Asella and Mariel walked for what felt like an eternity.
Mariel's magic had its limits. Teleportation remained their best option—slipping through the folds of space itself—but she had only recently awakened to her abilities. The power consumed her too quickly. They could travel that way for mere minutes at a time, and even then, they risked being spotted by watchful eyes.
Fortune smiled on them at dawn. They reached a sprawling city just as the first pale light crept over the rooftops, and there they managed to hire a carriage.
"One silver coin per person," the coachman announced, his gaze traveling slowly over Asella from head to toe. No matter how simply she carried herself, her clothing betrayed her—fabric of the finest quality, the kind only the truly powerful could afford.
"My lady, I don't think my humble carriage will suit someone of your station."
Asella tugged her hat lower, casting a shadow over her face. She reached out to adjust Mariel's hood as well, shielding the girl from scrutiny.
"Such a noble lady, traveling like this..."
"Here." Asella pressed a gold coin into the coachman's weathered palm. "Take this."
The moment the gold caught the morning light, the coachman's demeanor transformed entirely. He sprang from his seat, swept the carriage door open, and bent into a deep bow.
"Please, my ladies! I shall convey you in the most excellent manner possible."
"Just hurry," Asella said quietly. "We're pressed for time."
"It will be done!"
---
Once they secured the carriage, the journey grew easier. They traveled from town to town, putting more and more distance between themselves and the cursed walls of Benvito Castle.
Mariel used her magic sparingly—small bursts when the road grew too dangerous, followed by hours of quiet recovery. But her strength returned slowly, _too_ slowly.
Their luck did not hold.
On the morning of the second day after their escape, Mariel could not rise from bed.
The journey had broken something in her fragile body. Fever seized her, burning bright and merciless.
Asella stood frozen at the bedside, utterly lost. She pressed cool cloths to her sister's forehead, changed them when they grew warm, and watched helplessly as Mariel's small frame shivered beneath the blankets.
Fortunately, the innkeeper proved kindhearted. Without being asked, he summoned a doctor. Mariel took the prescribed medicine without complaint, and by the following evening, her fever had finally begun to subside.
When Asella entered the room carrying a basin of fresh water and a clean towel, she found Mariel sitting upright in bed, pale but awake.
"Mariel?" Asella set the basin down quickly. "Are you all right?"
"Sister..."
"Yes, I'm here." Asella crossed to her side and gently pressed a hand to her shoulder. "Lie back down. You need more rest."
"But we have to go." Mariel's voice was thin, strained. "I have to get up."
"No." Asella's tone left no room for argument. "You need to gather your strength first. We leave at dawn tomorrow—not a moment before."
"But the distance..."
"I know." Asella sat on the edge of the bed, her jaw tight. "Our pursuers have likely closed the gap considerably. I suspect they've been on our trail for some time now. We haven't gotten as far as I'd hoped." She paused, steadying herself. "Once you're well enough, we'll travel through the night if we must. We'll put as much ground between us and them as possible."
Perhaps the hunters had drawn dangerously close. But she could not—_would_ not—force a sick child to flee any further tonight.
"Everything will be fine," she murmured, easing Mariel back against the pillows and drawing the blanket up to her chin. "Are you hungry?"
---
The small inn may have been modest, but the food was decent and the rooms unexpectedly comfortable. Warm meat broth arrived in a ceramic bowl, accompanied by soft bread, a crisp salad, and fresh fruit—luxuries Asella hadn't expected to find.
She watched in silence as Mariel ate.
She had no appetite herself. In truth, she had barely eaten anything since fleeing the fortress. Sleep came in fitful fragments, broken by nightmares and the relentless gnaw of anxiety. Fear of discovery burned like a coal lodged behind her ribs. The dread mounted with each passing hour, and Asella could feel herself fraying, unraveling thread by thread.
_I'm almost at my limit._
She reached into the deep pocket of her traveling cloak and withdrew a small stone. It fit neatly in her palm—smooth, white, faintly luminescent. The portal. The one Father Roshan had secretly pressed into her hands.
_Maybe I should use this._
The reason she hadn't opened the gate was simple: she did not trust the priest.
He was the man the Grand Duke had invited to the castle—_twice_. That fact alone filled her with suspicion. What if Roshan was acting in her husband's interests? What if this portal led not to the Great Temple in Gevium, but somewhere else entirely—somewhere _he_ controlled?
"Sister, what's that in your hand?"
Mariel's eyes had grown wide, darting between Asella's face and the stone.
Asella hesitated. Then, slowly, she placed it on the table between them.
"A portal!" Mariel gasped. "Who gave you this?"
"...Father Roshan."
"But why haven't you used it?"
Asella pressed her lips together. How could she explain to a child that she doubted a minister of the church?
"I'm just... not certain," she said at last, choosing her words carefully.
But that was enough for Mariel.
"Father Roshan is on our side," the girl said with quiet conviction. "You have nothing to worry about."
Then her cheeks flushed, and she rubbed the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you before, but... I can actually read minds. I saw his intentions. They were true."
Before Asella could respond, a suspicious commotion erupted outside.
She rose from her seat and crossed to the window. The moment she glanced through the gap in the curtains, her blood turned to ice. She yanked the fabric shut.
"Sister?"
"Mariel." Asella's voice cracked. "We have to leave. _Now._"
Understanding flooded the girl's face the instant she saw how pale her sister had become. Without a word, she threw off the blankets and began dressing.
"**Search everything here!**"
"**Yes, sir!**"
The shouts of soldiers rose from the street below—harsh, commanding, _close_.
