Chapter 345
A shadow appeared at the ravine’s edge. The apeling princess, accompanied by her warriors, surveyed the disturbed earth with a knowing gaze. Her eyes traced his hurried descent, lingering on the overturned stones and scraped earth. She raised her hand with a measured, deliberate grace, her powers causing the rocks around the ravine to shift and constrict with a grinding groan. The spy felt the vibrations resonate through the stone, and a chill raced down his spine as the walls closed in.
The princess and her people were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a thick mist. As the thick mist suddenly descended, the princess and her people tensed, their senses heightened by the unnatural arrival. Amid the fog, the princess felt two powerful presences closing in—one of them unmistakably stronger than her own, radiating an energy she couldn’t ignore.
"Walls," she commanded, her voice cutting through the dense mist. At her command, the earth around them shifted and rose, forming a towering barrier with her warriors poised along its edge, each scanning the mist with wary eyes. They stood ready, alert to any movement beyond the wall’s formidable protection.
A tall figure emerged from the mist, shrouded in a dark cloak that concealed their face and form. The princess’s gaze narrowed as she watched a small, familiar shape—a rabbit, clutching a branch—bound over to the figure, leaping up to rest on their shoulder. Her heart sank, a realization taking root as she recognized the stolen branch in the rabbit’s grasp.
For a long moment, her eyes met the figure’s across the divide, each of them appraising the other in silence. Then she ground her teeth, acknowledging the tactical disadvantage. She sensed a subtle, rhythmic pulse in the earth around her—the figure had laid traps or signals, threads of energy that resonated with the terrain, reinforcing their position.
"Let’s fall back," she said, her voice low but decisive. "We’ll inform Father of this... development."
Though she itched to confront them, she knew her forces were outmatched and the enemy too prepared. The princess turned, signaling her people to retreat, their movements swift yet disciplined.
Nwadiebube, concealed beneath his robe, took a deep breath as he watched the princess and her people depart. He knew they had to be far away soon; he estimated they had only a few minutes, perhaps an hour, before a search would begin.
He accepted the branch from the camouflaged rabbit, who transformed back into human form as he knelt, trembling with relief after his narrow escape from death, expecting some praise from Nwadiebube.