It had been a long time since Ilyana had left the castle walls without a plethora of detailed planning. Each trip she made had to be thought out in advance in case of emergencies. Every route from her destination to Celnaer Castle had to be memorised by the guards accompanying her and people in the area had to be notified of her arrival.

The notion of leaving without the layers of protection felt like a cage being opened that she didn't know she was trapped in. It was thrilling.

After leaving the infirmary, the princess rushed around the castle with a satchel to pack what she would need for the journey to the sorcerer. A set of spare clothes was folded neatly at the bottom of the pack, a bundle of food and flasks of water sat on top of them. She also raided the infirmary for medical supplies, gathering bandages, gauze, and thread for stitches in case the situation would arise where she needed them.

Now, it was just a matter of how to get to him.

While the stables for the Wyrith army held hundreds of battle-ready horses, the royal stables only held a mere few. Though, those stallions were bred and trained to be the best of their kind. Wooden panels acted as dividers between the stalls, providing ample space for each horse. The windows were open wide, letting in the gentle summer breeze. Hay was scattered all over, the grain of the floor peeking through between the golden strands.

Was a horse even necessary? To get to any edge of the island, they would need to pass through the surrounding city before reaching flatter land a steed would thrive on. Walking would be slower, but they wouldn't have to tend to two animals. Every moment she wasted thinking was another that could be used to make progress on saving her people. She needed to make a decision.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ilyana spotted a maid brushing through the tangled mane of a foal. She laughed at the young horse as it swayed away from the sturdy comb, attempting to duck out of the maid's reach. "Don't be trying that again. You know you need to get these matted sections out."

"Excuse me," Ilyana began as she approached the girl. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but may you please send a message to the head maid?"

"Your Highness!" The maid shot up to her feet and curtseyed. "Of course. Sorry, I didn't realise you came in."

"There's no need to apologise," she assured. "Let her know that if King Matthian wishes to seek my company, I will be out for the rest of the day. Any matters he wishes to discuss will be dealt with tomorrow." The princess hoped he wouldn't cause any trouble until the two days he had promised were up, but there was a feeling lodged in her heart that told her he would.

"Right away, Your Highness!" The maid brushed the stray pieces of hay from her skirt and paced toward the castle.

With no watchful eyes to question her movements, Ilyana walked further down the aisle of stalls. Each one was occupied, making her frown. Prince Damian mentioned he wanted to explore the island, yet no horses were missing. Perhaps he had decided not to stray too far from the castle, but that didn't explain why he informed the guards he wouldn't be back until nightfall. Taking in the sights of the city and docks would only consume half a day at most.

Ilyana shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was not the time to delve into the business of a Fireborn.

Footsteps emerged from behind the princess, the sound of metal knocking against metal following suit. "Are you sure about this?" Clove questioned as she slung her own packed belongings over her shoulder. "I know I said I would do anything for you to forgive me, but this could be dangerous." Shattered sunlight danced along her armour, the protective steel no longer splattered with blood after her encounter with Morana The Cursed.

"I am very sure." There wasn't a chance the personal nuisance would talk her out of her decision now. This was a matter of saving her kingdom. "Do you think horses will be necessary?"

"Unless you want to draw attention to yourself and become a beacon for harassment about the new magic wall, I would suggest against it." The captain reached out to take Ilyana's satchel and nearly dropped it at the surprise weight it carried. "Are you planning to carry this all the way there? What do you even have in here?"

"Necessities," the princess insisted. "Everything in here is needed just in case we run into trouble."

With a sigh, Clove secured the straps over her other shoulder. "If you say so."

The two walked back to the castle's courtyard and into the shadow of the grand statue of Ilyana's mother and sister. The queen stood proud with a warm smile the princess could no longer remember. She plunged a sword into the stone base she stood on, the blade engraved with her full name. Her other hand wrapped around Viviana who held on tightly to their mother's skirt with a matching grin. The necklaces the twins had chosen as their birthday gifts before that fateful night had even made its way into the carving.

"This was a surprise to see when I returned." The captain gazed up at Queen Oleress' face, shielding her eyes from the morning sun with her hand.

"It was made to mark the five-year anniversary of their deaths. Though, the sculptor started working on it a month after they died," she explained. After eleven-year-old Ilyana had gotten a grip of the grief that ravaged her life, the unveiling of the statues had ripped apart every inch of progress she had made. While the craftsmanship was breathtaking, waking up to a permanent reminder of the family she couldn't save outside her bedroom window was a sword digging deeper and deeper into her chest.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there." Clove reached out and interlaced her fingers with hers, squeezing tightly before returning her hold to the satchels she carried.

