Silver: The Lost Royal

21 | A Deal with Pawns

♛
SiatJan ~ see-uht-jan
Roveñya ~ roh-ven-ya
Purian ~ poo-ree-uhn
Raele ~ rah-yel
Daeve don Raele ~ Day-yehv-don-Rah-yel
♛

THE stop was sudden and unexpected, making them lurch forward.

"Elowen and—"

"I got them out safely," Marcela cut her short.

"Can we keep moving—"

"Yes!"

Zack slammed his foot on the pedal at Gema's command, and the sudden acceleration pushed them back into their seats.

Karyn pressed her lips shut and kept her eyes on the rearview mirror. Through it, she saw the dark clouds that had been chasing them diminish in size until they became a dot in the sky.

She should have been savoring the exhilarating rush of wind as it swept in and out of the car, but she couldn't. Not when her mind raced with thoughts, and her heart thrashed in its cage.

How could she have forgotten about them? The only family she remembered. How could she have left without making sure they were safe first?

"We should have ported out of there," Marcela said and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Karyn had caught sight of the furious look The Emeraldine kept flashing Zack's way and wondered what was the cause of her evident frustration.

"It wouldn't have worked," Zack said, and if Karyn wasn't looking at him through the mirror, she would have missed the way the corner of his lips twitched.

"What do you mean?" Gema asked.

Zack struggled to keep his expressions in check, though only Karyn could sense his apprehension and hesitation in the way his eyes darted in minuscule side-to-side motions before he blinked them to focus.

"They have Emerfield fortified like the tunnels underneath it. Magic works in it, but you can't teleport in or out," he explained.

"How did you know that?" Gema asked.

"I tried it and it didn't work." Zack kept his eyes on the road with his face showing no expression.

There was a beat of silence.

"He has magic," Jamie said as they passed a sign that read, Leaving Emerfield. We await your return home.

Zack remained silent as they sped away, with trees flanking the road. This was the road Karyn had taken with him when they searched for Elowen. Now, with the murky skies of Emerfield behind them and the bright blue skies of this new town above, the world around popped with colors. The leaves glimmered in a vibrant green hue under the calming glow of the late afternoon sun and the blue skies stretched like a canvas with stark white clouds adorning it.

"Stop the car," came Gema's voice with a hard edge that broke Karyn out of her reverie on the world outside Emerfield.

The car slowed to a halt on the side of the road. With the engine stuttering off, the tweeting of birds filtered into the car, along with the faint rustle of trees.

"Let's get down." Gema pushed the door open and stepped out before the others followed.

Karyn's eyes moved to the road behind them as they all convened on the side of the car, closer to the trees. Wariness flashed through her eyes as she asked, "What of the people who were chasing us?"

"This is a new town and one they can't enter," Gema said to Karyn, then turned to Zack. "We've had enough of your presence, Zack. I'm sorry, Karyn, but this is where you tell him goodbye."