A Royal Obligation
Chapter 242: The Chase Intensifies

Chapter 242: The Chase Intensifies

The forest seemed alive with shadows, the gnarled branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. Carl led Amelia deeper into the dense undergrowth, his steps purposeful but frantic. Each crack of a twig beneath their feet sent her heart racing. The faint glow of torchlight behind them served as a grim reminder, they were being hunted.

Amelia stumbled, her dress catching on a thorny bush. "Wait!" she hissed, yanking her skirt free. "I can’t keep up if you keep dragging me like this."

Carl turned, his face twisted in frustration. "We don’t have time for your complaints. Move faster, or they’ll catch us both!"

"Maybe you should’ve thought about that before forcing me to come with you," she shot back, her voice trembling.

Carl’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed her wrist again, pulling her forward. "We’ll reach the old riverbed soon. The guards won’t know where to look after that."

Amelia didn’t share his confidence. The forest was vast, but the royal guards were relentless. She glanced over her shoulder again, catching a flicker of movement. "But they’re already getting closer," she whispered, panic creeping into her voice.

Carl cursed under his breath. "Then we’ll have to make them lose our trail."

---

Caledon’s boots crushed the brittle leaves beneath him as he marched through the forest with his men close behind. The torchlight illuminated the grim determination on his face. Every fiber of his being was focused on one goal, bringing Carl back, alive or otherwise.

"Spread out!" he ordered, his voice sharp. "Stay within earshot. If you see any sign of him, signal immediately."

The guards obeyed, their formation breaking as they combed through the dense woods. Caledon paused, crouching low to inspect the ground. His sharp eyes caught the faint indentations of footprints leading deeper into the forest.

"He’s heading east," he muttered, rising swiftly. "He’s aiming for the riverbed."

One of the guards stepped forward. "How can you be sure, Commander?"

"Because I know Carl," Caledon replied coldly. "He’s predictable in his arrogance. He’ll think we won’t follow him that far."

The guard nodded, falling back into line. Caledon straightened, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he pressed on. "He’s not escaping me. I’ll never let him."

---

The trees grew denser, their tangled roots making the terrain treacherous. Carl slowed, scanning their surroundings. "This way," he muttered, veering toward a narrow deer trail.

Amelia hesitated. "Are you sure? What if..."

"Shut up already or do you have a better idea?" he snapped, cutting her off.

She bit her lip, swallowing her retort for a hundredth time that night, and followed him. The faint sound of rushing water reached their ears, and for the first time, Carl’s expression softened. "There," he said, pointing ahead.

The riverbed came into view, a shallow, rocky stretch of land with water trickling through it. Carl led Amelia down the embankment, his boots crunching against the stones.

"Cross here," he ordered. "The water will mask our tracks."

Amelia hesitated at the edge, the icy water lapping at her boots. "This is madness," she murmured.

"Madness is staying here and getting caught," Carl growled, wading into the stream.

Reluctantly, she followed, shivering as the cold seeped through her shoes. The current wasn’t strong, but the slippery rocks made every step precarious.

---

Not far behind, Caledon and his men reached the riverbank moments later. The tracks led directly to the water’s edge, but there was no sign of Carl or Amelia.

"Smart," one of the guards remarked. "He’s using the water to cover his trail."

Caledon’s eyes narrowed, scanning the opposite bank. "He hasn’t gone far," he said, his voice low. "Search both sides of the river. He’s bound to leave tracks once he’s out of the water."

The guards spread out, their torches casting eerie reflections on the water’s surface. Caledon stood still for a moment, his hand brushing against the hilt of his sword.

"You can run, Carl," he muttered under his breath. "But you can’t hide forever. I must drag you back to the king."

---

On the other side of the river, Carl and Amelia climbed out of the stream, their breaths visible in the cool night air. Carl glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness behind them.

"Keep moving," he said, his voice tight.

