The captain took a deep breath. He felt that Aldan’s unwillingness to give anything away could mean one of two things: either he was telling the complete truth, or he was so well-trained at lying that not even torture could break him.
Whichever it was, the captain believed the only way to find out was to let Aldan go and monitor him in secret. Besides, there was indeed something suspicious about that injured soldier and his group. After calming the chaos, they had discovered that those men were the ones who had started the fire.
Aldan had not done anything suspicious he simply reacted according to the situation. That was why the torture they used on him had not been too brutal. The captain believed the level of interrogation applied should have been enough to crack an ordinary guard.
He didn’t even think Aldan was part of the kingdom’s soldiers. After all, the man hadn’t fought seriously with the one his men had chased. He seems to be a good runner and used this to save his life.
"You must keep an eye on him and the others. This caravan came from Wiwell; there may be a connection to the princess," the captain warned the two soldiers assigned to watch Aldan.
"Yes, Captain," the two men replied, changed out of their uniforms, and began tailing Aldan, who was returning to the village near the checkpoint.
"You two," the captain said, turning to another pair, "go investigate and see if you can find any evidence. That man came from the direction of Lowe, while the others were seen returning to the nearby village." He wondered why Aldan and the other guard had gone towards Lowe , instead of the village close by, like the members of their caravan that left the previous night.
"Yes, Captain," the two men responded and stood up.
"Remember to search for the second guard. He said there were two of them who went to investigate and had to separate to get word back. If he’s dead, I want his body. If he’s alive, I want to question him," the captain added.
"We understand," they saluted and left.
After issuing his orders, the captain took a deep breath and was about to inquire more about the events of the previous day when a message bird flew into his tent.
He opened the scroll tied to its leg. It contained strict orders: Capture any traveler claiming to be returning an injured soldier to their hometown. Use any means necessary.
The words were written in bold clear enough to suggest death was better than letting such men escape.
The captain’s heart skipped a beat. His last letter had not even reached General Robert, yet these new orders had already arrived. Something was seriously wrong. He had to investigate.
He stepped out of the tent and summoned more men to begin searching for the scarred man.
"Fortunately, I heard not let them go," the captain thought. After all they looked harmless when they arrived at the check point.
Anastasia walked all morning. Her steps were slow, and it looked as though she could collapse at any moment, but she didn’t want to give up.
By midday, her lips were dry and cracked. Anastasia had endured hunger before, but what she couldn’t bear was the dryness in her throat.
She was forced to stop and check the map. If she continued on the main road, there would be no water source. But if she veered into the forest, there was a river not far from her location. If she were strong, it would only take a quarter of an hour to reach it. But in her current state, she doubted she could get there in even two hours.
After walking half a day, she hadn’t even covered half her journey. It would be well into the night before she reached her destination. She wanted to continue pushing forward after catching her breath but she felt that she might not make it give her body condition.
’life there is nothing more important than life,’ Anastasia thought. One could survive without food, but without water, it was impossible. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Resolving herself, she took the small path leading toward the river. Her head throbbed, and her eyes drooped from exhaustion. She lowered her gaze to the ground as she walked.
Because her steps were so sluggish, she heard the rustle of movement around her, forcing her to pause and look up. A few rabbits darted into their holes. Her stomach clenched. If only she knew how to hunt, she might have caught something to eat.
But it was water she needed more. That hope gave her the strength to take one step after another.
Her pace quickened slightly when she heard the soft sound of running water in the distance. She didn’t know if it was her current state that had sharpened her hearing, but she seemed unusually sensitive to distant sounds; just like the night before, when she had heard the approaching footsteps and guessed someone was running, allowing her to hide in time.
Still, all her thoughts narrowed down to one goal: water.
After a few more minutes, she finally saw the glimmer of the river ahead. Despite the headache, the dryness in her throat, and the ache in her limbs, a small smile spread across her face.
She began hurrying forward. The river was all she could see. If her body had allowed it, she would have run.
But just as she was about to take another step, a low, rhythmic hiss slithered through the air, sending a chill crawling up the back of her neck. Anastasia froze, her breath catching in her throat.
Her eyes fell upon the snake just a few steps away.
Coiled low to the ground, the snake had raised the front third of its body. Its neck flared slightly as its scales shimmered like wet stone in the light. Cold, unblinking eyes locked onto hers with chilling focus. Its tongue flicked in and out, tasting the air.
Anastasia shivered, instantly forgetting her thirst and fatigue, instinctively taking a step back.