The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 126: Galeborn Howlers I

Chapter 126: Galeborn Howlers I

"What the hell was that?" Bellaflor asked from slightly behind Soleia, and likewise, the question pulsed in the latter’s mind.

The guard who Soleia had flagged down paled even further, and he barked out orders at the others, but they weren’t words Soleia could hear clearly over the ringing in her ears. She picked up some words, like ’galeborn’, and ’dangerous’, but otherwise, every other word did not mesh into a sentence in her head.

"What is going on?" Bellaflor demanded. "That cry..."

"It belongs to a galeborn howler, Your Highness," the guard replied. "There have been sightings of those beasts in the forest. We are investigating the situation right now."

"Princess Soleia? Soleia? Soleia!"

Soleia snapped back, her feet staggering as Ralph caught her from behind. He was quick to let go, afraid of letting his hands linger for too long with so many watchful eyes staring. On the other hand, Soleia let out a shaky breath.

"Are you alright?" Ralph carefully asked.

"I am fine," Soleia said, but both their attention were quickly snatched away by the guard once more.

"Sir Ralph," he said. "We require your assistance at the eastern side of the forest. There seem to be multiple attacks from smaller groups of these monsters that weren’t originally in the hunting grounds, some of which were agitated by the galeborn howlers."

Ralph’s face darkened. He clicked his tongue and sighed, but quickly nodded. He turned back to Soleia and said, "I’ll be right back, Princess."

"Wait, Ralph," Soleia said, clutching his sleeve right as he turned to leave. "Could you look for Reitan?"

"I’ll find him," Ralph said with a firm nod.

While Soleia wasn’t sure whether or not Ralph could keep to his promise, hearing his affirmation quickly lifted the stone on her chest ever the slightest. She watched as he hurried away with the guard, more and more men joining them as they headed straight for the trees.

"We should head further into the palace to wait," Celestina suggested. "It could be dangerous if one or more of the beasts escape."

"I will wait here," Soleia insisted. She turned, craning her neck and keeping her fingers crossed.

"Sister, be reasonable," Celestina said. She stepped forward and held Soleia’s hand.

The moment their fingers touched, Soleia felt a shiver of cold that shot through her body. Her earrings felt warm against her lobe, prompting Soleia to look down. True enough, there was a thin mist of magic gathering around their fingers that nobody else seemed to notice.

"What are you going to do if one of the beasts charges out and attacks you? You have no magic―"

"Celestina," Bellaflor sternly said, cutting her off. "That’s enough. Let’s get you and your baby safely into the palace."

"Bellaflor, speak some sense into her!" Celestina cried out.

"Soleia is a grown woman," Bellaflor said. "She can take care of herself and make smart decisions. Isn’t that right, Soleia?"

Soleia merely nodded, not really paying mind to what her sisters had to say. Her eyes were glued to the tree line. Prayer after prayer was said in her mind, her lips just short of speaking the words out loud. But no matter how much she prayed, everything remained silent. Even the deafening howl did not sound a second time, and Soleia didn’t know if she should be thankful or afraid.

More and more guests were evacuated back to the palace. Even King Godwin had started to make his way back, escorted carefully by Aldous, his advisor. Soon enough, the tents were deserted, except for the guards who were posted to defend the palace from possible threats.

"Reitan will not come out any sooner with you just standing here," Celestina chided with a sigh. "Seriously, we could at least wait behind the gates where it’s safer. You wouldn’t want your husband to worry for you, would you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or Sir Ralph? He said he would keep an eye out for Reitan."

Right as Soleia was about to reply, there came a sudden crackle from the direction of the forest. Several of the guests who had not yet retreated further back turned to look curiously. When Soleia strained her ears, she quickly realized what the sound was― the sound of leaves and snow crunching under footsteps.

Panting noises could be heard, followed by the occasional yelp of fright. Soleia frowned as she took a step forward, the worry in her heart growing by the second as a bad feeling quickly took over her body.

"What is that sound?" Celestina asked, frowning.

"Someone must’ve accidentally activated their clear quartz," Bellaflor remarked. "It’s amplifying the sound of their surroundings."

"Doesn’t that sound... awfully familiar to you?" Celestina pointed out. "That voice."

"It..." There was another scream of fear, and Soleia’s face paled. "It sounds like Reitan."

True enough, the next words that were projected were clearly that of a young boy. "No! Get away! Sister, Sister help me!"

"He’s in trouble," Soleia muttered, her throat dry as her body stiffened with alarm.

Before Soleia realized what she was even doing, she had started to sprint in the direction of the forest. She could faintly hear Bellaflor and Celestina yelling her name in the background, but they were no louder than the sound of a fly’s wings.

Soleia charged straight for the trees, shoveling past the guards who were not prepared for a woman to come running through their formation, and thus unable to stop her in time. They dared not venture away from their posts and had been given explicit instructions to stay put even if it cost their lives.

With no one there to stop her, Soleia ran straight into the forest, guided by the direction of the sound. She followed it until a crackle sounded, followed by a sudden flare that blasted into the sky. Then, it was followed by silence. Whatever she had heard beforehand was gone, and what remained were the lights in the sky that pointed to her west.

Soleia panted, and with each breath, the smell of the forest overwhelmed her nostrils. Her chest rose and fell, the scent of the mud and pine trees filling her lungs with each breath.

Now that she was alone, clarity shot through her. She had made such an impulsive decision and entered the forest alone, unarmed. Swallowing the bile in her throat, she reached up― the necklace Celestina picked for her was still hanging around her neck, thankfully.

That was the only thing she had.

With how quiet the forest was, all Soleia could hear was the blood rushing through her ears. She steadied herself, took a deep breath in, and ran straight for where she saw the flare of the clear quartz.

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