AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Which city or town do you think we’re under?”
“This place used to be part of the Third.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Those series of dots on those tunnels. They indicate what’s next if you take that tunnel.”
I tried to remember the other series of dots but came up with just a recollection of seeing the symbols but not memorizing them. “If we’re at the Third, how far to the first?
“Not far now. The Third has a road that leads to it.”
“How can you tell?”
“Those symbols outside the tunnels. The star with the three dots inside indicates passage to the capital.”
“You still think it’s a good idea to go there? It’s just the two of us.”
“For now. I imagine our friends have by now reached a juncture of their own. They might even beat us there.”
I offered a moue. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Give me hope.”
“Are you seriously complaining?”
“You’re only saying that because you know I’m scared.”
“Anyone would be in this situation.”
“Are you frightened?” Asked because he certainly didn’t appear to be.
He didn’t even try to pretend. “Not really. Blame the number of battles I’ve engaged in. Danger has just become a fact of life.”
“Doesn’t help that you appear to have a tendency to go toward it.”
His shoulders rolled. “Someone has to.”
“Usually that person is not the king.”
“It wouldn’t be right for me to order my men to battle and not actually participate.”
“You obviously don’t do it for glory. I only rarely hear of you being part of skirmishes.”
“Because I don’t want to emphasize the violence. Governing a country is more than taxes and laws; it’s also seeing to a population’s wellbeing. It’s necessary to hide the monsters to help them sleep at night.”
“If the monsters were so bad, why did you never ask the other countries for help?”
“Pride. And until recently, we were keeping ahead of the situation.”
He knelt and spread out his cloak. He sat on one half of it. I sat with him, easing naturally into his embrace.
“You’re tense,” he observed.
“Because I’m feeling out of my depth. It occurs to me that if the First Jewel is creating the monsters, then that means we’ll have to fight.”
“Most likely.”
