 
WINDS OF

THE FOREST

Dele Daniel
© Copyright 2017 Dele Daniel

This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Message from the Author
Chapter 1

I had lost track of the antelope, but only for a second. I had well-trained and sharp eyes, so the animal couldn't hide from me for long, no matter how much coverage the jungle provided. With a quick scan of the premises, I easily spotted it again.

I held still on my horse, willing it to feel my posture and sense the importance of being as quiet as possible so that we would not scare our game away. I moved my leg ever so slightly. My horse Dolly responded perfectly, shifting just enough in the direction I needed her.

Barely breathing, I squinted my eyes and angled my spear, ready to launch it at the antelope who'd had the misfortune of crossing my path.

It's hard to believe now, but tracking and hunting animals had once been a difficult task for me. I struggled with it a great deal when I was younger. Although I'd known where our meat came from, I hadn't been prepared to be the one to get my hands dirty in order to get it. I still vividly remembered my first kill—a white rabbit when I was 12 years old. Knowing that I had personally taken the life of a living creature had made me cry for the rest of the night. A friend of mine had tried to reason with me, explaining that we needed to do such things to have food. Regardless, it took a long time for the message to truly sink in and for me to stop feeling like a murderer.

"If we don't hunt, there will be a shortage of food and then our people will be the ones to die, Genesis," my friend had said to me. "People you love would starve to death. As elite hunters of the Arnazuri tribe, it's our job to make sure our families and loved ones, and the children of our friends, don't starve to death. Do you want our people to starve to death?"

His pep talk had been precisely what I needed, and afterwards, each hunting trip became a little easier. I kept reminding myself of the small children and elderly people who would starve if it weren't for the fresh game we provided. In time, hunting became so second-nature to me that I worked my way up to being one of the top hunters in Black Forest, the Arnazuri community. Within the last few years, not even the boys could outdo me. Even Dolly had become a skilled hunting partner and knew exactly how to behave while I tracked game.

I gave Dolly a gentle pat right as I launched my spear, making the kill quick and clean. The antelope fell to the ground with a thump. Although I knew Dolly would never leave me, I tied her up to a nearby tree while I went to retrieve the antelope. He was a big one, but I managed to drag him over. All the years I'd spent hunting large game had made me stronger than most 17-year-old girls I knew.

With a grunt, I hoisted and secured the antelope onto Dolly's back, and then gave the horse a kiss on the nose. "Good job, Dolly," I said, before climbing back on, ready to head to the community food bank to turn in my prize. Any day I brought back an antelope was a good day.

When we reached the food bank, Mr. Obante, the food keeper, was outside. He waved upon seeing me, an appreciative expression on his face. I waved back and then hopped off Dolly, tied her up, and removed the antelope from her back.

"That looks like a beauty you've got there, Genesis," said Mr. Obante, eyeing the antelope.

"Yes, a big beauty," I said.

"Oh yeah. I can definitely see that. Here, let me help you." Mr. Obante trotted toward me and together, we carried the antelope inside the food bank. "Yeah—this is good, Genesis," he said. He glanced over the antelope again, likely making the same kind of assessment I had made when I first spotted it during my hunt.

Although the Arnazuri get to keep only five percent of the Kingdom's meat supply, it was usually sufficient if most of the hunters found more game of this size.

The central royal council would be pleased, considering they would get to keep the best of it as taxes before distributing the rest to the remaining tribes of Nayja—the Rowans, the Ammirians, and the Kingfishers.

Most importantly though, antelope like this helped put a dent in the massive debt our tribe owed the royal council. I couldn't help but think of the fact that here I was helping to pay for a debt that was incurred before I was born.

It was now fifty years since our tribe was moved from clay hut dwellings to the more civilized community built for us by King William, father of the current king, yet we still had years of installment payments to go through. It's true, we don't have all those luxuries I hear they have in their homes at King's Forest, but it still costs something to build enough houses to contain over five thousand Arnazuri people.

Mr. Obante sighed and then briefly pat me on the shoulder. He was an older gentleman who reminded me of something between a grandfather and an uncle. He had followed my hunting career right from the start, and we had become pretty good friends over the years. Mr. Obante had the gentle and understanding nature that I sometimes wished my father possessed.

I'd met Mr. Obante for the first time after my third kill. That day, I came to the community food bank with a group of hunters to submit our achievements for the day.

"Did you catch all of this yourself, young lady?" he had asked. "My, my—I can already tell you're going to be one of our most valuable hunters someday! Here, let me reward you for your contributions."

He then gave me some plantain chips and sarra, and proceeded to tell me the legend of how our people of the Arnazuri tribe came to be. We were called the Children of the Sun because when our founding father died, it's believed that he became the sun and brought light into the world. Our founding father loved us so much that after he became the sun, his frequent kisses darkened our skin to beautiful deep brown. Through him, we inherited the skills of fire-making and hunting.

Even though I had already known the story, I liked the way Mr. Obante told it so much that I listened intently as I ate the plantain chips and cheese curd he'd given me.

"You keep up the good work, Genesis. I know it can't be easy on you, and it's a lot of pressure to put on a girl your age, but you're all we've got. But if it's any consolation, you're also the best we've got."

Mr. Obante's voice snapped me out of my reminiscing. I nodded, well aware of my position as the only active hunter in the Arnazuri tribe, and appreciating the fact that he thought I was the best. Although it was frustrating that my former hunting peers had become so unreasonable, it was all the more reason I felt the need to stay level-headed and responsible. I cared too much for my people to willingly let our community fall to ruins.

"I can see you feel as I do on this issue," Mr. Obante commented. He'd been watching me closely, undoubtedly guessing my train of thought. "I just want to personally thank you for all that you do. If you don't hear it enough, I'll say it on behalf of our whole tribe—thank you."

When I spoke, I kept my voice low to avoid being overheard although we appeared to be alone. "I just think all this talk about rebellion is so stupid. All it'll do is cause more trouble. I don't want to be a part of that."

"Neither do I."

"Why do I feel like we're outnumbered? Everywhere I turn, it seems like there are more people in favor of the rebellion than against it."

"Same here. It's a sad reality we're facing these days."

"So how much more do we owe for this month's installment?" I asked after a pause. I was afraid to know the answer, but needed to nonetheless.

Mr. Obante's brow furrowed and he scratched the back of his head. "Well, not counting the general taxes—for the council, we need at least twenty more animals. Antelope, to be exact. You know that's all the royal council will accept."

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and took a deep breath, trying to keep the panic I felt at bay.

Twenty more antelopes. It's not impossible, I tried to convince myself. Yet, the panic I felt threatening to rear its ugly head was not so easily convinced.

I felt Mr. Obante looking at me and knew he wished to offer words of comfort, but no such words existed because it was pointless to sugar-coat our dilemma. Sometimes, I felt he was the only other person in our tribe who truly understood the gravity of our situation.

"Isn't there anyone else who could help?" I asked. "There has to be someone. Don't you know at least one other elite hunter who can help gather more antelope? If I had just one partner, we could go out and find ten a piece—"

Mr. Obante shook his head. "I'm sorry, kiddo, but there aren't any others. We've lost them all to the Hawks."

The Hawks. Just the mentioning of their name made my blood boil. As far as I was concerned, they were personally responsible for our predicament. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fathom how so many people, especially of the Arnazuri tribe, could be so delusional. Because of them, the weight of the whole tribe crashed down on my shoulders, and every day, that weight got heavier.

The Arnazuri just couldn't afford the irresponsible rationality the Hawks kept spewing around. In turn, I couldn't afford to let my frustration with them get the best of me. I had to keep my temper in check because I had learned long ago that anger and hunting didn't mix well. Anger scared off the animals and messed up my aim. If my aim wasn't accurate, numerous lives would rest on my hands alone.

I sighed. "I'll do the best I can, Mr. Obante."

"I know you will," he said. "Wind beneath your wings."

"And beneath yours," I said with little hope.

Resigned, I left the food bank. There was nothing more to say anyway. I only had 24 hours to find enough wild game to pay off our whole tribe's taxes. I had a very long day awaiting me.
Chapter 2

When I stopped at home, I had planned for it to just be a brief visit.

All the houses in Black Forest are identical tiny matchbox dwellings built out of a mix of iron, wood and brick, but barely contained enough space for the multiple generations of Arnazuri people most of them housed. Some had small horse stables behind them while others didn't, which depended on whether you could afford horses or not.

As I made my way into the house, I picked up the two lanterns sitting on the ground just outside the front door. The indicator was green so I knew they were fully charged.

People always complained that there was no solar system that powered homes in Black Forest like the other communities in Nayja, but at least they always sent us solar lanterns from King's Forest to light up our homes at night.

My home may be no different from the others but it was the one place I truly thought of as my comfort zone and in light of recent events, I needed a moment to recollect myself and mentally prepare for the monumental task awaiting me.

What I hadn't anticipated was my father's efforts to thwart my plans.

I stared back at him, dumbfounded by the words leaving his mouth. "What do you mean?" I said slowly, hoping I hadn't heard him correctly. "What do you mean the hunter's association is going on strike? You can't be serious. They can't be serious."

"I mean exactly what I said, Genesis. I'm serious, and so are they. There is to be no more hunting, and that means no more hunting for you as well."

I blinked in disbelief, unable to comprehend why the hunter's association would make such an illogical move. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, exasperated. "Am I the only one around here aware that our community is in debt? Has everyone forgotten about the taxes we owe?"

"Genesis, sweetheart, you have to see the bigger picture." Father adopted the tone he always used when he felt I was being unreasonable. "What's going on right now—it's bigger than you, me, or anyone else."

I wasn't interested in hearing about the big picture though, because no matter what angle I attempted to view it from, it still looked dumb. "Who exactly came up with this bright idea?" I asked.

"The strike was planned by the Hawks."

"Of course." I laughed mirthlessly and shook my head again. I should have known the Hawks were behind it. "Dad, the Hawks are a bunch of immature, stupid, and irresponsible—"

"The Hawks," he cut me off, "are taking a stand for what's right."

"What's right," I said, "is paying off our taxes before our whole tribe finds itself in trouble it can't get out of!"

"We'll be in greater trouble if King Henry has his way and changes the Scroll to appease his selfish and power-hungry wishes! He must be stopped."

I paused for a moment. Yes, I'd heard about King Henry's plans, just as everyone else had. His father was recently deceased, and he had just inherited the throne for what was to be his tribe's last year of ruling before the next rotation. Despite the relatively short time King Henry had been ruling since his father's death, he had managed to become drunk with power—so much, in fact, that he wanted to change provisions of the Scroll to make it the law of the land that he and his people, the Kingfishers, would permanently rule Nayja forever.

I knew this wasn't fair in the slightest, but considering I had been left the only elite hunter in the Arnazuri tribe, I had already accepted that life simply wasn't fair. The only thing we could do in life was survive, because waiting for fairness was useless. After all, it wasn't fair that of the Kingdom's four tribes, the Arnazuri was the only one not permitted to produce a king. The remaining three tribes worked on a rotating system in which they all had a set timeframe to occupy the throne. We, on the other hand, were considered unfit to rule. Even when it came to our own community, the Chief of our tribe was always either Rowan or Ammirian (Black Forest is obviously too underdeveloped for any Kingfisher to even consider being its Chief). The highest rank an Arnazuri could aspire to be is an advisor to the king.

In all these years, no one ever bothered questioning the system. Deep down, I felt a smug satisfaction from the anger the Rowan and the Ammirian tribes must be feeling over the possibility of measures being put in place to prevent them from ruling again; they might soon learn what it felt like to be us.

The Kingfishers had been the dominant tribe for as long as anyone could remember, and the Scroll—which they wrote in the first place—already permitted them to rule for sixty years. Ammirians ruled for ten while a Rowan King could only rule for five years.

Any history book would tell you the Kingfishers descended from James Fisher and his fellow Nulami survivors from the old world, but there were things that were still unclear. James was Nulami, a nomadic pastoral tribe with ivory skin and kinky red hair that some in the old world believed originated from North Africa. Some historians from the old world said they were from South Africa. While some wrote that they were from the middle east. So basically their origin is unknown.

James, whose real Nulami name is unknown, was a scientist who left Africa to study, then worked for the allied armies of the United Kingdom and the United States, two countries that once existed in the old world.

After citizens of the United States elected Ramsay Bull in 2049 AD, a demagogue noted for his mental problems, the world went into chaos due to his erratic uncontrollable behavior and that marked the beginning of the end of that time.

But how come our land remained unaffected by the changes in the climate that made the rest of the world unlivable? How come James Fisher and other survivors that came with him were all Nulamis who had lived as immigrants in Cornwall, England?

When they came to Nayja, they brought the language of England, changed the name of their tribe to Kingfishers and systematically took over everything.

Because we didn't have a king or leader in Nayja it was so easy for the Kingfishers to take over our land despite being outnumbered by my people. Well, that had now changed anyway. According to the last censors, there were approximately six thousand Arnazuris, three thousand five hundred Rowans, fifteen thousand Ammirians and fifty thousand Kingfishers in Nayja.

It had been James Fisher who implemented the monarchy system used to this very day in Nayja, stating that the rule of one good king was far better than the disorganized Arnazuri system. Thus, history being in the Kingfishers' favor, had made them the most powerful of the four tribes.

"Look—I know it doesn't seem fair, but our lives are more important than fairness," I said, hoping my father would see reason. "It would be suicide for us to go on strike. King Henry has the royal council in his pocket, and they'll go along with whatever he wants. And with that kind of power, King Henry can literally make anyone who doesn't submit to his wishes go away. I've heard that if we don't finish paying our taxes, guards will be sent in to kill us all! Thanks to the Hawks, it's now up to me to make sure that doesn't happen. And I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, even if it's the last thing that I do!"

Dad tilted his head back for a moment, staring at our damaged and leaky ceiling as if praying to the Heavens above for patience. "Genesis," he said, "I raised you to be smarter than this. And I also raised you to be loyal. If you continue to hunt, you will be going against the will of our people—"

"Aren't we all sworn subjects of the king? Yes we should be loyal but we should be loyal to our king. Besides I'm trying to save our people!"

"Do you honestly think the king would have us all wiped out? Can't you see that such threats are just scare tactics! He and his council and all their families need to eat too, Genesis. If they kill us, where will they get their food from? No other tribe knows the jungles like we do, and none of them have the faintest idea how to hunt. They couldn't hunt or farm to save their lives! Or you think they are ready to live off Rowan fish alone? The king needs us. We are important."

I shook my head, easily seeing that there was no point whatsoever in continuing this argument. Father and I had the same ears, nose, teeth, skin tone and large brown eyes, but our resemblance to each other was where our similarities ended, as evident by this conversation. Yes it's true that we are in charge of hunting and agriculture but it wasn't worth the risk.

Thanks to the thin walls of our home, our heated exchange had garnered us an audience consisting of my mother and little brother. I glanced back at them, my mother in particular. I wasn't sure how long they'd been listening, but the fact that Mother hadn't spoken up in support of me indicated that she obviously shared my father's views on this matter. My mother had never been a weak woman. She was beautiful, with her thick black hair, buttery brown eyes, smooth dark skin, and healthy figure, but it had never been her looks that she called upon to make it through life. She had always gotten by solely with her wits. Anyone who knew her would vouch that she had always been opinionated, noble, and honest—all traits that she had instilled in me and my brother, just as her mother had instilled in her. It was from her that I had learned to believe in myself, particularly if I felt I was right. Hence, her silence regarding what she'd heard me discussing with Father spoke volumes.

I wanted her to say something. I wanted her to tell me point-blank if she felt I was being unreasonable to want to save my family and the rest of the Arnazuri tribe. I wanted her to look me in the eyes and tell me whether she honestly thought the Hawks and their stupid protests would actually bring about change for the better. Yet, the brief instance in which our eyes met, I couldn't bring myself to ask her anything. I saw the way her brow furrowed and noted the way she held her hands clasped together over her stomach; she only made this gesture when she wasn't sure how to 'let someone down gently.' Since her gaze was in my direction, I would be on the receiving end of her gentle letdown, and I was in no mood whatsoever to receive it.

I turned my back to her and stormed out of the small area that served as the living room and kitchen. Only a few feet away from it was the space that had become my bedroom. Not long ago, I'd shared the space with my little brother, Prince. But as I got older, my mother started making him sleep elsewhere so that I had more privacy, which was already hard to come by in our cramped living quarters.

Irritation bubbling inside of me, I grabbed the traveling bag on my bed and began stuffing it with the supplies I would need for the next several hours of hunting. I packed a change of clothes, spears, a scarf, and a pair of gloves to protect my hands. As I tossed things into my bag, my mother's hurried footsteps sounded through the house, followed by the drone of her whispered voice, fast and tense as she spoke with my father.

Ignoring them, I pulled off my shoes and changed into my hunting boots—the ones I tried to preserve for heavy-duty occasions like this one. I had forgotten to rub adín on my arms and legs in the morning so they looked really dry. Usually I wouldn't have cared but during harmattan my skin gets so dry, it itches. This alone justifies my preference for the wet season. Sometimes I'm tempted to pray that the thunder-god would take away harmattan forever. Cold dry winds in the morning, scorching sun in the afternoon, low humidity, blinding haze, parched lips, dead leaves, brown grass, why would any sane person prefer this nonsense to the wet season?

I went back into my room and found a jar of adín Mama had given me in September when harmattan began. Mama's adín had a great reputation. Anytime her sisters or friends ask how she makes it, she says it's because her oil supplier buys from the best coconut farmers. I don't know if it's true or if that's just her way of avoiding sharing her recipe with anyone. One thing I do know is that I'm glad Mama's adín doesn't have that shea butter smell others have; I detest the smell of shea butter.

Sometimes it worries Mama that I am not interested in knowing these things. How to make adín, for example. How to use miro, the Arnazuri eyeliner and other types of makeup our tribe's women are convinced are part of the essence of womanhood.

When I stood and swung my bag over my shoulders, my little brother was standing in front of me.

"You remembered to moisturize your skin today," he said. I nodded.

Prince wrapped his long arms around his slender frame and looked up at me—something he wouldn't have to do much longer because at the rate he was growing, we would be the same height soon. Sometimes I looked at him and wondered where the time had gone. I so easily remembered him as a baby. He had been the fattest child I'd ever seen, and other kids used to give him a hard time about it. Never in a million years would I have predicted he would someday become the lanky pre-adolescent that stood before me. He looked a great deal like our mother, and I knew that someday in the near future, he would become a handsome young man.

"What is it?" I said. He was blocking my way out.

"Can I go with you?"

Of all the things he could have said, I hadn't expected that. Silence passed between us as our parents continued to converse in tense whispers from the front of the house. I stared into Prince's eyes and shook my head.

It suddenly struck me as rather odd that even though we lived in the same house, I no longer seemed to know as much about him as I used to. I was on the cusp of adulthood, and I only thought of him as my kid brother. It had somehow never occurred to me that he may have had some knowledge about our political climate. I stared at him, wondering just how much he knew about the Hawks and the impossible burden they had left on my shoulders.

"You can't come. You're still too young," I said, although I realized that at 11 years old, he was only a year younger than me when I first learned to hunt. Technically, teaching him how to hunt wasn't a bad idea by any stretch, but the protective big sister in me just couldn't go through with it yet, regardless of how badly I needed the help. I didn't want him getting mixed up with such a turbulent situation, especially considering how our parents felt about it. Prince was still a kid and he didn't deserve to be involved with such complicated matters.

He frowned and I felt a rush of gratitude toward him for simply making the offer. He probably understood far more than I thought he did. And unlike our parents, he must not have thought I was wrong for the way I felt.

I gave him a quick one-armed hug. "It's too dangerous out there right now. You stay here and keep safe. I'll be back soon."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

With that, I hurried to the back of the house, wanting to avoid my parents. Unfortunately, the raggedy back door was jammed when I tried to pry it open. I cursed to myself, willing it to open without making too much noise and alerting my parents. My bag of supplies began slipping down my arm. I glanced over my shoulder nervously, hearing my parents still fussing amongst themselves about me. Prince, on the other hand, stood a few feet away, watching.

He quickly approached and proceeded to help me push the door open. It sprung loose with a clang.

"Genesis?" my father's voice rang down the short hall.

"Gotta go," I said to Prince, and then bolted out the door.

"GENESIS!" my father yelled louder.

"She went out to meet a friend!" Prince blurted. My heart swelled at him for trying to cover for me even though our father was too smart to fall for such fabrications. Plus, I didn't have many friends these days.

As fast as my legs could carry me, I rushed to our horse stable. Dolly perked up, looking at me expectantly, but I gave her a quick pat on the nose and passed her by. "Not this time, Dolly. I'm sorry. You need to rest."

She huffed, her expression crestfallen as if she truly understood what I'd said. This hunting trip would be too much for her though—far too long and far too tiring. I was hardly up for going myself, but unfortunately I had no other choice.

I stopped before Nimro, my father's horse. He was the one I needed. Nimro, with his rich reddish-brown fur, was the strongest horse in the family, and he was the only one who would be up for the arduous task that lay ahead.

"Ready to stretch your legs, Nimro?" I asked. The horse looked back at me. I was probably imagining the skeptical expression in his gaze. Much like Dolly had with me, Nimro shared a special bond with my father. My father had raised and trained him, and there was no doubt that he was the member of the family Nimro felt most loyal to. I had seen my father with Nimro plenty of times before, and when the two of them were together, animal and man were truly one. It was my father's connection with Nimro that had inspired me to foster such a connection with Dolly. When I met Dolly for the first time, I ran my hands through her silky silver fur and told her that we were going to become best friends, just like Father and Nimro.

Having only ridden Nimro occasionally, I hoped the large and majestic horse would behave for me as he did for Father.

He pawed at the ground as I fumbled to secure his saddle to his back. All the while, I continued to cast cautious glances through the field toward my home, expecting to see my parents rushing out toward me at any moment.

Finally securing the saddle and my bag, I hurriedly led Nimro to our hunting trailer and attached it to his reins. I then hopped onto his back, just as I spotted Father running towards us, his blazing eyes fuming at me as I rode away on his beloved horse.
Chapter 3

I was pleasantly surprised when it hadn't taken long to kill and retrieve my first antelope. I had prayed it was a good omen and that the other nineteen would come just as easily, but I soon found out such hopes were all in vain. After I dragged and deposited the first antelope into the trailer, I rode Nimro farther into the jungle in search of more game. I managed to kill a couple rabbits along the way, but not before long, the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand.

Trailing farther into the jungle, Nimro's pace steadily slowed in response to the tension he undoubtedly felt in the way I sat perched upon him. Although hunting had become second nature to me, I knew something was off and the paranoia started hindering my concentration. Everywhere I turned, I thought I saw something hidden in the shadows, and each time, I got the feeling it wasn't an animal.

I had always been the outdoorsy type, finding peace and tranquility in nature. Yet now, the thick trees and heavy vines covering the ground seemed ominous, providing far too many places for trouble to hide. Furthermore, Nimro's footsteps and the trailer dragging behind us were too noisy, making us far too easy to track.

I swallowed, wondering if the jungle was being patrolled by guards wanting to ensure Arnazuri hunters were still doing their job. Or even worse, what if the Hawks were secretly spying, trying to catch someone like me ignoring their hunting strike?

I shuddered.

Don't be ridiculous, Genesis. What could the Hawks possibly do? I inwardly chastised myself.

I latched on to the thought, trying to remind myself that the Hawks were nothing to fear. They were just a bunch of rebellious idiots who lacked the power of the king and the royal council. While the Hawks could plan protests and strikes, they had no means to enforce punishment on those who chose not to join them.

At least I didn't think they did...

I gripped Nimro's reins so tightly, my hands ached. I then began taking carefully measured breaths, knowing that it was of the utmost importance that I kept a calm and rational mind. I had a job to do, and the Arnazuri tribe couldn't afford for me to fail at it.

Getting back focused on the task at hand, I scanned the area in search for more game. My apprehension began to ease when within an hour, I managed to kill three more antelope—big ones at that. They filled the trailer, making me realize I needed to drop them off at the food bank before doing any more hunting. I needed to move quickly though, so that I could get in as many hours of hunting before sunset as possible. Hunting in the dark was too difficult and dangerous, especially since I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

With the pressure of time ticking away, I set off for the food bank, giving Nimro a kick in the sides to pick up his pace. Nimro started off at a trot and then broke into a steady run, sensing my urgency.

We were halfway out of the woods when I thought I saw another antelope in our vicinity. I thought about the trailer and whether I could possibly squeeze in another more animal. With one hand, I reached for a spear, deciding that with time constantly ticking away, it was worth taking the chance. If the trailer was too full, I could hide the animal in leaves and return for it later.

Just as I prepared to bring Nimro to a stop, the horse let out a loud screech and reared onto his hind legs. A foreign spear zoomed passed us, hitting a tree that was far too close for comfort. Holding on to Nimro's reins for dear life, I bit down on my tongue and suppressed a scream.

I tightened my legs around the horse's sides, feeling the aches setting in along my thigh, calf, and abdominal muscles as I tried not to slide off him. All the while, I looked around in search of our attacker. Intuitively, I sensed the Hawks were near and that I had underestimated their aggressiveness.

I froze when I heard twigs snapping. Fear made me slow to react, and I couldn't figure out whether Nimro and I should make a run for it, or fight back. Swallowing nervously, I gripped my own spear more tightly, deciding it was going to be difficult to make a quick getaway while dragging a trailer full of dead antelope behind us.

Before I could figure out my next move, a shiny horse with fur the color of midnight came into view. Along with that horse, was Remington. Although his appearance brought me relief, the comfort was minimal and I found myself still uncertain of what to do.

Remington and his horse slowly trotted nearer. His dark eyes narrowed at me, and there was obvious tension in the way he held his mouth. It had been a while since I'd seen him so closely, and I was momentarily taken aback by how grown-up he now looked. He was no longer the silly and lanky boy he'd been during elementary and hunters school. Time had turned him into an impressive young man with broad shoulders, muscular arms, a strong jawline, and facial hair that sprouted above his upper lip and suited his appearance.

None of that mattered though. Remington had joined the Hawks some time ago, which meant he was part of the problem and no longer someone I could consider a friend.

"Come on, Nimro," I said, preparing to give the horse a kick to the sides so we could continue our way to the food bank.

"Hold it, Genesis," Remington said, his voice deeper than I remembered. He and I hadn't spoken since he joined the Hawks.

As if actually listening to him, Nimro remained still. Agitated, I glared down at the horse before looking toward Remington, whose eyes were traveling the length of me. "What do you want?" I spat.

Remington gracefully leapt off his horse and slowly approached me. I wished more than anything that Nimro would kick him. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

"After you just tried to kill me?" I asked incredulously, nodding at the spear he had launched in my direction.

Remington moved toward the spear and pulled it out of the tree, laughing. "Has it been that long, Genesis? You, of all people, should know that I have impeccable aim that rivals your own. If I was trying to kill you, there's no way I would have missed." He returned the spear to the satchel attached to his back. "Now, can I have a word?"

"No. You and I have nothing to talk about," I said, staring down at him from Nimro.

Remington motioned for me to get down from my horse. "Actually, we do."

I grit my teeth. "Well, I can hear you just fine from up here. So whatever you have to say, say it fast because I have things to do."

He sighed. "Look—I know what you're up to. We all do."

"Who is this we?"

"The Hawks."

"That's what I thought. Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I couldn't care less what any of you Hawks think. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a trailer full of fresh game to deliver to the food bank since somebody around here has to be responsible from now on."

"I can't let you deliver that game to the food bank. If you do, there's going to be a lot of trouble coming your way, and trust me—you won't like it."

I raised my eyebrows. "Did you just threaten me?"

"No. I just warned you."

I hopped down from Nimro. Remington folded his arms across his chest as I stormed toward him, unable to hold back my fury any longer. "I will not have you, my father, members of the Hawks, or anyone else telling me what to do!" I yelled.

"Lower your voice!" Remington hissed.

"I WILL NOT!" I screamed. "Now get out of my way—"

"Turn around and go back home, Genesis! How many times do I have to tell you? No more taxes are to be paid! The rebellion is brewing and there is nothing you can do to stop it! Get that through your hard head! The only thing you can do is either join us, or keep your mouth shut and your hunting spears lowered!"

"Why are you all being so stupid?" I shrieked. "Your rebellion is going to get us all killed! Do you not realize how strong the royal army is? Do you know how easily they could wipe us all out?!"

"Why are you being so stupid? Why haven't you figured out yet that the royal army is not dumb enough to commit such genocide! They can't live without us! Wake up, Genesis!"

Before I could stop myself, my hand sprung backwards and then snapped forwards, slapping Remington hard across the face. My hand stung so badly afterwards, I feared I had broken it. But I didn't care. All I could think about was how infuriated I felt over being the only functioning hunter for my people, the disappointment I had towards my father, and the anger I felt seeing what Remington—the former friend who had helped me adjust to the hunting lifestyle in the first place—had become.

He stumbled backwards and brought his hand to his face. His dark eyes widened and he stared back at me with a sneer.

I scowled back at him, daring him to stand in my way any longer. We stood there, staring at each other for so long that I was sure he would back off in any second. Even our horses stared, waiting to see what would happen next.

To my surprise, Remington plunged forward and gripped me by the arms. I pulled back, but his grip was too strong. Snarling, I swung my right leg, landing a painful kick to his shin with my hunting boot. He let out a howl of pain that likely sent wild game for miles around scurrying for cover. Before I could be too satisfied with myself though, Remington gave me a backhanded slap that sent me crashing to the ground. Stars danced before my eyes and Nimro whinnied behind me.

"Go back home, Genesis," Remington said. "I'm warning you—stop hunting."

Unsteadily, I climbed back to my feet, my fury reignited by his condescending tone and the patronizing way he had hit me. I sprung for attack again, leaping at him, determined to bring him to the ground. He wrestled against me until we both tipped over and hit the forest floor.

"Genesis, stop it!" he yelled, pinned under me as I unleashed a storm of punches at his chest. I breathed heavily, knowing I wasn't going to be able to keep up the fight much longer, but I kept going anyway, uncontrollable frustration pouring out of me. To my dismay, Remington eventually managed to grab my fists, stopping my punches and pushing me aside. I rolled onto the ground again, and this time, Remington positioned himself on top of me, pinning me down. My arms grew weak as he pressed them into the earth beneath us. I tried to move my legs, but he sat on them, his weight solid and heavy.

He stared down at me, the aggression slowly leaving his features and replaced with exasperation. Seeing his guard beginning to slip, I tensed my core muscles and took the opportunity to spring forward, head-butting with all the strength I could muster. Our skulls clashed and Remington let out another howl of pain. As his body jerked backwards, I slid out from under him, freeing myself.

I had almost climbed back to my feet when he grabbed my ankle and made me fall face-first to the ground. The scent of dirt, along with its bitter taste, invaded my senses. I spit and sputtered angrily, once again trying to pull free from my former friend-turned-enemy.

How had the two of us come to this?

I let out a stream of curses, knowing that I was going to feel every hit and fall tenfold by morning. The pain wasn't my biggest concern though; my primary worries revolved around any injuries sustained hindering my hunting abilities.

I flipped onto my back, but Remington still managed to maintain his hold on my ankle.

Ignoring the ache in my ankle, I prepared to kick him again with my free leg but Remington seemed to sense my move before I could carry it out. He took the opportunity to surprise me with a blow to the head that made everything around me fade to darkness.

"You've always been too damned stubborn for your own good, Genesis," he said before I lost consciousness completely.

When I came back around and opened my eyes, the ground beneath me was moving. I felt dizzy, disoriented, achy, and stiff. It took a moment for me to realize the stiffness resulted from the fact that I literally couldn't move my hands and feet; they were tied together with rope. Bewildered, I realized I was strapped to Remington's horse. I turned my head sideways, seeing Remington's strong back facing me as he steered his horse.

I attempted to pry my limbs apart, testing how strongly the ropes bound me. Dismayed, it became apparent that I couldn't get the ropes to budge in the slightest—either they were too tight, or my fight with Remington had left me too weak.

Still dizzy and incapable of speech, I swore in my head, calling Remington every terrible name I could think of until my surroundings faded away once more.
Chapter 4

Emerging from a deep slumber, the first thing I noticed was how much worse the pain in my head and limbs had become. I squirmed, feeling my body pressed uncomfortably against a cold and unrelenting surface. With some difficulty, I pried my eyes open, only to find that my surroundings were so dark that opened eyes hardly made a difference.

Confused, I rolled out of the fetal position I'd been lying in, first flopping onto my back and then sitting up, my hands and feet still tied. My heart began to race as it became abundantly clear that I was in unfamiliar territory. That's when all the memories started rushing back to me.

Remington's face floated through my mind, clear as day. I instantly knew this was his fault; he had caught and kidnapped me. My stomach squirmed as it dawned on me that I must have been in the Hawks' headquarters, being held prisoner.

I felt every grip and blow Remington had landed on me as a thorough ache now, which meant a considerable amount of time had passed since I'd had the misfortune of running into him.

Bile rose in my throat as I began wondering where Nimro was, what had become of the trailer full of the antelope, and how much time remained before taxes were due—if the deadline hadn't passed already. I thought of Mr. Obante; surely he had noticed something was wrong by now.

My thoughts then drifted to my family. Had they noticed me missing yet? My heart gave a painful throb, thinking about Prince and how I had promised him I would return soon. Thank goodness I hadn't brought him along with me after all. I wouldn't be able to take it if he had gotten captured too.

I shifted on the uncomfortable floor, once again trying to move my hands and feet to loosen the ropes. My strength remained depleted though. I was hungry and thirsty, and my muscles were sore and tired.

I raised my head up to the dark ceiling when my eyes started to sting. I wouldn't dare let those tears fall. I was in hostile territory, and the last thing I wanted was for anyone to know I'd been crying. Nobody needed to know just how weak I felt.

The tears I held back dried quickly when I suddenly noticed the hum of distant voices.

I held still, listening closely and trying to decipher what was being said or if any of the voices were familiar. The voices were too muffled and far away to hear clearly though—at least initially. They gradually began getting closer.

I hastily twisted my arms and wrists, trying to do whatever I could to loosen the ties around me. I wanted to at least have a fighting chance whenever my enemies showed up. I would be pathetically outnumbered, but that didn't mean I wanted to make things easy for them. Whatever they planned to do to me, I wanted to make sure it was a struggle.

Gritting my teeth against the sting of the ropes on my skin, I kept twisting and pulling, feeling the slightest bit of hope when the ropes actually started to give. Yet, just when I thought I could make decent progress, my heart jumped to my throat at the sound of screaming.

Screaming. So much screaming. It was hard to tell what direction it came from since the surrounding darkness had me so disoriented. I did, however, start hearing oncoming hurried footsteps. I envisioned people running, terrified. I didn't need to see in order to know that somewhere nearby, all hell had broken loose. I could practically smell and taste the chaos in the air.

I also knew that I needed to get out of there before I got swept away in the pandemonium.

I moved more frantically, trying to break loose the ties at my wrist. Desperate, I brought my hands up to my mouth and began biting at the ropes until I heard a door swing open.

Light pierced through the darkness, momentarily blinding me. I blinked rapidly, trying to get my eyes to focus. A group of men stepped through the door and into my enclosure. When my vision finally cleared, I saw that they were not just any men—they were guards. Tall, muscular men in black uniform, with the trademark Kingfisher red hair. To join the King's Guard, you had to be a Kingfisher.

A ball of dread rolled through my stomach and my mouth instantly grew drier than it already was as the guards marched toward me.

All this time, I had assumed I was being held captive in the Hawks' headquarters, brought here by Remington. In reality, I had been captured by guards who probably thought I was part of the rebellion, right alongside Remington. I wondered where he was being held—or if he had already been killed.

I wanted to speak in defense of myself—to let them know that they had me all wrong. But my voice remained stuck in my throat, too intimidated by the guards' proximity and the blazing looks on their faces.

One of the guards made a beeline toward me. His cold demeanor sent chills down my spine. I shuddered, and my breath hitched at the sight of him raising his large hand, preparing to strike. With my legs and arms still bound, all I could down was crouch before him, cowering in fear. So much for putting up a fight. I held perfectly still, not even daring to breathe as I braced myself for the oncoming blow.

"Stop," a voice abruptly commanded.

The strike never came. I hadn't even realized I'd been squeezing my eyes shut until I opened them and I peered upward. The guard who had been preparing to hit me just seconds beforehand lowered his fist, although his steely expression remained the same. Our eyes locked briefly before another man stepped forward.

This other man—he was clearly the leader based on his more important-looking attire. He looked down at me cowering on the floor. "She's not one of them," he said. "She was trying to stop the rebellion." He pulled a knife from his pocket and then knelt beside me. I released a shaky breath as he cut through the ropes tied around my hands and feet with two quick swipes.

The guard who had attempted to hit me stepped back, and several others stepped forward. The next thing I knew, they seized me, pulling me to my feet.

I stood, my legs wobbly. "Wh-What's going on?" I asked, but my question went unanswered.

The leader turned toward the others. "Let's go," he said, and swiftly walked out of my enclosure.

Wordlessly, a pair of guards grabbed me under the arms and steered me out behind their leader, the other guards following suit, walking in a bundle around us.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked. But they continued ignoring me. Commands were uttered amongst them too quickly for me to follow what they said. The next thing I knew, the guards steering me tightened their grips under my arms and broke into a run, causing me to stumble between them. Not before long, we were outside.

The sun had already started to set, the sky turning a dark and gloomy gray. There was a nip in the air, although I may have felt it more keenly due to the speed of which I was being dragged along.

The setting sun and cooling weather wasn't the problem though. The problem was that the very instant we made it outside, the smell of death was everywhere. I couldn't even breathe without choking on it. The scent wrapped around my throat like an icy hand. I peered through the group of guards surrounding me, and my eyes began to sting again. This time, there wasn't a single thing I could do about the tears. They rolled down my face, and somehow, it no longer mattered that I had been tied up and kidnapped.

"What happened?" I said, my voice a croak. My subsequent questions got lost in sobs, unable to believe the ground was littered with dead bodies.

The dead bodies of the Hawks.

I collapsed and the guards proceeded to carry me.
Chapter 5

When I woke back up, I still didn't recognize my surroundings. I was lying on a cot of some sort, the springs beneath it digging uncomfortably into my back. I squirmed into a sitting position and immediately wished I hadn't woken up to begin with; I wasn't ready to face the waking nightmare I had been submerged into. I was, at least, in a different location than from before—one that was a lot less hostile.

Although a lot of movement and noise surrounded me, everything seemed unnaturally quiet. Eerie. After a moment, I deduced it was because despite the people around, no one spoke. I couldn't blame them though—it was difficult to want to speak when the aroma of death remained so pungent in the air; it made you not want to open your mouth for fear that you would taste it. Initially, I thought the scent of death was in my nose from memory. But as I watched the royal soldier lug around large cloth sacks, I realized that Death lurked right beneath those cloths.

The guards were cleaning the area of the bodies that had been left scattered about like litter on a beach. Nobody spoke because the guards had already had their say with guns, while the victims being disposed would never have their say ever again.

I kept my mouth shut, but a bitter taste still formed on my tongue. I clenched my teeth, willing myself not to vomit. It was a tough feat though, especially considering some of the bodies being carried weren't covered, which served as a forceful reminder that it was my people who had been slaughtered.

Some of the guards carrying dead bodies walked passed me entirely too close for comfort. An icy chill went down my back as I glimpsed the faces of some of the slain. Not only did I glimpse them, I recognized some of them. I could recall those faces from when they were alive and vibrant, walking around my neighborhood, attending my school, passing my home on their way to the market, waving at me in the food bank, chastising me for not joining the Hawks...

My stomach clenched in despair, for finally, I understood. This had been a massacre of Hawk members.

I leaned over, placing my head between my knees and trying to force in a breath, for my chest had gone tight and my lungs suddenly seemed to be on strike against oxygen. My body trembled no matter how hard I tried to stop it. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see anymore, but it was like the images of the dead bodies were branded on the inside of my eyelids. And within a matter of seconds, those images got replaced by visions of Remington's face.

My stomach twisted in another painful knot as my mind worked out the obvious. If the people who'd been killed were Hawks, and Remington hadn't been contained or released with me, then more than likely, he was among the dead.

Several seconds went by in which an agonizing sound resembling something between sobbing and gasping filled my ears. The sound brought goosebumps to my arms, and it took me several additional seconds to figure out that those sounds came from my own mouth. They came quicker and louder as more memories of Remington raced through my head.

I remembered when we first met when we were just five years old, and he had been a scrawny kid with a voice that seemed too big for his body.

I remembered when we were seven years old in grade school, and he jumped out from behind a tree, scaring me so badly that I dropped the sandwich Mother had packed me for lunch.

I remembered when we were 12 years old and he had briefly looked sick after shooting his first rabbit in hunting school, but then put on a brave face as if nothing was wrong, only to later give me a pep talk about adapting to the hunting lifestyle.

I remembered when we were 14 years old, running through the woods in competition with each other, trying to see who would kill the most game—the smirk he'd given me when he threw his spear at the animal I had been painstakingly tracking.

I remembered when we were 15 years old and other girls started gossiping about how handsome he was getting, and how I would just roll my eyes because he was just plain ol' Remington to me.