Ilyana could only manage a nod, her throat constricted with unshed tears. There was no point in parroting her frustration with her best friend leaving when she needed her most. They needed to get moving so they could make the most of the day. Finding where an infamous sorcerer resided wouldn't be easy.

As she turned to walk around the statues and head toward the castle's gates, a yell pierced through the crisp morning air.

"Ilyana!" King Mortas approached them with furious steps, the gravel under his feet trembling in his wake. "What is the meaning of this expedition? I heard from the head maid that you were leaving castle grounds and I almost punished her for spreading false rumours. You know how dangerous the current situation is."

"Father, I can't sit around and do nothing." The king was another reason why she had wanted to set off as soon as possible. With the protection he always swarmed her with, she knew her sudden idea would crumble if he discovered what she was doing. "You came up with two plans of action, and so, I will take the responsibility of enacting one of them."

"Tending to the kingdom's alliances isn't merely nothing. After the cold greeting we gave the Fireborns, I'm sure they would not appreciate being left to entertain themselves once more." When his daughter refused to back down, Mortas squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Which plan did you choose?"

"I'm going to visit the sorcerer you spoke of." There was no way Ilyana could convince herself she was capable of tracking down a necromancer assassin, the tamer option was the only viable path left.

"And do you know where he resides? How to contact him?" Her father crossed his arms as the princess cast her eyes toward the ground. "Cloven," he turned to the captain who had remained silent at her side. "Why did you let her go ahead with this?"

"I'm here to protect Ilyana with my life, not control her decisions." Clove shrugged with a smug smile — one that the princess was tempted to return.

"Maybe hiring you was a mistake after all," he murmured.

"You can't talk me out of it. I've already made up my mind." Ilyana lowered her voice, watching as servants peered out of the castle windows to watch their disagreement unfold. From one of the higher windows, she swore she saw a flash of two glowing, crimson eyes. "People are already dying from the curse. There was a guard in the infirmary mere hours ago suffering from something I've never seen before — something that felt like death." Tears blurred her vision. "I can't watch it happen again."

King Mortas' gaze softened and he wrapped her tightly in his embrace. "And we'll try our best not to let it happen again, but there may be a few more days of tragedies that the curse will cause."

The princess relished her father's warmth, letting it quell her sorrow, before pulling away. "I have to go. You can arrange for the guards and the army to track and capture Morana The Cursed while I will deal with the sorcerer. Even if you deny it, I'll find a way to put an end to this."

Mortas chuckled — a defeated yet delighted sound. "I suppose I didn't come here to stop you, exactly."

He pulled out a thick, rectangular card from his pocket and placed it in Ilyana's palm. On one side of the cream material, a hastily sketched skull with a snake entwined around an eye socket was blotched in dark ink. The other held a series of peculiar symbols that she reckoned she had seen before in a journal from the forbidden section of the library.

"You'll need this if you want to talk to the sorcerer. After everything I've put him through, perhaps it's best if I'm not the one to approach him."

Ilyana blinked, stunned that her plan wasn't being denied. "But, you just said-"

"It is still dangerous beyond the castle walls, there's no doubt about that, but I trust your judgement. While schemes forged from strong emotions tend to be full of holes, I believe in your ability to quickly sew them shut."

"Thank you."

"You're going to make an amazing queen one day. Your mother would have been proud." Mortas squeezed her shoulder with a smile that waded through past memories. "Just because I'm letting you go doesn't mean that there won't be restrictions. Another entourage of guards will accompany you for extra support and you're not to be out for longer than a day. If you aren't back on castle grounds before the sun sets, I will forget about tracking down Morana and focus all of Wyrith's efforts into a search party."

As he finished speaking, a group of five guards emerged from the castle. Each one was armed with various weapons and bedecked in new armour. Clove nodded to them as they approached and they returned the gesture.

"That's reasonable." Extra people would slow them down, but the extra protection was welcomed. It would be an additional effort to keep the details of the Necromancer's Curse a secret too, but Ilyana was certain she would figure it out on the journey.

"The sorcerer lives in the western ruins, so it shouldn't take too long to get there." Her father pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Be safe, Ilyana."

"I won't let you down."

Chapter Word Count: 1,952
Total Word Count: 25,968