Chapter 35: The Ambush
Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor as nine riders picked their way carefully along the overgrown path. Six days of fruitless searching had worn their spirits thin, each village yielding nothing but blank stares and fearful whispers when they inquired about a young woman traveling alone.
Naia shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, the wooden frame digging into her thighs despite the padding of her commoner’s disguise. The rough-spun clothes itched against her skin, so unlike the fine fabrics she’d worn her entire life within palace walls. She glanced at her sister, noting how even in peasant’s garb, Lyra maintained her regal bearing.
"I think we need to take the next step," Naia finally said, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over the group. "We’ve searched every village within a three-day ride of the border."
Lyra’s head snapped toward her, eyes narrowing. "You can’t just tell us to enter Vylonia. It’s far too risky." Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "If anyone discovers our identities, it would be considered an act of war."
"And what would you have us do instead?" Naia shot back, frustration bleeding into her words. "Continue circling these same territories while Eren gets further away with each passing hour?"
Captain Diana pulled her mount alongside them, her weathered face grave in the dim light. "Princess Naia may be right," she said, her voice low and steady. "We’ve been wandering for six days without daring to cross into another kingdom. What’s the point of this mission if we’re unwilling to take necessary risks?"
"The point is finding Eren without starting a war," Lyra hissed.
Lieutenant Mira guided her horse forward, her keen eyes catching the last rays of sunset through the trees. The short auburn hair framing her face gleamed even in the dim light as she addressed the princesses with quiet authority. "If I may speak freely, Your Highnesses," she said, her fingers absently touching the air element pendant at her throat, "our intelligence places Princess Eren on the road to Vylonia. Every hour we debate this decision is another hour she travels beyond our reach."
Diana shook her head. "If she crossed the border, that’s where we must follow. My squad is trained for covert operations—we can pass as mercenaries while you maintain your disguises." She glanced back at her remaining warriors. "Our duty is to protect you and find Princess Eren, not to avoid all danger."
From the back of the formation, the kitchen servant guided her horse mechanically, barely engaged in the conversation. Her eyes remained fixed on Lyra, gaze sharp and unsettling. ’Six days of searching, and still she hesitates,’ the servant thought, fingers tightening around her reins. ’Does she truly wish to find Eren, or merely to appear as though she does?’
"If we’re voting, I say we cross the border," quipped Elira, the youngest of the AMAZON squad. "Better than another night sleeping on these forest roots. My back can’t take much more of nature’s hospitality." She grinned, patting her mount’s neck. "Besides, I hear Vylonian wine is worth the risk."