I remembered when we were 16 years old and stopped speaking because he told me that he was joining the Hawks...

One of the reasons I hated the Hawks so much was because they had taken one of the best friends I'd ever known away from me. And now, they had taken him away permanently.

Thinking about Remington made me fully understand the horrible mind-games Death loved to play. As I sat on the cot, having what I could only presume was a panic attack, Death forced me to contemplate my role in Remington's fate.

If I had listened to my father and not gone out hunting, would Remington have gone out looking for me? If he hadn't gone out looking for me, would he have still gotten caught by the guards?

Had I given up on him too easily? If I had managed to talk him out of joining the Hawks, maybe he would have been sitting beside me, giving me a shoulder to lean on as we watched the dead bodies of misguided friends being carried away by royal guards.

As much as it pained me to consider such questions, I knew that in the end, it didn't matter. I could think 'what if' for the rest of my life, but it would never change reality. Just like there was nothing that could change the fact that I was alone, mourning my own misguided friend, and hating the way things had ended between us.

"Hey."

I jumped, hearing the first spoken word since I had woken in my new location. I looked up to find the head guard—the one who had saved me from getting beaten—staring at me. He motioned for me to get up. "Come on," he said. "It's time for you to go home now."

***

I never knew my tattered little house could look so welcoming. When I stepped through the front door, I imagined it was what it felt like to walk through the gates of Heaven.

Prince ran across the room and threw his arms around me with so much force, he nearly knocked the wind out of me. The minute the guards left our property, my whole household breathed a sigh of relief, myself included. I returned Prince's hug, closing my eyes and feeling that I never wanted to let him go.

When we finally separated, my mother reached for me. She gathered me into her arms and rocked me, saying my name over and over, as if she had been afraid she would never get the chance to say it again.

Over her shoulder, I looked toward Father. He stood, gripping the wooden dining room chair as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. Our eyes locked. "Genesis," he said, and then paused for a long time. "Don't ever do that to us again. You hear me?"

I parted from Mother, keeping my eyes glued to him. "It wasn't my fault," I said. "It's not like I asked to get captured by royal guards."

"We know you didn't, sweetheart," Mother said. Although her words were directed at me, her gaze was firmly in my father's direction. The tone of finality in her voice indicated that he was not to start an argument with me right now; she wouldn't allow it. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "We're just glad you're home, Genesis. That's all we could ask for. Far too many families haven't been so lucky lately."

As thoughts of Remington returned, I felt like the room had begun to spin in circles. I drew in a deep breath and held it, determined to ward off another panic attack. After several seconds, I let it out slowly.

"When the guards captured me," I said, trying hard to keep my voice steady, "I found out that there was an attack...an attack on the Hawks. They were...a lot of them were...killed."

Dad nodded. "Some of their family members were targeted as well."

"What?" I said.

"Royal guards not only killed Hawks, but people related to them too, even children. Remington's cousin is among one of the slain."

My knees buckled under me. Mother tightened her grip on my shoulder. "Zora?" I asked.

Dad nodded. "She spat on a guard when he asked if she knew were Remington was. He executed her on the spot, right in front of her family."

"This can't be happening," I said, feeling nauseous. Zora and her family only lived around the corner from us. I grew up knowing her. She was older than me and Remington, and had always been something like an elder sibling to us both. One of the things I had admired most about Zora was her fiery personality. She had never been one to hold her tongue, and she'd had a laugh that seemed to make the walls shake. And now, an act of defiance, protecting the cousin she loved like a little brother, had gotten her killed.

"Honey, did you see Remington?" Mother asked. "Do you know whether the guards caught up to him?"

"He found me in the woods while I was hunting. He was trying to stop me. I think he meant to bring me back home, but we must have been captured."

"What do you mean you 'must have been' captured? How do you not know for sure?" Father asked.

I bit my bottom lip, not wanting to mention that Remington and I had been fighting and that he had knocked me out. "I got scared and blacked out when the guards arrived," I lied. "When they captured us, we must have been separated. Somehow, they knew I wasn't part of the Hawks, but I guess they knew Remington was." I recalled the feeling of being watched in the woods. When Remington had revealed himself, I assumed he'd been the one watching. But now, I knew guards really had been spying in the woods. I took a deep breath and continued. "When I was released, there were dead bodies everywhere. Dead bodies of Hawk members..."

My voice trailed off, unable to say any more. I hadn't seen Remington's body sprawled on the ground or being carried by guards, but I didn't need to. In a way, I was glad I hadn't actually spotted him among the corpses; such an image would have haunted me for the rest of my life.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Mother said, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

I stared down at the floor, the swirls in the wood seemed to move due to my lightheadedness. "I need to sit down," I said.

Mother quickly pulled a chair for me, and I flopped down in it, hoping that sitting would make the room stop spinning. I rubbed my forehead, feeling an oncoming headache.

"You should understand it now, Genesis," my father said in a low voice.

I looked up at him and his grim expression. Judging from his scruffy face, he had skipped his morning shave. "Understand what?"

"You should understand now why the royal council has to be stopped, and why the rebellion must continue. The king and his people have to learn once and for all that they can't keep treating our people like this! It's now or never. The Arnazuri must be strong and we must bring King Henry to a stop, by any means necessary. This is only the beginning. They started it, but we will finish it."

My chest began to feel tight again. "Father—what are you saying? What are you saying right now?"

"That I'm joining the Hawks to fight against the royals and their evil ways. This has to stop and I'm going to help it stop any way that I can. I cannot sit by and watch our people live in fear any longer."

The room started to spin faster. I pressed my palms to my eyelids and took a series of deep breaths, hoping that when I reopened my eyes, I would find out that I had briefly drifted into another dimension, and that my father hadn't truly said what I'd thought he said. Yet, when I opened my eyes, he still stood before me with the same blazing look on his face.

"You have got to be kidding," I said.

"Does this look remotely like a joking matter to you, Genesis? Do you not see the death and carnage the royals have just left in their wake? Do you not understand now why the hunting strike was set? Look around you, Genesis! Can you honestly continue to fill the bellies of the people who think it's acceptable to murder our people—men, women, and children alike?!"

"You have to be insane to think joining the Hawks is the solution to all of this!" I yelled. "This all happened because of the Hawks! Had the Hawks not existed, we wouldn't be in this situation right now! Royal guards wouldn't have been sent in to terrorize our community! Remington and Zora would still be alive! The Hawks' and their rebellion is what brought about this mess! How can joining them be the answer? Without them, everything would have still been normal! But instead, they've brought the wrath of Hell onto us! All because of their stupid ideas! How many times did I try to warn about royal guards coming in to kill us all if the Hawks carried on with their dumb strikes and protests! And now that it's actually happened, everyone has the nerve to be surprised! Well guess what—the royals were true to their word! So unless we want more trouble, the Hawks need to dismantle, immediately!"

"Dismantle?!" Father yelled. "The last thing the Hawks need to do is dismantle! The royals are capable of carrying out this kind of terror any time they want! They don't need a reason! They never did in the first place! The only reason they decided to retaliate now is because they're afraid of losing power! They want to keep us all under their thumbs! And now that some brave Arnazuris decided to stand up and say enough is enough, and that we're tired of being treated like second-class citizens, the royals got scared and decided to act on their fears. They thought they could put out the fire, but they don't understand that this fire has already spread too far and wide. There is no putting it out any more. Joining the Hawks is the right thing to do! It's more important than ever now to keep the rebellion going!"

"Mika," Mother's voice cut through the tension in the room. All fell silent for a moment, with the exception of Father's labored breathing. "Just hold on a second. You don't want to do anything rash. This kind of thing has to be carefully thought out. No one is denying that what just happened is atrocious, but you have to move forward using reason, not emotions. Remember, the mind is a powerful weapon, but the heart is far too easy to break."

Father turned his gaze to Mother. "My reasoning is perfectly clear, and I know what has to be done." He gripped the chair in front of him with both hands now. "I have a clear head on all of this because it was prophesied long ago that there would someday be a Chosen One to lead the Arnazuri people to freedom. In light of the circumstances around us, that time has finally come. Now is not the time to cower in fear. Now is the time to fight back."

A long silence followed Father's words. I waited for Mother to counteract his statement, but she remained silent, her arm still around my shoulder.

I shook my head in disbelief. A laugh passed through my lips although I found nothing at all funny. "Father, the prophecies our people always shout about are nothing but mere fables and fairy tales. It's time our people as a whole get their heads out of the clouds and stop pretending these prophecies are fact! Some of these prophecies are ridiculous! Like the ones that used to make people think twins had to be killed because they were bad luck! It's utter nonsense! Anyone making such a grave decision over a prophecy is a fool!"

"How dare you," Father said, his voice low and full of anger. The room stopped spinning at that point. I gripped the sides of my seat, bracing myself, for I was sure I'd feel the sting of Father's hand at any second. But he seemed too shocked to make such a move. His eyes blazed at me in absolute fury. "That is precisely what's wrong with your wretched generation. You think you know better than the elders? You think you know—"

"Some of us just know to believe in solid fact instead of unproven fantasy!" I said, cutting him off. I knew I needed to keep my mouth shut at this point, but my anger wouldn't let me.

Mother's hand tightened on my shoulder, somewhat painfully, letting me know that I had officially gone too far. She did not raise me to speak to my father in such a manner, but I was too upset to care. Misguided reasoning had ruined one of the best friendships I'd ever had, and Death had ensured that friendship could never be mended. So to witness my own father falling victim to the same faulty reasoning—it was more than I could stand.

I shrugged away from Mother's hold. "Genesis!" she called after me.

But I hurried off to my bedroom space, wanting to be out of her presence before she could force me to apologize to Father.

I sank to the floor, my back pressed against the wall. And then I closed my eyes. I wasn't exactly asleep, but I sat like that for hours on end, my emotions bouncing back and forth from shocked to numb. When I finally opened my eyes, Prince sat before me, cross-legged with his head resting on his fists.

I sighed. The world was so much simpler when I was his age. I hated that he was growing up in such turbulent times. I wanted him to have no worries, to have a good friend like I'd had in Remington, and to one day learn to hunt so that I could pass the torch to him. I didn't want him growing up in a society where innocent friends and neighbors were slaughtered in the streets due to the poor judgment of a few imbeciles in our tribe.

"Do you think Father is really going to join the Hawks after what happened today?" he asked, his voice a whisper so as to not carry through the thin walls of our home.

I wanted to tell him 'No', but I also didn't want to lie to him either. Father had become so unpredictable these days, there was no telling what he would or wouldn't actually do.

"I don't know," I answered, truthfully. "I hope not."

"But if he does—are we all going to die? Will royal guards kill us too?"

I shook my head. "I won't let that happen. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

We sat in silence for a moment before Prince stood and left, kissing me on the cheek before making his exit.

I continued to sit there, hoping that I hadn't just told him any lies.

I had lied to Remington once—when he had taken credit for an enormous antelope that I had killed. When I went the majority of the day without speaking to him afterwards, he eventually came to apologize to me.

"Aww, come on, Genesis. I'm sorry, all right? Are you still not speaking to me? So what does that mean? You're not going to be my friend anymore?" he had said.

When I'd looked up at him, he had the goofiest look on his face, and I hadn't been able to keep myself from laughing. "Remington, you couldn't get rid of me as a friend even if you tried. You're stuck with me." That was the lie I'd told him, although I obviously hadn't known it was a lie at the time.

My eyes began to sting again and shortly thereafter, the tears began to flow. This time, I let them roll down my face uninterrupted.
Chapter 6

"Genesis? Genesis! Genesis, wake up, honey. Genesis!"

My eyes darted open, finding my mother hovering over me. I had fallen asleep curled on the floor, happy for the time being because Remington had been with me. During those few blissful moments, we had been friends again, as if nothing had ever soured between us. But reality came crashing back, making me realize that I would never be with Remington again—our friendship permanently over and irreparable.

I sat up, blinking my eyes several times until my mother's face came into steady focus. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. Her brow was wrinkled and her hands were clasped at her stomach.

I bolted into a sitting position, my thoughts instantly shifting to Father, thinking he had run off somewhere with the remaining members of the Hawks and gotten himself into trouble. "What is it?" I asked, terrified but prepared for the worst.

Mother took a deep breath. "I don't want to frighten you," she prefaced, "but you have an important visitor. Get up and go wash your face. Quickly. You've been summoned by the Chief. A driver is here to take you to him."

I blinked, dumbfounded. "The-The Chief? The Chief of the Arnazuri?"

Mother nodded. "Yes. Now, come on. Hurry."

She headed back toward the front of the house, leaving me scrambling to get up. My body felt sore and stiff, but I ignored the pains as I raced to the bathroom to run water over my face. I glanced down at my wrinkled clothes, but figured I had no time to change if a driver was already waiting for me. So without changing, I hurriedly stepped into a pair of shoes.

When I came to the front of the house, a man I didn't recognize stood at the door. When I entered the room, he nodded and silently tipped his hat at me. He was dressed in all black and wearing a typical chauffeur uniform, although he made me uneasy for it looked like he could just as well been driving a funeral car.

I glanced around, finding Father, Mother, and Prince standing nearby in a huddle, silently watching and looking suspicious, worried, and frightened respectively.

The chauffeur turned toward my parents. "She will be driven back when the Chief is done with her."

Father narrowed his eyes. "Can you tell us what this is about?"

"She can fill you in on the details when she returns." The chauffeur tipped his hat again, and then extended his arm to escort me out of my own home, giving me no choice but to make my exit.

The chauffeur opened the back door of the car awaiting us. I quietly climbed in and sat awkwardly as he settled in behind the driver's wheel. The interior of the car was spotless and smelled of fresh leather—so unlike the vehicles I was used to occasionally seeing. Not many in my village even had cars to begin with, and whenever the sporadic car crossed my path, it contained dirty cloth seats that radiated years worth of mustiness on the inside, and rusty metal on the outside. They were mostly cars that couldn't sell in the secondhand market at King's Forest. Meaning, old and overused.

I'm still confused as to why some here in Black Forest think they need cars. For one, we don't have enough roads made for cars. Secondly, you could get around easily on horses and if you wanted to travel outside Black Forest, there was a water taxi system run by the Rowans that could take you as far as King's Bay and the boats were really fast.

Mother once said it was just a status thing. Father said it was the need to be Kingfisher validated. I guess it could be a bit of both.

"Is the temperature comfortable enough for you?" the chauffeur asked.

I nodded my head before realizing he wasn't looking at me. "Yes," I said, my voice strained with nerves.

"Very well." He proceeded to crank the engine and drove off. "Please fasten your seatbelt."

I did as I was told and then remained silent for the rest of the ride. I wanted to ask where I was being taken, but I knew it didn't matter. So I fell back into my state of numbness, completely losing track of how long the ride was.

When we reached our destination, the chauffeur opened the car's back door for me. As I climbed out, I stared up at the building. A door swung open and from it, another man emerged. He wore the kind of expensive attire that could only mean he was involved with the royals.

"This way, Ms. Romunda," he said.

I entered the building and silently followed him down a hall. The air inside was cool and crisp, and our footsteps echoed on a shiny marble floor—or at least his did. The rubber soles of my shoes squeaked noisily, making me want to cringe with every step.

We made a right turn, and stopped before a large metal door. The man knocked and a voice inside told him to enter.

He held the door open for me, and inside was none other than the Chief of the Arnazuri. With his olive skin tone and silky black hair, you couldn't miss that Chief Mantana was Ammirian. Nevertheless, he was still the most important person in Black Forest.

I hesitantly stepped inside, feeling more out of place than I could ever remember feeling in my life. I suddenly wished I had taken a moment to change my clothes before leaving the house. Nervously, I ran a hand over my thick and frizzy hair, despite knowing the gesture was useless. I swallowed, my mouth having grown unbearably dry.

"Genesis Romunda," the Chief said, bowing his head, "how do you do?"

"F-Fine," I stammered.

"Please, come in and take a seat."

The door closed behind me with a heavy thud, leaving me alone with the Chief. A large table stretched out before me. I approached it, seating myself at the end.

The Chief walked to the corner of the room, where a smaller table was located. On it rested paper cups, a pitcher, and small plates filled with appetizers. "Would you like something to drink? Hors d'oeuvres?"

I shook my head. "No. No, thank you." It was a lie; the food smelled wonderful and I was dying of thirst. But I doubted my nerves would allow me to eat or drink anything in front of him.

He smiled. "Nonsense," he said. "I won't take no for an answer. It's the least I can do, since you so graciously agreed to meet with me today."

I gave a strained smile. Technically, I hadn't agreed to anything and he knew it; I had been summoned and consequently had no choice but to come.

Still smiling, the Chief approached me, setting a cup of water and a small plate of food before me. "Th-Thanks. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said, and then settled into the seat across from me. He stared at me for a moment, and I knew he was waiting for me to consume the refreshments he had provided.

Not wanting to be rude, with a shaky hand, I picked up the cup of water and took a small sip. The cool liquid felt so good going down my throat though, that I then tossed back the whole cup, unable to resist.

"Wonderful," the Chief said. "Now, let's get to business, shall we? I know you are curious as to why you've been brought here," he began, "so I will cut to the chase rather than drawing things out. You have been chosen to attend Promenade, a school for gifted children. There, you will be trained to serve in King Henry's court."

The Chief had spoken in a normal speed, but somehow, I heard his words in slow motion. I blinked and swallowed, wishing I had some more water. I knew I needed to respond, but I couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"I know this is a lot to take in," the Chief said, correctly interpreting my speechlessness, "but you should be honored. Word has reached the central royal council about your loyalty to the king, and it is common knowledge that you've been serving as the only elite hunter still functioning in the Arnazuri tribe. The king has great respect for you, especially since you have resisted the peer pressure to join the Hawks. Your family must be so proud."

I thought of my father's plans to join the Hawks and cold sweat began to run down my back. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair and tried to force a smile, but my cheek muscles wobbled. As I let the Chief's words sink it, it finally registered that something was wrong.

"But that's not possible," I said. "Women aren't allowed to attend Promenade—not even Kingfisher women have ever been accepted."

The Chief smiled. "Times are changing, Genesis. Believe it or not, King Henry is a very forward-thinking man. We're not naïve; we know he doesn't always sport the best reputation among your tribe. However, he's a different kind of leader for this generation, and a lot of progress will be made under his leadership—including permitting women, if they are loyal, into Promenade. You will be the first. A lot of great things are in store, which everyone will see in due time."

I fell silent again, thinking it over. I had to admit, accepting women into Promenade was quite an admirable change, and it was flattering to be the first woman to be selected for such an honor. But then I thought about King Henry sending guards to kill members of the Hawks without fair trial—that did not sound like a forward-thinking leader. Hence, it made me think that this move undoubtedly came with a hidden price. If anything, it showed that forward-thinking and power-hungry didn't always mix well, and virtually everyone knew how power-hungry King Henry was. It was even rumored that he had killed his own father in order to seize the throne at the last minutes before the rotational system kicked in to dictate that it was time for another tribe to put forward a leader. And of course, the speculation behind why he would do such a thing all pointed to his desire to change The Scroll, rewriting it so that the only thing he didn't have control over—the rotation system—no longer existed.

King Henry was not the kind of king I wanted to work for. Plus, I couldn't fathom leaving my family to live near the capital, especially given how turbulent times currently were. Prince needed me, and Mother needed someone to help her keep an eye on Father.

And if I was at Promenade, who would hunt for meat then?

Yet, as I looked at the Chief, sitting across from and staring at me, I knew I had little say in the issue at hand. The word of the king was law, and there was nothing anybody could do about it. If I was chosen to go to Promenade, then I would soon be on my way there, whether I liked it or not. Refusing such an offer would mean I would be joining Remington and the rest of the murdered Hawks on the other side of life.

As if reinforcing my lack of control over the matter, the Chief stood and nodded at me. "Well, I know you're probably excited to tell your family the good news, so I won't keep you any longer. You enjoy the rest of your day, Genesis. Please feel free to take your appetizers with you. And congratulations."

With that, he walked me to the door and held it open, where my escort awaited.

"Wind beneath your wings," he said wishing me well.

"And beneath yours," I replied.
Chapter 7

As promised, the chauffeur drove me back home. When he parked in front of my house, I saw Prince waiting in the window; something told me he had probably been waiting there from the moment I left.

"Enjoy your day, Ms. Romunda," the chauffeur said in parting, before driving away.

The front door of my house swung open, and my mother stood in the threshold, waiting.

Still carrying the plate of appetizers I had yet to eat, I darted into the house, my mind racing.

"What is it, Genesis? What happened?" Mother immediately asked. She cast a confused look at the plate in my hand and then took it from me, setting it on the table, where Father sat with his hands folded, silently watching me. I went to the table and sat down across from him, while Mother and Prince hurriedly positioned themselves on either side of me. Even though I had been holding the plate for the whole ride home, I hadn't focused on what was on it. Now, I saw that it contained meat, sarra, and cassava fries. I picked up a slice of the meat and took a bite. Although it had grown cold, flavor like I had never tasted before exploded on my tongue, and my teeth sliced through the meat as if it was butter. I never knew meat could be so tender. Clearly, this was the kind of stuff the Kingfishers kept for themselves because it was absolutely nothing like the leftover scraps that were passed down to our community once the best had been taken by the royals.

Regardless, I chewed numbly, unable to enjoy it. "I've been chosen to attend Promenade," I said.

My words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding. Father's eyes narrowed, Mother looked stunned, and Prince's bottom lip quivered.

"Isn't that only for men though?" Mother asked after what felt like eons.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Apparently, King Henry has changed the rules. Women can attend now. I'll be the first or one of the first."

Mother pressed her hands to her stomach again.

"Do you really have to go?" Prince asked, his voice cracking.

"If the order came from the capital, then she has no choice," Mother said, she looked at father and added. "We have no choice."

I nodded. "The order came from the council. The Chief said the king has great respect for me—being the only elite hunter left, and all...refusing to join the Hawks." I stared pointedly at my father. His expression remained unchanged, but his hands were folded so tightly that his knuckles looked strained.

Prince sniffed beside me. I looked at him, seeing that he was fighting back tears.

"Hey—look on the bright side," I said, forcing a smile. "This could be a really good thing for our tribe. I'll be the first woman to attend Promenade. Do you know how much respect that's going to bring to our family? To our whole tribe? It's an opportunity for me to get close to the monarchy. Who knows? Maybe I can even influence them, you know? I can be the one to help change things for the better. What if I managed to help maintain peace between the Arnazuri and King's Forest? Imagine that. You know, not many Arnazuris get the chance to get close to the monarchy. This could really be the start of something good for us all. We can't afford to keep losing members of our tribe. We have to be wise and tactical. Isn't that what Grandpa always said?"

I tried to smile wider for Prince's sake, but my words had sounded hollow to my own ears. There was a feeling of foreboding in the pit of my stomach that just wouldn't go away no matter how much I tried to spin things into a positive light.

"Yes," Father said. "Imagine that. It's just what you always wanted. How lucky for you." There was no mistaking the bitter tone to his voice; his words were far from congratulatory. "Your heart has always been with the ruling tribe anyway," he continued. "Now you can serve them, just like you've always wanted."

"Mikah, she's only doing what has to be done," Mother said, trying to lessen the sting of his words. "She has no other choice. You know that."

Father only grimaced. He reached forward and took a piece of the meat from the plate I'd brought back from my meeting with the Chief.

I stared at him as he chewed. "You speak as if you think I care more for the royals than I do our own people, Father," I said. "You speak as if you are accusing me of not being a true Arnazuri at heart."

Father's chair screeched against the wooden floor as he slid back from the table and rose from it. He turned his back and retreated toward his bedroom. Just before he was out of view, he came to a halt. "Are you?" he asked, before rounding the corner.
Chapter 8

A hush permeated my house after I'd returned from my meeting with the Chief of the Arnazuri, bearing news of my future at Promenade. That all-consuming hush lasted for days on end. No one knew what to say, but in reality, there simply was nothing to say. After a couple of days, Mother and Prince tried to carry on as usual, attempting to pretend that such a life-changing event didn't lurk around the corner. Father, on the other hand, did little to hide his sulking. Before I knew it, a full week had gone by without he and I uttering a single word to each other. I hadn't even realized seven days had passed until the first day of the full moon was upon us.

I was sitting in my room, staring at the wall and thinking about Promenade when Prince approached me, a partial smile on his face. It had been so long since I'd seen him smile that it took me off guard.

"Come with me to the Moon Ceremony," he said.

I smiled back. "All right."

***

My life had been thoroughly turned upside down, but taking my little brother to the Moon Ceremony provided a sense of normalcy that I desperately needed. Even if just for one evening, I could pretend that things were as they had always been.

As Prince and I walked past the empty farm market, palm wine shops, and toward the open field where the Moon Ceremony was held each month, I hoped the night would be filled with stories interesting enough to make me forget the horrors the past week had sprung on me. I hoped that I could get lost in a tale that would make me momentarily forget that Remington and Zora were dead and that I would one day have to start working for the people who were responsible for their deaths, whether I liked it or not.

As the giant oil palm trees came into view, a feeling of comfort surprisingly came over me. I looked to my side and smiled at Prince, grateful that with all the stress he'd gone through in the past week, the Moon Ceremony still provided him the opportunity to be a kid. The Arnazuri had been holding Moon Ceremonies for many generations. Each month during the first day of the full moon, the children of the community gathered around the oil palm trees to listen to Griots, Arnazuri storytellers. The stories were meant to pass information down from one generation to the next, but in reality, they just served as a way to keep the kids entertained. Attitudes may change from generation to generation, but the one thing that always stayed the same was that children always loved good stories.

Prince and I walked about the field, in search of a griot who looked intriguing; there were always a slew of storytellers to choose from during Moon Ceremonies.

"So—do you see where you want to go yet?" I asked after we'd been walking for a couple minutes.

"How about over here?" Prince said after a while, pointing to one of the older griots.

I raised an eyebrow. "That one?" I asked, looking at the elderly man with a hunched back.

Prince nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay. Whatever you say, boss," I said. Together, we headed to the tree the elderly man had declared as his for the night. As we approached, he gave a half toothless, yet friendly smile.

"Good evening," he said.

"Good evening," Prince and I said in unison.

"I'm so glad to have you. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you," I said. Prince and I settled down on the grass, which felt cool in the evening air, and was slightly covered in dew. We had a lot of space around us, for not many children were choosing this storyteller. Frankly, I was surprised Prince had even chosen the old man, for he usually gravitated toward the younger storytellers, finding them more interesting than the older ones. I suppose this may have been one of the reasons Prince was prone to siding with me over our parents. Like me, he seemed to believe the elders were growing more and more out-of-touch with the times. Plus, at his age, younger people just naturally seemed more appealing.

Tonight, however, it seemed that Prince was in the mood for something different. As I watched the old man settle onto a stump and take a sip of water from a bottle he'd brought with him, I was glad Prince had chosen a more untraditional storyteller this time around. There was something about the old man that had already piqued my interest, and I had a feeling we were going to be in for an interesting night.

We sat silently for a while, for it appeared the old man was stalling; I presumed he was waiting to see if anyone else would join us. After several minutes, a few more children did gather around. The old man looked up, seemingly satisfied with his crowd, and got ready to begin his tale.

"Tonight," the old man said, "I'm going to tell you all about the Arnazuri king who rose from obscurity, all the way to the throne of Nayja. His bravery was unlike anything ever seen before, and he came to accomplish what so many always thought was impossible."

I stared at the old man, already captivated. Despite his appearance, his voice rang out loud and strong, and there was a fierce gleam in his eye that indicated he was excited about his own story. I realized he reminded me of Mr. Obante, and I wondered if they were possibly related in some way.

"Genesis," Prince whispered in my ear, "Let's go to another storyteller. How about over there?" He pointed to one of the younger griots.

Shocked, I turned toward him. There was a clear look of distress in his eyes and it suddenly dawned on me why he was reacting this way; Prince was thinking about Father and the argument that had broken out the last time Father and I spoke. The old storyteller's words rang a little too close to the prophecy Father had talked about in attempts to justify his decision of joining the Hawks.

Even as this realization sunk in though, something about the way the old man spoke continued to hold my interest. And even if his story was going to be similar to what Father had spoken of, for some reason, I wanted to hear it anyway.

"Let's just hear a little more, okay? Besides, it'll be rude to get up and leave now," I whispered back.

Resigned, Prince frowned, but remained seated nonetheless. A part of me felt guilty for making him sit through something he didn't want to hear, for I had wanted this night to be fun for him. However, a part of me couldn't turn away from the story the old man told. His story was so detailed, it was almost as if he had personally lived through it. He made the elusive Arnazuri king sound like a superhero, overcoming incredible odds in order to get the other tribes to finally show the Arnazuri tribe the respect it deserved.

When he finished the story, everyone around him, including Prince, sat in an awed silence.

"Do you know what makes this story so special?" he whispered a minute after finishing his tale.

"What?" a little boy asked.

"It's a true story."

I swallowed, thinking of my father's words a week ago.

"When did it happen?" the same little boy asked. "We never heard about this in our Arnazuri history classes."

The old man smiled. "You won't hear this in a history class yet—because it hasn't happened yet," he answered. "But it will. Very soon, it will."

The story remained firmly on my mind as Prince and I walked home. It stayed on my mind for the rest of the night, and even into the next morning.

Before I knew it, the evening before I was due to leave for Promenade had arrived. The Chief had arranged for Dolly to be transported ahead of me so I could move around easily when I got to Promenade.

Mother and Prince had been doing a good job of pretending everything was alright, but that day, they were no longer able to keep up the charade.

Mother fixed a large dinner, splurging in ways she hadn't dared to in years. The last time I remembered her making a dinner so large, it had been when Prince recovered from a particularly scary bout of malaria that we had been terrified he wouldn't overcome. He had been seven years old at the time, and he hadn't eaten for a whole week. When his appetite returned, Mother celebrated her relief by cooking literally everything she could get her hands on.

"Mother, you shouldn't have," I said. Although I appreciated the gesture, all I could see was food being wasted. Much of it would undoubtedly spoil before she, Father, and Prince could eat it all. And now that I was leaving, there wouldn't be a single hunter left in our community.

The thought made my breath hitch. But then I remembered that I was going to work for the king. Maybe, somehow, I would be able to pull some strings to make sure my family—my people—were always well taken care of and fed.

Mother gave a shaky smile and smoothed my hair down. "I just want to make sure you have a good dinner before...before you leave." Her voice cracked, but she disguised it by clearing her throat. "Have you packed your things?"

"Yes."

"Are your clothes clean? Do you need to me wash anything out for you?"

"No."

"Okay." Mother ran her hand down the side of my face. "Let's eat. Go get your father and your brother."

I nodded and then went to the front of her house, stepping through the door. Father and Prince were outside, enjoying fresh air. "Dinner is ready," I announced. They both turned around. It was essentially the first time I'd said anything directed to Father in over a week.

Prince and Father stepped inside the house, both of their eyes widening at the amount of food Mother had prepared.

"Some of this will go to waste," Father said.

Mother shook her head. "I plan to send some over to Remington's family, to show our condolences."

A lump formed in my throat at the thought of Remington, and how once again, I was on my way to work for the people he'd been killed by. I then forced those thoughts aside; I didn't want to cry throughout what would be the last dinner I had with my family for a long time.

We all sat down at the table and began eating in silence, the only sounds being of chewing and drinking.

Once we had all eaten as much as we possibly could, Father stood from the table. "You will probably get used to meals even better than this, Genesis," he said. "Judging from the appetizers the Chief sent home with you, Promenade is probably overflowing with food you've acquired for them."

These would be the last words I heard from Father before the chauffeur retrieved me and my luggage before the next sunrise.
Chapter 9

I got off the water taxi at King's Port around 3pm. For some reason, it wasn't as windy as I thought it would be, so I removed my scarf and let my hair free.

I looked around but couldn't find any directions on the black dockside signs. One said "Fish Stalls" and pointed to the left, others said "King's Port Boat Tour"and "King's Port Cruises", but there was nothing about where to find buses.

Lots of people stood near the dock either waiting to receive a loved one or trying to get on a boat. Rowans, with their round full faces and flat noses, always had a serious look about them. That didn't mean they were unapproachable though, they are some of the kindest people you would ever meet, so I approached an older man to ask for directions.

I'd been to King's Port many times when father used to work for a Rowan fish trader but we'd never traveled as far as King's Bay. Frankly, I am the first person in my family to have a King's Bay and King's Forest permit.

As I got on the bus that would take me from King's Port to King's Bay, the thought of having to live amongst strangers made me miss my family even more. Back in Black Forest, no matter how rough my day had been, it had always been a relief simply knowing that I would eventually go home to a family that loved me. Whether it was a hard day at school, a bad hunting day, or some other misfortune—none of it mattered once I got home and heard my mother's voice, smelled her cooking, or saw my brother laugh. Now I had to get used to not having any of that anymore.

My dorm was in a hostel-styled building located in the heart of King's Bay, bordering the south side of King's Forest. The building was primarily populated with Rowans, Arnazuri, and a few Ammirians who needed to be close to King's Forest where they either worked or schooled.

First, I went to the building's stable to check on Dolly where the stable manager asked for my name, and then led me to Dolly's designated stall where I found her eating hay. She looked happy. Didn't even seem like she'd missed me so I headed up to my room. Once I reached the door, I realized the time had officially come to meet my new roommates. I could hear voices on the other side and knew the people I'd be forced to live with were inside.

Slowly I opened the door and peered inside. The room fell silent.

I glanced around, seeing someone's belongings at first—half still packed, and half tossed haphazardly beside a bed.

Two girls looked back at me—one sitting at her desk, and one sitting on her bed with a violin case in her lap.

"There's the third piece to the puzzle," the one sitting at her desk said. She hopped up from her seat, smiled, and extended her hand to me. "Hi! I'm Zudera!"

I shook her hand and nodded. "Hi. I'm Genesis."

"That's a cool name," she said in her Rowan accent. Her eyes suddenly widened as she glanced down at the uniform I wore. "Wait...You're one of the girls chosen to go to Promenade this school year. The Arnazuri hunter, right?"

I nodded, feeling like I was being put on the spot. I didn't want them to think I was some snobbish elite hunter-type.

For a second, there seemed to be a knowing gleam in Zudera's bright eyes, as if she knew something about Promenade I didn't. "I feel for you," she said in a low voice. But then she quickly restored her bright smile, making me wonder if I had imagined the whole thing. "I mean I'm happy for you. Anyway, nice to meet you, Genesis," she said, using her cheerful voice once again. "And congratulations on making history and everything, being one of the first women in that school! That's got to give you bragging rights, am I right?" She laughed. "It's far more glamorous than what I do, anyway. My dad is a fisherman, so I spend long nights helping him out with that."

Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded.

"I was just talking to our other roommate here," Zudera continued. "I met her not too long ago myself. Genesis, this is..." She turned toward the other girl sitting in the bed. "I'm sorry—how do you say your name again?"

The girl gazed at me, her eyes sharp, but her expression aloof and unreadable. She had the trademark looks of an Ammirian. I quickly gathered that the voice I'd been hearing while standing outside the door had belonged to Zudera rather than this one, for I could already sense she wasn't much of a people person.

"Sentana," she said.

"Right," Zudera said from beside me. She repeated Sentana's name, as if practicing the pronunciation and committing it to memory. "I was just asking Sentana what she does for a living. You're in a band or something, right?"

"I work for the king's court. I'm a member of his minstrel," she muttered after a prolonged pause. She then averted her gaze to stare at the violin in her lap.

"Oh—you work for the king, huh?" Zudera said. I glanced sideways at her, certain this time that there had been a strained tone to her voice. She cleared her throat. "So I take it you play the violin for him," she said, stating the obvious with a laugh.

Sentana merely looked at her for a second before reaching for what looked like a music book of some sort. With her gaze momentarily off us, Zudera caught my eye and grimaced, clearly feeling equally unnerved by our roommate as I did.

I tried to maintain a smile even though I wasn't so sure about Sentana, but I had a feeling Zudera and I would get along pretty well.

"So Genesis," Zudera said, "are you hungry? My dad and I made a killing fishing last night! I could get us some tasty fish dinners."

"Uhm..." I said. "Maybe some other time. I don't have much of an appetite right now. It's been a really long day."

"I can imagine," Zudera said, once again, giving me a knowing expression. She turned toward Sentana. "Well, what about you? You hungry? Want some dinner?"

Sentana shook her head, not even bothering to look at Zudera this time.

Zudera and I exchanged another glance, and I thought I heard her mutter something humorous under her breath. I suppressed a snicker.

"Well, Genesis—why don't you just keep me company?" Zudera said. "If it's not inconvenient."

"I'd love that," I said, following Zudera out of the room to explore the building that would serve as our new home.

***

"A new era is upon us."

Those were the first words I consciously remembered hearing from King Henry.

Upon arriving at the lavish grounds of Promenade, the new students, thirty in total, had been escorted to the auditorium—a huge space with high ceilings, golden chandeliers, and a stage that would have been better suited for extravagant theater performances than a school building.

I had seen King Henry before in pictures, but photos had no way of capturing just how commanding his presence truly was. From the instant he appeared onstage, his presence distracted me so thoroughly that it was a while before I managed to pay attention to what he was actually saying. I had seen men of his stature before—with tall, muscular, and athletic body types. Nevertheless, there was something other than his physique that made him seem larger than life. His curly ginger hair gave him a boyish look that created an odd juxtaposition to his high status. I stared as he paced the stage, astounded by how he could appear so youthful yet regal at the same time.

All in all, I just couldn't get over how surreal it felt to be sitting in an auditorium located in the capital, listening to how the next year would impact the rest of my life. It made me feel like a fly on the wall, spying on what should be someone else's experience, because I didn't really belong in the room.

Even the new Promenade uniform I'd been given, a black dashiki with black drawstring trousers to match, felt uncomfortable on my body. Despite the deceptively simplistic look of it, the smooth fabric felt more expensive than anything in the wardrobe of my entire family—or possibly in the wardrobe of anyone in the Arnazuri tribe, period. It felt wrong and intrusive, taunting my skin in ways that reminded me of just how far I was from my comfort zone. The boys wore the exact same outfit but had a ziki cap to go with theirs. The brimless, short and rounded cap was originally part of Arnazuri culture, but was now very common with males in the entire Kingdom. Even the dashiki that we wore as uniform was originally Arnazuri or like they would have said in the old world, West African.

In the back of my mind, I could hear what Remington would have said if he saw me dressed this way. I could see the mocking expression on his face as he uttered something along the lines of, "Who are you and what have you done with Genesis? You trying to impress someone I don't know about?" He'd said that once after seeing me in a black kaftan for the first time, unaware that I was attending the funeral of my great-uncle.

Thinking of Remington, I squirmed on the plush velvety cushion of my seat. I glanced around, wondering if any of my new classmates looked as uncomfortable as I felt. Then again—I had an overwhelming feeling none of them were battling the guilt of knowing royals had killed one of their former best friends. But the Hawks had brought it upon themselves, I reasoned. If only they'd listened to the things I had been saying.

Wanting to at least keep up appearances, I fixed my gaze back on King Henry and concentrated on giving him my undivided attention like everyone else.

"Gone are the days of old," he said. "I believe it is past time for everyone in Nayja to be given a fair chance and equal opportunities. And this is why I have decided women should be allowed into Promenade from now on."

I was a little late joining the polite applause that followed these words. As I clapped, I couldn't resist glancing around again and noticing for the first time that I actually wasn't the only woman present in Promenade's new class, as I had perceived from what the Chief told me. Surprised, I thought back to earlier in the hour when I arrived on the school grounds. Entering the capital had been sensory overload for me, and upon seeing my new fellow students, all I had taken in were the identical uniforms and haughty male faces. Somehow, I had missed the fact that two other females had been present within the group—or perhaps they had just been buried out of view by our numerous male peers.

Of the two other girls—one was a chic-looking kingfisher with salon-perfect red hair, and the other was clearly from the Ammirian tribe, judging from the trademark olive complexion and silky black hair. The girls sat next to each other, several rows away from me. Perhaps sensing my gaze, they both met my eye and gave a slight nod.

"These changes are for the better," King Henry continued, "and I am thrilled to be opening this new chapter of Promenade's history. Some of you will become Technology Architects. Some as Energy and Sustainability Analysts. Some of you as King's Guards. And some as Project Managers. Whatever you are assigned after graduation, I want you to know this, you have been called to the most honorable ministry of service to the Kingdom. You all should feel honored to be a part of such an amazing new beginning—to be a part of history in the making! That being said, I wish you nothing but the best, and I personally congratulate each and every one of you. Wind beneath your wings!"

"And beneath yours," everyone said in unison.

There was more applause as King Henry left the stage, escorted by some members of the council.

I forced myself to clap in unison with everyone else this time, while trying to ignore the apprehension steadily building inside of me. I didn't want to be any of those things he listed. First day at Promenade and I already wished I had the right to refuse to be there.

The applause died down once King Henry was out of sight, and the auditorium fell silent as another man—middle-aged and stern looking—approached the stage and peered out at us. "Please rise and follow me," he said.

My new fellow classmates and I rose from our seats and shuffled out of the auditorium in silence, falling into step behind the man as he led us to our first class of the day. The Ammirian girl caught my eye again and gave me a smile. I struggled to return the smile thanks to the wobbly muscles of my jaws, feeling incapable of forming anything other than a nervous pout.