Amelia was trembling, both from the cold and the fear gnawing at her. "Do you even have a plan?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Carl smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "Plans are for fools who have the luxury of time. I have instincts, and right now, they’re telling me to survive."

Amelia didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the distant torches flickering through the trees. They were still too close.

---

Caledon’s group picked up the trail on the opposite side of the river. One of the guards raised a hand, signaling for the others to stop.

"Over here!" he called out, pointing to the faint impression of boot prints in the mud.

Caledon rushed over, his eyes narrowing as he examined the tracks. "They’re heading north," he said, rising swiftly. "Double your pace. We’re closing in."

The guards moved with renewed urgency, their torches cutting through the dense foliage. The sound of their pursuit carried through the forest, reaching Carl and Amelia like the distant roar of an approaching storm.

"They’re too close," Amelia whispered, panic tightening her chest.

Carl gritted his teeth, his mind racing. He turned sharply, leading her toward a patch of forest that had been ravaged by erosion.

"This way," Carl ordered, his voice low but commanding.

Amelia hesitated, her legs trembling with exhaustion. "What are you doing?"

Carl didn’t answer, instead pulling her down a steep, eroded slope. The loose soil crumbled under their feet as they slid into a shallow ditch partially hidden by tangled roots and overgrown foliage.

"Get down," he hissed, his hand pressing firmly on her shoulder to force her lower.

Amelia complied, though reluctantly, the damp earth chilling her skin. Carl lay beside her, his body partially covering hers, pinning her against the ground.

"Don’t move," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

Above them, the forest came alive with the sound of boots crashing through underbrush. The flicker of torchlight painted jagged shadows across the eroded slope. Carl’s hand tightened on Amelia’s arm as they lay motionless, the tension between them palpable.

Moments later, Caledon’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "They’re close! Spread out! Check every crevice and hollow!"

Amelia’s heart hammered in her chest, each beat threatening to betray their position. She could feel the weight of Carl’s body pressing down on her, his own breathing shallow and controlled. Above them, the guards ran past, their torches casting brief bursts of light into the ditch before disappearing deeper into the northern forest.

Carl waited, his eyes fixed on the treetops as the last echoes of the guards’ footsteps faded. He stayed still for several moments, listening intently to the forest’s silence, before finally whispering, "They’re gone."

He climbed out of the ditch, extending a hand to pull Amelia up after him. She hesitated, her wide eyes filled with fear and something close to resentment.

"We don’t have time for this," Carl snapped, grabbing her wrist and hauling her to her feet.

---

Caledon led his men deeper into the northern forest, his frustration mounting with every step. The terrain grew more treacherous, the thick canopy above blocking out most of the moonlight.

"Where are they?" one of the guards muttered, his voice tight with exhaustion.

"They couldn’t have gotten far," Caledon barked back. But as they pushed further north, his confidence began to waver. The forest bore no signs of a trail, no broken branches, no disturbed soil.

One of the guards slowed to a stop, panting heavily. "Commander, are you sure they went this way? There’s no trace of them."

Caledon gritted his teeth, his mind racing. Something wasn’t adding up. "Search the area again!" he ordered.

The guards fanned out, their torches cutting through the darkness, but no trail emerged. The realization hit Caledon like a punch to the gut, they had been fooled.

"Damn it!" he swore, spinning on his heel. "Double back! Now!"

They retraced their steps, but the forest floor was now a chaotic mess of footprints, their own tracks crisscrossing and obscuring any trace of Carl and Amelia.

"They could be anywhere by now," one guard said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Caledon clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over. He turned to the men, his face a mask of fury. "Do you have any idea what the king will do if we return empty-handed? Keep searching!"

Meanwhile, Carl and Amelia moved swiftly but carefully, doubling back toward the direction they had come. Carl knew the guards would eventually realize their mistake, but by then, he intended to be far away.

Amelia stumbled, her exhaustion evident. "I can’t keep this up," she panted, her voice breaking.

"You don’t have a choice," Carl replied coldly, his grip on her arm relentless. "We either keep moving, or we die."

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