I had no ti. In a matter of minutes, I would be caught by the guards and taken back into the castle.
’No this can’t be happening.’
Damon was nowhere to be found. He lied to . He told he’ll be waiting, but he is not. ’Forget about him, run for your life.’
Without wasting ti, I took to my heels, running into the woods.
Minutes turned into hours. I rested my back on the bark of a tree, and sweat dripped from my body profusely.
White stood beside , "White, I’ll help you be visible again. Run away." I commanded, but he growled in disapproval.
I ignored him and brought out the necklace Rhydian had given to . "Rhydian," I called and the white stone turned blue.
"Aeris."
"Rhydian helped make White visible again," I said, peeking from my hide spot. Guards held torches patrolling around where I was hiding.
"Face the necklace towards him." Ca his reply.
I did as I was told, then blue energy flowed from the stone and moved through the air towards White. Slowly his form beca visible.
"Thank you Rhydain for your help." I breathed out of relief, putting the necklace back inside my cloak.
"Run, White."
But he shook his head.
I squatted, holding his face between my palms. "I’m only doing this for our good." I placed my forehead on his. "Co find after we are safe, go on."
His grey eyes t mine, they softened, then he licked my face. "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, believe ."
Giving him one last hug, I stood up, stepping away from him. He gave one last look, as if contemplating whether he should go or not.
"GO."
White dashed through the forest towards the Fae guard. "Look, that’s the Princess’s wolf." The head of the guard shouted.
White turned around and ran in the opposite direction, leading them away from .
"Stupid wolf, I told you to run for your life not rescue ," I muttered under my breath out of frustration.
"Princess, we should get going. They might return anyti if they notice it is a false lead." Golden said, flying in front of .
I looked in the direction he had run to. How could I let him face danger because of ? What if he gets caught? What if he gets killed?
My feet moved in the sa direction he had run.
"Princess!"
Golden called from behind, but I ignored its call, I’ll not let White face the danger alone. My feet thudded against the forest floor, the sound of twigs snapping and my panting along with my thundering heart were the only sounds I could hear.
The brushes whipped across my body, tearing through my fabric. I got to the middle of the small clearing, and I stopped, unable to tell which path they had taken.
My eyes darted between the trees, every path looked the sa, dark, and silent.
"White?" I whispered, spinning in a slow circle. My chest rose and fell too fast. I had no idea where he had gone. The wind carried nothing but the rustle of leaves and the distant sound of boots slamming into the dirt.
Had they caught him?
"No... no, they couldn’t have." I clenched my fists. "He’s faster than them."
But doubt kept crawling in.
I took a step to the right, then stopped, then turned again. My mind scread for to think, but all I could hear was the thud of my own panic.
"Which way...?" I muttered, spinning again.
Then I saw faint paw prints in the mud leading into the denser part of the woods.
Without thinking, I bolted after them. Branches scratched my arms, tore at my cloak, but I didn’t slow down. Not until I heard low growls, muffled voices, and the clang of tal.
I crouched behind a fallen tree, peeking from the side.
White was cornered.
Three fae guards stood around him, their swords drawn and torches lit. He bared his teeth, his fur bristling, but he wasn’t attacking. He was stalling, and keeping their attention.
One of them raised a silver spear. "You’re done, beast."
"No!" I shouted, jumping to my feet.
The guards turned toward my voice. Their eyes widened. "Princess?"
White seized the distraction. He lunged at the nearest one, knocking the torch from his hand. Flas rolled across the forest floor, catching on dry leaves.
"Run!" I scread at White, charging toward him. But he didn’t move. He stood his ground, blood dripping from his muzzle, shielding from the fire and the guards.
The fire cracked louder now, thick smoke already curling into the sky.
"We have to go!" I grabbed his fur, pulling him to move. "We’ll both die here if we stay!"
Finally, he turned and ran. I followed, barely able to keep up.
We didn’t stop running until the smoke was far behind us.
My legs gave out near a shallow stream, and I collapsed, gasping for air.
White stood above , his chest heaving. "You idiot," I whispered. "You were supposed to run."
He lowered his head, resting it gently against my shoulder. I closed my eyes, trying to inhale as much oxygen as I could.
I sat up, heaving for air, then realization dawned on . "Golden!" I bolted to my feet. But the butterfly did not answer or show up.
"Golden..." I hurried in the direction we were coming from, but my leg gave way, and the ground welcod my ungraceful fall.
"Golden." I crawled, my chest tightened at the thought that it didn’t make it out of the fire.
I tried to crawl but I couldn’t like sothing was holding back, and when I turned around, White held my left foot.
"Let go of my leg White, I need to look for Golden..."
Before I could finish my words, the loud snap of a twig echoed through the forest. My heart hamred in my chest. White took a defensive stance.
Ahead of us, two figures made their way towards us.
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