Our group set down on a path of winding halls that made me worry if I would ever learn my way around; the all-white passageways of the building were built like mazes, as far as I could tell.

When we finally reached our classroom, we all filed inside in silence.

"Stand along the wall, please," our escort instructed. He then proceeded to perform a roll call, checking our attendance and assigning us to our designated seats. With my last name being Romunda, my seat wound up being located near the back of the room.

"Sit tightly. Your professor will be here shortly." With that, our escort gave the room at large a curt nod before exiting and shutting the door behind him.

The view from my seat mostly consisted of the backs of my classmates' heads, which I actually found somewhat comforting. Being outside most of their immediate view, I relaxed a bit and took the opportunity to absorb my surroundings. Needless to say, the classroom was more extravagant than any I had ever seen during my entire Arnazuri education. Its high ceiling stretched on forever, and the wooden floor practically gleamed as if made of marble. The dark cherry wood of our desks were perfectly polished, unscratched, and smelled of rich pines and lemon. The wide blackboard before us had a surface so smooth, it looked like it had never once been touched by chalk of any kind. One entire wall served as an enormous bookcase, complete with thick leather-bound classics with gold cursive titles along their spines. Astonished, I wondered if they were books that had survived from the old world.

The wall opposite the books was lined with spotless windows that provided such a startlingly clear view that I halfway wondered if glass really filled the panes.

"So, did any of you know beforehand that you'd be selected to come here?" a boy spoke out, cutting through the tensed silence. All eyes darted his way as his voice practically echoed through the room.

"I did," another boy answered, his tone somewhat dismissive. "I've been preparing for this my whole life."

"I expected as much also," said another. "Most men in my family are Promenade graduates, so it didn't come as a surprise."

"Same here," said yet another. "My father and grandfathers would have expected nothing less." At this, several boys laughed and nodded in agreement, their senses of entitlement permeating the air. As opposed to sweating bullets like me, these boys lounged at their desks, completely at ease. That's when it dawned on me that practically all of them were from elite families.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat again, feeling more out of place than ever.

"I think it's pretty easy to see which of us actually hadn't expected to be here," the first boy who had spoken said. Although he sat several seats ahead of me, I suddenly felt like he had eyes in the back of his head, and that they were staring at me. Without seeing his face, I could hear the condescending grin he had spoken through.

The room came to life with snickering and fake coughs.

I lowered my head, staring down at the dark wood of my desk. The boys looking at me, as well as the ones making pointed efforts to avoid looking at me, made it feel as if a fire had been lit to my face. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath just as someone else cleared their throat. From the sound, I could tell it was one of the other girls.

"Sure—just like it will be easy to see which of us will make history here too. Like my grandmother always told me, fortune favors those who don't take their position for granted. It's easy to see who that concept applies to here." Her voice was soft but determined, and cut through the boys' laughter like a knife.

I glanced up, seeing that it had been the red haired girl who had spoken. A dignified look rested on her face as her bright eyes flicked my way. I could almost feel her attempting to restore the pride she probably saw slipping away from me. Only at that moment did I even realize how far I had slouched down in my chair, as if I had been trying to disappear from the boys' view.

Get a grip, Genesis, I scolded myself. With a deep breath, I forced myself to sit up straight in my seat, and reminded myself that back in the Black Forest, I had always been able to compete with the best of the boys, including Remington.

I suppressed a shudder, a lump forming in my throat as I thought of my old friend, and the fact that I was sitting in a classroom about to be trained by and for the people responsible for his death. The tight feeling in my chest returned. I gripped the edges of my desk and took another deep breath, willing myself not to fall to pieces. The last thing I needed was to show any signs of weakness in front of the cocky, self-entitled boys in my vicinity.

There had been muttering around the room amongst the boys, and one of them was close to making a retort. But they all fell silent again when the classroom door reopened and a tall man with red dreadlocks stepped inside. I blinked, taken aback by his appearance, as I'd never seen a Kingfisher with dreadlocks before. Not only was his hair locked and very long, but he was wearing white from top to bottom, including his shoes. Everything about him was positively pristine. And somehow, even brighter than his clothes, was the smile plastered on his face. His smile was so wide, it looked like every pearly white tooth he possessed was on display.

He headed to the front of the room, covering the distance in just a few steps thanks to the strides of his long legs. As his eyes scanned the room, his smile grew impossibly wider. My own face hurt just looking at him.

"Another academic year is upon us," he said, with an enthusiastic clap of his hands. I jumped, as did a few others. Nervous giggles filled the room. "Congratulations, and welcome to Promenade! My name is Professor Eggleton, and I am greatly looking forward to our time together."

I glanced around the room again, noticing that my classmates all sat completely straight with their hands folded on top of their desks. I, on the other hand, had my hands in my lap, picking with my fingernails. I quickly brought them to my desk and folded them like everyone else. When I looked back to Professor Eggleton, my heart skipped a beat at the realization that he had been watching me. I suppose my movement had momentarily caught his attention. I swallowed against the dryness in my mouth, thinking I had seen a brief flash of annoyance in his expression. Yet, just half a second later, the wide smile had returned to his face so quickly that I grew convinced I'd imagined the whole thing.

Soon, I found my attention going in and out of focus as Professor Eggleton began what sounded like a well-rehearsed spiel, telling us all about himself. As he went on, it was overtly clear how intelligent he was, and that he held an important position in the royal court.

"I expect great things from all of you," he said, pacing the room with that same smile on his face, "and you can expect equally great things from your time here at Promenade. Be prepared to learn the rich history of our kingdom, in addition to economics, politics, and the skill of martial arts."

He finished his speech by giving himself an applause and even taking a little bow. For a fleeting moment, I almost laughed, but managed to hold it in. I kept my posture still and wondering if anyone else found Professor Eggleton as over-the-top as I did. Yet, everyone else sat as if they did not find his extreme charisma unusual. I supposed people from the capital were just more animated than I was accustomed to.

"Now, before we begin, there are a few more things I want to address with you about what is expected from you as students of Promenade." Professor Eggleton's voice developed a slightly stern edge to it, but the effect was marred by his lingering smile. "In order to graduate from this program, you must get a perfect score in every subject. Anything less will result in failure. We only accept the best into Promenade, and you therefore are expected to prove that we made the right decision in selecting you. However, this shouldn't really be news to most of you, considering you are following in the footsteps of the phenomenal gentlemen who came before you." At this, several of the boys gave smug smiles. "Is this understood?"

"Yes, Professor Eggleton," everyone except me replied in perfect unison.

As the hour went on, I realized that not only was I out-of-place, but I was already academically behind. My classmates knew quite a bit more than I did, as evident by the impromptu question-and-answer session Professor Eggleton decided to have in order to assess our collective level of knowledge. I felt myself sinking lower and lower into my chair after each question, embarrassed over not knowing the answers to any of them. Clearly, my Arnazuri education hadn't taught me much about the history the royals deemed important, and I was also lacking in my knowledge of their economic and political policies. I could only hope that I would pick up martial arts more quickly, but already I doubted the street-brawling I was used to would serve as much help in that area.

Self-consciously, I stared down into my lap as the boys continued to ask and answer questions as if they had been prepared for Promenade their whole lives—which likely was the case for most of them. As minutes stretched on, I finally looked up and noticed for the first time that one of the girls had a hand raised in the air. However, as Professor Eggleton continued his exchanges with the boys, he didn't seem to notice her. After a while, the girl lowered her hand, giving up on whatever she had wanted to say.

A while later, after Professor Eggleton asked a question about economics that managed to stump the boys in the class, the other girl—the kingfisher—was the only one to volunteer an answer. Considering no one else had raised their hand, it finally sank in that the girls weren't being accidentally overlooked, but instead, blatantly ignored.

For the first time that day, I felt annoyed rather than nervous and inadequate. I had no idea what I wanted to say, but my hand shot into the air as if it had a mind of its own. And like I anticipated, I was completely ignored by the professor. I glanced at the kingfisher girl, and then at the Ammirian; our faces all mirrored the same confused frustration.

I kept my arm raised for so long that my shoulder grew tired. When it became abundantly clear that Professor Eggleton had no intentions of calling on me, my fear and feelings of inferiority subsided entirely. I cleared my throat as loudly and rudely as possible, causing Professor Eggleton to flinch even though he still refused to look my way.

"Excuse me," I said, my voice ringing through the classroom, trembling slightly with annoyance. The boys froze, and the room grew quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Slowly, Professor Eggleton turned his gaze toward me, the friendly smile previously glued to his face finally faltering. "Is there a reason the other girls and I are being ignored? Because it's a bit rude and I was under the impression that Promenade was big on manners. This isn't fair."

The very air seemed to stand still and it felt like everyone collectively held their breath as to not disturb the stillness.

Professor Eggleton attempted to return the smile to his face, though the look of it had become strained and insincere. "Fair?" He folded his hands across his chest and looked me straight in the eyes. I held his gaze, determined not to waver. "You should know that it was I who advised the king to allow girls into the program in the first place," he said. "It was my idea to create the image of King Henry as the forward-thinking leader needed to rule for generations to come. That is more than enough for you to be grateful for."

"I am grateful," I responded, careful to keep my voice steady. "But I still want to know why the girls are being ignored, especially if it was your idea to let us into this program, professor."

Professor Eggleton's strained smile turned into an unmistakable sneer and spit flew out of his mouth when he spoke again. "Just because I suggested girls be allowed into the program does not mean I suggest you talk back! Or speak at all, for that matter! You are but furniture in this room."

I paused, unsure that I'd heard him correctly. "Furniture?"

"Yes. Furniture. Meaning you can be seen, but you are not to be heard. I hope that clears up any misunderstandings."

Dumbfounded, the other girls and I exchanged stunned glances.

Without waiting for any further responses, Professor Eggleton abruptly turned away from me and returned his attention to the only students who mattered to him—the boys.
Chapter 10

After Professor Eggleton's class, the rest of the day went by in a blur. It didn't matter though, for it had been made abundantly clear that as a female, my presence at Promenade served no real purpose at all. Only once did I attempt to raise my hand in another class, and when I was ignored, I took it as confirmation that the other professors shared the same sentiments as Professor Eggleton. I, and the other girls, were just there for show. Furniture to decorate the classrooms. Point taken.

I spent the day alternating from wanting to burst into angry tears, and wanting to convince myself that things weren't really as bad as they seemed. I kept trying to tell myself that maybe this was a good thing after all, for I didn't really want to be trained for and by the people responsible for Remington's death.

So what if I'm not allowed to receive a real education here, I told myself during one of my inner pep talks. At least I can have the prestige of saying that I'm among the first women to attend Promenade. That's all that matters. It will help bring some credibility to the Arnazuri tribe. So it doesn't matter if the professors won't acknowledge me. As long as I mind my own business and pass these classes, everything will be fine.

But no matter how many comforting lies I tried to tell myself, my anger refused to dissipate. Each time I attempted to look on the bright side, the other side told me that I could have still been back home with my family, and that my whole life had been uprooted for nothing. How was I supposed to face my father after something like this?

"Hey!"

After taking several wrong turns, I had been walking through the corridor that would finally set me on the right path to leave the school building. I was just passing a student lounge area when someone called out to me. I came to a halt, noticing that my two female classmates were approaching. The kingfisher girl extended her hand to me. "We still haven't officially met," she said. "My name is Madeleine, but everyone just calls me Mad."

"I'm Genesis," I said, shaking her hand.

"Hi. I'm Alyssa," the Ammirian girl said, also extending her hand.

I nodded. "Nice to meet you both." Although I tried my best to sound polite, my frustration couldn't be disguised. "Look, I don't know about you guys, but this is all new to me. Does the misogyny in this place surprise either of you, or is this kind of thing normal around here?"

"Pretty normal, I suppose," said Alyssa. She shrugged her shoulders. "For a second, I thought things would be different. But honestly, I didn't expect much from this place despite the big fuss they're making about having us here."

"Yeah," Mad said. "I'm a Kingfisher, so I already knew this was basically just a publicity stunt. Asking Kingfisher men to become progressive about gender relations is like asking antelopes to fly."

I looked back and forth between the two of them, unable to believe they were taking this kind of thing so lightly. It was a rude awakening, to say the least. I had always assumed the other tribes were more evolved and enlightened than the Arnazuri.

Mad laughed. "From the look on your face, this isn't at all what you were expecting, huh?"

I shook my head and thought of my mother. She was one of the strongest women I knew. I couldn't fathom her putting up with my father if he had been a man like Professor Eggleton. "I just thought...I didn't expect this kind of attitude to exist here. Arnazuri aren't like this, so it's hard to believe the other tribes are."

Mad's eyebrows shot upward. "Wow. I had no idea the Arnazuri were so out-of-touch with what goes on outside of their community! No wonder you mouthed off to Professor Eggleton like that! Let me give you a crash course on Kingfisher men—they all firmly believe men were meant to rule, and women were meant to follow and be submissive. They believe men are gifted with more advanced intelligence than women, and that the eagle-headed thunder-god made men genetically superior. That's why they are the rulers. Kingfisher men believe they alone possess the true power, wisdom, and strength necessary to successfully rule."

"You have got to be kidding me," I said. I stared at Mad, wondering if she truly thought such nonsense was acceptable.

"I'm afraid not," she answered, too nonchalantly for my liking.

"Well, if King Henry truly believes that, what was the point of accepting girls into Promenade? It just doesn't make sense. Who is he trying to impress if he knew women weren't going to be taken seriously here?"

"Well," Mad said, "King Henry is trying to appeal to the younger generation. Trust me—the king is someone who is obsessed with his appearance. He wants to be accepted by all. So he took Professor Eggleton's advice because he knows the younger generation is more open-minded than the generations before them. King Henry isn't stupid—he knows who he'll be dealing with in the future of the kingdom, so he wants to be in everyone's good graces. He wants to be seen as different from all the kings that came before him—you know, since he's seeking to rule for a lot longer than any king before him."

Mad's voice trailed as a group of our male classmates drew closer. Just watching the way they walked and talked, as if they had not a care in the world, set my blood boiling again. The king gave a good speech about wanting to bring about a new era, but the attitudes of these boys were already being shaped to preserve the misogynistic and chauvinistic attitudes that were customary to their fathers and grandfathers.

I hadn't noticed my fists were balled at my sides until my knuckles began to ache. I slowly opened my hands and rubbed them together, massaging the soreness away.

As the boys passed, most of them didn't bother to even look at us. In just a single day, they had already mastered Professor Eggleton's ability to pretend we didn't exist.

I shook my head and gave a laugh of disbelief as the boys continued to walk past us in clusters of twos and threes—with the exception of one, who walked alone. At the sound of my laugh, he glanced over toward us. I instantly fell silent. Mad and Alyssa stiffened beside me.

The lone boy slowed his pace as he stared at us—and then at me in particular. Slowly, his lips curled into a slight smile. He nodded, his eyes fixed precisely in my direction. "Hi," he said.

I pressed my mouth into a tight line. He looked at me for a second longer before picking up his pace and continuing on his way, undoubtedly realizing he wasn't going to get a response from me. I watched as he walked off, taking in his tall and slender, toned figure. He brushed his long straightened deep-red hair back with his hand before disappearing from view.

"Oh...my...thunder-god. He just said 'hi' to you, Genesis," Mad said. She turned to face me and blinked. "Why didn't you say something?!"

I crossed my arms. "Sorry, but I find it a little difficult to speak to someone who looks down on me because of my gender."

"But do you know who that was? That was Jason Fisher. In fact let me say his full name Jason William Marshal Fisher. He's the king's brother!"

"Good for him," I said unimpressed, although the fact did give me pause. I wondered if Jason Fisher was required to be polite to his female classmates in order to help the king's reputation. If so, such tricks weren't going to work on me.

"My goodness, he's cute!" Alyssa said, staring in the direction he had walked off to as if she could still see him. I halfway thought she was going to start salivating.

I rolled my eyes. "So what? He's still a pig like the rest of the guys here," I said. "Anyway, what time is it?" We had already been given homework and I didn't want to wait too long before getting started on it, especially since I had so much catching up to do. As Alyssa tore her eyes away from Jason's path to look down at the watch on her wrist, I contemplated asking whether she and Mad would mind tutoring me so that I could catch up. But then I had second-thoughts about letting them know I was already behind; I didn't feel comfortable revealing that kind of information to people who were still essentially strangers to me.

"It's fifteen minutes until five," Alyssa answered. She pouted. "I didn't realize it was so late already. The classes here sure are long. I better get started on some homework. Do you guys want to go to the library with me? Genesis? Genesis—what is it? What's wrong?"

My eyes bulged and my heart leapt to my throat. "It's...it's almost five? I've got to go!" My mind racing, I secured my bag over my shoulders and hurriedly tried to calculate how far the building was from the horse stable, and how long it would take to reach the capital gates. The distance stretched out in my head, making my stomach twist into knots. I hastily stepped away from Mad and Alyssa, quickly scanning the premises for the nearest way out.

"Wait—Genesis!" Alyssa called after me, but I ignored her, having spotted the closest exit.

As I took off running toward it, I heard Mad hissing at Alyssa. "Stop it! Leave her alone. She has to go!" Mad said. "Arnazuris aren't allowed to stay in the capital past five o'clock. She hasn't got much time."
Chapter 11

My racing heartbeat seemed to mark the passing of each second, and each second I was reminded that it was getting closer to the five o'clock deadline. I didn't know what would happen if I didn't manage to leave the capital by five, nor did I know why such rules had been created in the first place. All I knew was that I had no desire to find out the consequences.

As I made it outside of the school building, the weather was getting cooler but the sun was still bright. Dusty wind whipped across my face as I headed for the horse stable, which also felt an impossible distance away. As I ran, I got the unsettling feeling that I wasn't getting any closer—as if the universe was playing a prank on me by making my destination move farther away with each step I took. Several boys from my class looked my way, their eyes narrowed with judgment and suspicion. But I tried to block them out as much as I could. Now was not the time to be frustrated with them and their ways. I simply needed to make myself scarce before the clock marked the new hour.

Getting a stitch in my side, I forced myself to keep running. My legs strained under the heavy books I had in the sack across my back, but I couldn't afford to slow down. I couldn't even afford to catch my breath.

Finally, the exit gates came into view. I searched for the horse stable, relieved to spot Dolly's silvery fur and swishing tail. She pawed the ground, happy to see me, and having no idea how happy I was to see her.

I stopped beside her, breathing heavily as she nudged her head toward me, bumping my arm with her snout. "Hey Dolly," I said between gasps, giving her a quick pat on the nose. I readjusted my bag over my shoulder, and then climbed onto her back. "Let's go," I said. "Hurry."

Sensing my urgency, Dolly began to trot off before breaking into a run.

I couldn't describe how grateful I was to have her here with me.

I gripped Dolly's reigns as we ran through the gates of Promenade, directed her to the horse lane and set off toward the capital's business district, which was still a considerable distance away.

I desperately needed to make it out of there but unfortunately, the capital was fairly big, and saying that we were pressed for time was an understatement.

I nudged my feet into Dolly's sides, urging her to go faster. "Please, Dolly...please," I pleaded. The entrance and exit of the King's Forest was marked by another set of gates, and after what felt like an uncomfortably long time, those gates finally came into view.

"Almost there," I said, patting Dolly and urging her to go faster. I could now see King's Bridge through the gates from a distance. I just needed to make it through and I'll be on the bridge to King's Bay in no time.

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a bell sounded from somewhere beyond us, clanging five times to mark the start of the new hour.

The capital gates began to close...

"No...no...no!" I cried.

A ball of dread rolled into the pit of my stomach. I stared in disbelief, unable to believe that the gates had shut before Dolly and I had managed to reach them. Unable to believe that we had been so close. So very close. Just yards away.

Seeing the gates closing and that she had nowhere to go, Dolly screeched and came to an abrupt halt. I held on to her reigns and gripped my legs tightly at her sides as she reared onto her hind legs, startled by the bell and the yells that suddenly drifted our way.

Panicked, I glanced around, finding royal guards seemingly springing out of nowhere and heading towards us.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I yelled over Dolly's screeching and their yelling.

"An Arnazuri," one of the guards informed, stating the obvious. The others around him began to mutter, all the while, I kept apologizing, saying the words 'I'm sorry' so many times that they started to sound like gibberish.

"What is your name, forestborn child?" one of the guards demanded. He and the others positioned themselves in a circle around Dolly and I, trapping us.

"G-Genesis Romunda," I stammered. "I'm a new student at Promenade. I...I just lost track of time, that's all. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Genesis Romunda, you are in violation of the rules of The Kingdom of Nayja. No Forestborn person is allowed in the capital after 5pm. You are under arrest."

The world around me seemed to sway and my heart left my throat and sank to my stomach instead. The guards reached up and literally pulled me off Dolly. I crashed clumsily to the ground, unable to believe this was really happening.

Dolly protested again, whinnying and rising to her hind legs as additional guards reached for her, taking hold of her reigns, presumably to return her to the stable.

I stood, numb with shock as my hands were tied behind my back and guards gripped my upper arms, leading me to a vehicle parked right outside of the capital gates. They forcefully shoved me into the backseat of the car like a common criminal and then slammed the door behind me. The two guards who had shoved me inside then settled into the front of the vehicle and before I knew it, I was being driven away.

It would have almost been funny if it wasn't so shocking that this was essentially the second time I had been arrested within a month.

My arms began to ache as I stared at the guards in the front seat. I was afraid to ask them what was about to happen to me, and had a feeling they wouldn't tell me if I asked anyway. So I remained quiet, the only sound escaping my mouth being a sigh of disbelief over my horrible luck.

It was ironic that just hours beforehand, I had been trying painstakingly to appreciate the honor of being one of the first women to ever attend Promenade. Despite the complicated circumstances leading to my acceptance into the school, a part of me had wanted to take some pride in knowing that I would go down in history as one of the first women to be a part of such a prestigious program. Yet now, I faced possibly and probably going down in history as the first person, male or female, to get expelled after the first day. Never in a million years could I have imagined becoming such a big time record-breaker; I guess I was bound to go down in history, one way or another.

As the car trailed on, I had visions of being sent back home. I imagined my father waking in the morning to find me at the doorstep, standing there with my bags and my embarrassment. I felt sick just thinking about what he would say after receiving the news; I would become even more of a failure than he already considered me to be.

As if I hadn't already brought enough shame to the family in his eyes. I felt as if all the other hunters in Black Forest would laugh at me. The girl that refused to join the rebellion.

I then thought of Prince, wondering what he would think about the big sister he idolized so much if he could see me now. As for my mother—I doubted she'd be too proud of me either; she had raised me to be more responsible than this. How could I have talked for so long with the other girls? What were we discussing that was that important?

I sighed again. The driver glanced briefly back at me through the rearview mirror, instantly silencing me with his quick stare. Holding my breath, I tilted my head upward, fighting against the sting of tears forming in my eyes. I couldn't let those tears fall, especially since my hands weren't free to wipe them away.

When my eyes dried back up, I lowered my head and proceeded to stare out of the tinted glass of the window beside me. If I hadn't been such a bundle of nerves, I would have been more impressed with the breathtaking scenery before me.

King's Forest was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Never before had I seen such rich lawns, lush trees, colorful flowers, and captivating buildings. The shops had deep green plants curling around them, and solar-powered vehicles sat parked in front of them. The charging centres were empty but still maintained to remind themselves of a time when they still had to connect cars to charge their batteries. Now all their cars just got charged directly from the sun's rays.

If there ever was such a place as the land of milk and honey, this was it. The milk and the honey flowed from King's Forest and stayed in King's Forest.

In comparison to the muted colors and modest dwellings that populated Black Forest, this place hardly even looked real. King's Bay and King's Port do get a few slices of the apple pie occasionally, but even that was mere crumbs compared to what the Kingfishers had. What we got in Black Forest was worse than crumbs.

As the car continued to drive, my jaw literally dropped at the intricate architectural structures we passed. I suppose the appearance of Promenade should have given me an inkling of what things were like in King's Forest, but it was overwhelming nonetheless.

I always knew things were much better here but had never really seen the enormity of how uneven wealth was distributed in Nayja until it stared me right in the face.

Life just wasn't fair in too many ways to contemplate.
Chapter 12

When we came to a stop, we were before the most extravagant building I had ever seen in my life. Everything I had seen up until that point completely paled in comparison. The building stretched so far into the sky, Heaven was probably visible from the rooftop. Golden designs—which I presumed were genuinely made of real gold—decorated the intricate white marble pillars lining The Rock as the king's palace was called.

The guards pulled me from the backseat. Each of them gripped my arm, and proceeded to march me toward the building. My breath hitched in my throat as we ascended the stone steps. Upon reaching the entrance, one of the guards grabbed hold of a giant brass knocker and clanged it against the massive door before us.

I swallowed as the door opened to reveal a group of armed king's guards eyeing us as if they had been awaiting our arrival.

"There has been a violation in the capital," the short guard with full moustache standing to my left informed. "We are here to deliver Ms. Genesis Romunda of the Arnazuri, student of Promenade, to the king for judgment on her crime."

The guards gave us stiff nods and stepped aside, permitting us entrance into the palace.

The air inside was cool and sweet-smelling, and our footsteps echoed down the corridors. I stared at my feet as we walked, wondering what on earth was about to happen to me.

When we reached the end of the corridor, we turned a corner and stood before a large and magnificent archway that gave a perfect view right to the throne, where King Henry himself lounged. His throne was made of pure gold and laced with diamonds at the edges.

Spotting me being escorted by guards, King Henry's eyes widened and he sat up straighter in his throne.

"Your majesty," the guards on either side of me said, taking a bow and forcing me to do the same.

"What do we have here?" the king asked.

"Your majesty, this is Ms. Genesis Romunda. She is brought before you today because she has committed a crime that has never been committed in our land before. You must preside over her case."

When I'd been positioned before the king's throne, I had been too stunned by my circumstances to take a thorough look around. Once the guard revealed the reason for my presence, however, I simply became too afraid to look elsewhere. I didn't need to look around though, to know that we had a captivated audience. I could feel every pair of eyes on me even if I didn't know exactly how many there were.

"And what sort of crime do you speak of?" King Henry asked. When I first saw him, there had been something youthful about his appearance. Now, however, all traces of that had suddenly disappeared. The gravity of the situation had caused his expression to turn stony and serious, which eliminated the boyish handsomeness he had possessed the first time I'd seen him. He appeared to age right before my eyes, looking every bit as royal and important as he truly was.

"Ms. Genesis Romunda stayed in the capital beyond the five o'clock curfew permitted to members of her tribe, the Arnazuri."

The announcement of my crime was met with a heavy silence that stretched on forever before getting interrupted by an onslaught of murmurs. The hairs on the back on my neck stood on end, and I lowered my gaze to the floor, staring at the leather of the new shoes awarded to me from Promenade.

In that moment, it struck me how dumb the curfew was. Although I had accepted the way things were for as long as I could remember, I couldn't help wondering why Arnazuri were treated like such outcasts in Nayja when we were the first on this land. What had we done to deserve this?

"Is this true, Ms. Romunda?" the king asked, his sharp eyes narrowing my way. He tilted his head. "Tell me, what do you have to say for yourself?"

I swallowed, although my mouth felt like sandpaper. I took a deep breath and briefly closed my eyes, willing my voice to remain steady as I spoke. "I...today was my first day at Promenade and it was a...a very enlightening day," I began. "I was talking with some fellow classmates and just lost track of time. It was an accident, I swear. I tried to get my horse and leave, but the gates closed before I managed to make it out of the capital. I'm...I'm terribly sorry for any offense that I have caused. It wasn't my intention to break any laws. I promise it won't happen again."

A long silence followed my words, and it grew more uncomfortable by the second. "I see," King Henry finally said. "Well, this most certainly is a first. Do you not own a watch, Ms. Rogunde?"

"Romunda," a guard corrected.

"Ms. Romunda, do you not own a watch?"

My face flushed. "No, I do not, your majesty," I said through clenched teeth.

"And why is that?"

"Because my family does not have the funds to waste on luxury items like watches, your majesty."

"Well, clocks are plentiful in Promenade, for keeping time is of the utmost importance. Do you know how to tell time, Ms. Romunda?"

"Yes," I said. "But as I stated before, your majesty, time got away from me. It was a busy day, and it was a lot to take in. I overlooked the time, and I am sorry."

"Very well," the king said.

I stared at him, waiting and wondering if I had already been forgiven. My heart, which had been pounding furiously from the moment I'd been captured, finally began returning to its normal speed.

"What shall be done now, your majesty?" one of the guards still holding my arm asked.

King Henry cleared his throat and stood from his throne. A hush fell over the room. "I, King Henry," he began, "being the Son of Heaven and King of All Men, address the celestial forefathers and the eagle-headed Thunder God, on behalf of this earthly Kingdom bestowed upon me. We ask that you grant your daughter the grace to withstand her punishment, and if it is your will, grant me the grace to show mercy."

"Amen," everyone in the chamber said in response.

I finally gathered the nerve to glance around. Men and women, young and old, all stared back at me, their faces animated with grim curiosity. I glanced beyond them to the extravagant artwork hanging on the walls. Several of them were instantly recognizable as Arnazuri pieces, featuring dark brown-skinned subjects who looked much like the people I'd spent my whole life around. I stared at them, feeling a sense of kinship and spiritual longing, as if the souls of those painters could somehow protect me.

I wanted to believe that such artwork indicated that Kingfishers had some level of respect and appreciation for Arnazuri people. I wanted to take it as a sign that they therefore wouldn't be too harsh on me. Nevertheless, I knew better than to set my hopes too high, for luck just hadn't been in my favor lately. It all felt so surreal, and it was hard to believe that my supposed crime was being taken so seriously.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any more bizarre, a tall man with a deeply wrinkled face and gloved hands stepped forward, carrying what appeared to be a very old piece of rolled parchment. Astonished, I realized it was none other than The Scroll itself.

Everyone in Nayja was familiar with what The Scroll was but no one outside of the royal council was allowed to read it. Copies were forbidden so whatever they told us was written in it was what was written in it.

The man stepped before the king and took a deep bow, which took some effort due to his height and age. "My Lord, I am at your service to consult The Scroll regarding the current matter at hand."

"Very well," said King Henry. "Please, review the Judgment section and inform us of the repercussions Ms. Romunda of the Arnazuri is to face for her crimes."

I flinched at the word crimes. I bit my tongue to keep myself from stating that I had only committed one single crime—and one that certainly couldn't be serious enough to warrant such a grand ceremony. But I was sensible enough to keep my mouth shut, for if I spoke at such an inopportune moment, it would undoubtedly make me a multiple-offender and crimes would become the accurate word.

Carefully, the tall and elderly man unrolled The Scroll. Everyone watched with bated breath. Seconds ticked by and became minutes. And after what felt like a short eternity, the man glanced upwards from The Scroll. Unless it was my imagination, he appeared to grow several shades paler right on the spot.

"Yes?" King Henry said.

"The punishment," the man answered after an uncomfortably long pause, "for an Arnazuri remaining in the capital after the stroke of the five o'clock hour is death by hanging."

His words hung heavily in the air. All the blood drained from my face and I swayed on my feet, sure that I would collapse at any second.
Chapter 13

Shock had sent me into such a stupor that I was already locked in a holding cell by the time I snapped out of it. The cell was cold, gray, and harsh-looking, with an old toilet located in the corner—and it was to be my home for the next five days.

I only had five days left to live.

Every time I thought of my life ending in less than a week, I felt a little deader on the inside. How can this be happening? I couldn't catch my breath and my heart sped so fast, it seemed as if it was trying to complete all the beating it would have done in my normal lifespan. I halfway thought that when the guards came to retrieve me for execution, they would find me dead already from a heart attack.

I suppose most 17-year-olds hardly ever gave much thought to the end of their lives, at least not under normal circumstances. But times were far from normal these days. Plenty of people my age had lost their lives not long ago when royal guards attacked the Arnazuri community, and it seems that I had escaped such a fate just by the skin of my teeth, all due to my loyalty to the royals. The irony wasn't lost on me though. Who would have thought death would eventually catch up to me anyway a few weeks later?

I thought about the young people who had greeted death before me. What kind of things went through their minds when they realized the end was near?

What had been Remington's last thought before guards ended him?

Then again, they were all killed so abruptly, they probably hadn't had much time to think about anything, save for the immediate fear they must have experienced upon realizing what was happening. They didn't have days to ruminate like I did, which left me feeling strangely jealous in a morbid way; I bet death was easier to face when it just snuck up on you, rather than scheduled a meeting with you in advance.

Whenever I wasn't agonizing over my impending death at the end of the week, I thought about my family, wondering how they would receive the news of my execution, or if they had already been informed. I would have given anything to see them one last time, even my father, despite our disagreements. Everything between me and him would have easily been forgiven on my end if I could have just felt his arms around me once more, providing me the fatherly protection that I had enjoyed so much as a small child. I could remember being a kid, and how whenever my father held me, it seemed like no harm could ever come my way. If only I could feel that way again, even if just for a second.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks, stinging the skin on my face.

I knew my father—stoic man that he was—would find a way to use my death as ammunition for him to fight. My death would leave him more dedicated to the Hawks than ever, if he hadn't already pledged his loyalty to them by now.

My mother, on the other hand, would undoubtedly fall to pieces. She and I had always shared a strong and special bond, so much, in fact, that it always baffled me to know that so many teenage girls had rocky relationships with their mothers. My mother had always been the world to me, and I to her.

I hoped Prince took good care of her once I was gone.

The thought of Prince caused a lump so large to form in my throat that I thought I would pass out again. I couldn't even bear to think about how my baby brother would fair without me.

The tears streaming down my face grew impossibly heavier and thick mucus built inside my nose, forcing me to breathe through my mouth. I typically tried to refrain from crying in public, never wanting to show signs of weakness in front of strangers, but now, I sobbed loud and hard, not caring who heard me.

My tears, snot, and sobs didn't subside until I heard a door opening, followed by jovial whistling that felt completely out of place given the atmosphere. I sniffed and wiped my nose with my sleeves. Moments later, a prison guard appeared—a rotund middle-aged man with eyes that sent chills down my spine. He carried a tray of food, and stopped right before my cell.

"Well, hello there, darling," he said.

Bile rose in the back of my throat.

He pulled a set of keys from his pocket, opened the door to my cell, and stepped inside.

We stared at each other for a moment, neither of us saying anything. Eventually, a slow smile spread across his cracked lips. I suppressed a shudder. Something about this man reflexively made my skin crawl.

"You hungry?" he asked.

I had no answer for him though, and I couldn't even tell if I was hungry, to be honest. If I was, it was masked by my fear.

The guard lifted the tray, permitting me to get a better look at the food. "Got some good stuff here for you," he said, "but first—you have to make your payment."

I blinked, confused. "Payment?"

He smirked in response, while slowly stepping toward me. My stomach lurched and in that moment, I understood the look in his eyes to be that of none other than a predator. He reached out, running a finger down the side of my face.

I slapped his hand away.

He laughed. "Oh—so you're going to play rough, huh?"

Before I knew it, he set down the tray of food and lunged at me. I was pinned to the cold stone wall behind me, his girth pressing against me and his hands running over my body in ways that made me want to vomit. I tried to slide away from him, but he gripped my shoulders, forced me to the floor, and climbed on top of me. He brought his hands to my waist, moving them along the hem of my shirt and raising it to expose my belly. He rubbed his rough scratchy hands against my lower abdomen before trailing to the fly of my pants, making me feel nauseous right on the spot.

"Just relax, darling," he said, giving me a sickening grin and breathing his hot breath into my face.

Instinct kicking in, I plunged my head forward and let my teeth grip the side of his face. The guard howled in pain. I took the opportunity to push him off me, and scrambled back to my feet, spitting out the taste of his sweaty skin.

When he managed to get back onto his feet, he snarled, his face red with fury and dented with my teeth marks. "Why you little—" he sputtered. He stormed over and slapped me across the face. I staggered backwards, falling against the stone wall. Pain shot through my back and my face stung, but I braced myself nonetheless, ready to fight again.

My mother had taught me long ago how to fight off predators like him. It was all about using unconventional strategies—biting, poking eyeballs, digging fingernails into sensitive flesh—anything that would take the attacker off guard and/or annoy him into feeling that you were too much of a hassle. This was the best line of defense against someone bigger with more physical strength.

My mother—she knew all about such tactics—for she'd had to use them too many times for comfort in order to fight off uncles who had a propensity for touching her inappropriately. I would never forget the shock I'd felt after learning this ugly part of my mother's history. But in hindsight, it had made sense; when one of my mother's 'beloved' uncles died, she hadn't shed a single tear.

"D-Did you ever tell anyone? Did you ever report him?" I had asked.

With her eyes glossed over in memory of the pain, she shook her head. "No. You're the first and only person I've ever told. And I'm telling you because I never want you to have to go through that. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I want you to know how to fight back and protect yourself."

I had never anticipated being in such a situation, but then again, I suppose most women don't.

Staring at the guard, I braced myself as steadily on my feet as possible. But he did not come for me again. Instead, he retrieved the tray of food, first pouring my water onto the floor, and then throwing the food to the floor, where he smashed it with his feet.

"Maybe that will make you regret what you've done," he said. "When you get hungry enough, I bet you'll start behaving, you little bitch."

With that, he left my cell, closing and locking the door behind him.

Shaken, I pressed my back against the wall, slid down to the floor, brought my knees to my chest, and wrapped my arms around myself. For a moment, I thought I would cry again, but the tears did not come this time. I was too angry and disgusted to cry. It was enough that I had to deal with my impending death, but now I had to fight a rapist along the way.

I tightened my arms around myself and rocked back and forth, unable to ignore that I now hated everything about the royals and their ways. Maybe I should have stopped hunting for them, just as the Hawks had demanded. If I hadn't remained loyal to the royals, I wouldn't have wound up in Promenade. If I hadn't wound up in Promenade, I wouldn't have missed my curfew and got sentenced to death. And if I hadn't gotten sentenced to death, I wouldn't have been trapped in this cell where I'd just been assaulted.

"It's a hard thing to accept at first—" A voice drifted from the cell beside mine. Although I couldn't see the occupant, it was clearly a woman who had spoken. The defeated sound of her voice froze the blood in my veins. She continued, "—but you have to let him have his way if you want food and water. That is, unless you're fine with starving your way to execution. In that case, go ahead, keep resisting him."
Chapter 14

I had practically slept with one eye open the whole night, terrified that the sex offender would return. When daylight hours set in, I relaxed just minimally, grateful that I had at least made it through the night. I knew the guard could return at any moment, but felt more confident that he couldn't sneak up on me as easily in broad daylight. My strength and energy were depleted, hunger began to cramp my stomach at the constant smell of the smashed food on the floor of my cell, and I desperately wanted at least a solid hour of sleep so that I could momentarily escape the horrific reality around me.

I hadn't noticed that I'd fallen asleep until I was abruptly awakened by my cell door being opened again.

My heart sank to my stomach. I was facing the wall, and didn't have the nerve to turn around. I didn't want to see the guard's face again. Anxiety flooded over me and I prayed the guard would leave me alone. I couldn't take feeling his hands on me again. I couldn't take feeling his breath in my face, or his body pinned against mine. I couldn't handle a repeat of the previous day; it was just more than I could bear.

I shrank into the corner of my cell, my head lowered and my posture tensed.

A hand touched my shoulder, and dread swooped through my stomach.

Yet, I soon realized the touch was far too gentle to be the guard's. I slowly turned around and saw that my assessment was correct. It wasn't the guard—far from it. It was Jason Fisher, the king's brother. My Promenade classmate.

I stared, dumbfounded and unable to fathom why he was visiting me.

He removed his hand from my shoulder and then kneeled beside me. His long hair was drawn back into a ponytail, and his eyes looked anxious but alert. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper.

"I can't stay long, but I'll be back for you before execution day."

I continued to stare at him, trying to make sense of his words. I shook my head. "Wh—What...?"

He hastily held a hand up to silence me before leaning in closer. I tensed again as he whispered even lower, almost directly into my ear. "I have a plan to save you, Genesis."

My breathing hitched as the first feelings of hope I'd felt in a long time began to stir within me. I knew I had to be cautious though, for it could have been a trap. King Henry himself had sentenced me to death, so why would his brother consciously undermine his orders?

"Why would you risk that for me?" I asked, my voice also a whisper. "It's dangerous. You could be killed yourself for doing something like that. And you hardly even know me."

Jason stared into my eyes and smiled, letting out a low chuckle. "That doesn't sound like someone who wants to stay alive." Before I could respond, he pulled a wrapped sandwich from the pocket of the jacket he wore, and placed it in my hand. He then stood and waved goodbye before hurriedly leaving my cell without another look back.

I stared after him for a long time, even after he was out of view, wondering why he could possibly want to help me. What was in it for him?

Looking down at the sandwich in my hand, my stomach gave a ravenous roar. Although I wasn't entirely sure how much I could trust Jason Fisher, I certainly trusted him more than the guard. I unwrapped the sandwich and immediately took a bite. Flavor exploded on my tongue, the bread fluffy and buttery, and the meat inside tender and well seasoned. I wanted to savor each bite, but didn't want to risk being caught with the sandwich in case the prison guard came back. So I finished it quickly, taking huge bites that made my jaws bulge on both sides.

