The Mad Queen

Chapter One-Hundred and One

I am pregnant. Of course, I am filled with joy. At the same time, however, I am terrified. What will my court and council think? I am unmarried and my lover is someone... important... but not their biggest fan. I love him. I really do. He makes my heart flutter and brings me happiness when I am with every moment I am with him. Happiness I have not felt for a long time. To be carrying our child together has my stomach doing flips of excitement.

Stuff it. I don't care what they think. It doesn't matter who the father is as long as I am the mother. I am the one continuing the bloodline. They want me to have a husband who can control me and manipulate me so they can get their way. I won't allow that. I am the Queen. I will decide who I shall love and who I will give myself to. This child will be a bastard. Yes. But he will also be the next King. I will make sure of it.

~The Diary of Orianna Dulavelle.

Una and I look up at the cliffs of the mountain then back at each other.

"Surely not," I gulp. She shrugs and sighs.

"Maybe not," she replies. "There is still a lot of ground to cover. So many options."

"At least it is less now," I tell her with a shrug.

"We don't want to waste time. We need to make a decision." I not my head and look back down at our map again with a sigh.

"Okay. This circle must cover an area of at least seventy-five miles, right?" I ask. She nods her head.

"We've got five days to search to make sure we get back in time," she continues. I lick my lips as I look at the map before sighing again. "We could run for a few days and come back. Do scans of the area?" she asks. I shake my head, something not sitting right in my stomach.

"Una," I say, looking into her eyes. "I have a gut feeling," I tell her shaking my head. "The flag is somewhere on this mountain," I say. She closes her eyes and lets out a long sigh.

"This mountain is huge," she groans. "Knowing those two... if it's here than it isn't going to be nicely in the middle." I shake my head. "How do we even get up there? I do not want to risk climbing."

"Plus, the wolves can't follow," I moan. We fall into silence and I look back at her. "Do you trust me?" I ask her. She licks her lips and lets out a long sigh.

"I don't really have much of a choice," she says before smiling slightly. "Yes. Plus, I don't have much more of a clue. At least this way we'll have a plan. Sort of." I grin and let out a breath. She groans.

"We cut through the middle to risk an ambush, all to end up going around most of it anyway," she laughs. I laugh too.

"If it makes you feel better, we'll only be running along this side. The other side isn't on the map. Well, not all of it. There is one part of the other wall right at the edge of the circle."

"I guess that makes it a little better. So East or West first?"

"West," I reply and we both turn.

"Let's find a route up this bitch," Una chuckles. I laugh too and we both start running again.

We run for most of the night, seeing nothing but smooth stone all the way up. No ways to climb even if we wanted to. 

"If there is a way up, it must be on this side, right?" she asks. "Otherwise wouldn't it be included in the circle?" I shrug.

"The map was made by Kovan..."

"Good point," she groans. The sun begins to rise and we decide it's time to rest. We eat in quiet and both of us almost retch when eating the red potato. There are no caves this time to shelter in from the sun. Instead, we lean against the red cliffs with our wolves in front of us. They're so big that they provide nice shadowed spots for us.