Chapter 390: The escape
The carriage continued towards the bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Ivana and Nicholas prayed silently to cross the bridge. That was the first checkpoint.
An inconspicuous carriage, looking no different from a transport carriage, continued on the road. The couch driver is calm and composed with a lady who seems like the hard worker’s wife.
Behind their carriage, several barrels stood, swaying slightly from the rocking motion of the wheels on the rough roads. No one could guess people as dignified as the Duke and Duchess of Darkhaven were in them. It seemed like the perfect escape.
A group of knights rode past them, going in the direction of one of the Darkhaven’s residents. "Hurry, they had escaped the main residence." The commander’s voice echoed. The lady in the carriage tensed a bit but was still keeping up the concerned facade.
The knights had found out about their master’s escape. The Darkhavens didn’t know what was happening outside the carriage except for the thunderous sounds of several hooves striking the road, causing tremors.
"It’s a busy day," the couch driver said, continuing his path.
The barrels rocked slightly as the carriage rolled along the muddy road. Inside one barrel, the Duchess of Darkhaven held her breath, cramped between linen sacks soaked in her own sweat. It was getting hard to breathe in here, blue; they had to endure.
Ivana’s heart thundered in her chest. The second barrel, only inches away, held the Duke his face pale, jaw clenched, as if silence alone could shield them from death. He was a man of high position being reduced to a common criminal. His plan was simple. Get to the port the escape the kingdom. He plans on taking refuge secretly in his daughter’s family
The knights’ horses faded up the distance and once again just the stable horse continued
Outside, the steady rhythm of horse hooves hitting the wet ground echoed through the forest. The rain started to fall but the carriage didn’t stop
The skies were still dark, the road slippery, and it wasn’t a heavy shower. The two servants driving the carriage, Galen, Nicholas’ aide and Helen, his actual wife, were loyal to the bone and had served the couple from the day they got married. The kind of loyalty that didn’t waver even in the face of treason.