***

Regardless of Jason's true intentions, I had every reason to be grateful for the sandwich he'd given me once the dreaded prison guard returned an hour later. Had I not had that sandwich to curb my hunger, it would have been a lot harder to fight the guard as he enticed me with food.

Nonetheless, panic seized me at his return. Even though I refused to look at him, I heard his footsteps sounding through my cell, followed by scraping sounds that let me know he was cleaning the smashed food from the floor.

I braced myself for his repulsive touch, and prepared myself to inevitably fight again.

The guard groaned. I turned around, seeing that he had taken a seat and set the tray of food down beside him. He stared at me and folded his massive arms across this chest. My teeth marks were still visible on his face, and it gave me some satisfaction knowing he would probably have those scars for the rest of his life.

"So look here, baby doll—you can have all of this food if you just behave like a good girl this time around. I know you've got to be hungry by now. So what's it going to be?" he said, as if actually giving me a choice.

The cockiness in his voice turned my fear into irritation. I looked him in the eyes. "I'm on death row. That food is the least of my worries."

A tense silence stretched between us before the guard suddenly burst out laughing. He stood up, licking his lips and grinning. "You're a tough girl, I see. You're lucky I like tough girls. After all, it's no fun unless you have to work for it, right?"

I felt on the verge of vomiting the sandwich I had scarfed down an hour ago. The guard moved toward me. In that moment, if given the choice between immediate execution, and giving in to him, I would have gladly chosen execution.

His eyes stared at me greedily as his hands fumbled with his belt buckle. Every hair on my body stood on end. I clenched my teeth against the nausea I felt.

"NO!" I yelled as he sprung toward me. He stooped down, his hot and smelly breath in my face as he attempted to put his parched lips on me. I grabbed at his face, letting my fingernails dig into his flesh as I tried to push him back. With my other hand, I gripped his neck and pressed as hard as I could, feeling his Adam's apple against my palm.

Gasping, he leapt back. His eyes flashed dangerously at me. Yet, I got the sickening feeling that the more I fought, the more determined he became to have his way. I halfway wondered if giving up and feigning indifference was the way to turn him off. I knew I couldn't take that chance though.

Mortified, I watched as he removed his belt.

This can't be happening, I thought in disbelief. I prayed in my head harder than I had ever prayed in my life, for him to not succeed with what he was planning to do.

"I hope you don't mind if I play rough too," he said with a maddening grin. He wrapped one end of the belt around his hand, and it dawned on me that he was going to whip me with it. He was going to prolong this torture—whether for his own twisted pleasure, or punishment for fighting him—I couldn't tell.

With his eyes glued my way, he drew the belt back in his hand. I braced myself for the lashing, seeing that I literally had nowhere to run. He had backed me into a wall, ensuring I couldn't escape him and his belt. Even if I tried to run past him, he would easily catch me due to the way his girth filled the small cell.

"Ken?"

Entirely too focused on each other, neither of us had noticed that a female prison guard had come to my cell. She looked back and forth between the two of us, holding her mouth in a grim line. The guard—Ken—lowered his belt. The female guard cleared her throat. Her face looked as if she tasted something sour. "You're wanted in the supervisor's office. He wants to see you right away."

Ken scratched the back of his meaty neck. "Right now?"

"Yes." The female guard glanced at me once more, an unmistakable look of shame in her eyes.

Mumbling to himself, Ken put his belt back on and fastened it around his rotund stomach. He looked back at me as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it since we had company. Words weren't needed though; the look on his face foretold that he would be back for me whenever he got the chance.

He turned around and left my cell, disappearing with the female guard. I listened to their retreating footsteps.

Although I was still on death-row, I literally felt as if my life had just been saved.
Chapter 15

I didn't want to jinx myself by any means, but I desperately wanted to take being saved from that guard at the last minute as a good sign. I wanted to allow myself to feel the hope that somehow, things were going to look up for me. I wanted to feel that my days weren't going to be numbered after all because some sort of miracle was in the works—that perhaps it was a good omen foreshadowing that Jason was going to be able to deliver on his promise.

I eagerly awaited Jason's reappearance, dreaming that he would show up with the news that there had been a terrible misunderstanding and that death was not a punishment I would have to endure.

But the days continued to drag by with excruciating slowness, and I began to feel that all my hopes had been in vain. The only relief I'd had was that the guard didn't show up again. Although I didn't know the reason behind this for sure, I suspected the female prison guard had something to do with it, and consequently felt a rush of gratitude toward her. If I saw her again, I vowed to thank her for at least sparing me from that particular form of torture.

I learned the hard way that being locked up made it easy to lose all sense of time. Once that guard had been called away, the hours and days began to blur together until they became indistinguishable. When the day marking the end of my life arrived, it had unwelcomingly snuck up on me. And even worse, Jason never returned, proving that my hopes truly had been in vain.

At some point during that day—morning or early afternoon, I couldn't tell—I heard a guard approaching my cell. It still wasn't the one who had assaulted me on multiple occasions, but it also wasn't the female, as I had hoped it would be. Instead, it was another male guard. He didn't have a predatory look like the other one did, but his cold and detached demeanor made me uncomfortable nevertheless.

With a tray of food in hand, he opened my cell and set it before me. I glanced down, seeing that it was some kind of soup, bread, and water. The guard's cold eyes met with mine. "Eat. I'll be back in an hour."

"For what?" I said, my voice surprisingly steady. In the days leading up to this one, I had anticipated being a complete mess when execution day finally arrived. But instead, I felt an unusual sense of calm, likely brought about by my resignation. I suppose it was a defense mechanism—numbness to avoid feeling anything because nothing could be changed anyway. Panic was for those who worried; soon, I would never have anything to worry about ever again. All I could do was hope my death would be quick and painless, although I knew that was just wishful thinking. There was no such thing as a quick and painless hanging.

Having already turned his back to exit my cell, the guard answered gruffly, "To prepare you."

He closed the cell door with a loud clang and twisted the lock before disappearing out of view.

I looked down to my tray of food again, having no appetite, but forcing myself to eat anyway. I first tasted the soup, which consisted of vegetable and tiny bits of rabbit meat. It would have tasted better had it been hot rather than lukewarm, but I couldn't complain. It's not like I could expect gourmet meals in prison. I managed to almost finish the bowl of soup, but once I tried to eat the bread, I could hardly swallow it. It felt too thick and stuck to the back of my throat each time I tried to swallow a piece. After a couple bites, I gave up on it and drank down my whole cup of water instead, immediately wishing I had some more afterwards.

A half hour later though, when I needed to relieve my bladder, I felt grateful that I hadn't had more to drink. Apart from the predatory prison guard, the old toilet in the corner of my cell had been the bane of my existence. The lack of privacy in this prison was appalling, and I hated having to relieve myself, knowing that a guard could walk in on me at any second. I always waited until the very last moment to use it, and when I did, I tried to take care of my business as fast as possible.

Unlike Jason, the new guard was true to his word and came back for me in what I presumed was exactly an hour later. He opened my cell door, grabbed me roughly by the upper arm, and wordlessly led me out of the cell. Although the guard was railway thin, his grip was freakishly strong and his bony hand dug painfully into my upper arm.

I had been longing to escape from that cold and lonely cell from the moment I'd woken up in it. Now, however, being outside of it filled me with apprehension. Strangely enough, my holding cell had given me a sense of security whenever I was locked inside of it alone. Now that I was out in the open, I felt entirely too vulnerable. It was the equivalent of being a puppet with a brain—I could think for myself, but I had no control over where I ended up because someone else was pulling my strings. I was the passenger rather than the driver of my own body.

When we came to a stop, we were in front of a shabby looking swinging door. The guard pushed it open and steered me inside, revealing that it was a bathroom—a far more proper one than the dirty toilet in my holding cell. As I looked at the cleaner toilet, the sink, and the showerhead, frustration built up inside of me.

How come these guards couldn't have the decency to escort prisoners to the real bathroom rather than letting us fester in filth in those holding cells, and toilet in front of each other?

"Take off your clothes," the guard said.

My heart plummeted. Perhaps sensing the direction of my thoughts, he pointed to the shower. The shower was out in the open, with no door or curtain. There was a soap dispenser on the wall, and washcloths beside it. I stared at it uncertainly. I wasn't vain enough to presume that every man would be interested in seeing me naked, but that didn't excuse the fact that I wanted to preserve my modesty whenever I could.

"We don't have all day. Get in there and stop wasting my time," the guard said, clearly agitated by my reluctance. The tone of his voice indicated clearly that he had no interest in me whatsoever in that way, unlike the other guard. Plus, there was something about this guard that made it obvious that his patience was not to be tested.

Swallowing my pride and realizing I had no other option, I began to strip out of my clothes. Goosebumps broke out over my skin thanks to the chill in the air. And it certainly didn't help when I got into the shower, the water remained ice cold no matter which way I turned the lever.

My teeth chattering, I grabbed a washcloth and pumped soap from the dispenser onto it. I then looked toward the guard as I washed myself. A bitter taste formed in my mouth in response to the way his cold eyes roamed my body. The only consolation was that there was no lustful interest in his gaze. Instead, his stare only held the sense of disgust that most people reserved for criminals of the worst kind, which almost made me feel just as bad. It was hard to comprehend that people like him saw nothing but a criminal undeserving of life when they looked at me. The thought turned my blood just as cold as the water bouncing off my bare skin.

I quickly rinsed the soap from my body. When I was done, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, violently shivering from head to toe. The guard tossed a towel to me, and then proceeded to watch as I dried myself as quickly as possible, desperate to remove the cold water from my body. Once I was sufficiently dry, he tossed me a white hospital gown and a pair of rubber shoes. I wasted no time putting them on, desperate to cover myself from his intrusive stare.

"Come on," he said, turning around to head out of the bathroom. Once I was within reach, he grabbed my upper arm again. I had already started to get a bruise from the number of times I'd been gripped in the same spot by the harsh hands of guards.

We walked in silence to a different area of the building. I glanced around at my surroundings, curious and nervous at the same time. Just moments ago, I thought I had finally reached a place of acceptance where I could no longer be hindered by fear. But that was proving to no longer be the case. The more I looked around, the more I felt like my skin was crawling, and it had nothing to do with still being cold from the shower.

We walked passed dark corridors where additional prisoners were being held. The repugnant scent of sweat and bodily fluids drifted through the air, making me want to gag. I resorted to holding my breath as much as I could, but that proved to be a futile effort as I kept jumping and gasping each time random prisoners yelled out, throwing derogatory names and profanities my way as if I had somehow offended them.

What was wrong with these people?

Other prisoners, however, sat quietly in their cells, looking scared, lost, hungry, and utterly defeated. They were dirty and emaciated, and I wondered if they were being starved, or if they had simply been resistant to their guard's advances. Seeing them quickly became too much for me to stand. Not before long, I found myself making the conscious effort to avoid meeting any of their gazes; these were my last moments alive in this world and I didn't want my last visions to be the haunted eyes of prisoners likely awaiting the same grim fate as my own.

Up until then, I had been refraining from thinking about my family as much as possible because my heart just couldn't take it. But in these moments, their faces floated vividly through my mind. My eyes welled with tears as I wished I could have hugged them each one last time. Just for a moment, I imagined the king granting me one last moment of mercy by having my family present, just so that I could say goodbye. Yet, I knew that was asking too much, and no such mercy would be shown. And it was probably for the best. If my mother was present, she would have gotten herself killed trying to protect me. And that would leave Prince short of both a mother and sister, and cause him to grow up a harsh and resentful man.

As I continued thinking about my family, I figured they surely had to know my fate by now. Then again, the people of the capital were so crooked, I wouldn't have put it past them to wait until I was already dead to inform my family that I had been executed, just to spare themselves of having to deal with my family's attempts to bargain for my life.

My thunder-god, how I hated the royals.

The guard continued walking me down the winding paths of the prison. I wondered how big this place was as more prisoners yelled out and cried. Try as I might to ignore them all, there were some I couldn't help noticing—like the cell of one particular woman. She stood, looking mortified as she took off her clothes with a prison guard standing before her, licking his lips in anticipation. To my disgust, there were several other cells with similar scenes—female prisoners in varying stages of undress and humiliation, standing before eager guards waiting to pounce on them.

My stomach heaved, seeing that my guard wasn't the only one abusing his power. I glanced sideways at the guard currently with me, appalled by his indifference at seeing the same sickening scenes as I had just seen. My blood began to boil with anger as I wondered just how many prisoners in this building actually deserved to be here, or if they—like myself—had only committed small crimes resulting in punishments that went far too overboard. I had a feeling that no matter what misdeeds these prisoners had committed to land them here, they couldn't have deserved this kind of harassment. None of us did.

So lost in my bitter thoughts, I was taken off guard when I realized we had stopped at a large metal door. It loomed over us, dark and foreboding. Without having to be told, I knew what lay beyond that door.

This was it. The execution room. The door of death.

My heart hammered so painfully in my chest that I was pretty sure my flimsy hospital gown pulsed from the force of it. My mouth went completely dry, and a single tear rolled down my cheek as the guard placed his palm on the door and began to push it open.
Chapter 16

I peered through the door and into the room, my eyes widening and my fear returning with a vengeance. The room before us was bare and white, with a single wooden chair full of straps at the center of it.

The guard placed a rough hand on my back and gave me a shove, pushing me through the door. I stumbled forward, confused. Although I wasn't picky about it, I knew I'd been sentenced to death by hanging. Yet, with the setup of this room, it didn't look like I was going to be hanged; it looked like I was going to be electrocuted.

I didn't want to move, but the guard kept pushing me, forcing me forward and leading me straight to the chair. Once we'd reached the chair, he gripped both of my shoulders and pressed downward with so much force, I had no choice but to sit. My heart raced and I swallowed, though there was no moisture at all in my mouth. There was a faint ringing in my ears, and a sickly clean odor—like antiseptic—invaded my nostrils. My skin was covered in gooseflesh and muscles all throughout my body twitched uncontrollably. All the while, the guard set to work tying me down to the chair. He first tied my wrists down to each of the armrests, and then moved behind me to strap my torso to the chair's back. Lastly, he tied my ankles to the front legs of the chair.

Once he was done, he cast me one last look of indifference. Then he left, the big metal door closing behind him with a heavy thud.

I supposed the execution room was kept so bare and plain to prevent giving victims like me any distraction whatsoever from what was about to happen. Maybe they wanted criminals to think about what they'd done and why they were being sentenced to death.

I didn't want to think though.

I didn't want to acknowledge what was about to happen anymore. I wanted my mind to go blank, but of course, I had no such luck. My fate was inescapable. And although I felt cold down to my very bones, sweat dripped down my forehead and my back; it was like my entire body was weeping.

The faces of my family members began to drift through my mind, making my heart ache so badly, I thought it would literally break and cause me to die before I was officially executed by whatever method would be used. And that pain—the pain of thinking about my family—I couldn't imagine execution by any means would hurt nearly as much.

I bit my lip, wanting to create physical discomfort that would help distract me from my thoughts. When I felt wetness running down my chin, I initially thought it was sweat. But then I noticed the stinging of my bottom lip and realized that I had bitten it so hard, it bled.

I bit it again, on accident, when the door reopened and two men stepped inside. One was young and one was old, and they both wore white lab coats that blended with the room. After closing the door behind them, they looked at me. "Hello," they said in unison, their voices even having the nerve to sound polite despite what they were about to do to me.

I shuddered, terrified.

They said no more to me, and I sat there, watching them and steadily growing more panicked by the second. Bewildered, I watched them approach a sink at the far side of the room, washing their hands and forearms with antibacterial soap as if they were preparing to perform surgery. My mind spun into overdrive, wondering if they were going to chop me into little pieces and use my body parts for science purposes of some sort. They muttered to each other in low voices, but I couldn't make out what was being said.

The younger one then reached for a cabinet below him, where he pulled out a contraption that made my pounding heart suddenly stand still. From where I sat, it looked like a gun...

So they're going to shoot me, I thought.

But as I watched the younger man hold the item out to the older man for inspection, I realized that it wasn't a gun. Instead, it was some kind of tool that just looked like a gun, and had a needle attached to the end of it.

The older man tilted his head for an instant, and then shook it. The younger one returned the item back to the cabinet. Moments later, he pulled out a smaller version of the contraption. The older man nodded this time, and then the younger one began attaching a needle to the smaller device.

Okay—so I'm not going to be shot. I'm going to be given a lethal injection. Please let it be quick and painless...

I contemplated which method would have been more preferable—a quick gunshot, or a lethal injection? But once again, I realized I had no choice in the matter, so there was no use debating it with myself. And frankly, it just didn't matter. At the end of the day, each one would bring about the same result.

If I had been afraid before, it was nothing compared to how I felt as the two men turned around and began advancing on me.

"No...No...please," I pleaded, my fear mounting with each step they took toward me. I began to scream. "NO! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT! DON'T DO THIS! NOOOOOO! NOOOOOOO! I'LL DO ANYTHING, JUST DON'T DO THIS TO ME!"

I screamed so loud, it felt like my throat had started to bleed on the inside. Yet, the men showed me no compassion. They only looked mildly annoyed. How many people could they have possibly executed to make them so desensitized to another person's anguish? Or were they just so loyal to the king that they did his murdering without even batting an eye about it?

How long did it take before ending someone's life became easy? Or was it that they would face dire consequences themselves if they didn't go through with their instructions?

The older man began unstrapping one of my arms. Still screaming my throat raw, I balled my fist, survival instincts taking over. I jerked and squirmed in my chair, ready to swing my fist as hard as I could at the older man, and hoping to knock the injection needle to the floor. But the second my arm was free, the older man grabbed it. Given his age, I hadn't anticipated his strength. He held my arm with such a vice grip, I couldn't swing at him no matter how hard I tried.

He looked toward the younger man holding the lethal injection, and gave him a curt nod.

The younger man looked down, studying my arm, determining the best spot to stick me.

Tears ran down my face, and I had screamed so much that my voice had started to fade. My yells grew into hoarse pleas that the men continued to ignore.

Finally, I accepted that my cries were useless. There was nothing more that I could do. Quivering from head to toe, I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing the only thing left to do was surrender.

Although I squeezed my eyes shut to engulf myself in darkness, images raced through my head.

My mother in the kitchen cooking dinner.

My father outside play-wrestling with Prince after school.

Meeting Remington when we were small children, first starting school.

My first day at hunting school and the first rabbit I'd killed...

My mother teaching me how to fight and protect myself from assault.

Mr. Obante greeting me with a warm smile at the food bank and never failing to tell me how much I was appreciated.

Sitting with Remington's cousin as she told us humorous stories about her daily adventures.

My father, coming home after a long absence only to reveal he'd gotten me a special gift—a gorgeous silver horse. My horse, Dolly.

The last moon ceremony I had attended with Prince.

Prince as a baby, shortly after he was born. His light skin before he grew into his brown complexion. His black silky hair before it began to thicken and curl. I remembered holding him for the first time, tiny and squirming in my arms. I remembered how I'd giggled and gently kissed the top of his head, vowing to always be there for him.

And on and on it went. My life, flashing before my closed eyes as I waited to feel the sting of the needle that would soon put an end to everything.

But instead of feeling the prick of the needle on my flesh, I heard a thump, followed by a clang. I slowly pried my eyes open, daring to take a look at what was going on. The large metal door had been pushed open, and a prison guard rushed through, disrupting the two men from killing me.

"Stop!" yelled the prison guard, hurrying toward us with a document in his hand.

"What is it?" said the man who was still holding my arm.

Once close enough, the prison guard held out the document, putting it in clear view of the two men who'd been just moments away from ending my life. "There has been a ransom for Ms. Genesis Romunda of the Arnazuri. The king's brother has stepped forward, requesting to take her place in the execution."

***

I was so stunned that I couldn't even rejoice over the fact that I wasn't about to die, at least not before the day was over. Upon receiving news of the ransom and that the king's brother wanted to take my place, I had been released from the execution room and allowed to put regular clothes back on. Guards momentarily placed me in another holding cell before a scheduling to have me driven back to the palace, where I was to meet with King Henry again.

I tried to figure out why on earth Jason wanted to take my place—and why such a thing was even permissible—but I just couldn't make sense of it. It simply made no sense. Jason hardly knew me and he owed me absolutely nothing. When he had claimed he was going to save me, this certainly hadn't been what I expected.

Why would a royal like Jason want to die in place of someone like me, who meant nothing to him?

"Genesis Romunda, follow us." I looked up to find my cell open once again, with two guards waiting for me. As I approached them, I was surprised to see that they did not grip me by the arms again. I suppose since I was supposedly being set free, I was no longer a prisoner and they no longer had to treat me like one.

They led me outside of the prison, where a vehicle awaited, ready to take me back to the king's palace.

As I often did whenever my emotions became too much to deal with, I fell into a stupor. I zoned out for the entire ride, only coming back to my senses once the palace came into view, looking just as extravagant as the first time I'd seen it.

Stepping out of the vehicle with the guards at each side of me, we approached the familiar doors. When they opened for us, additional guards marched us through the palace and to King Henry's golden throne.

This time, I was fully aware of the crowd inside of the king's chamber. Dozens upon dozens—maybe hundreds—of people had gathered inside, forming a riveted audience. Ransoms were required to be witnessed by the general public; this was one rule of the royals that I was familiar with.

As the guards led me farther through the chamber, the crowd parted straight down the center, permitting us a straight path forward. Once again, I looked at the Arnazuri paintings on the wall, wondering if they actually had brought me good luck.

After reaching a certain point, the guards directed me to the side of the throne. It was then that I noticed Jason. He stood on the dock where I had stood when I'd been sentenced to death for my 'crime.'

Jason briefly turned his head to look at me, the serious expression on his face faltering just slightly as if he wanted to smile. The smile never fully materialized though, and instead, he gave me an almost imperceptible nod before redirecting his gaze to his big brother, sitting at the throne.

At that moment, I too, looked at the king. His sharp eyes were narrowed and focused entirely on his younger brother. Although King Henry's short curly red hair and Jason's long straightened hair were as different as day and night, it was practically where their differences ended. Seeing them at the same time put their uncanny resemblance to each other on full display.

I tried to imagine what it must have felt like to be the king, seeing his younger sibling place himself into such a predicament over a sentencing that he had overseen. Then I recalled the rumors that King Henry had killed his own father in order to secure the throne, and wondered if he even truly cared for his younger brother.

I turned my gaze back to Jason, wanting so badly to know why he was doing this. The voices of the spectators buzzed through the chamber until King Henry stood from his throne. A deep hush instantly fell over the room.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen," the king prefaced. He paused for a long moment before taking several steps toward his brother. "We are gathered here today to witness a ransom involving Ms. Genesis Romunda of the Arnazuri, student of Promenade. Not long ago, Ms. Romunda committed a crime in failing to leave the capital before the stroke of the five o'clock hour on the evening of her first day at Promenade. According to The Scroll, her punishment is to be death. Her execution was scheduled for today, however, there has been a turn of events.

"Jason William Marshal Fisher, Prince of Nayja, has stepped forward, offering ransom for Ms. Romunda. He would like to take her place in the execution."

King Henry gave another long pause. Jason stood perfectly still, looking directly ahead at his brother.

"Jason Fisher," the king said, "do you agree to take the place of the convicted Genesis Romunda of the Arnazuri?"

"Yes," Jason said, his voice loud and clear.
Chapter 17

The entire chamber fell eerily silent, but the expression on King Henry's face was loud enough to make up for it. He was palpably livid. The pale skin of his face developed a deep red flush, and it halfway seemed that steam would come from his ears and sparks would fly from his hair. He stood like a statue as several members of the royal executive council hurried forward, approaching him with wide eyes and cautious glances. Though they took turns speaking directly into the king's ear, their rapid whispers echoed through the chamber, sounding like the hum of angry insects.

All the while, King Henry kept his eyes glued to his younger brother.

My mind spun in circles, not having the faintest clue what to do.

Could I really let Jason sacrifice himself for me? He hadn't done anything wrong and didn't deserve to die in my place.

My throat had become so dry that I thought it might catch fire if I dared swallow again. My body trembled, the silence in the room making me fear that everyone could hear the rattling of my bones.

After relaying whatever they had to say, the royal executive council members stepped back, one-by-one, leaving the king alone at his throne.

King Henry remained unnervingly still, staring unblinkingly at his brother. In return, Jason remained standing before the king, matching his brother's gaze with equal intensity. The younger brother's stance was defiant—his posture perfectly straight, his shoulders squared back, and his chest poked out. With his head held high, it almost seemed as if Jason was challenging the king—daring him, even.

How I wished he wouldn't. I stared at Jason, wishing he would fall to his knees and beg for the king's mercy. I couldn't stomach the thought of this boy dying on my behalf; I would never be able to live with myself afterwards.

I chanced a glance around the chamber, seeing that while some people stared at King Henry, some stared at the prince, and quite a few stared at me. I suppressed a shudder, and turned my gaze to the painting on the wall opposite of me, feeling as if the Arnazuri subject it depicted was literally looking back at me. I didn't look back toward the throne until the king abruptly raised a hand and motioned to one of his bodyguards.

A harsh and burly man, the bodyguard's expression faltered, startled for just a moment, before he hurriedly moved to the king's side.

Finally, King Henry averted his eyes from his brother. He leaned in to the bodyguard and began whispering into his ear. As the king whispered, the bodyguard looked from Jason, to the room at large, and then at me for several seconds.

Witnessing the reactions of the king and his council, it became apparent that we were in uncharted territory. No one in the royal family had ever stepped up to sacrifice themselves for another, let alone a prisoner—and an Arnazuri prisoner, at that. King Henry, along with everyone in the royal executive council, had no idea how to respond, and they were essentially trying to figure it out right on the spot. I suppose not even The Scroll detailed protocol on what to do under these circumstances.

His jaw clenching and unclenching for an instant, the bodyguard whispered something back to the king. The whole crowd continued to watch the exchange, wondering what would possibly follow.

And I continued staring at Jason, wondering if the king could really go through with sentencing his own brother to death for no reason. Once again, I was forcibly reminded of the rumor that King Henry had killed their father just to secure the throne before the Kingfisher rule was scheduled to end.

A shiver went down my spine.

Sometime later, the bodyguard stepped back down, returning to his former position.

King Henry cleared his throat. "Silence," he said, although such a command was unnecessary given how quiet the chamber already was. "I can now inform you that I've made my decision."

His statement was followed by an excruciatingly long pause. I almost felt my heart had paused right along with it as we all waited for the king's final verdict. He cleared his throat again and stood to his full height, his eyes once more focused entirely on his brother. When he spoke, his voice came out in a monotone. "I will let mercy prevail in this matter."

Immediately, the room erupted in commotion. Terrified, my heart began to hammer in my chest. But as I looked around, I noticed that the commotion wasn't due to anger at the king's decision; people throughout the chamber were cheering, pleased with verdict.

King Henry raised his hand, this time genuinely needing to quiet the crowd so that he could speak again. Silence quickly resumed and he continued. "I will let mercy prevail in this matter because my brother, the Prince, has shown the utmost measure of love, which is to lay down one's life for another. The thunder-god has decided to show him mercy. Therefore, by the power conferred in me by the Eagle-headed Thunder-God, I declare mercy upon Jason Fisher and command both he and Genesis Romunda return to Promenade at once to continue their studies." His eyes briefly darted toward me before turning back to the rest of the crowd and adding, "The Blessing be upon you all."

Immediately, the crowd responded in unison, "And upon you, oh King of All Men." Applause and cheers ensued again and in that moment, something flickered across King Henry's face, interrupting his formerly stony demeanor. Although it had been fleeting, I was pretty sure it had been a look of combined satisfaction and pleasure. I thought back to what Mad from Promenade had said about the king's preoccupation with being liked and admired. Judging from the thrill he'd clearly felt in seeing the audience's approval of his decision, it seemed she may have had the right idea about King Henry after all. Whether this was a good or bad thing though, still seemed up for debate, as far as I could tell.

The one thing that mattered most though, was that neither I nor Jason Fisher would be facing death anytime soon.

A miracle had been granted.
Chapter 18

On Saturday, I was surprised when someone came to my room and announced that I had a phone call from my parents. I had been trying to write a letter to them, explaining what I had gone through but I was too exhausted, and writing felt like hard labor.

Apparently, once they heard about my release, they had traveled all the way to King's Port to make the phone call. I wondered how father got a travel permit but didn't care about such details enough to ask. I could tell by the sound of their voices that they'd been shaken by the whole ordeal, but I probably couldn't even imagine how distressed they would have been after hearing about the king's sentence. Father was clear on the phone, he wanted me to drop out of Promenade and come back home immediately. Mother was more cautious reminding him of the consequences of such an act.

I wouldn't have minded going back to Black Forest but it was impossible, unless I wanted to be arrested for another crime.

Mother was just thankful that I was alive. I told them I was alright, hiding the post-traumatic stress that weighed me down and promised them I would be fine and that I would make sure I didn't get into any trouble.

After breaking an absurd curfew law, getting arrested, being sentenced to death, getting held captive in a prison ran by predatory guards, and then getting set free on ransom by none other than the king's little brother—having to go back to 'school' couldn't have felt any more bizarre. Yet, there I was on Monday, back at Promenade and expected to pretend like nothing had happened.

I dropped Dolly off at the horse stable, taking a moment to pet her nose and hug her before taking a deep breath and trotting to the front gates of the school. Although the guards stationed at the front gates typically kept neutral expressions, they all eyed me as I entered the school grounds, and one of them even appeared to slightly nod his head at me in greeting. I ignored them as best as I could, remembering all too well that I was only 'furniture' on these grounds.

Entering the building, I instantly felt anxious. The high ceilings, spotless floors, and long winding corridors made me painfully aware that I still did not remember my way around. Regardless of whether I was merely furniture or not, I was pretty certain the haughty professors weren't going to appreciate if I constantly entered their classrooms late.

Maybe that's the only way they'll ever notice me at all though, I thought bitterly.

My stomach squirmed uncomfortably as I realized that not only was I probably the only student who still didn't know their way around the school building, but I would also be even further behind academically than I already had been, thanks to the time I'd missed. It had been a nightmare that first day to sit in class after class, seeing firsthand just how much more the other students knew than I did. I didn't even want to think about how far that educational gap had likely widened in my absence. Plus, I highly doubted tutoring opportunities were provided at Promenade, at least not to female students.

I had just barely gotten started, yet I'd already been set up for failure at Promenade. If I wasn't so frustrated about it all, I probably would have been crying.

"Genesis! Genesis!"

I jumped, my heart practically leaping to my throat. But just as quickly, some of my trepidation vanished at hearing female voices; I had almost forgotten that I wasn't completely alone in this wretched school.

I turned around, spotting Mad and Alyssa hurrying my way. Mad reached me first, throwing her arms around me in a hug as if we had been friends our whole lives.

When she released me, Alyssa clutched my arm. "Oh my God, Genesis! I'm so sorry! I feel like it was all my fault! I held you up talking that day because I didn't know Arnazuri had a curfew! I'm so sorry, Genesis! I'm sorry!"

I waved away her apology. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."

Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that I wasn't upset with her. I saw no reason for her to have been worried though; the royals and their stupid laws were the only ones to blame. Placing blame on Alyssa had never even crossed my mind.

"Well, we're just glad to have you back, Genesis," Mad said, smiling and looking like she genuinely meant it.

I smiled back, unable to deny how glad I was to see them both. After the horrors I had been through, it was astonishing what a couple of friendly faces were able to do for my spirit. "I'm happy to see you both too," I said, "especially since I can't remember my way around this place. Mind walking me to class?"

Mad and Alyssa both laughed. "Certainly. Come on," Alyssa said, looping her arm through mine as the three of us set off for our first class of the day.

When we entered the classroom, I saw that the boys hadn't changed at all. None of them bothered to look our way as we entered; they just talked amongst themselves in their smug voices, as if we didn't exist. Silently, Mad, Alyssa, and I took our seats, patiently waiting for the professor to make his arrival. From my seat near the back of the room, I found myself scanning the backs of my classmates' heads again, just as I had on my first day.

Almost immediately, I realized one person in particular was missing. I scanned the room several more times, as if I was somehow overlooking the trademark long hair belonging to Jason. But not before long though, there was nothing to do but accept that he wasn't there.

He was excused though, I reminded myself. King Henry excused both of us...

Yet, the thought was still not enough to completely alleviate my fears. I still wondered where he was, and most importantly, why he had done what he did for me. I felt like I was in his debt now, and I desperately needed to know why. On some level, I suppose I just didn't like the idea of owing a royal anything, let alone my life.

I needed an explanation.

My thoughts were only momentarily interrupted when Professor Eggleton briskly walked through the door. He was just as I remembered—over-the-top, animated, and full of flare. Unlike the rest of the males in the room, however, he actually did give pause at my appearance, albeit in a very brief and fleeting way. Perhaps he lived under a rock and was the only person in the school who hadn't heard that I'd been set free. Whatever the case, after his initial shock at seeming me wore off, he began his lecture for the day.

After several minutes, it quickly became apparent that there was no point in paying attention to Professor Eggleton's lecture, especially since I couldn't even get any questions answered. As if sensing my frustration, Alyssa caught my eye, sympathy evident in her gaze. She then nodded her head, ever-so-slightly, which I took as a sign that perhaps she and Mad were willing to help me catch up on all the material I'd missed.

It seemed that I was going to be owing quite a few people soon.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, longing for the simpler days of school back in my hometown, where not only was I able to easily keep up with the material, but had always remained in the top of my class.

The entire school day passed in a similar manner, with the boys and professors continuing to ignore me, and me giving up within a few minutes into each class on even trying to focus on lectures that kept going right over my head.

The thing that disturbed me most throughout the day though, was the fact that Jason never showed up to a single class.

I began to wonder if he was possibly afraid or embarrassed to face me after what happened. As a member of the royal family, there was no doubt that everyone in the entire kingdom had to be aware of his deed by now. I couldn't help wondering if people had been giving him a hard time about it, or if he had come to believe that he'd made a grave mistake in literally laying his own life on the line for me.

Or is he being punished in private by the king? The thought made me queasy. Unable to stomach my own speculations any longer, when classes ended for the day, I hung back, wanting to speak with Mad and Alyssa again.

"Hey, wait up!" I said to them as they exited the door of our last class.

Alyssa glanced back at me, her eyes bulging. She shook her head. "No, Genesis! You need to leave! You can't miss curfew again! I can't handle that kind of stress again."

"I'm keeping track of the time, trust me," I said. I bit my tongue for a moment, refraining from telling her that she surely didn't have to worry about what she could handle; the horrors I'd been through were infinitely worse than whatever stress she could have possibly endured on my behalf.

Perhaps sensing the direction of my thoughts, Mad cleared her throat. "What is it, Genesis?" she asked. "Do you want to meet up—outside the capital—to study? You have a lot to catch up on. I know it must seem overwhelming. We're more than willing to help you though."

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. I mean—thanks though. I'm sure I'll take you up on that offer soon, but—" I paused and took a deep breath before resuming in a lower voice. "Look—do either of you know anything about...Jason? I mean, have you seen him lately, or do you know any reason why he wouldn't be here today?"

Both girls shook their heads.

"I was wondering why he wasn't here myself," Alyssa said, her mouth tugging downward into a frown. She began looking around, as if he would suddenly appear.

Mad shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he just needed a break after, you know...I can't imagine what that was like for him. For both of you, really..."

I pressed my lips together and nodded. With Mad being a Kingfisher, if she didn't know Jason's whereabouts, I presumed no one did.

Alyssa stared at me wistfully. "But it was so romantic of him to save you like that though. Did you have any idea he would do something like that? I remember the way he looked at you and spoke to you on our first day here. Thunder-God, Genesis, you're so lucky. He's so gorgeous."

Never in my life had I fought so hard to not roll my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to inform Alyssa that this was not some cute fairytale from the old world where a handsome English prince came forward to rescue a damsel in distress. This was real life, and there was nothing remotely romantic about what had happened to me. If she only knew the half of what I had been forced to go through in that prison, and what had almost happened to me...

I averted my gaze and tightened my grip on the straps of my knapsack.

Mad cleared her throat again. "I'm sure he had his reasons. Kingfishers always do," she said in a low voice. I studied her for a second, pondering whether she knew more than she was letting on. But I was also aware that time was ticking, and by no means did I want to risk losing too much of it again.

"Well, that's all I wanted," I said. "I'll see you later."

They nodded. "Alright, see you," Alyssa said.

"And just let us know if you need help with any of your assignments," Mad said.

"Thanks," I said over my shoulder. I briskly headed to the exit of Promenade—the only part of the school I seemed readily able to find—and set off for the horse stable to retrieve Dolly.

I'm sure he had his reasons. Kingfishers always do.

Mad's words echoed through my head, making me feel more suspicious than ever.

What could Jason Fisher's reasons have possibly been? Although I hadn't been killed, it felt like I would die if I didn't find out the answer to that question.

So lost in my thoughts, I reached the stable much faster than anticipated. Dolly happily lifted her silvery head in greeting, ready to get out and stretch her legs.

"Hey girl," I said, kissing her muzzle. "You ready to get out of here? Let's go."

Securing my school bag onto my back, I got ready to mount Dolly, only to almost slip off when a voice suddenly spoke out to me.

"Heading out pretty early this time, huh?"

I lowered my one foot from the saddle and spun around, trying not to trip.

Jason appeared from the back of the stable, casually strolling my way.

Before I was even consciously aware of it, I crossed the stable and practically threw myself at him, giving him a tight hug that expressed more than words ever could—if I even knew the words to say to begin with. After several seconds, it finally sunk in that I was hugging a royal. My posture tensed, stunned by my own brashness. However, I also was keenly aware of the way Jason returned the hug, his firm hands pressed to my back and holding me far longer than expected. And while my nerves were rising by the second, there was a part of me that didn't quite mind the feel of Jason's hug, as if I had known him for a lifetime already...

But then Alyssa's silly comments came back and drifted through my head, making me think of handsome princes and damsels in distress. A bitter taste formed in my mouth and the moment began to stretch well into awkward territory. So finally, I pulled back from Jason and he subsequently lowered his arms.

Outside of his embrace, my senses quickly returned to me. All of my previous questions came flooding back, along with Mad's words about Kingfishers never doing anything without a reason.

"Why?" I said, my tone becoming accusatory in a way that I hadn't quite meant for it to be.

"Why what?" Jason asked, tilting his head.

"Why did you risk your life for me?"

Jason smirked. "Oh, I don't know. I guess I was bored."

I blinked, his answer catching me so off guard that I laughed before I could stop myself. Thunder, I needed that laugh.

Why was this boy—this royal—making me behave so irrationally? I stifled my laughter, reminding myself that the matter at hand was entirely too serious to joke about. Jason's smirk faded once he saw my demeanor grow more serious. He looked beyond me, staring off in the direction of Promenade's building. I noticed for the first time that he wasn't wearing his uniform, indicating that attending classes today had never been in his plans.

Had he been hanging out at the stable all day, or had he just gotten there recently?

Had he been waiting for me?

When he spoke again, his voice was low, as if afraid someone would overhear us despite our only company consisting of horses belonging to Promenade boys who didn't have to leave the premises until they were good and ready. "If you really want to know, I'll show you."

Silence stretched between us for a moment, only broken by one of the horses neighing in the background.

I raised an eyebrow. "You need to show me? You can't just tell me?"

When our eyes met again, the smirk returned to Jason's face. "It's better that way."

I narrowed my eyes at him, finding his comment cryptic, yet intriguing. My curiosity rising, I nodded my head. "Okay then. Show me. Please. I need to know."

Jason turned on the spot, heading to the far side of the stable, where he retrieved a bag and very carefully secured it to his back. He then mounted a beautiful white stallion. "Follow me then," he instructed. "I've got something to show you."
Chapter 19

I mounted Dolly, and followed behind Jason and his horse, trying with no luck to figure out where on earth he could be taking me and what he wanted to show me.

What could he show me that would explain why he had risked his own life to save mine?

Wherever we were headed, I was at least grateful to see that it was outside of the city, which meant I wouldn't have to worry about being inside the capital beyond my five o'clock curfew. Or at least I didn't think so...

I coughed a few times, causing Jason to peer over his shoulder at me.

"Uh...there's no curfew where we're going, is there?" I asked.

He shook his head and chuckled. "No, Genesis. I wouldn't do that to you, you should know that. You'll be fine. You're with me. It's outside the capital."

I tried to find comfort in his confidence, but it wasn't enough to shake away my nervousness.

As we continued to ride farther out of the city, the landscape began to gradually change. After a while, the change became more drastic. Gone were the luxurious buildings, decorative lawns, and expensive vehicles as everything grew more and more scarce. Soon, all that surrounded us were empty fields.

"Where is this place? Where are you taking me?" I asked, unable to keep my uncertainty quiet any more. Jason may have saved my life, but a part of me felt that was no reason to blindly trust him. He was still a royal, after all, no matter what he had done for me; I had thoroughly learned the hard way that royals weren't to be trusted.

My anxiety began to rise again. It would be just my luck if this was some kind of trap he was leading me into.

