? I don’t mean for us, but for Crénia.”

“It’s been changing for a while, you are only just noticing it now,” Vivian replied whilst running beside him and Freya who rode on top of Ida. The Elf slowed down her pace and Riley pulled at the reins.

“Is this it?” He asked, noticing her sudden stop.

“Kayter and Gaviour said they should be here soon to discuss what we are going to do next,” she replied and collapsed on the forest’s lush floor. Freya got off the horse and stretched out her muscles. Riley did the same, making sure to tie Ida up to one of the few slim tree trunks.

“When I was talking to the guards, they mentioned something about a prophecy,” Riley spoke. “Is that what is happening?”

“Prophecies are just a bunch of bullshit, made-up stuff. I’m surprised an Elf even mentioned one to you, that predetermined fate stuff is a human concept,” she replied, eyes looking up at the sky. They then suddenly snapped to the left and she stood from the ground pulling out one of her knives. Riley looked and saw nothing there, he wanted to ask what it was but decided it was best to remain quiet. A figure appeared in the distance and Riley took his sword from the side of Ida’s saddle. However, moments after he did, Vivian lowered her knife.

“It’s Kayter,” she said, seeing features he could not. That didn’t ease his nerves, but regardless, he lowered the sword. Then as the figure approached sure enough it was Kayter, his lean build was moving as gracefully as any elf towards them until he stopped a couple of meters away.

“I didn’t know if you would make it,” Kayter said.

“I thought the same,” Riley replied.

“Look, I know Gaviour was supposed to come…but…he’s um. He’s dead.”

“What?” Vivian spat out, her words filled with rage.

“The King, a new law was installed and helping humans is treason. Anyone who says something against the King is treason. Anyone who refuses to fight and train is considered aiding humans and thus treason. I think you are getting the picture. Treason is punishable by death,” commented Kayter.

“So Gaviour….” Freya whispered.

“Has his own pedalstool on the castle gate.”

“How are the people letting this happen? He should be kicked off the throne,” Vivian grumbled.

“Fear overwrites morality and justice,” Kayter responded. Riley sighed and sat down on the floor, leaning against a tree. One rotten fruit was all that was needed to destroy the entire tree. He looked over at his petrified sister knowing he had to get her as far from the fight as possible. She was strong-minded, but she was vulnerable. They all were in comparison to an Elf.

“Why are you helping us? It might get you killed, you should save yourself,” Freya said sounding a bit like Tatianna in her words. Because of that Riley knew the answer, it was the same reason they travelled through starvation, dehydration and the hunt to help Tatianna.

“What the King is doing is wrong, and I will defy him till my last breath,” Kayter answered.

“Plus Sunshine, we care about you,” Vivian said causing Freya’s cheeks to flush red. Riley looked back at Kayter.

“So if anyone spots us…we’re dead?” He asked.

Kayter nodded his head. “None of this will matter. All our fighting between races means nothing when the fight is against the Dark Lands. We all know this except the idiot on the throne. The last scouting reported noting a complete desolation of almost every village in the Hollow plains, and as that is outside any main kingdom’s jurisdiction, there was no one to protect them, no one to care.”

“How do you fight against a place you can even enter?” He asked.

“It is true, any being that enters the Dark Lands never returns. We can’t fight them by storming their home but we might be able to scare them off. Make them retreat, which means heading north because for some reason they are only targeting the humans. If they had any brains I would say that’s a strategy to help further the war, but they don’t,” Kayter replied.

“I wish everyone could just accept each other and live in peace,” Freya complained.

“The world don’t work like that Sunshine,” Vivian answered.

“Why not? Why is it so hard to just be nice?”

“Because emotions control logic,” Riley answered and leaned his head against the giant tree. He was a dead man walking. Four people couldn’t start a rebellion. They couldn’t do anything. It was trying to take down a bear with a toothpick, you couldn’t do any damage. Riley couldn’t think of a plan of attack and by everyone else faces, neither could they.

“So…what do we do now?” he questioned what everyone else was thinking.

“I don’t know,” Kayter replied.

“We survive,” Vivian commented. “For now Kayter will go into town and get supplies while we camp out here. I would go but people saw me with you humans, Kayter is our only option.”

“I’ll do it, but we have to come up with something eventually,” Kayter agreed.

“Rebellions take longer than a day’s planning,” Vivian said. “For now I want to sleep and have some cuddle time with my Sunshine.”

“Please don’t say that in front of me,” Riley grumbled not wanting to hear of his younger sister’s relationship.

“Cheer up, you never know when you’re going to die so be happy while you can,” Vivian said and took out a couple of blankets from Ida’s saddle bag. How can someone be happy when facing death? He decided it was best to just fall asleep after a few prayers. He had no idea if the Gods listened to this part of the realm, but it was worth the try, they needed all the help they could get.

He woke up the next day and Kayter had gone from his bed, no doubt to pick up supplies. But panic ran into his heart when he saw Vivian laying down alone with no blonde girl in sight.

“Freya!” he yelled out into the silent trees that dared not whisper their secrets. The wind rustled through the quiet woods that held no response.

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