Asella's hands trembled as she tied the ribbon of Mariel's hat beneath her chin. She wrapped a large scarf around the girl's neck, tucking the fabric high enough to obscure her features.
Suddenly, Mariel seized her wrist. A small finger pressed to her lips.
_Quiet._
> "We're looking for a young woman traveling with a girl of about ten years. Have you had any such customers?"
Asella's heart plummeted. _The Archduke's soldiers._ It was still early evening. The shop doors stood wide open, and the officer conducting the interrogation had chosen to remain on the open terrace—directly beneath their window.
She forced herself to move. She crossed to the door and turned the lock with a soft _click_.
_There's no time._
"Sister?"
"Are you absolutely certain that Father Roshan is our ally?"
"Yes." Mariel nodded without hesitation. "I can see the color of a person's aura. His is... warm. Honest. He truly wants to help us."
"All right."
Asella lifted the portal stone and pressed it to her lips.
The white surface vibrated faintly against her mouth. A pale glow began to emanate from within—soft at first, then building, intensifying—until a massive vortex of light spiraled open before them, swirling like a doorway cut into the fabric of the world itself.
The portal was open.
"Mariel." Asella dropped to her knees before the girl and gripped her shoulders firmly. She forced herself to speak clearly, though her voice threatened to break. "Listen to me carefully. When you arrive at the Temple, the _first_ thing you must do is find Father Roshan. Until then, you must not reveal your name to _anyone_. Do you understand?"
"What about you, sister?" Mariel's voice rose, trembling with sudden fear. "You're coming too, aren't you?"
Asella bowed her head, pretending to fuss with the buttons of the girl's coat. She had prepared herself for this moment. She had known it might come. But her throat betrayed her, closing tight, and tears burned at the corners of her eyes.
_Be brave. Be brave for her._
She gathered every scrap of courage she possessed and looked up with a bright, practiced smile.
"Your sister still has something she must do."
"What? What do you have to do?"
"Don't ask." Asella cupped Mariel's face in her hands. "But it's very important. I need you to go first, and I'll catch up with you very soon."
"Are you _sure_ you'll come?" Mariel's eyes searched her face, wide and uncertain. Her illness had drained her magic—she couldn't sense whether Asella was telling the truth.
Finally, the girl made her decision.
She turned and stepped into the swirling light.
"**Forgive me.**"
Asella pressed her lips to the portal stone one final time.
The white surface—once smooth and solid—crumbled to dust in her hands. Fine powder slipped through her fingers and scattered on the floor.
At the same instant, the vortex of light began to collapse. It shrank inward, folding into itself, until it was nothing more than a brilliant point—
And then it was gone.
_I'm sorry, Mariel. Your sister will be a little late._
She had known from her mother that the portal would remain open indefinitely unless deliberately closed from the outside. Which meant someone had to stay behind.
Which meant _she_ had to stay behind.
_Mama, please help me._
Asella whispered the prayer into the empty room, then straightened her spine and reached for the doorknob.
Now she would have to hide alone.
---
She eased the door open and peered into the hallway.
Empty.
The soldiers' voices echoed from the shop next door—they were conducting a thorough search, tearing through crates and questioning every merchant. This was her only chance.
The inn was nearly deserted at this hour. Asella descended the stairs without encountering a soul, moving quickly but quietly, keeping her head down. The innkeeper glanced up briefly as she passed through the ground floor, but his expression held nothing more than idle curiosity—just another guest stepping out for an evening stroll.
She was lucky. The hotel sat in the heart of the city, where the streets remained crowded even as dusk settled over the rooftops. Asella slipped into the flow of pedestrians and let the crowd swallow her.
_The Sacred Autonomous Prefecture of Gevium._
To reach it, she first had to escape the principality entirely.
Asella quickened her pace, her eyes fixed forward, her heart pounding against her ribs.
---
## — The Road to the Border —
The carriage raced along the paved road, rattling over stones and ruts without pause.
They had traveled nearly all day without stopping, pushing toward the next town before nightfall. Asella leaned back in her seat, her body heavy with exhaustion, and gazed out at the evening sky. The sunset blazed crimson and gold along the horizon, beautiful and indifferent.
She was spent—mentally, physically, _utterly_. Too much had happened in too short a time. Her exhausted body screamed for rest, and the weariness crept through her limbs like a slow tide.
Her eyes grew heavy.
The clatter of the wheels faded.
The jolting of the carriage softened into something distant, dreamlike...
"...!"
Asella jerked awake as the carriage lurched sharply.
She blinked, disoriented, then noticed something wrong.
_Why are we moving so slowly?_
The carriage had slowed to a crawl. Asella pulled back the curtain with trembling fingers. The window had no glass—just open air—and a cold wind rushed in, biting at her cheeks.
Her stomach dropped.
A massive line of carriages stretched ahead, snaking toward the city in an endless procession. At the far end, barely visible through the gathering dusk, loomed the fortress gates.
_But there's no military conflict right now. And this isn't even a border town—entry should be unrestricted._
The thunder of approaching hooves broke through her thoughts.
The sound grew louder, closer, until finally the riders themselves appeared outside her window—armored soldiers on tall horses, their cloaks billowing behind them.
The moment Asella saw the crest emblazoned on their breastplates, her pupils constricted with terror.
_**The Benvito seal.**_
_Is this a test? Is fate **mocking** me?_
Soldiers had blockaded the gates. They were inspecting every single person attempting to enter the city.
Asella yanked the curtain shut and pressed herself against the side of the carriage, her breath coming fast and shallow, her heart hammering so loud she was certain the whole world could hear it.
---