"It's an old Rowan territory," he answered. "This area was once used for trade between the Rowans and other tribes until my dear father forbade everyone from it."

I stared silently at the back of Jason's head as his long hair whipped around in the wind. I was pretty sure that there had been a note of sarcasm and bitterness in the way he had referenced the former king.

"Why did he do that?" I asked, partly because I was curious, and partly because I felt better when Jason talked rather than silently led me to who-knew-where.

"You'll see," he said, offering no further explanation. Regretfully, I could think of nothing else to ask, so we continued riding in silence for a while longer. I focused more on my surroundings and saw that we were steadily growing closer to a riverbank. The closer we got to it, the more certain I became that it was the destination Jason sought to take me.

Once we were at the riverbank, Jason brought his horse to a halt and dismounted. He patted the horse's back before taking its reigns by hand and leading him to the water, permitting him to take a drink.

Following suit, I dismounted Dolly and led her to the riverbank too. She stared at Jason's horse for a moment and pawed the ground before relaxing and lowering her head to take a drink as well.

"That's a good girl," I said, ruffling her mane as she drank.

When Jason's horse was done drinking, he walked him to a nearby set of trees and then proceeded to tie his reins to one of the trunks. From the bag secured to his back, Jason pulled out some carrots and began feeding them to his horse.

After taking her last lap, Dolly raised her head and looked toward them. I grabbed her reins and led her over. As I tied her to a neighboring tree, Jason pulled out another carrot for Dolly, which she graciously accepted.

"Thanks," I said.

"She's beautiful," Jason commented, lightly patting her on the muzzle. I stared at Dolly, surprised that she was so at ease with Jason. Then again, he'd had the same unusual effect on me, so I couldn't really blame her.

"So is he," I said, nodding to his horse. "What's his name?"

"Max."

Jason handed me another carrot to feed to Dolly and then walked off slightly ahead of us. With his hands in his pockets, he stared out at the water.

Feeding Dolly another carrot, I turned to gaze at the riverbank before us also. I reflected over what I knew about the Rowan tribe. Water was special to them, and it served as a huge part of their daily lives, much like hunting and farming had been to mine. The Rowans were known as the Children of the Sea, and they were responsible for providing clean water to the rest of the Kingdom. I knew they also held very sacred beliefs about baptism.

As I stared out at the water before us, I had to admit that it was beautiful and fascinating to see up close. However, it still didn't explain anything that I wanted to know. I approached Jason, stopping beside him. "So...what's this about? What now?"

He pointed to a solar powered canoe. "We've got to cross the water. Come on."

Jason stepped onto the canoe, then extended his hand to me. My face growing slightly warm, I took his hand and let him help me onto the canoe. I glanced back at our horses, who seemed to have made fast friends with each other. "Will they be safe out here?"

"Yep," Jason answered.

After we were settled inside the canoe, he turned the ignition and we were off, soaring through the water.

I breathed in the fresh scent of the air and moisture as the wind whipped across my face. I closed my eyes for a second, enjoying the feel, and then shook my head. "You guys are so lucky," I said. "We still have to row with paddles except when we are traveling outside Black Forest on a water taxi."

Jason laughed. "Trust me, luxury isn't always what it's cracked up to be."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "Then again—I guess you do have a point." I smirked. "After all, that's probably why Arnazuris are stronger and healthier than the members of other tribes. We work with our hands."

Jason smiled, although there was a faraway expression in his gaze as he peered out at the water ahead. "There's more to the Arnazuri than physical strength, hunting and agriculture, trust me, there's much more," he said.

Not knowing how to respond to such a statement, I grew silent again. Not before long, we were moving through a tunnel. As our surroundings abruptly grew dark, apprehension crept up inside of me. It dawned on me that I was alone with Jason in what literally felt like the middle of nowhere.

And no one else knew where I was...

Genesis, what have you gotten yourself into? A voice in my head scolded. Any other time, I would have known better than to do something like this. But just like when I had so unceremoniously thrown myself into his arms, there was something about Jason that made me go against my better judgment, as if I intuitively trusted him for reasons I wasn't even consciously aware of.

I just had to hope I wouldn't regret it in the long run.

Feeling more panicked by the second, I wanted to ask where we were, where we were going, and if we could turn back around and leave already because I was uncomfortable. The dark tunnel was making me feel claustrophobic, and I wanted to be out in the open again—in daylight, and preferably on solid ground.

But I couldn't find my voice, and all I could do was stare through the darkness, trying to figure out Jason's intentions for bringing me here.

Finally, he brought the canoe to a stop. I listened to the sounds of him shuffling about, and felt the bottom of the canoe hit something that felt solid, like ground.

Only seeing a shadow moving before me, it appeared that Jason was reaching for something. All of a sudden, illumination pierced through the darkness of our surroundings. I rubbed my eyes and blinked rapidly, trying to get my eyes to adjust. When they adapted to the light, I saw that we were in front of a tall door that seemed to stretch on forever. I tilted my head back, astonished.

I looked at Jason, confused and in awe as he stepped out of the canoe. He stretched to press something along the side of the door and slowly, it began to creak open. Turning back to me, he extended his hand again, but I didn't take it this time around. I climbed out on my own. If he'd been offended, I couldn't tell, for he had turned to face the door again and proceeded to go through it.

My flesh broke out into goosebumps as I peered over Jason's shoulder, seeing what could only be described as a room full of treasure—items of gold and silver and other expensive metals, plus extravagant and ancient paintings unlike anything I had ever seen before, until recently when I saw similar artwork hanging in the king's palace.

I continued to stare in utter disbelief, unable to wrap my mind around what I was seeing.

Jason glanced back at me before walking off to the side toward a wall filled with ancient writings. "Kunti ni, lama Rada ni," he read.

I looked at him, flabbergasted by the dialect he had just used. I looked at the wall before him. Astonished, it didn't take long for me to recognize the language as Arnazuri even though I didn't understand what it meant. No one these days, at least that I knew of, spoke Arnazuri anymore. Some elders of the tribe may have known a few words, but the language itself had been dead for as long as anyone in living memory could remember. It was common knowledge that an ancient king of the Kingdom had long ago declared that all the tribes must speak one single shared language. Consequently, each individual tribe lost its native tongue.

Amazed, I stared at the wall, unable to fathom how old the writings must have been and who had put them there.

"There's more I want to show you," Jason said, nodding his head. "Come this way."

Obediently, I followed behind him, wondering how big this place was as he led me to another huge room. I came to a halt and gasped, thinking we had walked into a gathering of some sort. But then I realized the figures standing about were just statues—breathtakingly and amazingly lifelike. I could only presume they were just as old as everything else in this enormous treasure trove.

After looking around in awe, I noticed Jason had approached a couple of bronze busts. He motioned for me to come over. "Who do you think these are?" he asked.

I came to his side for a better view. The faces were proud and majestic, and whoever they depicted must have obviously been of high importance. Their heads were adorned with beautiful crowns that appeared to be made of real gold and gemstones. "I don't know. They look like kings and queens. They must have been old royals. Maybe they're your ancestors?"

Jason smiled and shook his head. "No, Genesis. They're your ancestors. These are Arnazuri Kings."

All I could do was stare at Jason for a moment. "What?" I said, confused. "What do you mean? We've never had kings and queens. The Arnazuri don't have royals. We...We can't even have kings. We're not allowed to rule. And these don't look like Arnazuri."

Jason did not reply to me though. Instead, he took the knapsack off his back and began to rummage through it, pulling out a piece of cloth and a container. I watched, baffled, as he carefully opened the container, revealing some sort of liquid chemical that released a strong and acidic aroma into the already stale-smelling air. He then dipped the cloth into it and began scrubbing at one of the sculptures. I watched with bated breath, instinctively wanting to stop him, but I was too shocked by what he was doing. This was a beautiful piece of artwork sculpted in the likeness of someone who had clearly once been important; I couldn't believe he had the nerve to even touch it, let alone apply some sort of chemical to it.

Just when I was about to find my voice to tell him to stop, my protest got caught in my throat upon noticing what was happening to the bust right before my eyes. As Jason continued to rub it with the cloth, the ivory paint that created its skin-tone began to wipe away onto the cloth, revealing a brown hue underneath.

The sculpture had originally been painted brown, but someone had painted over it...

Jason continued scrubbing the statue, pausing every now and then to dip the cloth in the cleaning solution again, and then setting back to work. I stepped backward, unable to believe what I was seeing.

When he was done, the formerly fair skin king now stared back at me, it's sculpted eyes surrounded by rich deep brown skin very much like my own.

"Wh-What? H-How? Why?" I couldn't even fully articulate the questions racing through my mind.

Jason stepped back from the bust, admiring the work beneath the façade he had just revealed. "That's what you call cleansing. Kingfishers painted over these statues to make them appear cream-colored in order to hide their true identity. In reality, these are the busts of Arnazuri kings of old. These are your people, Genesis."

Jason set down the cleaning solution and the cloth, and then turned to face me, staring me right in the eyes. "My ancestors took away and hid all the art and symbols that showed just how rich and magnificent the Arnazuri culture is. They destroyed, cleansed, and hid anything proving the important role Arnazuris have played throughout history. They distorted history to make the Arnazuri people believe they'd never had a king from their tribe, and that the gods didn't grant them any leadership abilities. It was all a massive cover-up. All a lie. And that's why King Henry has forbade everyone from this area." Jason waved his arm around at the room. "He doesn't want to risk anyone ever finding all of this."

I was growing lightheaded with disbelief. I staggered backwards, feeling as if I was going to topple over at any second. Jason placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. "There's evidence that there once was an Arnazuri empire that ruled the whole of West Africa," he continued. "They were also the only West African tribe who wasn't conquered by the Fulani."

"The Fulani?" I asked, finally finding my voice again.

Jason smirked, although there was no humor to the look of it. "Don't worry. I'll tell you all about them later."

Whatever he said next, I couldn't hear because I was quickly going into shock. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle my sobs as warm and unstoppable tears began to roll down my face.

I just couldn't believe it.

Everything my people and I had ever known about ourselves was based on a horrendous lie.
Chapter 20

The next day, and the day after that passed in a blur. I showed up for my classes at Promenade, I tried to chat with Mad and Alyssa when they approached me, and I made sure to leave the capital well before five o'clock each evening. But all the while, my mind stayed thoroughly preoccupied with everything Jason had told and shown me about the history of my people.

It was unsettling, sitting in the capital day after day, being taught the alternate 'facts' the royals had concocted in their favor, completely leaving the rich history of the Arnazuri behind. While it filled me with bitterness, at the same time, it also filled me with pride to finally know the truth.

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Although I gradually began to feel more accustomed to life at Promenade, it was really the time I spent in secret with Jason that kept me going. He and I had worked out a schedule with one another, meeting up on Friday afternoons after classes to go back to the hidden temple, where he continued to teach me more about my people. We were careful to keep our meetings discreet, and had therefore decided that while under the roof of Promenade, it was best that he ignored me just like all the other boys, to keep up appearances.

"You mean—he saved your life, but he doesn't even see fit to talk to you anymore?" Alyssa had asked me one day.

I'd shrugged my shoulders and kept my face as neutral as possible. "Old habits die hard. He still is and always will be a royal at heart. Defying his brother once isn't going to change that."

After a while, Jason and I had fallen into a steady routine and our system proved to work unscathed. No one suspected anything.

As if he were my own personal professor, Jason taught me how to decode cultural symbols and works of art from ancient members of the Arnazuri tribe. And using the books he had acquired some time ago from the royal library to teach himself the Arnazuri language, he had embarked on the arduous task of teaching it to me.

I'd always had great respect for language, but had never realized just how complicated it could be until I found myself painstakingly trying to learn the lost and native language of my people. Simply trying to learn and memorize the alphabet was a hassle in itself, and it gave me a headache just thinking about reaching the point of learning to actually read and pronounce words.

"I need a break," I said one Friday afternoon. Frustrated, I sat down on the floor, buried my head in my hands, and closed my eyes. "We've done enough. Can we just stop for today?"

Standing before me, Jason grew so quiet that I thought he hadn't heard me. I looked up, only to find him staring down at me, his expression mirroring my own impatience. "No," he said, his voice low, "we cannot just stop for today."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Excuse me? And why not?"

"Because there is no need to stop. We haven't even been here long—"

"But I'm tired," I said, irritably.

"No, you're lazy. Now stop whining and concentrate!"

Taken aback, I glared upward at him. He stared down at me, his expression resembling the anger I remembered the king directing at him when he had agreed to take my place in the scheduled execution.

"I am not lazy," I said through gritted teeth.

"Well, you don't understand how important this is. Otherwise, you wouldn't be willing to give up so easily."

I shook my head in exasperation. Every Friday, I had been coming to this hidden temple with him, watching the fervor in his eyes as he attempted to bestow upon me every ounce of Arnazuri knowledge he seemed to possess. And more than a time or two, I'd caught myself wondering why he was so fascinated with Arnazuri culture. He was a Kingfisher, and if his people were behind the massive cover-up, why was he so willing to let the cat out of the bag? It had struck me as suspicious before, but even more so now, as he towered over me, looking as if he wanted to chastise me even further.

I climbed back to my feet and looked him square in the eyes. "Honestly, Jason—what's it to you? Why are you taking this so seriously? You aren't even Arnazuri, so why do you care so much? Tell me—how does any of this concern you?"

Now it was Jason's turn to shake his head in exasperation. He gave a mirthless laugh and slammed the book in his hand shut. "You just don't get it, do you?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "No, I don't. So please, enlighten me."

Jason sighed. "Genesis, do you think this is easy for me? I was named after William Marshal who served five kings, three of whom were named Henry, because I am supposed to serve my brother, protect him, and lay my life for him if needed. So you think I would turn my back on all that if I didn't believe there was something more important and bigger than that? Haven't you ever heard of the prophecy about the rise of an Arnazuri king?"

I swallowed, thinking back to the things my father said before I was whisked away to Promenade, and the story the griot had told back at the last moon ceremony I'd attended with my brother, Prince.

Yes—I'd heard of such a prophecy...

Slowly, I nodded my head. "Yeah. So what? Those prophecies are just made-up stories to entertain kids. Only the out-of-touch elders still take them seriously." Yet, my voice quivered uncertainly around the words leaving my mouth.

"Well," Jason continued, "I'll just say this—from my studies—and trust me, I've studied extensively—I am convinced they are far more than just made-up stories to entertain children. And the elders are far smarter than you're giving them credit for. Based on what I've studied, I truly think the time is drawing near. I've been seeing...patterns...all around us, indicating that if the prophecy is true, the time for it to come true is quickly approaching. And—I think you're going to have a part to play in it. I sensed it from the day I set eyes on you."

I blinked, thinking Jason couldn't have been serious. But judging from the look on his face, I realized that he wholeheartedly believed every word he'd just said.

Suddenly feeling cold, I shuddered. I folded my arms around myself, laughed, and shook my head. "That's crazy talk. How can you believe something like that? How can you be so sure of such a thing?"

Jason's eyes blazed. He took several steps closer to me and leaned in. "I can't explain it," he said in a fevered voice, "and I don't know exactly what role you'll play, but I know you're important somehow, Genesis. Just like I know that somehow, I'm meant to help you. I have to help you...don't you feel it? Don't you feel something special here?"

If by something special, he meant the automatic way I tended to trust him without rationally knowing why—then yes, I suppose I did feel it. But standing before him, I didn't want to admit it. I couldn't. It was too strange.

I was never one to believe in this kind of thing and I didn't want to start now, just because Jason said so.

I shuddered again, this time in response to the distinct look of fear forming across Jason's face.

Could he have honestly been afraid of me not believing him? Was all of this really that important to him?

Not knowing what to say, I kept quiet and waited for him to continue, as I knew he would.

"I know the king is secretly plotting something and whatever it is, it's not going to be good. And I can just feel it. I can't explain it, but I know I was born into the royal family because I was meant to do this." He waved his arm around, indicating me and the hidden temple. "I was meant to stop my brother."

Jason fell silent for such a long time, I wasn't sure if his last statement was a confession to me, or something he was stating to himself. Whatever the intention, it was palpable just how strongly he felt about the matter. If I was uncomfortable before, it was nothing compared to how I felt now. My mind was whirling, trying to make sense of what I was hearing.

Inexplicably, as I stared at Jason, I began to think of Remington.

Remington and the Hawks, more accurately. I had turned my back on him and the Hawks, refusing to listen to their beliefs and plans. Not even my father's decision to join them had changed the way I'd felt about the Hawks at the time. I had viewed them as nothing but trouble, and for the longest time, nothing and no one could have changed my mind about them.

But now, I wonder if they'd had the right idea all along.

I'd had to learn the hard way that the royals were not as noble as I'd once thought them to be. I'd learned the hard way that my years of loyalty to them hadn't been deserved.

Perhaps the Hawks, somehow, had learned all of this far sooner and quicker than I had, and I had just been too naïve to pay them any mind. I had been so ridiculously blind.

I thought about how much effort the Hawks, particularly those from the Arnazuri tribe, had spent in trying to recruit new members. I thought about how carefully they had planned their meetings. I thought about the strong resentment and animosity they had shown toward the royals and their ways.

How many times had various Hawk members shouted about the unfairness that had been shown to our people?

In hindsight, it now seemed possible that they'd known something the rest of us hadn't all along...

I wondered if they had known about all of this—all the wrong the Kingfishers had done to our tribe in literally stripping us of our culture in ways I could have never even imagined before. Was this secretly why my own father had grown so ashamed of my loyalty to the royals?

Maybe the Hawks hadn't been acting irrationally at all. Maybe they weren't just a bunch of irresponsible idiots like I had believed them to be. Maybe there had been a real reason behind the revolt that I'd just had no way to being privy to, especially since I had failed to pay them any mind to begin with.

If King Henry's own brother thought he was up to no good, there was indeed something wrong with his leadership.
Chapter 21

"That is correct, Mr. Fisher. Excellent job."

I blinked, snapping out of the daze I had been in for the majority of class when I realized Jason had just answered whatever question the professor had directed at him. Perhaps sensing my gaze, Jason casually glanced around the classroom until he briefly locked eyes with me. I thought about the last lesson he'd attempted to give me on the Arnazuri alphabet—or how disastrously it had ended, rather. Ashamed, my stomach gave a swoop and heat crept into my face.

Even though the weekly lessons he gave me after school on Arnazuri culture were tiring at times, deep down, I knew it wasn't solely the complicated material that made it difficult to focus.

There was something else...

Granted, it's not like I hadn't noticed before—after all, I wasn't blind. Rather, I just hadn't paid much attention to it, and hadn't wanted to pay attention to it in the first place. Nevertheless, each passing day it became more impossible to ignore how good-looking Jason Fisher was. Hence, part of what made it so hard to concentrate during our lessons was simply being around him and trying to focus on what he was teaching me instead of how effortlessly handsome he was and how his hair perfectly complemented his distinguished looks.

In addition to secretly admiring his appearance, I also spent a lot of time in fascination over how different he was from the king, and from royals in general. Jason's down-to-earth personality felt like the biggest mystery of all, especially considering the environment he'd been raised in his whole life.

So lost in my thoughts, I almost hadn't realized that class had been dismissed until I heard everyone's chairs screeching against the wooden floor as they stood and prepared to leave.

Hurriedly, I grabbed my books and made my way to the door, wanting to catch up to Jason. I searched for him out in the hallway, but he was already nowhere in sight. Accepting that I hadn't been quick enough to catch him, I made my way out of the building, figuring I would have to try reaching him the following day. Yet, once I made it outside, I spotted him.

"Jason," I said, remembering too late that we weren't supposed to communicate while on the Promenade grounds. But he slowed his pace and turned toward me anyway, as if he didn't mind. I hurried to his side, and together, we walked to the horse stable. When I spoke again, I kept my voice low. "Look—I'm sorry about what happened at our last session. It won't happen again, I swear. I'm ready to keep learning if you're still willing to teach me. I'm Arnazuri—I know I should be even more invested and motivated about this stuff than you are."

"I'm sorry too, Genesis," Jason said, glancing sideways at me. "I should have been more patient with you. I can only imagine how you feel, and I know it must be overwhelming to have so much information thrown at you all at once. So I'll remember to go easier on you from now on."

"Well, I'm ready to start back whenever you are," I said. We had reached the horse stable, and Dolly was already pawing the ground excitedly upon spotting me. She stood beside Max, who bopped his head in greeting toward Jason.

Jason paused in front of Max, patting him on the muzzle. Once again, as was too often the case these days, I found myself admiring his looks. He brushed his hair back and looked my way.

"What?" he said.

"Nothing," I said too quickly. Blushing, I turned towards Dolly. When I chanced looking at Jason again, he was still watching me. A playful grin that I had never seen before spread across his face, causing a swoop to go through my stomach. Mortified, I hoped he couldn't tell what I'd been thinking. Yet, judging from his grin, he had likely noticed me checking him out.

Way to go, Genesis, I thought to myself. As if you don't have bigger problems to worry about.

Jason glanced at the watch on his wrist. "It's noon," he said. "That gives us five whole hours."

I blinked. "Five whole hours for what?"

"I think we need a break from studying," he declared. He mounted his horse and nodded at me. "Come on. I want to show you something."

I wasn't sure if I had just learned to stop asking questions whenever Jason wanted to show me something, or if it was just an indicator of how much I'd grown to trust him. Whatever the reason, I rode behind him on the horse lane, feeling prickles of excitement dancing through me as I wondered where our excursion would end this time. I saw with some trepidation that we were still inside King's Forest, but then I reminded myself who I was with; after saving my life, Jason was the last person who would let me miss curfew again. The thought bringing me some solace, I allowed myself to relax as we continued riding farther into King's Forest. As I took in our surroundings, I realized that no matter how much time I spent inside the capital, I would probably never get used to its extravagance. It had been weeks, yet I was still in awe of the tall and luxurious buildings lining the streets.

When we came to a stop, my jaw dropped.

We were outside of the royal theater.

Jason smiled. "Want to see a play with me this afternoon?"

"C-Can I even go in there?" I asked. "Are Arnazuri allowed?"

Jason huffed. "Genesis, you're with me. You can go anywhere." He dismounted Max and began tying his reigns to a nearby pole.

Still perched on Dolly, I looked from Jason to the magnificent theater, feeling uncertain.

"I didn't bring you all the way here to go in there by myself," Jason said as he finished tying Max's reigns.

Nervously, I dismounted Dolly and tied her beside Max.

"It'll be fun. I promise. Let's go," Jason said.

As we neared the entrance, it didn't take long for us to capture the attention of people in the surrounding area. Onlookers kept glancing our way, and unless it was my imagination, they seemed to grow in numbers the closer we got to the theater. Paranoid, I walked closely by Jason's side, my shoulders hunched inward as if trying to make myself more discreet. My efforts were all in vain though, for when we reached the door, Jason held it open for me, which just brought more attention to us. My face feeling warmer by the second, I stepped inside the theater, knowing for certain that all eyes were on me.

Nevertheless, once I stepped inside, it was impossible to not be astounded by the theater, no matter how many hostile gazes were directed my way. I looked around, my eyes wide in amazement. Like all other buildings in King's Forest, it was huge. Gold and crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the plush red carpet covering the floor made it feel like we were walking on clouds. The artwork on the walls depicted life-sized and breathtakingly beautiful actors and actresses dressed in their most lavish attire, alongside posters advertising numerous upcoming plays, musicals, and concerts.

I suppose I had been standing and gaping at everything too long, for Jason lightly pressed a hand to my back, nudging me forward to the ticket booth. The woman working inside the booth stared at me, instantly making me want to shrink and disappear again. Her expression couldn't have been clearer in relaying the message that I didn't belong here.

Jason cleared his throat, and then grabbed ahold of my hand. "Two for the next performance of The Python King, please," he said.

"Yes, your majesty," the woman said, bowing her head and finally taking her scrutinizing gaze off me.

Jason gave my hand a gentle squeeze. My heart pounded as I glanced around, more aware than ever of all the people staring at us. We already stood out like sore thumbs thanks to our Promenade uniforms, but we stood out even more simply because we were there together—holding hands, no less. I could see the thought flashing through our onlookers' eyes just as plainly as if it was written across their foreheads.

What's the Prince doing with her—an Arnazuri girl?

I swallowed, wondering if anyone recognized me as the curfew-breaker that Jason had risked his life for. Had any of them been at the palace to witness the ransom that fateful day?

What kind of rumors was this going to inspire—or what kind of trouble, rather?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Jason gave my hand another reassuring squeeze, and I tried my best to find comfort from it.

Suddenly, a feeling of rebellion came over me as I remembered the things Jason had taught me. It occurred to me that the snobs populating King's Forest, particularly those turning their noses up at me now, looked down on my people because they had no idea whatsoever of the truth. They had no clue about how much their fellow Kingfishers had covered and altered the truth about the Arnazuri community and its role throughout history...

They had no idea. And if they had, it certainly wouldn't have been so easy for them to give me such condescending looks.

Feeling emboldened, I forced myself to stand straight and proudly at Jason's side rather than cowering in his shadow. I reminded myself that I was with the Prince of Nayja. Even if he didn't act like a typical royal, he still was a royal, regardless. Thus, whether the people around us approved of my presence didn't matter; there was nothing they could do about it as long as I was with Prince Jason Fisher.

"You ready?" he asked, still holding my hand.

I nodded.

Our palms pressed together and our fingers interlaced, we walked into the theater and took our seats, which were clearly the best seats in the house.

Jason and I sat in companionable silence until the lights dimmed. I jumped when music suddenly blasted through the theater, and he chuckled beside me.

He leaned over. "I think you're going to enjoy this," he said.

And he was right.

I couldn't remember smiling and laughing so much in my life. My cheeks literally started to hurt. Granted, like everyone else in Nayja, I knew the story of The Python King. It was based on the myth that there was another surviving kingdom somewhere in a faraway land, led by a man known as the Python King. Lots of people liked to debate whether such a thing could be true, but everyone knew it was impossible. It was well known that the only humans to survive the apocalypse were the ones right here living in Nayja. Decade after decade of research and yearly tests conducted by scientists repeatedly proved that the rest of Earth had become uninhabitable.

Nevertheless, The Python King remained a popular tale throughout our land. Despite being familiar with it, I had never seen it featured in such an extraordinary way. The actors were phenomenal, their costumes were beautiful, and their comedic timing was perfect. I had a feeling I would never see a production so well-done again.

Toward the last third of the play, overcome with a fit of laughter, I glanced toward Jason. I leaned over, wanting to thank him for bringing me, but I couldn't stifle my laughter long enough to do so. Sensing that I wanted to say something, he leaned over toward me. But my laughter proved to be contagious, and not before long, he was laughing hysterically right along with me.

Our foreheads touched, and before I knew it, I had doubled over with laughter again and ended up resting my head on his shoulder.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Jason slinked his arm around me, holding me to his side as we finished watching the rest of the performance.
Chapter 22

The play ended just in time for me to make it back to what had become my home away from home before curfew. I'd bid Jason goodbye, and thanked him repeatedly for the experience of seeing The Python King at the royal theater.

"Don't mention it," he'd said with a sparkle in his eyes that sent a butterfly floating through my stomach.

Smiling to myself, I headed up to my room. It had taken me awhile to adapt to the hostel-styled building that served as my place of residence while attending Promenade, but I'd eventually gotten used to it. It was located in the community of King's Bay, bordering the south side of King's Forest. In my first few days residing there, I gathered that the building was primarily populated with Rowans, Arnazuri, and a few Ammirians who worked in the capital.

While I had homework to tend to, I was still in too much of a good mood to be bothered with it. The instant I walked through the door, I could tell that my roommate, Sentana, noticed my better than usual mood.

"Good day at school?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, uhm...yeah," I said.

Sentana was not much of a talker, so whenever she spoke, it tended to catch me off guard. Most people who encountered her were often left wondering if she could speak at all. She was Ammirian, and the most noise she ever made was when she played her violin. She worked as a minstrel in the king's court and often practiced her music late into the night. I didn't mind it at all, and neither did our other roommate, Zudera—for the violin music helped us fall asleep.

Seeing that only Sentana was present, I presumed Zudera was still working. She was a Rowan and she worked for her father, who was a fisherman. Together, they brought fish to King's Forest, loading their product into boats that sailed into the capital. While Zudera was more talkative than Sentana, she often worked so much that she was tired when she returned to our room. Hence, there often wasn't much socializing among us. I like it that way though; I much preferred roommates who mostly kept to themselves and minded their own business.

Even though Sentana's quiet nature would have made her perfect for secret-keeping, I'd never told her about the sessions I'd been having with Jason, and didn't intend to. And although I was dying to talk about the play, I knew doing so wouldn't be practical. Since no one was aware of the friendship that had developed between me and Jason, it wouldn't make sense to disclose that he'd taken me to the royal theater. Of course, there was always a chance that word would get out since so many people had seen us. I supposed that was a bridge that would have to be crossed when we got there though.

Sentana was sitting on her bed, studying a sheet of music. Not wanting to disrupt her, I took a seat at my desk and quietly rummaged through my bag of school books—mostly just to give myself something to do rather than actually wanting to study. I knew I was falling dangerously behind in my schoolwork and I would have to buckle down sooner or later, perhaps even taking Mad and Alyssa up on their promise to help me. But today just wasn't going to be that day. I was too preoccupied reliving the play...

Not to mention the way Jason had unashamedly held my hand, and casually put his arm around me as we watched the ending of the performance together.

Those thoughts would have kept me happy for the rest of the night had they not been interrupted by the abrupt knocking on the door. I turned toward Sentana, wondering if she expected company, but she shrugged her shoulders and looked just as surprised as I felt.

Curiously, I opened our door, finding the Arnazuri messenger standing on the other side. Every three weeks, he was responsible for delivering messages to and from the Arnazuri community.

Just when I thought my day couldn't get any better, my heart gave an excited leap. I had been longing to hear from my family, and desperate to let them know that I was all right. I had been writing regularly to my mother from the moment I'd stepped foot in King's Forest, making sure to detail everything that had happened so far. Everything with the exception of the private lessons Jason had been giving me, and all I had seen in the hidden temple. While I wanted nothing more than to fill my family in on all the details I'd learned about the hidden history of the Arnazuri culture, I didn't dare put any of it in writing. For all I knew, the king intercepted our mail. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally reveal what Jason had been teaching me. I couldn't betray his trust like that. So while I was anxious to share the information, I knew it was a conversation better left for when I was reunited with my family in person. Thus, for now, Jason and the hidden temple had to remain my own little secret no matter how much I was dying to share it with the world. It just wasn't time yet. Hopefully the time would come someday though.

Wordlessly, the messenger handed me a letter. I instantly recognized my mother's handwriting on the envelope. I ran my fingers over it, wanting to feel my mother's penmanship since it was the closest I could get to her for the time being.

I smiled. "Thank you."

The messenger nodded and turned around to leave.

"Wait!" I said, causing him to come to a halt. "I have something to be delivered too." I hastily searched my desk to retrieve the letters I'd been writing, folded them together, and handed them over. The messenger nodded again, ready to leave once more.

"Please," I said, "can you wait here for a second, just in case my letter requires an immediate reply?"

The messenger pursed his lips, clearly agitated. But he nodded and proceeded to wait nonetheless. As an Arnazuri, he understood my reasoning. The way The Kingdom was set up, phone calls only worked within King's Forest because there was no telecommunication infrastructure in any of the other communities. Hence, calls could only be made and received from within the capital. Everyone else had to resort to the slow process of letter writing, which was further slowed by delivery day only occurring once every three weeks.

I eagerly ripped open my mother's letter, letting my eyes pour over my mother's writing and hoping it would comfort me like a hug from afar. Yet, it only took reading the first few words to know something was terribly wrong based on the tensed and hurried scrawl my mother had written in. Mother's handwriting was normally neat, tidy, and easily legible. But on this paper—her writing was sloppy, shaky, and clearly hurried.

Nervous, I paused after the first line, my breath hitching in my throat from fear of what the rest of the letter would entail. But knowing the messenger was waiting on me, I forced myself to continue reading.

Dear Genesis,

I've been thinking about you night and day, and I hope with all my heart that you are all right. I wish I could say the same from our end, but I do not want to lie, and you deserve to know the truth.

My dearest daughter, it pains me to inform you that a week ago, your father left for a meeting with the Hawks, but never returned. I tried to wait, suspecting that he would show up eventually. But after two days, I grew so worried that your brother and I went out to look for him. We searched all over the forest for hours, but we never found him.

When Prince and I had no choice but to return home, we were met with unspeakable tragedy. A lot of the boys from our community, mostly ranging between 10 and 18 years old, had been fatally poisoned. We do not know what or who exactly caused their deaths, but it is clearly no longer safe for us here in our home community. Therefore, Prince and I, along with other families with sons within the 10 to 18 year old age bracket, have fled and gone into hiding.

We are all right for now.

Please take care of yourself, Genesis. I will write you again as soon as the opportunity is available.

I love you.

Mother

The instant I finished reading, my hands trembled so badly I dropped the letter. Shortly afterwards, I hit the floor right along with it.
Chapter 23

The messenger left, for it was apparent that regardless of whether I wanted to respond immediately to my mother's letter or not, it was impossible since she was in hiding. There would be no way to deliver anything to her.

I spent the rest of the night contemplating whether I needed to just drop everything and go back to my community to look for my family. But then I realized going back to my community would be pointless as well since Mother had clearly stated in her letter that she and Prince were no longer there. And more than likely, my father hadn't returned yet either.

I was at a complete loss for what to do, and I was literally sick with worry. I curled into a fetal position in my bed, my stomach cramping and my body trembling as I stared idly at the wall in front of me. Zudera had returned from work, and had even brought back fish dinners for me and Sentana. But I had no appetite and couldn't eat. And later that night, when Zudera fell asleep to Sentana's peaceful violin-playing, I remained wide awake, unable to be comforted by the music.

Hearing about the boys who'd been killed brought back the worst and most unwelcomed of memories. I kept my eyes open because every time I closed them, I saw myself back with the royal guards, navigating grounds littered with the dead bodies of Arnazuri Hawk members.

Whatever I decided to do, a part of me knew that I needed to at least talk to Jason first. It struck me that this was precisely the kind of situation where it paid off to have a royal on my side. Surely, he could figure out a way to help. He may have even had some information regarding what had happened that no one else was privy to yet.

Still staring at the wall until the sun rose, I decided that instead of leaving King's Bay and blindly running back to the Arnazuri community to a situation that was completely out of my hands, I would go to Jason first, in hopes that he would have a logical course of action for us to follow.

***

As I stepped into the school building, it hardly seemed possible that it had only been a day since I'd left with Jason for a fun afternoon out on the town to enjoy a play at the royal theater. Once again, my whole world had been completely turned upside down in a matter of mere hours.

I had gotten to Promenade a little earlier than normal, hoping to catch Jason sooner rather than later because I felt like waiting another second would cause me to explode. But as luck would have it, he wasn't there yet and I didn't see him amongst the sea of male students.

Seeing Mad and Alyssa arriving on the premises, I almost wanted to hide, for I didn't feel like engaging them in our usual chit-chat. I suppressed a groan as Alyssa waved excitedly at me.

"Hey Genesis!" she said, once close enough.

"Hi Alyssa. Hi Mad," I said, failing to create any semblance of cheer into my voice.

"Is everything alright?" Mad asked.

It crossed my mind that as a Kingfisher, she may have possibly heard something about whatever was going on. Yet, I figured she couldn't be nearly as much help as Jason.

I shook my head. "No, I'm all right," I lied. "I'm just...tired."

Mad's brow furrowed, plainly noticing that it looked like something more was wrong with me than just tiredness. Thankfully, she didn't press the issue though.

"Want to head to the cafeteria with us for a snack before class?" Alyssa asked.

"No, that's all right. I'm not hungry. I'm, uhm...just going to wait for class to start. I'll catch up to you guys later."

"Okay," Mad said. She eyed me for a moment longer before walking off with Alyssa.

I turned around and headed for our first class. As expected, the room was still empty. I took my seat, grateful for a moment of peace and quiet, yet hoping that Jason would miraculously show up before anyone else did. Yet, as the minutes ticked by, I had no such luck. Mad and Alyssa showed up, and then our male classmates began to file in and take their seats, but none of them were Jason.

When Jason finally arrived, he was nearly one of the last students to take his seat. He briefly caught my eye and smirked, but looked away too quickly to notice something was wrong.

My heart sank. If he was smirking, he hadn't heard about the attack on the Arnazuri boys yet, which meant maybe he wouldn't be as much help as I was hoping...

That doesn't mean he can't help once he finds out though, I told myself.

Sitting at my seat, I bounced my knee nervously, already eager for the class to end before it had even begun. I halfway contemplated just getting up from my seat to approach Jason, not caring if our classmates saw. But before I could give any more thought to such an act, Professor Eggleton showed up, ready to get started.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, staring up at the ceiling and willing myself not to cry in frustration.

Yet, Professor Eggleton had barely gotten his morning greeting out of his mouth before class was interrupted by a disembodied voice. Nearly everyone in the whole class, myself included, jumped. Even Professor Eggleton's mouth dropped open in surprise for an instant. Nervous laughter filled the room. I stared up at the ceiling, somehow having never noticed the built-in speakers before.

"Dear Promenade family," the voice said, "I ask for your patience and your undivided attention this morning, for the king has an important announcement to relay. Without further ado, King Henry."

There was a brief pause before King Henry's voice drifted through the classroom. Having heard the king speak twice before in person, I recognized that his voice sounded deeper and more somber than usual. As he spoke, I kept my eyes glued to Jason the whole time. Hearing his elder brother's disembodied voice interrupting our morning lesson, Jason's posture had gone completely rigid in his seat. His hands gripped the edges of his desk tighter and tighter as the king spoke. Even from my location near the back of the room, I could see his knuckles turning red from the strain.

"Hello, my beautiful people of The Kingdom. This is King Henry speaking, and it is with my deepest sorrow that I must inform you of a terrible tragedy that has recently befallen in the Arnazuri community."

My heart thudded painfully in my chest. In that moment, I realized that I had suddenly become a noticeable presence in the room. Professor Eggleton and all the male students alike, turned their gazes my way, practically acknowledging my presence for the first time since I'd stepped foot into this classroom.

I clenched my jaws, glaring back at them all. But it didn't take long for me to despise their intrusive stares. There were only three people in the whole room who looked at me with empathy—Mad, Alyssa, and Jason.

I focused my gaze entirely on Jason, letting everyone else blur into the background of my periphery. Our eyes locked with one another's, and through his expression, I knew he was the only one to truly feel as panicked as I did.

King Henry continued.

"My council and I have been working diligently to get to the bottom of this tragedy, and we have succeeded in determining where the blame lies. Through our investigation into this matter, it has been determined that several young men of the Arnazuri community were poisoned to death through their water supply. It was the Rowan community that was behind this atrocity, for they did not properly purify the water supply. Had they done their jobs sufficiently and with the proper amount of care, the boys of the Arnazuri hunting school would not have lost their lives in such a disheartening manner.

"I ask that all of you fine people in The Kingdom keep the Arnazuri boys in your prayers, and know that I, your loyal and dedicated King Henry, will ensure that justice is served. Blessings be with you all."

The speakers went off and a heavy silence followed King Henry's words.

"Well," Professor Eggleton said after the prolonged pause, "the king has said his piece. Now it is time for us to get back to work. Take out your books, please. Chop, chop!"

I stared down at my desk, not daring to look up because I knew I wouldn't be able to stop my tears from flowing. I trembled in anger and the room suddenly seemed unusually cold. I didn't bother retrieving my book, knowing that Professor Eggleton wouldn't care anyway. Hatred coursed through me toward the man leading our class, and for the majority of the boys in it as well. I could hardly believe they could continue with business as usual, completely unaffected by the announcement that boys had been killed.

I had an overwhelming urge to stand up and scream. To ask them would they be able to so easily go back to their everyday schedules if boys in their own communities—their peers—had been so carelessly murdered.

But I refrained. Like Jason, I had begun to grip the edges of my desk so tightly than my hands hurt. My head was also starting to hurt from all the effort I was putting forward to refrain from crying. And I kept my teeth clenched, fighting the nausea that threatened to rise from my stomach at any moment even though my stomach was virtually empty.

Although I knew—hoped—that Prince was somewhere safe with our mother, my heart tore into a million pieces over the boys who hadn't been so lucky. Some of them had undoubtedly been Prince's friends, and it pained me to think about what he must have been going through. I had already experienced such heartache with Remington's death, and I wouldn't have wished that kind of pain on my worst enemy.

I kept my head down for the entirety of class, at one point even resting my fists against my mouth to stifle any sobs that threatened to escape from my throat.

Finally, not a second too soon, class ended. I rushed for the door.

I gave a start at the feel of someone grabbing my arm and pulling me backwards. Spinning around, I saw that it was Jason. He wordlessly led me around a corner, out of view of our classmates.

"Genesis," he said, his voice shaking and his eyes wide.

Looking back at him, I could barely hold myself together. I wanted so desperately to throw myself into his arms, just to see if it would make me feel any better. I wanted to feel his firm arms around me, and listen to him convince me that everything was going to be alright. I wanted him to tell me that he knew precisely what to do.

