Page 53 of Forgotten Fate
“Easy, Elias,” Trybe’s voice broke through the tension. “This is the prince.”
But he remained in a death stare with Max, not seeming to hear Trybe’s warning.
“Elias,” I said gently. Only when I took his hand did he turn to me. “It’s alright. Prince Maksym is a friend.” Elias glanced down at me, and I gave him a pleading look. If I let him trust Trybe with my identity, he could at least trust me with Max. Elias let out a reluctant huff, then stepped back.
My eyes met with the prince’s again. “Hi Max,” I smiled.
Max looked at Elias warily, then back down at me. He nearly matched Elias in height and stature. The muscular prince took a step towards me, and quickly pulled me in for a tight embrace. The tension in my body suddenly released, and I hugged him back.
Somehow, I thought I could sense discomfort radiating from Elias.
“What the hell are you doing here, Aurelia?” Max whispered to me, glancing over at Elias again.
“Please, call me Aura while we’re here,” I pleaded.
He paused, waiting for my answer, which I didn’t give. “That doesn’t answer my question,” he said firmly. “Your father has gone mad looking for you. What the hell are you up to?” he cursed again.
I looked down, avoiding the gaze of his icy blue eyes. “That’s a very long story. But please, promise me you won’t tell your mother that I’m here. Or your sister.” I knew I could trust Max, one of my oldest friends. Nevaria on the other hand…well, she didn’t like me much.
When we were children, before my mother’s death, my parents were hosting a dinner for the royal houses of the Four Kingdoms. At one point, Max and I snuck away from the banquet hall to throwpebbles off one of the towers to see whose would go the farthest. Nevaria came to find us and haul us back, when we got caught by Horus. She got in as much trouble as we did, and she blamed me even though it was Max’s idea. She never forgave me for it, even after all this time, calling me a rebel and a bad influence on her brother.
“You know I can’t keep anything from Neevee,” Max answered me, referring to his sister by her nickname. “The second she sees me, she’ll know something is off.”
“I know.” They always had a weird twin thing. “But promise me you’ll keep it from her as long as you can. We’ll be leaving today.”
Max looked over at Elias again, seemingly distracted by him. He held his stare for a moment before looking back down at me. “Please don’t leave without at least telling me what’s going on. Your father has requested that my mother send scouts to search the woods for you, and she has obliged. We all fear he has gone mad from your absence. He thinks you were stolen away.” He spoke quickly and in a hushed tone.
Shit. So news of my absence had hit Monuvia. I felt stupid for walking around without a disguise. Perhaps I was lucky I hadn’t been to Monuvia in over a decade, or that there weren’t more people in the city who would recognize me.
I looked down, feeling a tinge of guilt. “I know,” I whispered. “Are there any other updates? On my father?”
The prince sighed. “Last I heard, you were seen somewhere near Chatus, so your father was going to send some troops here to monitor for you, in case you came here too. They’ll be here any day now, Aurelia.”
“Aura,” I corrected.
Max took my hand gently, and pulled it to his chest. “What’s going on? Is everything okay? Are you in danger?”
I turned to Elias, and watched his eyes darken into somethingdeadly as Max held my hand against him. Trybe put a hand on Elias’s shoulder to stop him from stepping towards us, and gave him an imploring look. In that moment, I was very thankful that she was there with us.
“I’m fine, Max. Really,” I said after clearing my throat. “I left Rimor on my own accord.” Just then, we heard a knock coming from the other end of the building.
“Hello? Trybe?” a curious male voice called out from the front entrance of the shop. “I have the materials you were looking for.”
“Dammit,” Trybe said under her breath. “I forgot I was expecting supplies this morning.”
I nodded to her, indicating she should go about her business to avoid suspicion. She understood, and stepped inside to tend to her supplier.
“I can’t talk here,” I said to Max, gently pulling my hand away from his muscular chest.
The prince thought for a moment, tapping a finger to his chin. “I know a place we can go for privacy,” he said finally. “Even Neevee doesn’t know about it. Will you come with me? Please?”
I turned to Elias again, his gaze fixed on me and Max. “If Elias can come with me,” I said to Max. I had the feeling Elias wouldn’t agree to let me go alone anyway.
Max looked at Elias with apprehension, but ultimately agreed. “You’ll have to meet me there separately. I get stopped in the city a lot. If you’re seen with me, people may put two and two together.” I nodded in agreement, and Max continued. “On the east end of Tynvaris, left of an art dealer’s shop called the Drawing Book, you’ll see a bridge with one of the stones missing from its edge. If you cross that bridge, and head into the little wooded area, you’ll see a tree with a crescent moon carved into it. Behind the tree, there’s a trap door hidden under the soil that leads to an old, abandoned cellar.”
I looked at him quizzically.
“I discovered it when I was younger, and found it abandoned. I made it my safe haven, when I need time away. You’ll be safe there. If you have a steel striker, you can light the torch inside.”