And just for a second, the way he hovered before me, his arms slightly outstretched as if reaching for me, I suspected he wanted the same. But we both knew that while within the walls of Promenade, we simply couldn't be so bold.

"Jason, my family is missing," I said in a hushed voice. "I got a letter from my mother. She said my father has disappeared. She and my little brother went looking for him, but they never found him. And when they got back...they saw...they saw the boys who'd been killed. My little brother—h-he's eleven years old..." I paused for a second, shuddering as a cold chill went down my spine. I blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears once again.

Jason's eyebrows shot upward. "Your brother—is he...?"

"He's in hiding with my mother, but I don't know where they are. If he had been in the town instead of with my mother looking for our father, he would have been...he would have been like the other boys...he'd be..." My voice trailed off, for I didn't have the stomach to finish that sentence. The thought had been going through my mind ever since I'd read my mother's letter, but it was too painful to voice out loud.

I watched Jason's shoulders rise as he took a deep breath and then let it out slowly through his mouth. Casting a glance around to ensure no one was watching, he leaned in toward me. When he spoke this time, his voice was steadier, although he kept it low and made his words quick.

"Look, I don't think my brother is telling the truth. I have a hunch about what's happening though. We have to go to the hidden temple so that I can check to see if what I'm thinking is right. I'll meet up with you after school and we'll head over first chance we get, alright?"

I nodded, wanting to say something, but unable to find my voice anymore.

Jason stepped closer to me and gave my shoulder a brief squeeze. He too, seemed to have more to say, but didn't. He ran his hand down my arm, briefly pausing at my hand before stepping back. He then hurried back around the corner for our next class, casting one last glance my way before disappearing from view.

I stood there for a moment, simply trying to hold myself together. After closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I too headed back around the corner, knowing I needed to stay calm, at least until school was dismissed and Jason and I could get to the bottom of what was really going on. Yet, right when I turned the corner, I slammed into Alyssa. Almost losing my balance, my hand shot out to steady myself against the wall beside me.

"Oh, there you are!" she said. She looked over her shoulder, waving her hand and motioning someone towards us. Within seconds, Mad began hurrying our way.

"Are you okay, Genesis?" Mad said, frowning.

I swallowed and nodded, not trusting my voice enough to speak just yet.

"Are you sure? You didn't know any of the boys who were killed, did you?" Alyssa asked, her eyes wide with panic.

"Alyssa," Mad said, "how would she know something like that right now? The king just made the announcement. She's hearing this for the first time like the rest of us." Nevertheless, the way Mad stared at me suggested that she suspected otherwise. My melancholy that morning clearly hadn't escaped her sharp and observant eyes.

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry," Alyssa said. "Well, we just want to let you know we're here for you regardless." Without warning, she threw her arms around me in a hug.

"Thank you," I said, returning the hug. I then let them escort me to our next class, all the while counting down the seconds until school ended so that I could get back to Jason. I needed to go with him to the temple so that we could discuss what to do about my family and for my people.
Chapter 24

While classes at Promenade always tended to feel longer than I liked, this particular day was almost unbearable. The end of classes just couldn't come quickly enough. When they did, I hurried out the door and straight out of the school, vaguely aware of Mad and Alyssa calling after me, but ignoring them entirely.

Outside, I pushed passed several boys, not even caring that I'd bumped into them or accidentally hit them with my books.

"Watch where you're going!" one of them yelled.

I glanced over my shoulder and snarled. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you could actually see me," I retorted vehemently before hurrying on my way.

I reached the horse stable before Jason did, and the instant I got there, I began pacing frantically. Dolly kept unusually quiet, sensing my distress.

"Come on. Let's go," Jason said the instant he got there a couple minutes later, just as anxious to leave the school as I was. And with that, we wasted no time mounting our horses and setting off for the temple.

Once we made it across the riverbank, through the tunnel, and into the temple, Jason dashed inside so quickly that it was clear he had a mission. I followed silently behind him, waiting for him to let me in on whatever it was he knew about what was going on in my community. But he seemed too focused to speak.

Sorting through various treasures, he was clearly searching for something specific.

"What are you looking for? Maybe I can help," I offered. But he gave me no response. Agitated, I began pacing the floor again, all the while keeping my eyes glued to him.

Eventually, he seemed to finally find what he was looking for. Mumbling to himself, he pulled out a couple of ancient scrolls written in the native Arnazuri language. His eyes began fervently darting over the documents.

Curiously, I stood behind him and peered over his shoulder. Although some of the symbols looked familiar, I still didn't know the language well enough to make sense of anything written on the scroll. Frustrated that I couldn't be of any help, I resumed pacing the floor, eagerly waiting for Jason to tell me something.

"Can you at least read it out loud?" I asked, but yet again, I received no response. I swore under my breath and kept pacing the room, counting just to see how long it was going to take for him to say something to me. I paused a few times, wanting to ask him again what he was looking for, but I kept quiet, deciding not to break his concentration and knowing that he would tell me in due time.

But the minutes kept ticking by. I kept losing my place in counting, and my legs grew tired from pacing the floor. I sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and waited. I couldn't be certain, but I felt like approximately an hour passed. I stared at Jason so long and so intently, I was sure that my gaze had to be burning a hole into the side of his face.

Just when I couldn't take the silence any more, his eyes lit up.

"What?" I said, rising to my knees.

But again, he didn't answer. Instead, he hurried to fetch yet another scroll. He sat down, unfolded it across his lap, and proceeded to frantically pour over it, tracing the words with his index finger as he read. A little while later, he reached for his knapsack, where he pulled out a notepad. Turning his attention back to the scroll, he began hastily writing, taking notes presumably, and muttering to himself.

I crawled to his side and sat there, resting my head on my fist, waiting. If I didn't intuitively trust him, I probably would have been infuriated by how he'd been ignoring me.

After several minutes that felt like hours Jason looked my way. "My brother is trying to stop the prophecy from coming to pass," he said.

I blinked and shook my head. "How? What—?" But I couldn't manage to get a full question out before he cut me off.

"He thinks he can stop the prophecy from materializing if every boy currently between the ages of ten and eighteen in the Arnazuri community are killed," he continued. "You see, according to some interpretations of the prophecy, the Arnazuri rebellion will be led by someone who was born during the Period of Rainwater—that was when it rained every single day in The Kingdom for eight years straight, non-stop. Someone born during that time would be between ten and eighteen years old by now. I'm guessing my brother believes that if he kills boys of that age from your tribe, it'll stop the prophecy from being fulfilled."

I rubbed my temples, feeling my headache returning. Once again, my gut wanted to tell me that it was silly to believe in prophecies. Yet, the king himself believed in them, and was even willing to stoop so low as to kill in order to keep one from manifesting. So clearly, prophecies weren't something to be taken lightly in The Kingdom, especially during this time.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

Yet once again, Jason didn't answer me. He stared down at the scroll in his lap, his brow lowered and his mouth pressed into a tight line. I huffed, unable to hide my annoyance any longer. "Okay, I really wish you would stop ignoring me already. Jason? Jason!"

"Shhh!" he said suddenly, holding his hand out to silence me.

I was almost offended until I realized the deep look of concentration on his face wasn't due to reading the ancient scrolls again. He was listening.

He'd heard something.

I froze, listening carefully too. And then I also heard it. The sound was distant, but echoed through the chamber nonetheless. It seemed to be coming from outside the door. At first I thought it was some sort of animal making the sound—like a rat, bird, or bat. But the closer and louder it grew, the more apparent it became that it wasn't a small animal making such racket. This was something bigger. Something human.

Someone was coming into the hidden temple.

Up until that point, this place had felt like our own personal safe haven. Our sanctuary. It had been like our own secret little clubhouse where we escaped from the rest of the world. Yet now, that feeling had been completely shattered. I'm not even sure why it never occurred to me until that moment that others undoubtedly knew about the hidden temple, otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many artifacts and treasures hidden within it.

Yes, others knew about it indeed. Other Kingfishers. Other royals...

Like the king.

I looked toward Jason, panic-stricken and hoping with all my heart King Henry wasn't about to walk through the door and find us. I didn't even want to imagine the consequences of being in such a position.

Apparently, neither did Jason. He hastily shoved a couple of the scrolls into his bag and climbed to his feet. Wordlessly, he motioned for me to get up and follow him. I climbed shakily to my feet, but followed quickly and closely behind him nonetheless as he led me farther into the temple. We dashed passed more statues, scrolls, and artwork, but I hardly had time to take it all in or marvel at how big and layered the temple was.

Before I knew it, we had reached another exit. Unlike the main door we typically entered from, this one was smaller and a little more difficult to get through, for we had to crawl. Jason pushed me through first, and then crawled out behind me. I reached down to help him pull his bag with the scrolls out.

My heart pounding, I stood for a moment, simply trying to catch my breath once we both were out.

Jason's face looked white as a sheet, and he too, struggled to catch his breath for an instant. He rested his hands on his knees. "If my brother finds out about the missing scrolls, the four of us who have access to the temple are going to be in major trouble."

I didn't know the other three people he referred to, but I felt the blood drain from my own face in fear regardless. "Do you think he's going to find out? Does he have any reason to look for the scrolls again?"

"Let's hope not," he said, looking slightly sick. His expression unnerved me in ways I couldn't comprehend. I supposed it was because I wasn't used to him looking so uncertain. In all the time I'd known Jason thus far, he had always exuded nothing but confidence. He had even been confident when he stood up to his brother, ready to accept the death penalty on my behalf. So to see him shaken up about something was unsettling in its own right.

"I need a few more days to study them and see if I can figure out the identity of the person who will become the Arnazuri King. If that person is still alive, they'll clearly need protection."

I nodded, although I felt close to tears all over again. I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

I didn't know what to make out of all this stuff about the prophecy. All I knew was that my family was missing. I understood the bigger picture that Jason was focused on, but in that moment, selfishly, all I cared about was my own family. My little brother. My missing father...

Rather than searching for clues inside of old prophecies, I wanted Jason to do something about my family's safety, and to figure out how to locate them.

"Hey," Jason said, his voice sounding softer. "You okay?"

I swallowed and glanced up at him, unable to hide my tears this time. I'd been holding them back too many times and they refused to be contained any longer.

"I know," he said, rubbing my shoulder. "I know you're worried about your family, Genesis. I haven't forgotten them. They're a part of you—I would never forget them. I'm going to continue studying the scrolls, but I'm going to help you find them too. I promise."

I nodded again, this time opening my mouth, wanting to thank him. But instead, I only sobbed.

Like I'd been longing for him to do since that morning, Jason wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. Although the hug didn't make me feel like everything was automatically going to be okay, it felt good nonetheless. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes for a moment while he held me, gently rubbing my back.

"Come on," he said, pulling away. "Let's get out of here before whoever's in there sees us."

I nodded and followed him. We had to take the long route around the temple to get back to our canoe. As we quickly and quietly climbed into the canoe, I knew we shared the same unspoken fear that whoever was now inside the temple had likely noticed our canoe and therefore knew that someone else had been there too.

"Do you know whose canoe that is?" I asked.

Jason frowned and shook his head. "No, I don't recognize it."

Whether this was a good thing or bad thing, I didn't know. I think it was safe to say that whoever was currently inside the temple was probably looking for us though.

We could only hope they weren't looking for the scrolls inside Jason's bag too...
Chapter 25

After successfully escaping the temple and making it into our canoes, we rode in silence until we reached our horses again. Unlike any other time with Jason though, this was an uncomfortable silence.

As we rode down the riverbank, I spent half of the time looking at the sky, noting how the formerly sunny day had turned dreary. The heavy clouds hovering overhead seemed to match our mood exactly.

For the other half of the ride, I found myself closely watching Jason. I could tell he was in deep concentration, clearly worried about the quick escape we'd been forced to make. While I wished he would share his thoughts with me, I waited patiently, knowing that he would eventually clue me in.

Just as we reached our horses, Jason turned to face me. "Genesis," he finally said, "we have to stay out of trouble as much as possible from now on. I know we've been careful thus far, but we have to be even more careful now. Even though I'm not sure who it was, I have a really bad feeling about whoever showed up to the temple today."

I nodded, feeling the same. I didn't need to know who had shown up to the temple in order to deduce that they were bad news. All of those Arnazuri artifacts had intentionally been hidden. If whoever was responsible for ensuring their safekeeping found out that an Arnazuri knew about them, there would undoubtedly be hell to pay. For all I knew, I would end up on death row again, and Jason wouldn't be able to save me a second time.

Agitated, Jason ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how we're going to carry on if we can't use our usual passageway anymore. I don't know any other routes. And whoever was at the temple is going to be on the trail looking for us, which is obviously going to make it harder to get around on the route I'm familiar with. And there's no doubt that they'll know we're interested in Arnazuri culture, so they're probably expecting us to either make contact with the Arnazuri community, or to show up on Arnazuri grounds. That means they'll probably be monitoring the path to the Arnazuri community, as well as any attempted communication from this area." He paused for a second. "Genesis, when you got the letter from your mother, did you send a letter back?"

I shook my head. "No. I figured since my family wasn't there any more, there was no use in sending a letter back."

Jason nodded. "Good. That's one less thing we have to worry about then. Now that someone knows we've been to the temple, I wouldn't put it past my brother to start tracking the mail more closely, trying to figure out who in or near the capital is in contact with anyone from the Arnazuri tribe."

I rubbed my forehead. "Goodness, I hadn't thought of that." I grimaced, thinking of how close I had come to giving myself away. If I hadn't had the good sense to realize sending a letter back home was pointless, I may have fallen right into the king's trap.

"Regardless," Jason continued, "I intended for us to go to the Arnazuri community. I figured we needed to start our search for your family from there and work our way forward, but now, I'm not so sure. I don't even know where to begin anymore."

I chewed my lower lip, debating whether the suggestion floating through my mind was worth mentioning. As I thought about how much I'd learned from Jason and the fact that he was willing to help me find my family, I knew that we had come too far to give up now.

"I think one of my roommates might be able to help," I said.

Jason raised his eyebrows. "Really? Who's your roommate?"

"I have two, but the one I'm thinking of is a girl named Zudera. She's a Rowan and she knows a lot of secret routes that could help us get to the Arnazuri community unnoticed. She works with her father, who's a fisherman, so they know the land well because they travel to so many different locations for fishing and to deliver their product. I've heard her talk about some of the strange things she's seen in her travels with her father through little-known territories."

Jason pressed his lips into a tight line and pat Max on the muzzle. "Are you sure your roommate can be trusted?" he asked after a brief pause.

I considered his question for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I think so. In the time that I've known her, she's been very vocal about her disdain for the system. No offense, but she doesn't think very highly of Kingfishers, especially the royals."

"Don't worry. No offense taken," Jason said, ironically sounding fonder of Zudera after hearing she wasn't fond of his own people.

"So yeah," I said, "I think we can trust her. Now that I think about it, it's probably my other roommate that I'm more skeptical about. She doesn't talk much. Even though I'm used to her silence now, it was sort of unnerving in the beginning. It's hard to know what she's thinking at any given moment, you know? So I have no idea how she would feel about this kind of thing."

"Well, let's make sure she doesn't find out then," Jason said, hopping up onto his horse. "It's still early afternoon. Do you think Zudera is at your place right now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "She might be. Sometimes she's there early if she doesn't have a late day working with her father."

"Well, let's go find out then. Lead the way."

I hopped onto Dolly, ready to take Jason to King's Bay and trying not to think too much about how people would react if they spotted me leading the Prince up to my room.

***

Fortunately, we got to King's Bay and to the building I stayed in relatively unnoticed. There weren't many people out, and those that did happen to look our way seemed not to realize that Jason was Prince Fisher. I supposed it was because unlike being in the capital, no one expected a royal to be in an area like King's Bay. Consequently, the few people that bothered to look at us likely thought they were just seeing a guy who resembled Prince Fisher rather than believing it was actually him.

"I should hang out in your neck of the woods more often," Jason said, as we led our horses into the stable, where they helped themselves to fresh water and hay. "Sometimes, I really miss the feeling of people not staring at me, wondering where I'm going and what I'm up to. This anonymity feels pretty good."

"Yeah, but if I get caught leading you to my place too many times, I'm sure my anonymity will be gone, not to mention my reputation," I said.

Jason laughed as we headed inside the building and quickly up to my room. Along the way, I thought about how he had unashamedly held my hand in the royal theater; he certainly hadn't seemed very concerned about his anonymity then. But I guess it hadn't mattered then; as the Prince, he couldn't hide in his hometown.

This was different though. Paranoid, I closed the door the instant we were inside my room.

I breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Zudera was there, but not Sentana. And then I felt a flicker of embarrassment come over me. Our room wasn't particularly messy, but it wasn't exactly tidy either. Even though I didn't have dirty clothes lying around, my desk was sloppily covered with scattered papers, and I hadn't made my bed that morning. Sentana had left all sorts of music books on the floor, and Zudera had an old fishing pole lying against the wall. The room also vaguely smelled like the fish she had eaten the night before.

From her desk, Zudera turned around to face us. "Hey Genesis...Oh! You have company." She locked eyes with me and raised an eyebrow. "Uhm...should I leave...?"

"What? No!" I said, my cheeks burning.

Jason chuckled and stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "Hi, I'm Jason."

Zudera took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Zudera." She paused for a moment. "Goodness, Genesis—do you know who he looks like?"

"Yeah, I do," I said, scratching behind my ear. "Uncanny resemblance to the king, right?"

She looked back to Jason, her eyes narrowing. "Wait a second...Jason? Surely not as in Jason...Fisher?" She shook her head. "No, can't be..."

Jason smirked. "I've heard you aren't too fond of royals, but I promise, I'm not like the rest."

Zudera swore and sprung up from her seat. "Winds and thunder, Genesis! Did you really just bring the Prince...? How? Why...? I mean...uhm..." She paused and took a bow. "I'm sorry. Hi, your majesty. How do you do?"

I got the overwhelming urge to laugh at the way her voice had changed as she attempted to sound polite and proper.

Jason waved his hand. "No, please don't. I'm just Jason. Don't bother with any of that 'your majesty' stuff, all right?"

"Yes, your maj—I mean, yes, Jason."

"And you don't have to bow when you speak to me."

Zudera straightened her posture, but it was clear she was still having a hard time looking Jason directly in the eyes. She cleared her throat. "Uhm...so, what is it that we can do for you?" She glanced uncertainly at me, and then back to him.

"He's here," I said, "because we need your help with something important."

"You need my help with something important? My help with what? Surely not royal business?" she said and laughed nervously.

"No, not exactly," Jason said. "We were hoping that you could help us with finding some not-so-known passageways into the Arnazuri community. And we're also hoping that you can keep our requests to yourself. This isn't something we want The Kingdom knowing about. I guess you can say that it's somewhat of a secret mission."

Zudera locked eyes with me again, and I could practically hear the unspoken thought behind her gaze: How in the world do you have secret business with Prince Fisher?

Nevertheless, she nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, certainly! That's right up my alley! I know all kinds of secret passageways. My dad has taught me all sorts of routes over the years. And I promise, I won't tell a soul about...about whatever you're up to. I mean—you're the Prince after all. If you say it's a secret, then it's a secret and I'd be dumb as hell to break it. I mean...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so brash, your majesty—I mean, Prince Fisher...Jason..."

Jason smiled, and I was pretty sure I saw Zudera's heart skip a beat right through her shirt. I couldn't blame her though; Jason's smile did have that kind of effect.

"That's exactly what I was hoping to hear," he said. He then turned to me. "I say there's no time like the present."

I blinked. "You mean—you want to leave today? Right now?"

Jason looked back to Zudera. "Do you have any immediate plans to tend to? I don't want to impose, but I have a bad feeling that this is an emergency and that we need to leave as soon as possible. Can you head out with us in a little while, if it isn't asking too much? I can leave to let you girls pack, and then meet you back here once I get some things of my own."

"S-sure," Zudera stuttered. "Anything you say."

Jason sighed. "No—it's not anything I say. You're the one helping us. So we'll have to work around your schedule and whatever is most convenient for you. Don't feel pressured to do this just because of who I am. It's an urgent matter, but if you can't help right now, we'll figure something out."

Zudera shook her head. "No, seriously—I can leave whenever you're ready. I don't mind. I don't have anything to do right now. My dad doesn't have any fishing trips for a while, and what little work he has to do, he can manage on his own. So I'm available and at your service." She almost bowed again, but stopped herself.

"Thank you so much," Jason said sincerely. "I'll be back in an hour. Is that good?" He looked back and forth between the two of us.

"An hour is more than enough for me," Zudera said.

I nodded. "Yeah, an hour is fine."

"Great," Jason said.

He turned to head for the door, and all three of us gave a collective gasp.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Sentana. Her looming presence reminded me precisely why she sometimes made me feel so uneasy. How she had managed to sneak open the door so quietly without any of us noticing was beyond me. I could only hope she hadn't been standing there too long. Nevertheless, I had a feeling she had heard far more than any of us wanted her to.

Jason glanced back at me, his gaze correctly suspecting that this was the roommate I'd told him that I felt leery about. He quickly rearranged his expression and gave a polite smile. "Hello," he said.

But Sentana didn't speak.

"Okay..." Jason said. He nodded at me and Zudera. "See you." He approached the door, and Sentana stepped aside, letting him pass. She then came into the room and took a seat at the edge of her bed. She stared at one of her music books, but I had a feeling she wasn't really reading it.

Feeling the sudden discomfort in the room, Zudera and I quickly began to pack some belongings, trying to ignore Sentana's watchful gaze. All the while, I stressed over whether she had possibly realized who Jason was. But naturally, she was quiet as a mouse, never letting on whether or not she knew. But if she had known he was a royal, would she have really been rude enough to not speak?

There was just no way of being sure when it came to Sentana.

A few times, I came close to telling her that Jason was just a friend of mine from school, and nobody special, but I realized that wouldn't be the best idea. If Sentana had happened to recognize Jason, she would have known that I was lying, and then she would have surely questioned why I would lie about such a thing. Plus, whenever I caught Zudera's eye, she subtly shook her head, implying that it was best to just say nothing at all since we had no way of knowing how much Sentana had heard in the first place. So all we said was a hasty 'goodbye' as we left the room to meet Jason outside, ready to begin our journey.
Chapter 26

Exiting the building, I was still bothered by Sentana, yet I also felt more hopeful than I had all day. Even the previously dreary weather had brightened. The heavy rain clouds that had covered the sky just a little over an hour ago had drifted away, and the sun had resurfaced. It was like the weather itself was feeling more hopeful now that a plan had been put into place.

I couldn't even put into words the gratitude I felt toward Jason. Each passing second that I didn't know where my family was felt like a second too long. So the fact that he was willing to drop everything to help me focus on my family and my community meant the world to me.

I also felt just as much gratitude toward Zudera for being willing to help us on such short notice.

Being sent to Promenade had been one of the most distressing experiences of my life, but I felt like I'd hit the jackpot in befriending these two, which almost made up for all the hardships I'd been forced to endure.

With our bags secured to our backs, Zudera and I headed to the horse stable, where Jason was already waiting. He'd been smiling as we approached, but his smile slowly faded as we got closer and he noticed the distress on our faces.

"Everything all right?" he asked, looking down at us from atop Max.

"I hope so," I said with a sigh, thinking about Sentana and her eerie silence as I retrieved Dolly.

Zudera shuddered as she reached for her horse—a chestnut brown mare that she called Russ. "I just never feel comfortable around that girl. I don't like quiet people," she said.

"I wonder how long she was standing there," I said. I readjusted the saddle on Dolly's back and climbed on. "I mean—the fact that she had snuck the door open means she was probably being quiet on purpose. Do you think she was actually eavesdropping on us?"

Zudera shrugged her shoulders as she grabbed Russ's reigns and moved her out of the stable. "I have no idea. Something just isn't right about that girl."

"What happened after I left? Did she say anything?" Jason asked.

"Of course not," Zudera said. "Waiting for Sentana to speak is like waiting for pigs to grow wings. And considering she works in the king's court, she must have some kind of opinion about the royals, but she just keeps it to herself."

"Wait—she works in the king's court?" Jason asked.

Zudera nodded. "Yeah. She's a minstrel. Plays music."

Jason frowned. Judging from the faraway look on his face, I knew he was trying to figure out whether he had ever seen Sentana before. "Hmm," he said and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, quiet isn't necessarily always a bad thing. In this case, it could be a good thing. It might mean she'll keep her mouth shut regardless of what she may have heard."

"Yeah, maybe," Zudera said, but not sounding too convinced.

"Well, let's just forget about Sentana right now and get going," I said. "We don't want to waste this sunlight while we've got it, especially since it seemed like it was going to rain earlier."

"Good point," Jason said. "All right, Zudera, you're the leader." He bowed his head to her, and gave her another one of his smiles.

Zudera blinked and then also smiled. "Okay. Let's go," she said. Taking the lead, she and Russ rode ahead of me and Jason, the three of us forming a traveling triangle. Not before long, we were following her to the east side of King's Bay, and then turning north before reaching River Land—the place where all three rivers of the Kingdom conjoined—and a place that would wind up being the last area I consciously recognized before Zudera started leading us to alternate routes through unfamiliar territory.

The landscape before us began to gradually change until we found ourselves in an ancient village that was completely foreign to me. I glanced around, a cold chill running down my spine. I immediately didn't like the look of the place. Despite the sun still being in the sky, there was an unnerving darkness imbedded in the environment. The air itself somehow felt hostile, as if an ominous presence was trailing us, ready to strike at the most inopportune moment. The land was barren, with no vegetation in sight. Even the ground looked unwelcoming, with its strange dry-looking black soil that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Old and abandoned buildings lined the dusty dirt roads, their broken windows looking like lifeless eyes. My imagination getting carried away, I began to feel paranoid about those windows—envisioning them as dozens upon dozens of eyes spying on us and trailing our every move.

Dolly huffed, sensing my uneasiness. "Easy, girl. It's all right," I said, not wanting her to make too much noise.

I glanced sideways at Jason, whose expression had turned nearly as grim as the area surrounding us. Up ahead, Zudera, who had been chit-chatting for the whole ride, had grown quiet.

As we rode farther, a large cylinder-shaped object in the middle of the road came into view. I squinted, trying to make sense of the unusual image I saw. The closer we got though, I realized my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. The object was a well, and it was overflowing with black water.

I gripped Dolly's reigns, feeling simultaneously confused and repulsed. Unwelcome thoughts about the boys in my hometown being poisoned through the water supply, and my mother and brother returning home to such a horrible scene, came to mind.

Zudera glanced back at us. "Dendè," she said.

With that, it finally occurred to me where we were. "The Village of Death," I whispered to myself. All three of us slowed down on our horses, or perhaps our horses just intuitively felt the need to be cautious about traveling through such uninviting land. It was like they even had the presence of mind to watch their steps.

I looked around, still uneasy, but also curious. I had learned about this land back in Hunter's School. It was known as the Village of Death because rumor had it that anyone who tried to stay overnight never survived into the morning. According to legend, the village's inhabitants attempted to flee one day for reasons nobody knew for sure. Granted, there were all sorts of stories about why the villagers tried to leave, but there was no way of knowing which one was true. One of the most popular stories claimed that the villagers had been taken by the gods of ancient men during the apocalypse.

Another popular tale stated that the villagers had tried to escape a foreign enemy who intruded on their land with plans to marry the Chief's daughter. For the people of the village, it was an abomination to marry foreigners. However, these particular foreigners were so powerful that the villagers didn't stand a chance in terms of fighting to defend themselves. Hence, all they could do was run. Before running though, they supposedly left behind a curse on the land, dooming any future foreigners who tried to inhabit it—or in other words, who tried to sleep over.

"Look," Jason said, his voice low. He pointed, and Zudera and I both followed his finger.

As if confirming the legend about the curse, what appeared to be human remains lied in the distance. Another chill went down my spine and Dolly gave a loud whimper.

"Shh," I said, patting her side.

As we rode closer, my stomach lurched at what were undeniably human skulls and body parts, ranging in different sizes, some of them so small that they could have only belonged to children and babies.

"Looks like they tried to stay the night," Jason said. "They probably camped out—not trusting to go in the buildings."

I clenched my teeth, feeling sick and angry at the same time. How could anyone have been so stupid to camp out in an area like this, with children, no less? Although I had never been a superstitious person, I saw no reason to test luck. And trying to sleep over in a place known as the Village of Death certainly met the qualifications of testing luck. The fact that these people, with children and babies in tow, decided to camp out here was unforgivable in my eyes. I supposed there was always a chance that the unfortunate souls didn't realize where they were, but I found the probability of that unlikely. Even though I hadn't immediately recognized the place, I had instantly felt the unwelcoming feeling in the air, and couldn't fathom how anyone else couldn't feel it.

"I'm sure they didn't do it on purpose," Jason said. He'd obviously been watching me. "I mean—they had small children. The kids probably got tired and hungry and cranky. I imagine the adults felt they had no choice but to stop, and they just happened to be in this area when they realized the kids weren't going to make it much farther without resting. Not everyone takes legends and rumors seriously. I'm sure it was just a tragic accident that they were here when they needed to take a break."

Conflicted, I took one last glance at the remains, knowing that Jason's reasoning was sound and very plausible. Regardless, I still just didn't like the way being in the presence of those remains felt. "Can we just hurry up and get out of here?" I said, suppressing another shudder.

Zudera glanced back again. "We'll be fine as long as we don't sleep here overnight, which we won't. This is the safest passage though, because practically no one ever passes through this area. People are so superstitious that they don't even like riding through here."

"I don't blame them," I said, feeling angry all over again about the people who had stayed the night here with their small children, accident or not.

"I guess that's what makes it so ideal for traveling in secret, huh?" Jason said.

"Bingo," said Zudera. "We do still have a rather long way to go though. So you're right, Genesis—let's pick up the pace to make sure we aren't anywhere near here when it's time to rest for the night." She gave Russ a nudge to the sides, encouraging her to speed up to a trot. Without wasting another moment, Jason and I did the same. Dolly and Max fell into a trot behind Zudera and Russ, and eventually, all three horses broke into a run, kicking up dirt and dust as we tried to put the Village of Death behind us. Even though none of us would so much as shut an eye in this area, by no means did we still want to be there once the sun set completely.
Chapter 27

It felt like we had been riding forever, but the most important thing was that we managed to make it out of The Village of Death before dark. Nevertheless, night was quickly falling, and our bellies were quickly emptying. Not before long, all of us, including the horses, were starving. Our bellies growled in intervals, and the horses grew more agitated the farther we went.

"Okay—we have to stop," Zudera said. "I'm going to pass out if I don't eat something, and Russ is going to start eating these trees soon."

"Yeah, it's definitely past dinnertime," Jason said tiredly.

"I wish I had my spear, or a bow and arrow," I said. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole antelope. Or a gorilla."

Jason grimaced in disgust. "You'd actually eat a gorilla?"

I ignored him, too busy reminiscing about my hunting days. I hadn't been permitted to bring my bow and arrows with me to King's Forest, seeing that as a student of Promenade, my hunting days had been declared over. In retrospect though, it seemed short-sighted of me to not have brought them anyway to keep in my room, just in case. Then again, I hadn't expected to be in this kind of predicament; I'd been under the impression that my time at Promenade would go smoothly, and that I would be able to return to my community in due time with a respectable education under my belt, but that expectation had officially ended. It was astonishing how things had changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.

Finding a spot that looked secure enough, we dismounted our horses and decided it was time to rest for the night.

"I brought enough for all of them," Jason said, pulling carrots from his bag and handing some to me and Zudera.

After we fed our horses, I glanced around. The area was fairly open, which was a good thing in terms of finding somewhere to sleep; nothing would be able to sneak up on us. It wasn't so good, however, in terms of finding supplies to create a makeshift spear to use for hunting. I turned toward the forest, wondering if I would be able to make a spear out of loose branches. Yet, that didn't seem sufficient.

Scanning the land again, my eyes landed on a set of stones piled a short distance away. "Hang on a second," I said. I jogged over to the stones, kicking them around until I found one that didn't move so easily. I picked it up, pleased to see that while it wasn't too big and heavy, it had just the right amount of weight to it.

Pulling my bag off my back, I retrieved my slingshot, grateful that I had decided to pack it at the last minute. I hadn't anticipated using it, but had felt strange about traveling with no weapon at all.

I returned to Jason and Zudera. "I'm pretty sure I can get some birds with these." I held the stone and slingshot. "I have to hurry before the sun goes down though."

Zudera's stomach gave a loud growl. "Birds will do just fine. I'll go ahead and start making a fire."

"I'll go with you, Genesis," Jason said.

***

Luckily, it didn't take long for me and Jason to find a flock of doves. They were clustered together, pecking at worms they'd pulled from the ground.

"Shh," I said to Jason, hoping we could sneak up on them. I tried to play the attack in my head, envisioning using the slingshot to capture a few of them right then and there. If there was ever a time to kill two birds with one stone, it was now.

I knew hurdling a stone into the flock would cause them to flee though. Birds may have had the reputation of being dumb, but in reality, they were cautious creatures. The slightest movement could send them flying for cover. That's what made them one of the hardest animals to track and hunt.

"They're so beautiful," Jason said.

I glanced at him, seeing the dismayed expression on his face over what I was about to do. "You want to eat though, don't you?" I said.

He sighed. "Yes."

I knew exactly how he felt though, for I had been in his position before. Eating the game someone else had killed and prepared was completely different from being the one to do the hunting. If Remington hadn't been there to give me a pep talk during hunting school when I'd been struggling after my first kill, there's a chance that I would have never gotten used to it. So for someone like Jason, whose meals had always come to him fully cooked and prepared, it was a rather rude awakening to be exposed to the dirty work that occurred beforehand.

I held my hand out, motioning for Jason to come to a halt. We stood perfectly still, eyeing the birds. I calculated the best way to strike. Quietly, I tried to ready my slingshot—only to drop the stone.

The commotion was enough to send the birds scattering.

I swore.

I'd gotten so used to hunting on my own that the presence of another person was throwing me off. Keeping my eyes on the doves as they flew overhead, I quickly readied the slingshot again, knowing I needed to act fast so that I could catch a few low-flying ones before they soared out of reach.

Squinting one eye, I chose one bird to focus on and launched the stone. The stone swiftly met its target, and a bird dropped from the sky. "Come on!" I yelled to Jason, as I rushed to retrieve the stone and launched it at another bird. The second one dropped from the sky, and then I managed to get a third.

Following behind me, Jason gathered the birds, apparently having gotten over his sentimental feelings about killing them; hunger had a way of doing that to a person.

"Do you want to try?" I asked, although I easily recalled all the numerous times Hawk members in the Arnazuri community had insisted that royals wouldn't know how to hunt even if their lives depended on it. "Do you know how?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out." Jason handed over the birds I'd shot, and then took the slingshot from me. The instant it was in his hands, I knew the Hawks had been right all along about the hunting abilities of the royals. Jason couldn't even correctly hold the slingshot, let alone use it. I already knew when he launched the stone, not a single bird would be in danger; Jason wouldn't even be able to hurt a fly.

After his first try, I suppressed a snicker. After his fourth try, I gave up on holding back my laughter.

"Give me that," I said, taking the slingshot back and shaking my head. "Spoiled pampered little royal boy who doesn't even know how to use a slingshot."

"Whatever. That's still better than an Arnazuri who doesn't know anything about who she is," Jason retorted, although clearly just teasing based on his expression.

"Oh yeah?" I aimed the slingshot at him. "All right, wise guy. Guess who's going to be my next target?"

Jason laughed. "You have to catch me first," he said, and then took off running. I began to chase after him, laughing between breaths. As I suspected, thanks to my hunting skills, I was faster than he was and therefore easily caught up to him. I tossed the slingshot aside, grabbed him, and hopped onto his back. He didn't hit the ground like I expected him to though. Instead, he laughed and began to spin around in circles, trying to shake me off. I tried to keep ahold of him, but slipped off, landing unsteadily back on my feet and needing a moment to regain my balance. He grinned, under the assumption that he had won.

Taking him by surprised, I lunged for him again once my dizziness passed. Knocking him off balance this time, he fell to the ground with a grunt. Laughing hysterically, we began to roll around on the ground, wrestling and trying to overpower each other.

When Jason rolled onto his back, I wasted no time crashing down on top of him. He gasped, sounding slightly winded.

Pressing my hands into his chest, I straddled him, using my full weight down to pin him down.

Breathing heavily beneath me, he laughed again. "All right, all right," he said. "You win. Point proven. You're a better hunter than me."

"Being a better hunter than you isn't much of a compliment," I teased. "Let me hear you say, 'Genesis, you are the best ever.'"

"Ego inflated much?"

"Say it," I demanded, pressing my hands harder into his chest.

"Okay! Genesis, you're the best ever!" he said.

I laughed. "Why, thank you, Jason. You shouldn't have."

Still laughing, he no longer even made an effort to free himself from under me. He brought his hands to my waist, and both of our laughter slowly died down as we each attempted to catch our breaths. Staring down into his eyes, and the way he gazed up at me, I suddenly felt breathless for an entirely different reason. I became conscious of the way his fingers gripped at my hips. The formerly playful mood began to shift into something else...

I could feel Jason's heartbeat under my palms, along with the taut muscle of his pectorals. My face flushed, and a tingling sensation began to course through my body.

I froze as Jason slowly sat up, bringing his face mere inches away from mine. His eyes trailed my face, and then lower to my lips. He inched forward, decreasing the already miniscule space separating the two of us. As his arms slinked tighter around my waist, our bodies pressed together—our chests touching. Jason leaned his head back slightly, looking into my eyes again, checking my reaction.

Checking to make sure I was all right with what he was about to do...

As if they had minds of their own, my hands moved from Jason's chest, up to his shoulders, and around his neck. He tilted his head, looked down to my lips again, and then closed his eyes as he moved his face forward, about to go for it...

"I'm sorry—I hate to break things up, but I'm starving out here. Did you two lovebirds manage to catch any actual birds, or are you too busy frolicking through the woods?"

At the sound of Zudera's voice, Jason and I leapt apart. My heart hammering in my chest, I slid off him and shakily got to my feet, my whole body practically feeling as if it was on fire.

Jason climbed to his feet, awkwardly scratching the back of his head and looking disgruntled. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Uhm...we got three. Three birds. One for each of us. Should be enough for tonight because the others flew away and we'll have to get some more later. But that's fine. Genesis is good at hunting and stuff, so she'll get more—"

"So you caught three birds? Great," Zudera said, interrupting his rambling. "Come on with it then. The fire is ready, now I'm ready to feed myself. Once we've eaten, you guys can get back to...whatever."

Silently, I retrieved my slingshot and Jason collected the birds. We then followed Zudera back to the fire. Settling around the fire, we set to work plucking the birds' feathers. His royal upbringing incriminating him once again, Zudera and I had to help Jason with his bird, and tried not to tease him for looking so thoroughly disgusted with the process. But once the birds were roasted, he ate just as ravenously as we did. Paired with some cassava bread that Zudera had packed, the three of us feasted as if it was the best meal we'd ever had.

All the while, Zudera kept glancing between Jason and I. Eventually, feeling too self-conscious to withstand her scrutiny, or to even look at Jason, I excused myself to go brush Dolly's hair and watch the sunset.
Chapter 28

I wasn't sure how long we'd been sleeping, but I could tell that the sun had risen from the warm beams I felt on my face. I was, however, confused by the warm surface beneath me, and the thumping I heard against my ear.

I creaked my eyes open, blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the light. Then I realized I was lying on Jason; the thumping I heard was his heartbeat, for my head was resting on his chest. I twisted to see his face. He was still fast asleep, his face smooth and childlike in its slumber.

I suddenly felt particularly warm, and it had nothing to do with the sunlight.

Jason and I hadn't fallen asleep in this position. In fact, I'd been feeling so flustered about what had happened between us that when we arranged our blankets on the ground, I made sure to leave considerable space between him and I. Beforehand, we'd been avoiding each other's gazes, particularly since we didn't want Zudera to catch us in any more uncompromising positions. Yet, that hadn't stopped Jason from eyeing me suspiciously when he noticed how far away I was placing myself from him.

Afraid that if I moved too much I'd wake him, I sighed, wondering how I had gotten into this position—both literally and figuratively. Regardless of all that was going on in my life, Jason was beginning to feel like the most confusing part of it. The closest I had ever been with someone of the opposite sex who wasn't a family member was Remington—and he and I had been strictly platonic friends. As we got into our teen years, there were sometimes rumors that there was more between us, but there had never been an ounce of truth to such rumors, and at the time, I hadn't even been able to fathom myself having that kind of relationship with anyone.

Hence, my inexperience left me clueless regarding what to make of my feelings toward Jason, or what he potentially felt toward me. There was no denying that I found him kind, caring, and extremely handsome—but what did that mean?

Listening to his heartbeat and feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, I was faced with the fact that he was probably the first guy I'd ever had these kinds of feelings for, which was terrifying to me on some level.

I thought back to the outing we'd had at the theater and the way people had stared when he held my hand. If that hadn't made me uneasy enough, we now had to deal with what Zudera had witnessed between us so far. No matter how decent of a person Jason was, I could never lose sight that he was and always would be a royal, and consequently, I feared what would happen if word got out that he had any kind of relationship—romantic or not—with an Arnazuri.

My thoughts making me increasingly uncomfortable, I shifted in Jason's arms, moving my head from his chest to his shoulder.

Then I noticed the wet spot on his chest, right where my head had been.

I had drooled on him in my sleep.

I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them, hoping that I was just seeing things. But no—the spot was still there.

I had drooled on Prince Fisher. In that moment, I was pretty sure I had never been so embarrassed in my life.

Just as my luck would have it, he began to stir awake. His eyes fluttered open and he turned his gaze sideways. "Morning," he said sleepily, a slow smile spreading across his face.

I lifted myself off him. "Good morning," I said, staring at the ground. In my periphery, I saw Jason sit up and stretch. I held my breath, praying he wouldn't see or feel the drool spot I'd left on his shirt.

Self-consciously, I turned my back to him and wiped my mouth. Vanity wasn't a trait I possessed, but I suddenly wished I'd had a mirror, just to ensure I didn't have dried slobber all over my mouth.

"Genesis?"

I cringed, scared to look back at him. "Huh?"

"Where's Zudera?" he said after a brief pause.

My thoughts had kept me so preoccupied that I hadn't even noticed she was missing until right that second.

Jason leapt to his feet and swore. "And where are our horses?" He spun around in a circle, glancing in every direction. "She took the horses."

I climbed to my feet and joined him in frantically scanning the premises. "S-she couldn't have gone far..." I stammered, although I had no way of knowing whether that was true.

"I thought you said we could trust her?" Jason said, a clipped and angry tone entering his voice. "How are we going to find our way out of the forest now?"

I blinked. "I did think we could trust her! It's not my fault."

"It's not your fault? Are you kidding me? You're the one who suggested her, Genesis!"

"Well, you went along with it!" I yelled. "And I didn't see you making any other suggestions!"

"Because I was trying to act fast! And I thought you knew what you were talking about! If I'd had more time, I probably would have thought of something better that relying on someone we could only halfway trust!"

"Well excuse me for being anxious to find my family!"

"This isn't about your family right now! This is about you not having the judgment to—"

"All right! Just stop yelling at me!" I said. "Let's just try to find her. She can't be far."

"How do you know? Did you see when she left? Do you even know how long ago she left?"

"No! Do you?" I snapped. I wanted to add that maybe he should have noticed, since he had been the one to apparently wake up in the middle of the night to take me in his arms because I certainly hadn't placed myself there—or at least I didn't think I had. Before I could make such a retort though, I reminded myself that we couldn't afford to just stand there arguing with each other, playing the blame game. We needed to find Zudera, because thunder forbid she actually ran off with our horses, leaving us stranded in an area neither of us knew much about.

A lump formed in my throat at the thought of Dolly. I was pretty sure she was too loyal to me to leave with a stranger. But then again, Zudera wasn't exactly a stranger. So perhaps Dolly had been fooled into thinking it was okay to leave with her.

Zudera was a stranger to Max though. Surely he wouldn't have so easily abandoned Jason. I started to bring this point up to Jason, but when I turned back to face him, his angry expression froze the words right in my mouth.

Abruptly, his expression shifted into one of alarm. I recognized his listening stance by the way he turned his head to the side as if putting his good ear forward, and gazed off into the distance with his brow furrowed; it was exactly how he had looked when the intruder had entered the temple.

I turned around, trying to decipher the direction of the noise. Shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand, I gazed forward.

"What's going on?"

I almost jumped a mile into the air. Spinning around, I saw Zudera emerging from the forest, with all three horses in tow. I bent over, placing my hands on my knees and laughing. "You see?" I said, glaring at Jason. I turned back to Zudera. "He thought you left us and stole our horses."

She laughed. "No, not at all. I just woke up before you guys, so I decided to take the horses for a drink of water, that's all."

I stared at Jason, waiting for an apology that didn't come—or at least not in my direction.

He looked toward Zudera. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"No problem," she said, a humored grin on her face. "If I was a royal, I probably wouldn't so readily trust everyone either."

I huffed and folded my arms, still wondering if he was ever going to bother apologizing to me. "Well, how much longer do we have to go?" I asked Zudera, turning completely away from Jason once it was obvious that he had no plans to apologize to me anytime soon.

"We've still got quite a distance ahead of us," she answered. "So if you two are ready, the sooner we get moving, the better. You guys slept in, so we're kind of already off to a late start. You both looked so peaceful and cozy though, I didn't want to disturb you."

I averted my gaze, not wanting to be reminded of feeling or looking peaceful and cozy with Jason.

"Let's go then," Jason said as he began gathering our blankets and packing away our temporary campsite.

When we got back on our horses and out on the road, Zudera filled the morning with her idle chatter, talking about everything and nothing at all. Mainly, she just seemed to be trying to fill the awkward silence between me and Jason. When she occasionally looked back at us, she did it with the kind of expression people gave couples who had recently gotten into a fight.

All the while, I kept my eyes directly ahead, careful not to even look Jason's way, and feeling him avoiding my gaze as well.
Chapter 29

With the final stretch of our ride continuing in silence, there was nothing else to focus on, and therefore, I began to notice how our surroundings were gradually growing more familiar. The ground had become damp, muffling the sounds of our horses' footsteps, and the moisture in the air created rising humidity. Not before long, I recognized precisely where we were—Edi-Rimi Waterfalls. My heart leapt with excitement, nervousness, and fear all at once, for I knew we weren't far from my hometown at this point. As an Arnazuri hunter, I'd hunted in this area too many times to count; I practically knew the grounds like the back of my own hand.

I glanced at Jason, wanting to tell him that we were almost there, but the words froze on my tongue. I was still upset with him since he still hadn't apologized to me. When our eyes briefly met, I turned away and called out to Zudera instead.

"Hmm?" she said, twisting around to look back at me.

"I know where we are," I informed. I tugged Dolly's reigns back, bringing her to a stop. In response, Jason and Zudera came to a halt as well.

Zudera turned around on her horse. "We don't have much farther to go from here. I don't mind leading you the rest of the way. It's no trouble, really."

I shook my head. "No, that's all right. I know my way from here. You've done more than enough for us already. Thank you so much. Thank you for everything. To help out like this after such short notice—I honestly can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Zudera blinked, and for an instant, she seemed bothered by something. I glanced around, trying to figure out what had caused her to suddenly look so troubled. But shortly thereafter, she smiled and nodded, leaving me to wonder if I had just imagined the whole thing. Our last meal had been quite some time ago, so it was possible that hunger was causing my eyes to play tricks on me.

"No problem, Genesis. I'm just glad I was able to help," Zudera said. She then turned toward Jason. "And it was a pleasure meeting you—Prince Fisher." She grinned.

Jason smirked back at her. "Likewise," he said, bowing his head. "And to echo what Genesis said, thanks for everything. We owe you."

"You don't owe me anything," Zudera said, waving her hand dismissively. "Well—I guess Russ and I will head on back. Even though I'm sure my dad is fine, he's probably wondering where I disappeared to and why I haven't been around these past couple days. Don't worry—I'll come up with something to tell him," she added, remembering her promise to not mention our outing to anyone. She rode up beside me and clasped my shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Genesis. And good luck to both of you." She wiggled her eyebrows at Jason, and then winked at me.

"Goodbye, Zudera," I said, turning my head and feeling thankful for the umpteenth time that my dark skin helped hide my blushing.

"See you, Zudera," Jason said, chuckling slightly and waving as she rode off. Once she was out of view, Jason turned toward me. "So, you're sure you know the rest of the way from here?" he asked.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" I retorted. "This is my neighborhood. Unless you just don't believe anything I say anymore." Without waiting for a reply, I gave Dolly a nudge to her sides and rode ahead of him. Jason gave an exasperated huff, and then guided Max to fall into step behind Dolly.

Although we didn't have much farther to go, the silence between us made each second feel excruciatingly long. I simply wasn't used to this kind of awkwardness and animosity between Jason and I, and I didn't like it one bit. But I reminded myself that I hadn't done anything wrong. He was the one who had so unceremoniously blown up at me, blaming me for an offense that hadn't even occurred. It was unsettling to know that he could so easily question my judgment, especially after I had quickly formed such unwavering trust toward him. Until he'd shown his true colors when Zudera took our horses for a walk, I had been under the assumption that the trust between me and Jason was mutual. Hence, his reaction had been a rather rude awakening, to say the least. Until he acknowledged that he had been wrong to verbally attack me like that, I had nothing more to say to him.

With only the humid air and the rhythm of Dolly's and Max's hoofs on the damp ground, I jumped at what initially sounded like a mysterious whisper drifting through the wind. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, for I was instantly reminded of when Remington and I had been attacked in the woods for what already felt like eons ago. Developing the increasingly unsettling feeling that the trees had eyes, I casted cautious glances around, torn between whether to tell Dolly to speed up and run, or to freeze. When I heard something again, I decided we needed to stop so that we could determine the direction of the noise; the last thing we needed was to walk right into a trap.

Just seconds away from yanking Dolly's reigns to bring her to a halt I realized the source of the noise had come from behind me.

"Genesis," Jason whispered.

I was about to ask if he'd heard it to, but then it dawned on me that it had been him all along, whispering my name.

Relieved and annoyed at the same time, I rolled my eyes and turned back around, ignoring him. But when he continued to call my name, his pitch slightly louder each time, I realized it probably wouldn't be prudent to keep ignoring him. I still felt unsettled for some reason, and I didn't like the thought of him uttering my name in what could potentially be dangerous territory.

I also reminded myself that even if he had been rude to me, he was still here to help me, which was something I couldn't let myself lose sight of. The number of times that he'd come to my assistance still outnumbered the times he'd treated me unkindly.

Furthermore, if I continued ignoring him, he would keep calling me, and I really wanted him to shut up in case someone else really was out there.

I turned my head sideways so that he knew I was listening.

"Genesis, I'm sorry for overreacting," he said, once he saw that he had my attention.

The thuds of Max's hoofs on the ground came to a stop.

I guided Dolly to turn around, and then faced Jason, looking him in the eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. An irrational thought about his good looks crept into my head, but I pushed it away, not wanting to get distracted from the real issue at hand. "If we're going to be in this together, you really need to learn a thing or two about trust," I said. "Otherwise, I can't imagine how we're going to carry on."

He nodded. "I certainly won't argue with that. We all have our shortcomings, and that happens to be one of mine. If you were raised in the household I was though..." He shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, I don't want to make excuses for myself. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, and I most definitely need to learn to be more trusting. But I'm getting better, thanks to you." He slid down from Max's back and walked over to me. Stopping at Dolly's side, he gazed up at me and held out his hand.

More irrational and inappropriate thoughts crept into my mind, primarily regarding how it had felt to have his hands on my waist, and to wake up lying in his arms. I pushed those thoughts away too. Slowly, I accepted his hand and let him help me down from Dolly's saddle.

Once both of my feet were on the ground, Jason positioned himself directly in front of me and pointedly looked me in the eyes. The sternness of his gaze slowly melted into something so gentle and intimate that my heart skipped a few beats. It wasn't until then that I realized he was still holding my hand, his thumb gently caressing my wrist and his touch so soft that it almost tickled.

I swallowed and realized with some consternation that I seemed to be stuck staring into his eyes, like they were literally holding my gaze captive.

His eyebrows knitted together. "I really am sorry," he said with unmistakable sincerity. "I hope you know that by now. Forgive me? I'm not sure how much longer I can take you being upset with me, Genesis."

I finally broke his stare, lowering my eyes to the ground. I seemed to have lost my voice again though, so all I could manage to do was nod. I fought hard to suppress a shiver as Jason's hand trailed upward from my wrist to my elbow. When I looked up at him again, my stomach suddenly gave a swoop, as if the ground had unexpectedly dropped from below me.

Jason released my arm, only so that he could touch my face instead. Before I knew it, he brought both of his hands to my face, gently holding it with his warm, gentle, and comforting touch.

I stood before him, completely frozen with my arms hanging at my sides, unsure what to do.

Although he had been looking at me the whole time, his expression shifted from apologetic to something else I easily recalled from the day before. It was that searching look—the one that sought to determine what I was thinking. It was that look that asked for my consent regarding what he wanted to. It was a look that clearly asked, "Is it okay if we try this again?"

My heart raced, skipped, and somersaulted all at once, and I feared that if he continued looking at me that way, my legs would turn into spaghetti.

Why did he have to be so ridiculously good-looking? As his face slowly inched forward toward mine, I wondered if he had any clue that he affected me in ways no one else ever had before.

His one hand slid down from my face to gently trail the side of my neck, and he tilted his head, positioning it for better access to my lips.

My arms slowly raised, until my hands rested on his back. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, waiting and willing...

And then the sounds of a trotting horse drifted toward us, steadily growing too close for comfort. With Dolly and Max standing idly beside us, we knew our moment had been interrupted. Again.

Jason lowered his hands and stepped back, increasing the space between us. He sighed and muttered something under his breath that sounded like a stream of irritated swears. He was so obviously annoyed about being interrupted again that I was torn between wanting to laugh and feeling flattered. Granted, I was rather upset myself too...

My head dropped back, and I gazed upward at the slightly clouded sky, wondering if the universe simply found Jason and I unacceptable, or if we just had extremely crappy luck.

Or maybe it was just that Zudera had been bestowed with a preternatural ability to interrupt at the most inopportune times. Although we were on a path I now recognized, we were still on a fairly unknown trail. I presumed that with the exception of Zudera, only other Arnazuri knew this area. So clearly, it had to be Zudera returning. Recalling the feeling of being watched just moments ago, I was sure it had to have been her, and that she just hadn't left the area yet.

"Zudera, why in gods' name is your timing always so bad?" I muttered, the thought escaping from my mind and out of my mouth before I could stop it.

My stomach swooped again, but this time, for an entirely different reason.

When I had lowered my head and turned around, I had fully anticipated finding Zudera laughing and making more wisecracks about what Jason and I had been up to, before ultimately relaying that she had forgotten to tell us something. But that wasn't the sight that greeted me.

Instead, I saw Jason with his hands outstretched before him in a motion somewhere between surrender and warding off unwanted intruders.

With their bright and pristine uniforms standing out against the forest like sore thumbs, our intruders were infinitely worse than Zudera and her horse, Russ.

Our intruders were royal guards. In the blink of an eye, they had formed a circle around us. Each one of them was armed, aiming pistols right in our direction.
Chapter 30

In mere seconds flat, pure dread washed over me. Panicked, I looked toward Jason as if he would be able to magically get us out of this waking nightmare. Although he initially looked just as shocked as me, he recovered quickly, his stance shifting from startled to defiant.

He lowered his hands, letting them fall to his sides. "What is this?" he said, eyeing the armed royal guards, some of whom he seemed to be familiar with. "What are you all doing here? Lower your weapons. I command you to stand down."

Despite the sureness in Jason's voice, none of the guards made any move to obey his orders.

Perplexed, Jason stood to his full height, practically puffing out his chest in a blatant display of alpha male authority. "As Prince of the Kingdom, I command you to stand down and lower your weapons. Now." he reiterated, his voice as stern as I'd ever heard it. He almost sounded as if he had never been disobeyed before. In spite of my nerves, I wondered if Jason was used to barking out orders. In that moment, I was reminded of his high status as a royal. I tried to imagine him, Prince Fisher, in his home environment, parading importantly around the castle, daring anyone to disobey him. The image was in stark contradiction with the person I'd come to know him to be, and I just couldn't picture him behaving in such a self-important manner. King Henry, yes. But Jason? No.

Yet, staring at the armed royal guards surrounding us, he looked so sure of himself. Evidently, there was another side to Jason that I didn't know much about.

The guards, however, weren't nearly as impressed as I was. Unflinching, they maintained their circle around us, showing no signs whatsoever that they were going to lower their weapons in response to Jason's command.

Breaking the circle, one of the guards stepped forward. The top half of his uniform was slightly different from the rest, making me presume that he had to be the leader. He held his weapon steady, pointing it straight at Jason. "Your command is of no importance to us," he said, his voice monotone. "We have been given orders from the king to arrest you. So I'm afraid it is you who needs to stand down, Prince Fisher."

The guard uttered Jason's royal title like a swear word, and moments later, two other guards move in on Jason.

I swayed on the spot, sickened and too terrified to speak.

"You're with me. You can go anywhere." I recalled the words Jason had spoken when he'd taken me to the theater. It had been his confidence—and the knowledge that I was with the Prince, the second highest ranking person in the entire Kingdom—that had put me at ease. At the time, I had felt that nothing or no one could harm me in his presence. And right until this very moment, deep down inside, I had still been holding on to that belief. Even when we had almost been found in the hidden temple and Jason was visibly shaken afterwards, a part of me had assumed that if we'd been caught that day, he would have been able to handle any repercussions that came our way because he was the Prince. The guy who had been able to so bravely stand up to the king was someone who wasn't to be messed with.

I guess on some level, I'd been viewing him as invincible.

But now, that image was being completely shattered right before my eyes.

A whole new level of fear came over me as Jason grit his teeth and attempted to shove the guards away as they advanced on him. Watching the struggle, I prayed not to hear the blast of a fired gunshot. All it took was one wrong move, and something could go tragically—fatally—wrong.

With two guards pinning Jason still, a third seized the bag attached to his back. Right that instant, all the fight went out of Jason, and for the first time, he looked as terrified as I felt. His act of confidence completely abandoned, Jason moved his mouth wordlessly. I could practically see wheels spinning in his eyes, working on an alibi, particularly since the guards had so harshly stripped him of the respect his royal title was supposed to provide.

The guard who'd taken the bag opened it and turned it upside down, allowing the contents inside to spill to the ground. Naturally, the items Jason had stolen from the hidden temple were among the first things to come toppling out. I recognized the scrolls Jason said he needed to study further.

My heart sank somewhere down to my toes. I tried to think fast, wondering if it would be sensible for me to claim that I'd taken those items and placed them in Jason's backpack, and he hadn't known anything about it. But then I tried to determine who would fare worse, me or him?

What was worse—a royal who had exposed secret and privileged information to an Arnazuri, or an Arnazuri who had used a royal to gain the information?

"Just as we suspected," the lead guard said with a sneer. "You traitor." He snapped his fingers, and several more guards stepped forward—some seizing Jason, and the others seizing me.

Whatever I had contemplated saying quickly left my mind, assessing that as a royal, Jason's chances were better than mine. After all, he had faced death once, yet his brother couldn't go through with actually letting it happen. I, on the other hand, was a nobody. My loss would mean absolutely nothing to the royals, or the Kingdom in general.

I hated to feel as if I couldn't help, but Jason was going to have to handle this situation. How he would go about doing so, neither of us knew.

I groaned as my arms were twisted painfully behind my back and handcuffs were fastened around my wrists. "No..." I said, feeling a horrible sense of déjà vu reminding me of being arrested that day I hadn't made it out of the capital before curfew. My stomach heaved at the thought of returning to that prison, where that guard would be waiting for me. I couldn't stomach seeing him again...feeling his clammy hands attempting to touch me or his hot breath in my face...

"No...please," I pleaded, trembling. I twisted around, trying to see Jason. When my eyes landed on him, I saw that he too had been handcuffed. My stomach knotted.

Could they really arrest the Prince? Would they really put him in prison? If so, there was no hope for me at all...

Tears sprang to my eyes as I twisted around again, seeing the same guards continuing to manhandle Jason with unnecessary force. It looked like one of them even punched him in the stomach. Jason grunted and doubled over.

I felt a powerful wave of nausea, and bile rose to my throat. The guards were having way too much fun being permitted to treat a royal in such a way.

Jason managed to look at me. There was a defeated gleam in his eyes that virtually frightened me more than anything that had happened thus far. Tears streamed down my face, and I couldn't shake the horrible feeling that everything happening was all my fault.

Had I not entered Jason's life—had I not become a part of his life or let him become a part of mine—maybe we wouldn't be going through all of this.

I honestly hadn't even known Jason that long, yet this was already the second time he had essentially been endangered because of me. The first time had been because he dared to save my life, and now it was because he dared to help me find my family.

I thought back to when he first took me to the hidden temple—how he had explained that he felt some sort of connection with me that he couldn't fully put into words, yet, that led him to believe that it was his duty to help me. As he stood there, being harassed by guards who had once served him, I wondered if he could possibly feel the same way about me any longer.

Maybe this was going to be the wakeup call that finally made him realize there was nothing special about me. I was nothing but a troublemaker who had an uncanny ability to repeatedly be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The sooner he stopped caring about me so much, the better off he would ultimately be.

If Jason never wanted to see me again after this, I wouldn't even blame him. I was his own personal bad luck charm.

"Ugggggh!"

The cry of a guard pierced the air, followed by a heavy thud, and then by a scream.

Another thud. Another scream.

The sound of something quickly soaring through the air.

Blurs dashed across my line of vision too quickly for me to see.

My eyes darted around, seeing the royal guards dropping to the ground with arrows sticking out from their heads and chests.

Bewildered, Jason scanned the premises, trying to find the source of the arrows.

I, however, knew exactly where the arrows had to be coming from. Only Arnazuri hunters shot that way. We had all been trained to kill large game with one shot to the heart, and another to the head.

In a matter of seconds, all the guards surrounding us, including the ones who'd been restraining us, fell to the ground, dead.

Twigs snapped under hurried footsteps leaving out of the forest, and within moments, Jason and I were surrounded yet again. This time, however, it was Hawk members who formed a circle around us.

The Hawks—the group of determined rebels from the Arnazuri tribe—had just saved our lives. I glanced around, hardly able to process what had just happened.

All of a sudden, I felt like my own heart was going to stop, just like the dead guards on the ground. I swayed on the spot, lightheaded, for among the emerging Hawk members stood a tall young man with dark skin, broad shoulders, a strong jawline, and deep brown eyes that I would recognize anywhere for as long as I lived. It was none other than Remington.

Remington.

And beside him was my quiet Ammirian roommate, Sentana.
Chapter 31

There were so many emotions running through me, I thought my brain, or perhaps even my whole body, was in danger of exploding at any second. Relief, shock, and confusion all competed to dominate, yet none of them could completely overshadow the others.

My mind raced as several Hawk members came forward, positioning themselves behind me and Jason to break the handcuffs around our wrists. Once my hands were free, I moved my wrist in circles, working out the pain residing in my joints from the way those guards had twisted my arms.

All the while, I tried to make sense of the fact that the Hawks had just saved me and Jason from the royal guards by the skin of our teeth. In light of all that had been going on, I'd been certain the Hawks had dismantled by now. Yet, there they were. And to top it off, they weren't just any Hawks...

How was it possible that Remington was standing right before me? How was he not dead? If he hadn't been killed back when we'd first been caught by royal soldiers, how had he managed to escape when so many of his peers hadn't?

I felt like I was staring at a ghost. A part of me wanted to touch him to see if he was real, but another part of me was too afraid to find out. With Remington standing before me, just as strong and healthy as I remembered him, I feared that if I touched him, the image would fade away and prove itself to be just a figment of my imagination.

Maybe that's it, I thought. I was so frightened by the guards that I passed out, and now I'm hallucinating that Remington has come to save me.

That didn't explain Sentana's presence though. Not even in my wildest dreams would I have imagined her coming to my rescue, which meant that I couldn't really be hallucinating. And if there was no chance that I was hallucinating, it meant that Remington truly was standing in front of me, healthy, breathing, and alive.

"R-Remington...y-you're alive," I stammered, surprised that my vocal chords even still remembered how to work.

He turned his gaze toward me, although he may have been staring at me all along and I had just been too shocked and distracted to realize it.

Looking into his dark brown eyes brought forward a rush of memories. I felt like he was suddenly de-aging right before me as I saw the boy he had been when we first met as small children. I recalled our first days at school together, the way he would tease me between classes as we walked down the halls, all the countless times that we'd hung out at one another's houses, listening to his older cousin tell us stories, the friendly hunting competitions we had amongst ourselves before he joined the Hawks' hunting-strike, the dozens of times I'd had to tell jealous female classmates that he and I weren't dating...

I recalled all the old days. The good days.

He opened his mouth to speak, but only let out a grunt, for right that instant, I crashed into him with so much force that I left him winded. I wrapped my arms so tightly around him that he was rendered speechless. Within seconds though, he returned the hug, squeezing me tight and momentarily making my feet lift from the ground. For that moment in time, I thought I would never be able to let him ago. He felt like the embodiment of my past life before everything had gone haywire. He represented the simpler times that I longed to go back to.

If only I could turn back the hands of time to make everything go back to the way they once used to be.

I knew one thing though—all the turmoil and fighting that had occurred between us the last time we'd seen each other no longer mattered. The anger I had previously felt toward Remington now felt like the most irrelevant thing in the world.

Finally, after what may have been a short eternity, we separated. Remington's sharp eyes scanned me carefully, assessing whether I was truly all right, and whether I had suffered any significant injury. And I did the same to him. I stared into his face, making sure that every inch of it matched what was sketched into my memory. I was still taken off guard by the facial hair he now sported, but other than that, he was just as I remembered, although I thought I detected fading bruises along his jaw. I reached out to touch his cheek—pleased to feel that the area wasn't swollen. Plus, he didn't flinch and therefore, must not have been in pain.

Hearing the shuffling and rustling around us, I abruptly remembered that we weren't alone. I looked over my shoulder, seeing Jason staring back and forth between the two of us.

It occurred to me that I had told Jason very little, if anything at all, about Remington; his presumed death had always been too hard for me to talk about. But now that he was standing before me, alive and well, I didn't even know where to begin.

"Jason—this is Remington," I said, deciding that simply starting with names would be the best place to begin. Just saying his name choked my voice with emotion though. I swallowed over the lump in my throat and forced myself to continue. "Remington and I grew up together. He was...he is...he's my best friend. I-I thought he was...when soldiers came for us the first time, I thought..." My voice trailed off, unable to get the rest of the words out.

Nevertheless, Jason nodded anyway as if he understood what I couldn't vocalize. Then again, maybe he did. I supposed there was a chance that he'd known precisely what events had led to me becoming one of the first women selected to attend Promenade; when royal soldiers held me captive the first time, if they'd been under his brother's orders, there was a strong chance he had known all about it.

I turned back toward Remington and cleared my throat, still trying unsuccessfully to stop thinking of him as a ghost. "Remington, this is—"

"Oh, I know exactly who he is," he said, cutting me off. Even though I was still in shock, I couldn't miss the disdain in Remington's voice, or the way he glared at Jason like he was someone who had personally wronged him.

I raised my eyebrows, a different kind of shock coming over me. Unable to make sense of the looks being exchanged between Jason and Remington, I turned my attention to Sentana.

She exchanged glances with me and nodded, clearly knowing that I was stunned to see her. "I'll explain," she said.

Perplexed, I watched her approach Dolly and remove a small device from her saddle. I stared, having no idea what the item was or how it had gotten there in the first place. Whatever it was, Sentana let it drop to the ground and then smashed it with several heavy stomps of her foot. She then fixed her gaze back on me. "I know you probably thought I was the last person you could trust," she said, "but I was actually recruited by the Hawks years ago as a spy. You see, it was Zudera who planted that." She motioned to the item on the ground that she had stomped to smithereens just moments ago. "It was a radio device. She put it on your horse so that the royal guards could track you. That's why you guys were found. She set you up."

I shook my head in disbelief.

Zudera had betrayed us? I glanced toward Jason, seeing the deep furrow in his brow. He had been right to question whether Zudera could be trusted. It really had been my fault all along. Even with the evidence right before me, I still could hardly believe it.

I thought back to all the times that Zudera had ranted and raved about the royals. Her dislike for them had always seemed so genuine.

"So how does it feel to be one of the first women chosen to attend Promenade?" she had asked me on the day we met.

"Uhm...Well—it's certainly not what I expected," I had answered, my thoughts at the time still reeling over being told that as a woman, I was merely 'furniture' for the school.

Zudera had given me a knowing grin that I had instantly taken comfort in for some reason. "Arnazuri, right? Looks like you've already learned more about Kingfishers than you'd care to know, am I right? They are a mess. Especially the royals. They keep their noses so high in the air that when they take a deep breath, they inhale the clouds. And don't even get me started on how they run things around here! Their old and sexist beliefs...And those damned royals think they're above the law, and from what I've heard, they'll make sure they always will be. Have you heard all the rumors about King Henry wanting to actually rewrite the Scroll so that his people can rule forever?"

Her rant had practically lasted for the rest of the night, and in the days following, I'd heard her say plenty more unflattering things about the king and his ways. Hence, the Zudera I knew was the very last person who would ever help royals with anything.

"Why would she do that?" I asked, unable to fathom what Sentana was trying to tell me. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't convince myself that Zudera had been that good of an actress.

"Because she works for them," Sentana said. "I always had my suspicions about her, but I just couldn't say anything."

I shook my head. "But—"

"She works for the enemy," Remington said, cutting me off. His voice was harsh and stern, and I could tell he meant to squash my doubts and stop my questions.

All of a sudden, with one swift movement, he readied and pointed his arrow straight at Jason.

I barely had time to think, but my body worked quicker than my mind. I bolted, placing myself directly in front of Jason, my hand automatically reaching backwards to protectively touch his arm. "What are you doing?" I said. "He is not the enemy! He's trying to help me find my family! And if it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be alive!"

Yet, Remington still didn't lower his weapon. His eyes looked right passed me, glaring pure hatred at Jason.

"Remington, stop it! Don't do this! Don't you dare!" I yelled. Even though I was pleading, my voice had developed a surprising sternness of its own, making my words sound more like a command than a plea. The sound of it catching Remington's attention, he peeled his eyes off Jason to look at me.

"He's not one of us, Genesis!" Remington said through clenched teeth. "He's only alive because he saved your life and his dear brother didn't want to betray his own blood. Yes, everyone knows how he took your place at the execution, but anyone who knows better wouldn't dare mistake his actions as noble. The actions of royals are always self-serving. And don't you forget, he is and will always be a royal, regardless of whatever smooth lines he may have put in your ear. At the end of the day, they're all the same. You can't afford to overlook the fact that he is the brother of the man who tried to have you killed in the first place, Genesis. You don't owe him anything."

The silence that ensued after Remington's words was deafening. Even though we were in the forest, it was still quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The air around us even seemed to stand still. If I didn't know better, I could have sworn the insects flying around had stopped midair to see what would happen next.

Remington and I watched each other unblinkingly, partaking in the most intense staring match I'd ever been a part of. There was no doubt in my mind that he unwaveringly believed every word he had just uttered. His deep-seated belief that the royals could never be trusted was something he took to heart. And if I wasn't blocking him from Jason right that moment, Prince Fisher would have undoubtedly ended up lying on the ground with one arrow in his heart and another in his head.

I shuddered, realizing for the first time that Remington was not above murdering people. Even though I had literally watched the royal guards drop dead at my feet, it hadn't truly sunk in that the Hawks—my Arnazuri peers and neighbors—had been behind the slaughter. Granted, they'd done it to save my life, but still, there was something that suddenly seemed so unnerving about it. We had been trained to hunt animals, not people...

Knowing that the royal soldiers and guards were ruthless enough to kill people was one thing. But knowing that my own people were just as capable was quite another.

I felt chilled to the bone, knowing my best friend was fully capable of killing the guy standing behind me. Knowing that he actually wanted to...

Furthermore, it was astonishing that he wasn't even giving a second thought to the repercussions of killing the king's brother.

Then again, maybe King Henry wouldn't even care, I thought bitterly. He had, after all, just sent armed guards after his own brother.

I just didn't know what the world was coming to anymore, but I did know one thing at least—Remington wasn't going to hurt Jason, not if I could help it. The only way Remington would get to Jason was over my own dead body.

As Remington and I continued to stare at one another, I knew that no amount of time away from each other would change our uncanny ability to sense what the other was thinking. Hence, he understood the message I silently relayed to him through my gaze, which was that if he dared hurt Jason, we were going to have major problems.

Hearing my thoughts loud and clear, Remington gave an audible sigh of frustration, but lowered his weapon all the same.
Chapter 32

My hand still on Jason's arm, I felt him stir behind me. I lowered my hand and glanced back at him. He didn't look afraid, but his expression was carefully arranged in a way that I couldn't quite read.

"Listen, we can discuss trust issues later," he said, "but for now, we have to move, and we have to move fast if we want to stay alive. I know my brother, and I know that once he finds out what happened to these guards," he motioned toward the dead guards littering the ground, "he'll just keep sending more after us until we're arrested. Or killed. So let's get out of here and figure things out along the way."

I nodded. "Yes, I agree. Let's move." I turned back around toward Remington. "Do you know where my father is?"

Remington's jaw was still clenched with anger. "I don't know where your father is," he said to me although he was still looking at Jason, "but I know where your mother and brother are. Don't worry—they're safe."

I leaned over, resting my hands on my knees and breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that Mother and Prince were at least all right.

"When was the last time you saw my father?" I asked.

Jason cleared his throat behind me and briefly touched my shoulder. "Let's talk on the move," he said, moving toward Max.

"Right...sorry. Let's go," I said, and then cast cautious glances around, hoping that we hadn't wasted too much time already.

I mounted Dolly and turned toward Remington, Sentana, and the other Hawk members, some of whom I recognized by face, but not by name. They'd all been so quiet that I'd almost forgotten they were there.

Remington and I exchanged glances, and once again, I easily deciphered what he was thinking. When he came on this rescue mission, he had come for me and me alone. Never in a million years had he anticipated Jason being a part of the equation. He watched Jason gather his belongings from the ground, including the things he'd stolen from the hidden temple.

I so badly wanted to let Remington know right then and there about all the things Jason had done for me, as well as everything he'd taught me about the Arnazuri tribe. I wanted to ask Remington if he had any idea about our people's rich history and how we had been denied the luxury and honor of learning any of it.

If he knew just a fraction of what I did, there was no way he'd be able to view Jason so unfavorably.

But I reminded myself that we needed to get moving, so now simply wasn't the time to engage in such a lengthy discussion. Hopefully the discussion would happen sooner or later though—preferably at the first available opportunity—so that we could nip this animosity Remington held toward Jason right in the bud before it bloomed into anything more.

I gave Remington a meaningful look, hoping to indicate that I needed to talk to him. But the way he looked at me and averted his gaze indicated that he wasn't ready to hear what I had to say, at least not anytime soon.

He climbed onto his horse and took the lead. "Come on," he said, his voice void of emotion—which I knew meant that he was feeling exceptionally peeved.

I sighed in frustration, knowing that it was going to be a while before I could have any kind of meaningful talks with him that he would be willing to participate in.

Silence befalling our group of outlaws again, we all steered our horses and fell into step behind Remington.

I thought I knew Remington better than anyone, which was why I felt so unnerved by the fact that the longer we rode, the fouler his mood became. I had been so sure that he would calm down after a while so that I could talk to him. When we were kids, I always knew that when he was upset, he just needed a little while to cool off before he'd be good as new again. But we weren't little kids anymore, and so much had changed.

So while I couldn't put into words how happy I was that he was safe, sound, and back at my side, I also couldn't put into words how disheartening it was to feel so emotionally distant from him. It was like the joy and relief we'd shared in each other's embrace had worn off entirely from his end already. I wanted so badly to resume the friendship we had once enjoyed, and to let bygones be bygones, but evidently, that wasn't going to happen if he insisted on letting Jason rekindle his frustration with me and become the new barrier between us. If he wasn't willing to see reason and come to an understanding that Jason wasn't one of the bad guys, I saw no immediate solution around this problem.

Nevertheless, I couldn't stand not trying to reach out to him in some way, even if we had to start off slow.

Nudging my heels into Dolly's sides, she trotted forward, moving past the other horses until we were next to Remington. He glanced sideways at me.

"I really hope you know how happy I am that you're alright. When I thought you were dead, it almost felt like a piece of me had died too. I just couldn't imagine a world without you, and it got to the point where I couldn't even talk about you out loud without falling to pieces."

"How flattering," he said, without an ounce of warmth.

I blinked, taken off guard by his coldness, especially after I'd made such a heartfelt and truthful confession. "Wow. Unbelievable," I said after a prolonged pause. I then gave a mirthless laugh just to fill the hostile silence that had resumed.

"Care to elaborate on what's so funny, or is it your own private joke?"

"Yeah, actually, I do care to elaborate," I said. "It's unbelievable that after all I've been through—from getting captured by soldiers, seeing the slaughtered bodies of my people, to getting shipped off to Promenade, almost killed multiple times..." My voice trailed off as I recalled the horrors I'd endured and seen at that awful prison. What I'd been subjected to at the hands of that guard was the one thing I still couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone about. "After everything—I can't believe that you're still mad at me."

"Well, you don't make it very difficult to stay upset, Genesis," Remington said after a fleeting pause.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Look—I know you've been through a lot. I get that. We've all been through a lot. Yet, you still fell in love with the enemy, even after everything the royals put you through. That's what I don't get. And maybe I never will. But I guess I shouldn't really be surprised though. I should have expected this much all along from you. After all, your heart has always been with the royals instead of with the resistance. Silly me—I just thought you would have had a change of heart after they tried to kill you."

Another lump formed in my throat, and there was a tightness in my chest. When I spoke, I could barely keep my voice steady. "How can you say that to me? Why is it so hard for you to believe that all I've ever wanted was for our people to be safe? Everything I've ever done was with the intention of bettering the Arnazuri community. Even when I was against the resistance, it wasn't because of my loyalty to the royals. It was because I thought the resistance would harm our people—and I was halfway right! I have never turned by back on my own people, and I never will! Besides, I know the truth about the king's corruption now. I know more than anybody—things that you can't even imagine! So don't you dare tell me my heart is in the wrong place! You don't know the half of it!" Realizing my voice had risen a little louder than I meant it to, I paused and cleared my throat. I was gripping Dolly's reigns so tightly that my fists hurt. "And I'm not in love with Jason," I added in a much lower voice, making sure than no one else could hear.

Remington huffed beside me. "Yeah. Sure, Genesis."

"I'm not!" I said stubbornly. Nevertheless, despite the fact that we had much bigger fish to fry, uncomfortable thoughts began to drift through my mind about the thrill I'd felt each time Jason tried to kiss me...

For Remington, there was no doubt in my mind that I loved him. I always had, even when we hadn't been talking and even now, with the stupid feud we were having. As my best friend, of course I loved him—as a friend.

But Jason?

There was indeed something there, and I'd be lying to myself if I denied it. But was I in love? That, I couldn't tell. Even more—if it was love—I didn't know what type. Or more accurately, perhaps I just didn't want to think about it.

I caught Remington staring at me and felt unnerved by the knowing gleam in his eyes. "You were about to take an arrow for him without even thinking about it," he said, his voice a low rumble. He looked ahead at the trail before us, his mouth pressed into a stern line. "And I'm not stupid, Genesis. I see the way you look at him. I've never seen you look at anyone like that before. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Not wanting to hear any more of his chastising, when he gave his horse a kick to the sides to speed up, I let Dolly fall behind, willingly placing distance between us until I staggered in line with everyone else.
Chapter 33

Having nothing more to say to Remington for the rest of the ride, I trailed behind him and his group, staying alongside Jason as they led us deep into the forest.

I wanted to ask where we were going, but refrained; a superstitious streak had come over me, making me feel as if asking would somehow cause bad luck. Nevertheless, the longer we rode, the more I feared something was wrong. It began to feel like we were moving aimlessly. Troublesome thoughts sprang to mind, calculating the chances that my mother, brother, and the survivors with them had been attacked again and had to flee, and that Remington no longer knew where they were.

Working myself into a panic, I stared at the top of Dolly's head rather than the trail we were riding along, terrified that we would eventually stumble across dead Arnazuri bodies, and that my family would be among them.

"Almost there."

I looked up upon hearing Sentana's voice. She glanced backward at me from several paces ahead, giving me a reassuring expression that I at first found unusual, for Sentana had always been so quiet and expressionless in all the time I'd known her. Yet, as I realized what she'd said, some of my panic began to subside.

From that point on, I began paying more attention to our surroundings. There was no doubt that we were in Black Forest, but I suspected it was an area I hadn't frequented often, even while hunting.

Gradually, small dwellings began to appear within the forests. Based on the look of them, I knew they hadn't been there long. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jason casting fascinated glances around. I supposed that growing up in King's Forest, he wasn't accustomed to seeing such modest housing.

Looking ahead, I saw Remington come to a stop and dismount his horse.

My heart began to speed, knowing that we had arrived at our destination.

I looked at the building a short distance ahead of Remington. As if feeling my gaze, he turned around, peering past his traveling companions and looking directly at me. "We built this secret safe house as a hideout in times of need. It came in handy," he said. "Mrs. Roberts and Prince have been staying here with a few other families."

Hearing the names of my mother and brother, I hopped down from Dolly, practically trembling from head to foot in anticipation.

All around me, our other traveling companions moved aside, permitting me a clear a path toward the hidden safe house that had been built so deeply into the forest. I wondered how long it had been there, how long it had taken to build, and how its existence had even come about without me ever being privy to it.

Had I really been that out-of-touch with what was going on in my own community?

It didn't matter though. All that mattered was how badly I wanted to see Mother and Prince.

Remington nodded his head, motioning for me to follow him.

We crossed the forest floor and Remington led me around to a side entrance toward a door so small and shabby that it was very easy to overlook. He stooped down and pushed it open. "Go ahead."

I didn't need to be told twice. I kneeled and crawled through.

The lighting inside was dim, but sufficient. The hum of voices instantly greeted me. I glanced around and saw that the dwelling was full of Arnazuri people. Cots and blankets lined portions of the floor, where people huddled together, clinging to their loved ones.

My heart racing, I searched through the dimness, looking for any sign of my mother or brother.

"Genesis?"

Tears instantly filled my eyes, for I would have recognized that voice at the end of the earth. I turned to see Prince racing toward me. The final distance between us was closed when we both leapt toward one another at the same time.

Thinking about the boys his age who'd had their lives stolen from them sent me into sobs that I had no hope of controlling. I squeezed him in my arms, swearing that he had grown several more inches since the last time I'd seen him.

Through my tears, I saw my mother rushing toward us. Within seconds, she was there, her arms around both of us as she sobbed nearly as much as me.

After what felt like forever, I finally released Prince from my hold. Mother took my face in her hands and kissed my cheeks, both of our faces wet with tears. "Genesis," she said, but failed to say anything further. She didn't need to though; we were both beyond words.

Seeing the crowd looking at us, and seeing additional movement at my side, I wiped my face with my sleeves and tried to recompose myself as much as possible.

I turned to see Jason nearby, standing out like a sore thumb amongst the room full of Arnazuri. Though I couldn't tell for sure, I suspected he felt somewhat nervous and out of place based on the way he stood so rigidly with his arms stiffly at his sides.

"Mother, this is Jason Fisher," I said, finally finding my voice. I reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. "As you probably know, he saved my life."

Mother too, wiped her face in attempts to recompose herself. She nodded and gave a wobbly smile. "H-hi, Prince Fisher," she said, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

"Please, don't mention it, ma'am," Jason said, shaking her hand and bowing his head. "And please, just call me Jason."

"Thank you, Jason," Mother said, bowing her head as well.

"Jason, this is my little brother, Prince," I said.

Prince stood beside our mother, looking tensed and conflicted. It was unsettling, for I'd never seen such an adult-like expression on my baby brother's face before. I imagine it had to be a difficult thing to process though. Living under Hawk members, he had undoubtedly heard a plethora of unkind things about the royal family, which would naturally make it tough to figure out how he was supposed to feel towards a royal who'd saved his big sister's life.

Jason smiled. "Hello, Prince. Pleasure to meet you."

Prince nodded, but said nothing.

Feeling more aware of all the stares we were receiving, I glanced around. Yet, I realized everyone's gazes were mostly on Jason—and they didn't exactly look too friendly. My mouth involuntarily tugged downward into a frown.

My eyes landed on Remington, who stood a short distance away, watching the whole scene.

"Are you hungry?" Mother asked, breaking the awkward silence that had suddenly fallen over the room.

I nodded. "Starving."

"Good. Come this way." She grabbed my hand, placed her other hand on Jason's shoulder, and steered us toward the kitchen area of the safe house.

***

The food in the capital had been rich and wonderful, but it could never compare to the food of my hometown. I hadn't even realized how much I missed it until I dove into the plate of black-eyed peas and rice with tomato sauce. I almost melted after the first bite. The dinner of birds Jason, Zudera, and I had shared felt like ages ago.

"What kind of meat is this?" I asked, tasting the meat that had been mixed with the black-eyed peas.

"Antelope," Mother answered. She was seated across from me and next to Prince, while Jason sat beside me.

"Antelope?" I said, chewing and concentrating on the flavor. "How come it tastes like rabbit?"

Mother tilted her head. "I don't know. Maybe the antelope ate a rabbit."

Prince snickered, which made me laugh, as well as some of the others sitting close enough to hear.

"Well," I said, "antelope or rabbit—it's delicious. You cooked it, didn't you?"

Mother nodded.

"I can't tell you how much I've missed your cooking," I said, thinking back to the pathetic meals we had eaten on the road. I licked my fingers, not wanting to waste a single drop of my meal.

My plate was almost empty by the time I took a look at Jason's plate. He had pushed his chunks of meat to the side and was only eating the rice and black-eyed peas.

"Why aren't you eating the meat?" I asked.

He glanced at me, looking startled for a second, and almost sheepish. "I uhm...I don't like antelope meat."

I raised my eyebrows, stunned. For as long as I could remember, I'd been told that antelope was the most prized game, for it was the favorite of the royals. It was why I had spent most of my time hunting trying to track down antelope above everything else. The best parts of the antelope were always shipped into King's Forest.

Yet, Jason didn't even eat it.

It dawned on me that despite how close we had gotten, there was still so much I didn't know about him.

Sensing that he seemed somewhat embarrassed by the confession he'd just made about his dietary preferences, I tried to lighten the mood. "More for me then," I said with a smile. "Give me that."

Jason laughed and gladly let me take the uneaten antelope meat from his plate.

After the experiences of being shipped off to Promenade, imprisoned, nearly executed, rescued, and then on the run—sitting around relaxing with my mother and brother felt positively surreal. Despite our unusual surroundings, it almost felt like being home.

Almost.

If only my father was there, the feeling would have been complete.

Evening set in, and the other families began to settle down for the night, each claiming a section of the safe house to occupy.

I'd been sitting with Prince, talking about nothing in particular, when I noticed Jason sitting alone in the corner. I was grateful to have him there, but I didn't appreciate the cold reception he'd been receiving from my fellow Arnazuris.

If they only knew the half of what he'd done for me since I'd been so unceremoniously taken away from my home...

But they didn't—at least not yet. They solely saw him as a royal, and as far as they were concerned, royals were the problem that needed to be defeated. Everyone knew that the only reason he'd been permitted entrance to the safe house was because of me.

The only reason he was still alive after encountering Remington was because of me...

I stared at him, hunched on the floor with the scrolls he'd taken from the hidden temple spread across his lap. There was a deep furrow in his brow as he studied and scribbled notes on a pad of paper he had beside him.

"Excuse me, Prince. I'll be right back," I said.

I headed over the Jason and sat down beside him. He looked sideways at me and smiled, although I detected a hint of sadness in his expression.

"How's it going?" I asked.

He sighed. "A little slower than I'd like, but it's going, I guess."

I leaned over to peer at the scroll, instantly seeing that I couldn't be much help. "I wish we had gotten further along in our lessons before all hell broke loose," I said. "Maybe then, I could have helped you out with this."

Jason nudged my shoulder with his. "Don't worry about it. You've helped me in more ways than I could have possibly asked. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be here right now, and you know it."

I averted my gaze, staring off into the distance for a moment before once again growing aware of the hostile gazes we were getting.

"You know," Jason said after a moment. "I understand why Remington and the other Hawks don't like me. So honestly, I can't even be offended. If I wasn't 'Prince Fisher'," he said, putting air quotes around his name, "I would be leery of trusting the king's brother too. So I don't blame anyone here for thinking the way they do."

"But you saved my life. They should know you aren't like your brother," I said bitterly.

"They think I had an ulterior motive," he said. "Well—I guess I sort of did, considering how I feel about you, but that's beside the point. The point is that they don't know why I saved you, and they don't trust what that reason might be."

I blinked, wondering what he could have possibly meant in terms of how he felt about me. Somehow, it felt dangerous to think too much about it though. "Whatever," I said. "It doesn't matter. I still don't like how judgmental they're being toward you."

"Give them time. Hopefully I can prove myself and gain their trust."

"Well, I'm going to help make it happen quicker," I said. "Starting with Remington."

Now Jason averted his gaze and made a noncommittal grunt.

I raised my eyebrows. "Jason—Remington really is a good person. I swear. He's just..."

"Protective of you?"

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. But you can't blame him. We grew up together. He's been looking out for me for as long as we've known each other."

"You sure there isn't more to it than that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

I stared at Jason for a moment, thinking about what he was trying to imply. "Anyway," I said, "Remington—he's just a little too passionate about his culture and protecting his people, that's all. Once you get to know him, he's one of the most loyal people you could ever come across."

"I have a feeling that his loyalty isn't going to be directed my way so easily."

I placed my hand on Jason's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry about it, all right? I'm going to take care of it."

He leaned his head down so that his chin briefly rested on top of my hand, and then turned back to his scrolls.
Chapter 34

As nightfall arrived and Jason continued studying the scrolls, I decided to stay true to my word and handle things with Remington once and for all. I left the safe house and found Remington outside alone, sharpening his arrows. Since delivering me to my mother and brother, he had been making himself scarce, and I halfway suspected he was avoiding me on purpose. I wondered if his fellow Hawk members had potentially been giving him a hard time for letting Jason return with me.

Folding my arms against the night chill, I quietly headed toward Remington, pausing for a moment to watch him start sharpening his next arrow.

"We're going to need guns—a lot of guns—if we're going to stand a chance against the royals. You know that, right?" I said.

Remington abruptly turned around, unaware that he had company behind him. For a hunter like him to not sense me approaching was surprising. However, I was skilled at being stealthy so as to not scare off game—and that kind of skill was useful when it came to sneaking up on humans too.

"I know that," Remington said, relaxing and turning back to his arrows. "Look at you," he added, "talking about guns and fighting the royals. You sure have changed from the girl who didn't believe in the rebellion, haven't you? Now, you're all for it. I almost can't believe it."

I came to Remington's side. "Yeah, well—I guess I'm a slow learner."

He shook his head. "No, you're not. You're just stubborn."

There was a brief pause in the conversation until we both started laughing at the exact same time. Just for a moment, it felt like the old times with Remington that I missed so much—the way we used to tease each other freely and laugh easily.

"You came all the way out here to find me," Remington said once our laughter died down, "so just go ahead and ask already."

"Ask what?"

"You know what. Or who, rather. Jason..." Remington's mouth pressed into a tight line. "Go ahead. Give me your spiel about how he's really such a great guy. We may have been separated for a while, but I can still tell what you're thinking, Genesis."

I sighed and looked up toward the darkened sky and the few stars that sparkled overhead. "I don't know what else to tell you, Remington. Jason is a good guy. He's a really good guy in ways you just don't understand."

Remington paused from sharpening his arrows. "You know what my father always told me? He said to never believe the words of someone in love because their view will always be distorted. I think he was right."

I turned away from Remington and stared out at the forest ahead. I knew there was no point in me denying that I was in love with Jason, for Remington wouldn't believe me anyway. Besides, the more defensive I got, the guiltier it would make me look in his eyes. Not to mention there was a part of me that didn't even entirely know whether my denial would be a lie to begin with. It remained a topic I simply didn't want to think too much on.

"You don't have to believe me then," I said quietly. "But I just want to know this—do you not trust him because he's a royal, or is it because he's from a different tribe?"

Remington gave a humorless laugh and narrowed his eyes at me. "Genesis, are you honestly trying to accuse me of tribalism?"

"Well, if you hate him because he's a royal, how can you believe he's like the other royals when his own brother has ordered him to be arrested? And if it's not his royal status that's bothering you, then it can only mean it's something else..."

"Genesis," Remington said, his voice immediately growing defensive.

I held my hand out, silencing him. "Just hear me out," I said. "If we judge people based on their tribe, then how are we any different from those who've discriminated against our tribe for so many centuries? If you have a problem with the royals, how can you turn around and treat people the way they've treated us? Do you realize that doesn't make you any better than they are? Do you really want to walk around sharing the traits of your enemies? If not, then maybe you should reconsider how you've been treating Jason."

The silence that followed my words was so long, I worried that I had offended Remington beyond repair. But he merely stared back at me, holding the last arrow he'd been working on with such a loose grip that it almost fell to the ground. His expression had softened entirely, and it was then that I realized my words had truly hit home.

Having nothing more to say, I headed back to the safe house.
Chapter 35

When I returned to the safe house, I saw that Jason was still right where I left him, studying the scrolls. I returned to his side, figuring he could use a friendly face nearby. I watched as he read language I couldn't fully comprehend—only managing to guess at a word or two here and there—and tried to peer at the notes he jotted down. But I remained quiet, not wanting to break his concentration.

Eventually giving up, I leaned back against the wall beside him, taking in our surroundings as the fellow members of my tribe huddled together, trying to figure out where they were going to go, and what they were going to do now that their lives had been so drastically disrupted.

All our lives had been disrupted, including Jason's. That was the one thing every single person in the safe house shared in common. I could only hope it didn't take too long for the rest to realize this and come to accept Jason as an ally.

I looked toward the entrance door when I saw Remington come through. With other Hawk members at his side, he glanced briefly at me before taking a long stare at Jason, undoubtedly wondering what he was up to. His gaze held clear suspicion, and still quite a bit of contempt despite the conversation we'd just had outside. While I had initially left feeling hopeful that my message had gotten through to him, I was no longer so sure of how much of an impact I'd had.

I stood, realizing that if we were all in this together, then we needed to be together. All of us—my family, Remington, the Hawks, and Jason. Although Jason was clearly being a good sport about it, I could no longer stand by, idly watching the critical looks and sneers being directed at him when he had done absolutely nothing wrong and only wanted to help.

Seeing me rising from Jason's side, Remington glanced my way again, his curiosity rising due to the determination he likely saw on my face.

I headed toward the center of the room, gradually garnering more attention until nearly everyone was looking my way. Voices hummed around me as people wondered what I was about to do.

Prince nudged Mother and pointed to me. Her eyes widened, and I could see my name at the tip of her tongue. I shook my head, letting her know not to interrupt me because I had something important to say.

It was literally now or never.

I cleared my throat and prepared to project my voice over the room, hoping that I could keep it steady in the process. "Excuse me, everyone," I said.

It was amazing how those three little words had turned the room deathly silent.

Jason finally glanced up from the scrolls, his expression just as curious as everyone else's.

"First—I just want to thank the Hawks from the bottom of my heart for coming to my rescue," I said. I almost wanted to cringe at the way my voice sounded in my own ears—like I was giving an acceptance speech or something. But I didn't know how else to begin, so I took a deep breath and continued. "As many of you probably know, I haven't always seen eye-to-eye with the rebellion. But I've obviously had a change of heart now."

Several snickers broke through the silence. Yet, they somehow lightened the mood in the room. I took another deep breath, feeling much more at ease. Catching Prince's eye, I smiled, and then glanced at the room at large. "What I really want to say though, is that I hope you all can have a change of heart too—toward Jason. Jason Fisher."

The notepad fell out of Jason's hand and redness crept into his cheeks. For a moment, he didn't even bother to look up—he just kept staring down into his lap. His shoulders rose and fell with deep breaths, and then when he finally looked up, he kept his gaze fixed pointedly at me, as if blocking out everyone else in the room despite the fact that they were all staring at him.

"I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for Jason, but you all know that already. And I know that a lot of you—too many of you—still don't trust him. You think there was an ulterior motive behind why he chose to save me, and you just don't trust the reasoning of royals. After the terrors that have been unleashed on our community at the hands of King Henry, nobody can blame you. However, you need to know that there definitely was an ulterior motive behind Jason's actions. That motive was to expose the truth about the Arnazuri, and to stop the corruption of his brother."

The room broke out into mutters as people whispered to their neighbors and cast curious glances at Jason. All the while, he stared at me, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

"During my time in King's Forest and at Promenade, I've come to know Jason quite well. In fact—he's become a dear friend of mine. And I know with every fiber of my being that he is not cut from the same cloth as the rest of the royals. This is why his own brother has turned against him, ordering his arrest. Nevertheless, here he is—still fighting with us. Still fighting for us.

"You see—Jason knows more about the corruption going on in the capital than any of you could possibly imagine. He knows what has been done to our people since ancient times. And because he believes in fairness, the royals no longer trust him and consider him a traitor."

I looked toward Jason. "If it's alright, I'd like to share what you've taught me."

Jason pressed his lips together and nodded, and then glanced around at the rest of the room for the first time. Not as many eyes were on him now though, for I seemed to have captured everyone's undivided attention. Everyone was hanging on to my every word, riveted.

"Before meeting Jason, I was naïve and never thought much of the prophecies I often heard griots and elders, including my own father, speak of. Some of you probably know what kind of prophecies I'm talking about. You know—the ones about an Arnazuri king..."

The muttering in the room grew louder. Through the crowd, I could see Prince looking back at me. His jaw had dropped. I knew he definitely remembered our father's ramblings about certain prophecies...

"What most of you probably don't know though," I continued, "is that there have already been Arnazuri kings. And queens. We come from a long and incredible line of royalty. But our modern royal families—they've kept this knowledge from us. They've so thoroughly distorted history that no one in living memory has any idea of the true history of our people. They don't want us to know how important we are, and the contributions we've made to society. They want us to believe that our people have never been worthy, and have never done anything of importance. They want us to think that we are a bunch of nobodies. But that simply isn't true, and never has been."

"How do you know all of this?" someone yelled out.

I turned in the general direction of the voice who'd spoken. "Because Jason showed me firsthand. I saw it all with my very own eyes."

All the whisperings and muttering ceased again, leaving the room so quiet that we could all hear the scroll on Jason's lap rattling.

"King's Forest has a hidden temple full of Arnazuri treasure. It has writings in our native language—which Jason speaks, by the way—as well as paintings and sculptures of our people. Our royal ancestors—they were beautiful. Yet, the Kingfishers had them painted cream to cover their true identities. I literally watched Jason wipe the cream paint off them. Underneath the disguises forced on them, they look like you. They look like me. They looked like us. They were us."

"Where is this hidden temple?" someone else asked.

I smiled. "Nothing would make me happier than for Jason to be able to show it to all of you one day. But we clearly have some hurdles ahead of us to get through first. Anyway—I tell you all of this because I want you to realize once and for all that Jason is not the enemy. He never has been, and never will be. So please, I beg of you, show him the kindness and respect he deserves, because he feels nothing but kindness and respect toward all of you."

I smiled and looked toward Jason, holding my hand out to him.

He stared back at me, initially taken aback, but eventually climbing to his feet and coming my way. Hesitantly, he took my hand. My grin grew wider, for even in the midst of my speech, a part of me couldn't help thinking about how cute he looked when he was feeling shy or uncertain of himself. I squeezed his hand, offering him reassurance.

"This man has risked his life numerous times to help me, and to reveal the secrets of our people that have so unfairly been kept from us. And he has confirmed that the prophecy is real. There will be an Arnazuri leader who will lead us to freedom in the near future, and Jason has been working diligently to figure out who this person is. So please understand—the tasks that lie ahead of us—we can't do it without his help."

A long silence followed my words, while Jason and I stood there, clinging to each other's hands and sharing the awkwardness of so many eyes firmly planted in our direction. But slowly, the people around us began to clap. Soon, they broke out into full applause. Even a few whistles spread through the air.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing at Jason beside me, I saw that a small smile had spread onto his face. He bowed his head at my people, showing the respect and appreciation he felt toward them.

The claps and cheers slowly died down as Remington began making his way toward us. When he stopped before Jason, all grew quiet once more.

I stared at Remington, stunned by the power he clearly exuded. It finally dawned on me that people looked toward him as something of a leader now.

Jason released my hand, and for a long moment, he and Remington stood, staring each other eye-to-eye.

I swallowed, wanting to say something, but no longer having the words. Watching both them—different as day and night, yet both tall, handsome, and intimidating in their own way—I almost felt the urge to jump between them in case things were about to take a turn for the worst.

"Jason," Remington said, his voice low, but carrying through the room clearly nonetheless. "Prince Fisher..." There was a long pause, and it seemed that no one hardly even breathed. Remington cleared his throat. "I just want you to know that I'm going to help you in any way I can." He held his hand out to Jason.

After several long seconds, Jason clasped Remington's hand, and the two of them shook on it. "Thank you," Jason said.

I suddenly felt light as a feather, as if one of the greatest weights I didn't even know I'd been carrying had been taken away from me. I wanted to throw my hands around both of them in a group hug, but I refrained, figuring that doing so may have been pressing my luck a little too hard. So simply watching them shake hands would have to suffice.
Chapter 36

Extra blankets and pillows had been scrounged up to provide me a makeshift bed near my mother, brother, and Jason. And although this little shelter the Hawks had put together couldn't truly provide the full comforts of home, it certainly came close. There was just something about having my own people nearby that made me feel safer than I had felt in ages.

"Genesis?" Prince whispered from beside me.

"Yeah?" I whispered back. Our mother had already fallen asleep, and we didn't want to wake her. I rolled onto my side so that I could face Prince. He was propped up on his elbow and glancing over my shoulder toward Jason. Jason had naturally settled down to sleep beside me, which I had anticipated, but still felt somewhat nervous about nonetheless. I didn't exactly want to wake up in his arms again—well, I did, but not here in front of so many people, especially not in front of my mother.

"He really knows that the prophecy is real?" Prince asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. He knows a lot of things. He's brilliant. I'm going to have him explain some more once he's comfortable enough—and once everyone starts being nicer to him. You know, he was even teaching me how to read in the ancient Arnazuri language."

"Really?"

"Well, I didn't get to learn much. We were still going over the alphabet. But hopefully, I'll learn more one day. And then I'll teach it to you."

"Why did the king keep all of this from us? Why do they hate us so much?"

I sighed. "I don't know..."

"And you swear we can trust him?" Prince asked. Even through the darkness, I could see Prince's brown face wrinkled in that adult-like way that I wasn't used to seeing on him. It made his resemblance to our father suddenly striking.

"Yes, we can trust him."

Prince nodded, and settled back down into his blankets. Shortly thereafter, we were both sleep. And it was the most peaceful sleep I'd experienced in a long time.

I suppose that's why it had taken so long for me to wake up and realize that something had gone terribly wrong on our premises.

All around me, people jerked out of their sleep—my brother and mother being amongst some of the first.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jason stir awake beside me.

Loud popping noises sounded from outside, and each successive one made my heart pound faster, for I knew what they were.

Gunshots.

Screams began to erupt throughout the safe house.

"EVERYBODY, STAY DOWN!" a voice bellowed. Remington's.

He was crouched near the door, peering out the window and ducking each time a new shot was fired.

"Genesis! Get down," my mother pleaded, stretching her arm across Prince to place it on my shoulder, attempting to drag me down to the floor, for I had sat bolt upright in my panic.

I crouched down, my eyes wide with fear. Beside me, Jason lowered too, although he stared toward Remington.

Somewhere, glass shattered. Wood splintered. The screams intensified. I knew it was only a matter of time before those bullets began flying through the safe house, undoubtedly hitting some targets.

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Remington yelled. "FOLLOW ME!"

Half-walking and half-running at a crouch, Remington plunged into the panicked crowd and began guiding us all toward the back of the house.

"Come on! Come on!" my mother urged, pushing myself, Prince, and Jason ahead of her. With my eyes glued on Remington, I grabbed Prince's arm with one hand, and Jason's with the other.

More shots were fired, and based on the continued rising of the screams, I knew some of them were indeed landing inside now.

I tightened my grip on Prince and Jason, and glanced backward, making sure Mother was close by.

"GO!" someone yelled.

I turned back around, seeing that Remington was urging us to crawl out of a small trapdoor. The small crowd before us hurried through, and soon it was our turn. I pushed Prince ahead first, and then Jason hurried out immediately after me, placing a protective hand on my back as the three of us clustered together, waiting for my mother to crawl through.

"KEEP MOVING!" Remington ordered. And right along with everyone else, we ran for the exit, emerging into the dark forest.

There was so much commotion, it was hard to make sense of anything going on. From the distance, gunshots were still being fired in rapid succession, but it was so dark, it was impossible to tell what direction they came from.

"HEY! SURROUND THEM!" Remington's command shouted from somewhere through the darkness.

Instantly, several Hawk members, armed with bows and arrows, formed a circle around me, Prince, Jason, and Mother. Seeing movement above us, I raised my head, squinting and making out the shapes of people climbing high into the nearby trees. When I caught the gleam of bows and arrows in the moonlight, I realized Hawk members had climbed the trees—one of them being Remington.

"Duck low!" one of the Hawks guarding us yelled. From within the circle, we stooped downward.

There were more gunshots, but they were soon replaced by the swish of arrows soaring through the air. Soon, the gunshots stopped entirely.

The Hawk guards standing around us lowered their weapons, but kept their eyes alert as they glanced around us.

The Hawks in the trees quickly and swiftly climbed back down. And not before long, three dead bodies were being carried through the forest towards us.

"Thunder God," Mother said, covering her mouth with her hand.

Prince stood rigidly beside me, seeing the bodies of dead royal guards being carried forward. In trademark Hawk fashion, they had arrows protruding from their heads and chests.

Jason swore. "They were after us," he said. "They were after me."

I reached for his hand and squeezed it. "We're not going to let them get you. I promise."

Remington came into view, eyeing the dead guards and the Hawks who had gone to retrieve their bodies. "Is that all of them?" he asked.

"I think so," one of the Hawks answered.

"I'm so sorry," Jason said.

"It's not your fault," said Remington. "They've been after us far before you even came into the picture, Mr. Royalty." He turned back toward the Hawk guards. "Any of ours hit?"

They shook their head. "Most of them are hiding farther into the forest. We'll retrieve them. And we'll patch the safe house back up tomorrow."

Remington nodded.

"What do we do with these?" one of them asked, referencing the dead royal guards.

Remington sneered. "Burn them. Leave them as worm food. Hang them up as a warning to the rest of their kind. I really don't care."

The Hawk members kneeled to lie the dead guards down on the ground, straight in a row.

Then I saw something move. I groaned—everything was happening far too quickly for me to have given out a proper warning.

I shoved Prince backward, out of the way.

One of the royal guards, not dead after all, had snatched a spear from the nearest Hawk member. He threw it right at me.

Jason yelled, jumping directly in front of me, and then tripped and toppled to the ground.

Remington sprung forward, not even having time to prepare his crossbow. He simply grabbed an arrow and lunged for the guard, shoving it directly into his neck and killing him on the spot.

Shaking from head to toe, I glanced at Prince, making sure he was alright. Mother gripped him, shaking just as badly as me because that had come entirely too close for comfort.

"Are you all right?" I asked, turning toward Jason, who was still lying on the ground. I kneeled to help him up.

My heart dropped.

"No...no...no," I said, dropping to my knees beside him. I felt light-headed, and my legs could no longer support my weight. All the blood seemed to drain from my face at the sight of the arrow sticking out from his chest...

"J-Jason?" I sputtered.

He lied there, unmoving, although his eyes blinked and watered with tears as they met with mine.

"You're going to be fine," I said, reaching for his hand. "Y-you'll be fine." I turned my head, in search of Remington. "Somebody get help! Right now!"

Remington rushed over, his eyes widened. He turned on the spot. "QUICK! GET BACK TO THE HOUSE AND GET THE MEDICAL SUPPLIES! HURRY!" he ordered. Hawk members, as well as other Arnazuri who were just starting to emerge from hiding, began running back to the safe house.

Jason sputtered on the ground, gasping for breath that he couldn't seem to keep in his lungs.

"You're going to be fine," I kept repeating. "The Eagle-headed God will not let you die, Jason. You...you have a purpose on earth. You have to fulfill it. You're going to be fine. Okay? You're going to be fine."

"Genesis," he croaked.

"Shh!" I said. "Just save your breath. Help is on the way."

I watched as a slight smile spread over Jason's lips, and he shook his head. "I'm not going to make it, Genesis."

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision for a moment until I hastily wiped them, and then took Jason's hand with both of mine. "Stop it! Don't you dare say that."

He coughed, choking and gasping for breath again, while I continued to hold on to his hand, prayers rushing through my head.

"G-Gen...esis," he said, "I think my job is done. It's up to you now...You have to finish what we started."

"I'm not f-f-finishing anything without you," I stuttered, my lips trembling "You're going to be fine. Y-you're staying with m-me..."

"I wish I could..."

"Jason—stop talking like this! Just stop it!"

"Genesis, all I ask of you...is one thing...Please...please kiss me. I-I've wanted to since the day I met you...At least let me die happy. One kiss from you will give me the joy I need in the afterlife. Let me feel your lips just once..."

"Jason, don't talk like that—"

"Genesis, please..."

I leaned down, placing my lips to his. His mouth moved against mine, returning the kiss. But it was all wrong. This wasn't what our first kiss was supposed to be like, and it most certainly wasn't supposed to be our last.

We held the kiss until Jason lost the last of his breath.

He died staring into my eyes, a smile flickering across his face before the light left his eyes entirely.

The cry that burst from my throat and bellowed through the air was enough to wake people from miles around. My body convulsed with the force of my sobs. I pressed my head to Jason's chest, which was drenched in blood and too still, for no breath passed through it anymore.

I heard people's voices calling out to me—my mother's, my brother's, Remington's, and others. I didn't know what they were saying though. Yet, it didn't matter.

My only thought was of how I had cheated death so many times that it had finally caught up to me—because when Jason died, a part of me undeniably did too.
Chapter 37

I could practically feel Jason's kiss before a vision of his dying face floated through my mind and jerked me right out of the fitful sleep I'd briefly fallen into. My eyes flung open, and I was greeted by darkness. I shivered, drenched in cold sweat, my skin clammy.

Memories of the past several hours abruptly came back to me in broken pieces. Jason's burial—his grave unmarked saved for a couple flowers uncovered from the forest, our group leaving the safe house, and then moving into another safe house...It had all happened in a blur.

Hearing soft breathing and light snores, I turned to see Mother and Prince sleeping on a mattress beside me. Even in Mother's sleep, her brow was furrowed. Prince, in contrast, looked at ease. No matter how much he grew, he became childlike again in his slumber.

I watched them sleep for a while, knowing it was unlikely that I would return to sleep. I didn't want to anyway though. Every time I managed to drift off to sleep, a vision of Jason jerked me back awake. And then I was forced to face the disheartening realization that I would never see him again.

Climbing to my feet, I got up and turned on the nearby lamp, knowing my mother and brother were too exhausted to be woken by it, as long as I remained quiet. Soft yellow light illuminated the room we'd been given, which was separate from the other's rooms so that I could mourn in private. Someone else had paid a visit though, for the disturbance on the table located in the corner stopped me right in my tracks.

On the table were seven kola nuts arranged into a perfect circle. Though I'd never been faced with such a gift before, I knew exactly what it meant. Legend had it that when kola nuts were arranged in a circle, they symbolized hope and continuation. Taking one and biting into it was supposed to be a sign of having hope and mustering the strength to continue through hard times.

I stared for a moment, wondering who'd put them there. I refused to take one though, because I felt no hope; I only felt hatred, despair, and sorrow.

Feeling my eyes tearing up again, I turned off the lamp and walked past the table, ignoring the nuts completely. As far as I was concerned, they were just mocking my pain.

I exited the room, quietly shutting the door behind me. Just outside the door, Remington sat in the hall. His back was pressed against the wall with one knee raised to his chest.

I hastily wiped my eyes; I hadn't expected to run into someone so quickly.

"Did you see the kola nuts on the table?" he asked.

"Did you put them there?"

"Yes. Did you take one?"

"No."

A silence stretched between us, in which Remington averted his gaze.

I lowered myself onto the floor, sitting against the wall opposite of him.

"Genesis," he said, "I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

Feeling the sting of tears again, I turned my head and stared at the door at the end of the hall.

"And I'm sorry for how I acted," he added. "I'm sorry for how I treated him. For being so rude and unpleasant toward him in the beginning..."

Just through the tone of Remington's voice, I perfectly understood the unspoken thoughts behind his apology—the thoughts he would never outright admit to.

His jealousy.

When I finally looked at him again, there was slight discoloration on his cheeks, and I could see the deep regret lurking in his dark eyes.

"Thank you," I said.

Staring at me, he appeared to hesitate for a moment, and then leaned forward to take one of my hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. There was another moment's hesitation before he attempted to pull me closer for a hug.

My heart pounded and tears suddenly blurred my vision to the point where I could hardly even see Remington in front of me anymore. And in my mind's eye, I could only see Jason. I pushed Remington away, feeling the familiar stirrings of an oncoming panic attack. "Stop it," I said, pulling away and climbing to my feet.

Remington released me immediately. "I'm sorry," he said again, although he hadn't really done anything wrong. I knew his heart was in the right place; I just wasn't in the mood to be comforted—be it by kola nuts, or the embrace of a friend.

"I just need to deal with this on my own," I said.

"I understand," Remington said, also climbing to his feet. "Good night, Genesis." With a nod goodbye, he headed down the short hall before turning into a room where I knew the rest of the Hawk members were sleeping.

"Remington," I said, feeling slightly ashamed of my reaction. He came to a halt and glanced back at me. Yet, I no longer knew what I wanted to say, so I said the only thing that I could think of. "Thanks. Thank you for understanding."

He nodded again and then disappeared into the Hawks' room, leaving me alone in the hall with my despair. It was strange how I had wanted to be alone, but felt so incredibly lonely after being granted what I wanted.

Having no desire to return to the room with my mother and brother, I headed down the hall and to the door, where I sat staring out into the night until daylight broke.

***

I had a pounding headache by the time morning arrived, and I had only managed to dose off here and there throughout the night. I had been in the midst of a brief sleep when I suddenly sprung awake in response to commotion right outside the door in front of me.

I climbed to my feet right at the very second the door swung open with a loud clang.

From within the house, I heard Hawk members scrambling awake. Within mere seconds, a bunch of them, Remington included, raced down the hall to discover the source of the upheaval.

I gasped at our intruder, startled. There was a large shiny scar running down the side of his face, naturally making his appearance alarming. However, the scar jogged my memory and I recalled how years ago, there had been a member of our tribe who'd fallen off his horse while going through the forest one day, where he was brutally attacked by a giant wild hog. He'd been lucky to escape with his life still intact, but everyone knew that his face would never be the same afterwards. His name was Zane.

He stood just a few feet away from me, sweat pouring down his face, making his scar glisten, as he struggled to catch his breath.

"What is it?" Remington said, stepping forward.

"Good news and bad news," Zane panted and then paused as the door at the far end of the hall opened. My mother and Prince stepped out, their eyes wide as they took in the scene before them.

"Spill it," Remington commanded, redirecting everyone's attention back to our early morning visitor.

"I snuck into Black Forest to buy some food, and found out the hard way that Black Forest is crawling with the king's guards now," Zane said. His eyes briefly flickered toward me. "They want Genesis. She's been declared responsible for Prince Jason's murder."

I staggered backwards, feeling as if every ounce of blood had drained from my face. Someone rushed toward me, putting a steadying grip on my shoulder so that I wouldn't hit the floor. Several swears sounded down the hallway, one of them uttered by a voice that sounded suspiciously like Prince's, although I had never heard him use that kind of language before.

"And the good news?" Remington said. "Now would be a fine time for it."

"The good news is that a coconut farmer told me where Genesis's father is." Zane turned toward me again, and then to my mother and brother. "He's at a hideout with two other Hawks near River Benin. That's only a few miles from here."

Whoever had their hands on my shoulders gave it a gentle squeeze. Footsteps sounded down the hall, and seconds later, my mother was standing beside me. "H-He's alive...?" she said, her voice choked with emotion.

"Yes, ma'am," Zane said, bowing slightly at Mother. "And I can take you right to him whenever you're ready."

She covered her mouth, stifling the happy sobs that came out of it. She then plunged forward, throwing her arms around Zane and squeezing him into a grateful hug. He stood somewhat awkwardly for a moment, and then returned the hug.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem, ma'am. Your husband is a strong man, and a valuable member to us."

Mother finally released him and turned to put her arms around me, smiling through her tears. Taking a glance down the hall, she looked toward Prince and motioned for him to join us.

Prince slowly made his way down the hall, exchanging glances with me, as if needing to check my reaction in order to know how he should feel. He clearly remembered how tense things had been between me and our father the last time I'd seen him; I suppose he was worried about what would happen now that we were finally so close to being reunited.

Mother grabbed Prince's hand with the arm she didn't have wrapped around me. I looked at Prince, trying to muster a smile for him, for I honestly felt just as relieved as Mother. It didn't matter what had happened between Father and I the last time we'd seen each other—at least not from my end. I was just happy to hear that he was alright. However, there were still so many emotions running through me, it was difficult for any one of them to take a front seat at any given moment.

"Excellent," Remington said, looking at Mother. "We can leave immediately, if you'd like."

"Yes, please," she said, tightening her grip on both me and Prince.

Remington nodded and turned toward the rest of the Hawks crowding the hall. "All right, everybody. Looks like we need to pack and get on the road. So let's get to it."

Over the next hour, it was determined who would be accompanying us on the journey to find my father, and who would be staying behind to meet with the Hawks at our previous safe house, who were hard at work repairing the place after the ambush.

When it was time to hit the road, there were about a dozen of us who would be heading out to River Benin.

The whole thing felt surreal, and my mind continued having a hard time processing all the varying emotions running through me. When it was time to leave, I opted to take Jason's horse, Max; we had taken him with us to the new safe house, and I now felt responsible for him. So I let Mother and Prince use my horse, Dolly.

Perched on top of Max, loosely holding his reigns, I idly stared out at the road ahead, feeling that sooner or later, my head would explode from simply trying not to have a nervous breakdown; it was taking every ounce of strength I had to hold myself together, and I kept wondering how much longer I was going to be able to keep it up.

Desperate to simplify what I was feeling, I forced myself to think of my father and my father only. I monitored my thoughts, pushing away Jason's face every time it crept up, and trying not to think about being named as the one responsible for his death. It was a difficult feat though, for I knew that every time I stepped outdoors, there was a target on my back.

Instead, however, I forced myself to think about my father and the last time I'd spoken to him. I recalled his face the last time I'd seen him before being whisked away to Promenade.

Mostly though, I thought about what I would say to him when we were finally reunited. I owed him the biggest apology, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find words good enough to suffice. Yet, it was necessary that I did, because he had been right all along.

When I thought back to the words we had exchanged before I left for Promenade, it felt like thinking about a different girl entirely. That Genesis couldn't have been more different from the girl I had grown to become. The old Genesis was young, naïve, and completely out of touch. The new Genesis knew better, and thoroughly regretted everything that had come out of the old Genesis's mouth.

If only I could go back in time to set her straight...

Then again, as tough as things had been, I knew that experience was always the best teacher. There was simply no way I could have made the necessary evolution had I not gone through everything I'd been forced to go through since leaving home. It had turned me into a new person, for better or for worse, and there was no going back.

Hopefully Father and the new Genesis would see eye to eye now.

As I reflected on all I'd been through, I couldn't help wondering what my father had been through during his time away from home, and whether he could have possibly had any experiences as drastic as mine. I thought that unlikely though. I wondered what Father and the Hawk members with him had been up to and how long he had been with them. Which in turn, made me start wondering how many groups of Hawks existed throughout Black Forest, or throughout the Kingdom of Nayja, for that matter?

Suddenly, I felt such deep-seated loneliness despite now being part of such a large group.

Giving Max a kick to the sides, I guided him forward until I was positioned beside Remington at the front of the group. He glanced sideways at me, his expression concerned although he tried to hide it. I knew he'd been keeping close watch over me, while still trying to keep his distance, per my request. Plus, he could still read me like an open book and therefore knew I needed my space.

"Genesis," he said, by way of greeting.

"We need a leader," I said.

Remington narrowed his eyes at me.

"We need to be more organized than this," I continued. "I mean—look at us. Why is everyone so scattered? There are Hawks back at the old safe house—repairing it for only God knows why. Members at the house we just left. Some that have been out on the run with my father. Hell—some were even trailing me at King's Bay," I said, thinking of Sentana. "And then there's the group that seems to always be with you. And let's not forget the lone stragglers." I nodded toward Zane. "What good is all of this doing us? How do we keep up with everybody? There's strength in numbers, but not if everyone is spread out like this. We're like fingers on a hand—a slap can be hard, but it's no match for when they all come together to form a fist and give a punch."

Remington smirked and shook his head. "Nice metaphor. But you realize keeping all Hawk together just makes us easier to wipe out all at once, right?"

I sighed. "We still need better organization than this regardless. How are we supposed to fight like this?"

Remington looked toward me again, raising an eyebrow. "You keep saying we. What do you mean, we?"

"We," I repeated. "Because I'm a Hawk now."
Message from the Author

Dear Reader,

Thanks for reading the first book in the Forestborn series. If you would like to hear from me anytime I publish a new novel, subscribe here. If you are reading a physical copy please click on the link in my twitter bio. Find me on twitter @ deledanielbooks

Thanks,

'Dele

## Contents

  1. Chapter 1
  2. Chapter 2
  3. Chapter 3
  4. Chapter 4
  5. Chapter 5
  6. Chapter 6
  7. Chapter 7
  8. Chapter 8
  9. Chapter 9
  10. Chapter 10
  11. Chapter 11
  12. Chapter 12
  13. Chapter 13
  14. Chapter 14
  15. Chapter 15
  16. Chapter 16
  17. Chapter 17
  18. Chapter 18
  19. Chapter 19
  20. Chapter 20
  21. Chapter 21
  22. Chapter 22
  23. Chapter 23
  24. Chapter 24
  25. Chapter 25
  26. Chapter 26
  27. Chapter 27
  28. Chapter 28
  29. Chapter 29
  30. Chapter 30
  31. Chapter 31
  32. Chapter 32
  33. Chapter 33
  34. Chapter 34
  35. Chapter 35
  36. Chapter 36
  37. Chapter 37
  38. Message from the Author

## Landmarks

  1. Cover
  2. Table of Contents

